Devlog #1: Introducing the Freeblades

[p]In Ashbane, the war doesn’t need heroes. It needs Freeblades. People who sell skill and survival, and don’t care who pays as long as the coin is real. Some break shields. Some break minds. Some keep you breathing when you should be dead.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Banners in the Blood[/h2][p]Freeblades don’t just take contracts. They wear a loyalty, and people notice. Every guild falls under one of three banners: Oathbound, Dreadforged, or Unsworn.[/p][p]Oathbound guilds draw from Aduran, Dvergar, Caelum, and Sylvan, held together by duty and old rules about who you stand beside. Dreadforged guilds draw from Shade, Lithos, Irekei, and Reptilis, built on strength, fear, and what you can take.[/p][p]The Unsworn are the coin-bound mix, drawn from any race, loyal only to coin and power. Most towns don’t care that you’re Unsworn. They care who’s in your company. Put Oathbound and Dreadforged in the same warband, and you’ll feel the room turn cold.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Who Answers for Coin[/h2][p]Oathbound and Dreadforged don’t just fight differently, they train differently. Each side fields 20 unique classes, built for their way of war. The Unsworn take whoever they can pay, and that means they get their pick of all 40. But the same freedom that makes them dangerous also makes them difficult. Personal feuds and fragile loyalties can simmer under the banner, threatening cohesion. [/p][p][/p][h2]Gifts and Scars[/h2][p]The Freeblades who drift into your tavern come from those pools, and every hire is a gamble. Each one can arrive with up to five traits, and they’re not all gifts. Some are pure strengths. Some are pure flaws. And a lot of the time, the best advantages come offset by a drawback that makes you think twice.[/p][p]Razhith the warlock, for example, might show up with Calm Focus, boosting his wisdom and magic defense, but he also carries Brittle, cutting his endurance.[/p][p]Once a Freeblade signs on and starts earning XP, they stop being a name on a contract. You raise their attributes, shape their abilities, and specialize them into the kind of problem-solver your guild needs.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Forged, Not Found[/h2][p]No two Freeblades of the same class have to end up the same. As they level, you can specialize them toward different roles and playstyles, and even build for combinations between units. [/p][p]Elyndra the confessor, for example, can be shaped for single target execution or wide-area pressure, leaning into burst damage, damage over time, or a hybrid mix. Run two of the same class with different specializations, and you can set up brutal payoffs, one built to stack fire and debuffs, the other built to cash them in with heavy damage.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Steel and Sustenance[/h2][p]Gear matters, but we’re still building the full itemization system. For now, here’s what we can say: equipment raises your attributes, and those attributes feed directly into how your abilities perform. Legendary items can also augment your abilities in different ways. You will also manage the supplies that keep an expedition alive: food, potions, and crafting components. Everything you carry is a tradeoff.[/p][p][/p][h2]What Comes Next[/h2][p]This is just the beginning. In future devlogs we’ll be revealing more about the races and classes that make up the Freeblades, what sets them apart, and how their loyalties shape the way they fight and survive.[/p][p][/p][p]Don’t forget to wishlist and follow Ashbane to stay updated with all the latest news. Until next time, keep your blades sharp and your contracts profitable.[/p][p][/p][p]- Shiverblade Studios[/p][p]
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