Hello Champions!!
A crazy busy week started yesterday for the team, because of GamesCom. The event is on its way end of August, and we decided to go back to Germany, after our last appearance in 2019. We’ll be attending the event to meet all the people in touch with us to know more about our future plans for Alaloth. It will be a good moment to meet press and creators as well and we are cooking something cool for them.
We are going to say more about GamesCom in future updates, but we want to focus on something else right now.
We’ve been very active from May on, and we sent out 7 patches following the release.
We gathered tons of feeds and had the chance to talk about things going on, features, fixes, future updates,
our roadmap and so on but it’s time to talk about the RPG stuff again. We spent time discussing options to improve the combat sys but there is a whole huge world we’ve worked on and that will be expanded in the next months. We are proof reading quests again right now, playing every single one again and again and iterating. We’ve put in many new quest rewards, polished dialogues, added timelines and tried to make quests more and more structured for players asking about this.
We read your feeds on writing of course and we are actively working on it. 99% of the games around must be considered player-centered: the whole story evolves around the player, his choices, his actions. We do have something like this, but quests are way more streamlined when compared to other big games of course. We did this choice to work on something different, trying to stay in between old and new, as we tried to do for the combat system.
The game is world-centered, player just live in Plamen, and things happen. Events could be missed, some chars encounters could be missed during a run, and so on. We thought it was cool to move on with something like this and this is something we really want to push in the future, adding many new different events to the calendar, to be able to give you all massive surprises we are going to discuss for sure, updating the roadmap later this summer.
Who said large scale battles? New mobs? New FA? We didn’t. Yet.
Anyway, it’s time to talk about Plamen again, sharing the chronology of events that led to the summon of the best champions of the Four Kingdoms to defeat Alaloth, the Great Betrayer.
As you know, the world lore has been created by Chris Avellone [races, cities, pantheon, companions, special chars, legends] and our team started from his work to deliver the game as it is today. This is a timeline of events that you can read about in-game, through Lore Characters, quests, dialogues, and barks all around the world.
BLOOD & BIRTH: THE CHAOS OF CREATION
In the times before the calendars of the Four Kingdoms, there existed only chaos. Swirling raw, elemental matter at war with each other. From this chaos, a consciousness came into being. This conscious became the All-Father. All-Father achieves Consciousness Amidst the Chaos of Creation.
It is said in ancient holy texts that the All-Father existed for some time, unnamed, as a great power fueled only by instinct, but when the first drop of his blood was shed, a new act of creation resulted, and he gained the name All-Father.
From his blood, the gods, beasts, and the mortal races were born. The histories of this time are clouded, for language did not exist in the consciousness as a concept until the Mother-of-Betrayers came to be...and it grew from that moment on. It is believed that the
precursor race to the Dwarves was also given form during this time.
THE FIRST ERA
This Era encompasses a time believed to be three millennia before Alaloth’s DescentThe All-Father’s battle with the elements of chaos shed blood onto different aspects of the chaos–stone, shadow, light, and more, creating the First Pantheon. Each of the All-Father’s drops of blood burned into an element, granting it the same passion and desire for battle as the All-Father's.
Each one fused with and took on an aspect of conflict: Storms, Fury, Flame, Purifying Light, Nature’s Wrath, Eldritch Energy, and more. Among them was Vaizmil, The Luminous Spear of Morning, The Champion of Purifying Light: the All-Father’s favored daughter.
The last of the Pantheon, the Mother of Betrayers, was born from the All-Father’s shadow that was cast by Vaizmil’s light. The Mother’s strength, stemming from the All-Father himself, was powerful indeed, and while the others of the Pantheon were considered sons and daughters, she granted herself a greater title and assumed the role of
mother[h3]
THE ECLIPSE[/h3]
It is said that when the Mother was created, there was a great eclipse. The Elves called it the
Shield over the Sun, others called it the
Executioner of Light. When the ecplise passed, the races began to invent their language, all while the first iteration of the group known as the Spectral Circle came to be. The Orcish matriarchs were beset by visions (that they shared with no one, but joined them like a web across the orc tribes), and the Ver’Ethier, the Dark Elves, were born in a world without light.
[h3]
THE PANTHEON[/h3]
The new gods fought alongside the All-Father, giving form to the chaos around them. The Mother of Betrayers, however, slowly and secretly brought conflict into the Pantheon, jealous of the power that the All-Father wielded.
[h3]
THE TIDES OF SPLIT KINGDOMS[/h3]
The mortal races of the four split kingdoms struggled, forming empires and having them fall over many centuries. The Sariqi Caliphate, the empire to the South of the world map, where Iln-Ashah is from, was one such kingdom. The Split Kingdoms lost contact with them over the years, and then completely after Alaloth’s Descent. Very little is left of the histories of the races, except among the Elves, who kept them hidden, presumably out of shame. Many of the practices of Elves and the layout of their kingdom is unchanged since Alaloth’s descent with some exceptions.
[h3]
THE RETREAT[/h3]
The Retreat was once something greater: the promise of a new life beyond the mortal realms. The Elves would construct great ships to carry them to their next life. When the Fifth Kingdom was granted to the mortal races, the Elves took it as a sign that the next life was to be achieved in the mortal realms, ceasing the Retreat. With Alaloth’s Descent, however, the Retreat began again but as a means of ending one’s existence.
The Ver’Quintiss came into being,
elven paladins that sought purity of spirit and judgment. They were great soldiers and philosophers in elvish society, but when Alaloth came to the mortal realms, they changed from their purpose to inquisitors and executioners, blaming their own people for Alaloth’s triumph.
It was nearly three centuries after Alaloth’s Descent before their fire for punishment died out. The Dwarves fared better than most kingdoms, for they found homes in the abandoned caverns of a precursor race, who built great roads beneath the earth and then vanished. The Dwarves follow their example, and use the already excavated sites to build cities and practice their trade.
THE SECOND ERA
Human Calendar Begins. A time of conquest, battles and bloodshed. The Era shaped what would become of The Split Kingdoms, their borders and government birthed here and now. Humans have recorded their wars and the battles of others, although the latter is left with less details. [h3]
4 SE[/h3]
War breaks out around the continent: Edherest, Larastir, Karak-Hohn, and the Orc kingdom, first named
The Teeth of Maknor take up arms against each other, for new territory and for total domination over the entire world. The central piece, the land between them, where the Fifth Kingdom will one day be created, is up for grabs.
[h3]
32 SE[/h3]
Initial skirmishes occur around the land between them, and while the cost of lives stays low for now, the tension for bigger campaigns grows to extreme levels.
[h3]
40 SE[/h3]
Karak-Hohn seizes the mines all around its territories and reigns supreme over metal mining operations, which leaves the rest at a disadvantage. The other kingdoms are left with inferior weaponry, albeit larger numbers.
[h3]
48 SE[/h3]
The Kingdom of Edherest lay siege to the territories of Karak-Hohn, but due to the mountainous terrain they are unable to hold out for long. But when threats from other kingdoms came as well, the dwarves extended their hand in peace, trading some of their metal to sustain peace in its region.
[h3]
67 SE[/h3]
The Teeth of Maknor begin to raid both Larastir and Edherest, causing considerable damage to the villages outside the major cities. The humans find the orcish terrain harder to navigate and are unable to retaliate.
[h3]
80 SE[/h3]
Edherest fortifies the western front against the orcs with a series of towers and building Westwall at its border. To increase stability and strength, the king gives more privileges to the Houses, allowing them to manage their own estates as long as they are loyal to him.
[h3]
143 SE[/h3]
The armies of Larastir are quick to take over the area of the Fifth Kingdom, claiming it as theirs by divine right. They hold strong as the other kingdoms unite in battle to break the elven fortifications.
[h3]
170 SE[/h3]
The newly conquered territory knew nothing of peace for years, and finally it fell to a combined assault from all the other races, many lives were lost on the elven side, but the rest suffered greatly as well. All kingdoms decided that they are not strong enough to hold the territories.
[h3]
228 SE[/h3]
The orc king, grandson to the legendary Maknor, falls in battle to King Aigen of Edherest, bringing an end to the Teeth of Maknor. The orcs retreat, not out of fear, but because of a change in leadership.
[h3]
320 SE[/h3]
Larastir descends into chaos as the different elven races vie for power over the republic, each distrusting the other. At the end of the conflict, the dark elves are left at the bottom of the food chain in elven society and the racial divide widens. The Ver'Quintiss help negotiate peace among the elves.
[h3]
351 SE[/h3]
Lord Dorgrad
the Vicious Gardin takes over Coldwood in a bloody conquest, slaughtering the local house and ending its existence. He establishes his house there and starts a fearful regime.
[h3]
372 SE[/h3]
Descending from the mountains, Jukwar Clarimond and his house came to Whitewind, proclaiming it their new home. The house fought bravely during the conflicts of the Second Era, losing many along the way.
[h3]
443 SE[/h3]
The Siege, a decade-long war against a horde of the dead led by the necromancer Kariasha, ends with
The Battle of Argent Vale. Lord Hileon Bardolph is named Shield of The North by King Eadan II.
[h3]
544 SE[/h3]
The Mother-Daughter War, a 10 years naval conflict between The Lords of The Isles and the Orc Kingdom, then known as the
Hand of Dojhmarin ends with House Sedlak establishing themselves in Baystone, taking control of the trade routes in the bay area.
[h3]
644 SE[/h3]
Galvin Nordin proclaimed Great Chamberlain of Edherest. His house protects the North and stands as a vanguard against many threats that the kingdom faced.
[h3]
666 SE[/h3]
Edwan the Conqueror's army invades the Orc Kingdoms, then known as the
Eye of Greija. The Balmont retain the title of Protector of Edherest, giving them prestige and renown second only to the royal family in the kingdom.
[h3]
692 SE[/h3]
Some Northern Houses in Edherest band together in emigrating to the unknown lands of the northern sea, there they form the North Sea Empire, a trading colony far away in a distant island.
[h3]
745 SE[/h3]
Lord Raffin Balmont, celebrated as one of the fiercest warriors of all time, falls alongside King Eadan III and many others such as Deihn Ballawold and his twin sons. The Balmont family holds the city of Mayfalls.
[h3]
810 SE[/h3]
A bloody feud started between the Ballawold and the Wilenkels, after Feihn Ballawold executed four Wilenkel soldiers for stealing cattle.
[h3]
834 SE[/h3]
Willeon Wilenkel led the Wilenkel Army and was defeated on the field by the Ballawold troops at the
Ypril Hill.
[h3]
965 SE[/h3]
The Bleeding of Taburh, a massacre in the halls of House Heilbrond that saw many of the family murdered in cold blood. A mystery still clouds the massacre, with many believing that the position of the house as protectors to the king led to it, while others blame any other race for the atrocity. To this day this event is spoken as a curse in Edherest.
THE THIRD ERA
The chronicles become clearer, starting with the creation of the Fifth Kingdom. It is here by which the histories are measured until Alaloth’s Descent. Different factions and religions weigh time by either this date or Alaloth’s Descent: the Spectral Circle refuses to let Vaizmil’s acts be a reference point for history.
[h3]
THE YEAR OF THE FIFTH KINGDOM 1 TE[/h3]
[h3]
THE FIFTH KINGDOM[/h3]
Vaizmil, seeing the Split Kingdoms fighting vainly amongst each other, convinces the All-Father to grant their struggles purpose the chance for them to achieve a Fifth Kingdom, that would be the home of whichever of the Split Kingdoms could claim it. The All-Father assumed this would be done through war, Vaizmil, however, hoped it would be achieved through unification and peace, by the races working together.
[h3]
ISADANAE 'S BIRTH[/h3]
Isadanae is born in the year of the Fifth Kingdom. She is raisedto believe that hope for all mortal races lies within the Fifth Kingdom, not on the distant shores.
[h3]
JUDGMENT FALLS[/h3]
The great eroding cliff, where criminals were hurled from, falls out of use in Edherest when one of the criminals survives the fall and, to everyone’s surprise, returns as a Prophet to preach forgiveness.
[h3]
BLOOD OF THE MOTHER[/h3]
The Mother of Betrayers begins her attempt to create a pantheon of her own, molding beasts and monsters. The first was Alaloth, not the strongest or mightiest, but the most twisted and cunning. It is believed that the Blood of the Mother was able to create Alaloth because of the All-Father’s creation of the Fifth Kingdom which violated his own laws of no interference with the mortal realms. As he broke his own rule, he betrayed his own laws.
[h3]
55 TE[/h3]
[h3]
VAIZMIL'S DISCOVERY[/h3]
As the Mother’s dark Pantheon grew, Vaizmil learned of its presence and challenged the Mother of Betrayers. While the texts agree that the Mother triumphed in the battle, it’s a debate to this day from theologians as to whether the Mother truly vanquished the All-Father’s daughter, or whether Vaizmil sacrificed herself to finally make the Pantheon see the threat. Shards of her spiritual light descended on the realm like falling stars, and were gathered and shielded by the mortal races.
[h3]
56 TE to 155 TE[/h3]
[h3]
THE PANTHEONIC WAR[/h3]
War raged in the Pantheon for nearly a century. Great upheavals occured in both the mortal realms and in the divine battlegrounds. Beasts, acting like chess pieces for their divine masters, teard through the land, fighting each other like proxies for their masters.
[h3]
101 TE[/h3]
[h3]
THE DRAGONS RETURN[/h3]
The Dragons, not seen for almost a hundred years, returned during this time, spreading more chaos and ruin. There were rumors that the Mother made a pact with them, promising them great power for joining the conflict.
[h3]
156 TE.[/h3]
[h3]
THE END OF THE FIRST PANTHEON[/h3]
The Pantheonic War finally came to an end when the Gods were weakened. At the moment of her triumph, Alaloth betrayed his mother, seizing her power and those of the other gods.
[h3]
ALALOTH'S DESCENT[/h3]
Alaloth descended to the Fifth Kingdom to raze it, and instead found himself imprisoned there. Gods are forbidden to walk the mortal realms in physical form by the All-Father’s decree, which Alaloth thought he could sunder by overthrowing the gods but he failed. Storms and tempests spread all over the Kingdoms, and dark times befell the mortal races.
[h3]
157 TE[/h3]
[h3]
DRAGON CHAOS[/h3]
Dragons, driven mad by the Descent (or as some speculate, the defeat of the Mother of Betrayers), attack the
Gates of Welcoming in Larastir, burning the Elven court as it convened for a war council. The ruins became the Gates of Mourning. The dragons, en masse, departed the Kingdoms, almost unwillingly, scholars speculate that whatever pact they made with the Mother failed when she was defeated, and they could not remain.
[h3]
REBELLION OF THE DWARVEN HALLS[/h3]
The dwarves lose several of their underground Kingdoms near the Valley of Storms. literally, the stones themselves, fused with Alaloth’s blood and rage, turned against the Dwarves and drove them out. The dwarves sought to retake these Lost Kingdoms over many years, but encountered heavy resistance in the form of golems who are born from the excavated halls themselves. Some of these golems were dwarven items and craftsmanship that have come to life, making them even more dangerous.
[h3]
VER'QUINTISS INQUISITION[/h3]
The Ver’Quintiss begin their purge of the elven Kingdoms. The dark elves, who favored Alaloth’s teachings and those of his Mother, are either killed or cast into a lightless prison.
[h3]
LORIAN'S JUDGEMENT[/h3]
Lorian loses his title of Ver’Quintiss at Caine’s hand. His foster sister Isadanae flees Larastir to avoid being executed by the Ver’Quintiss for heresy. She returns to the Glade where she was born, praying to Vaizmil for an answer and is met with silence. She resolves to find an answer of her own, and to rescue the goddess if need be.
[h3]
160 TE[/h3]
[h3]
THE DRUIDS RETREAT[/h3]
The Druids of Larastir vanish from the forests as the Ver’Quintiss crusade continues and slaughters many for crimes of heresy.
[h3]
162 TE[/h3]
[h3]
CALIPHATE LOST[/h3]
Contact with the Sariq Caliphate, the Kingdom far to the south is lost completely: no ships travel to or from the kingdom, and the journey by land proves impossible for merchants. Rumors whisper that the land has fallen to sorcerers and demons.
[h3]
167 TE[/h3]
[h3]
DRAGON MIGRATION[/h3]
Four dragons return to the Split Kingdoms, first to the Elven, then the Orcish, the Human, then finally, the Dwarven. Travelers fear to travel the roads, terrified of a dragon’s hunger. The dwarves, however, try to make the best of it and look for ways to defeat the dragons.
[h3]
172 TE[/h3]
[h3]
RAZING THE HOUSE OF SCALES[/h3]
The House of Scales. the dwarven counting house in Karak-Hohn, is destroyed in a dragon attack, believed to be in retribution for dwarven dragon-slaying expeditions (and the resultant theft of gold from the lair).
[h3]
177 TE[/h3]
[h3]
DRUIDS REDISCOVERED[/h3]
Lorian, his spirit crushed by the Ver’Quintiss and their crusade in Larastir, begins to make plans for the Retreat but is stopped by the Larastir Druids. Lorian remains with them until Caine ends his purge and many years later, Lorian rejoins Larastir.
[h3]
180 TE[/h3]
[h3]
BAGA'S CLAIM[/h3]
Baga attempts to breach the Valley of Storms with terrifying results: the Orcish kingdom is laid to waste, and the
Gates of Ardur become the Desolation of Baga. No orc champion has ever done a deed, dark or light, to eclipse what Baga has created (and won’t, unless they breach the Valley of Storms).
[h3]
182 TE[/h3]
[h3]
ORC IN EXILE[/h3]
As orc crimes rise, and more and more orcs are exiled within the Desolation of Baga. Crimes formerly thought too blasphemous to even consider now become more common (unjustified murder and slaughter, killing of others as well as one’s own family).
[h3]
205 TE[/h3]
[h3]
KINGSHIP[/h3]
House Kendrick rises to power in Edherest, becoming the most powerful rulers among the houses. But being on the top meant that many were scheming down below in order for them to fall.
[h3]
262 TE[/h3]
[h3]
THE BOOK OF ERAS[/h3]
The Book of Eras, which to this day is cited as one of the best sources of the gods and the reason of existence for everyone, is drafted by Aeberth Heilbron, one of the most prominent clerics of his time, after spending his life studying the history of the world.
[h3]
285 TE[/h3]
[h3]
LILEAH IS BORN[/h3]
Lileah, born an orphan in the streets of the City of Altars.
[h3]
NEW JUDGEMENT FALLS[/h3]
The great Eroding Cliff, where criminals were once hurled from, is in use once more, and scores of criminals are thrown to their death… some to their undeath.
[h3]
290 TE[/h3]
[h3]
THE QUEEN OF THE DEAD[/h3]
The necromancer Kariasha comes to Judgment Falls and gathers the most powerful of the executed undead (spirits, vampires, greater ghouls and shades) under her banner, proclaiming the land that stole their lives from them will now have its life taken from it in return. Within a night, she gains thousands of troops, from recent times and ancient soldiers (criminals) from before Alaloth’s Descent, whose bodies lay at the base of the Falls
[h3]
292 TE[/h3]
[h3]
ZIAN IS BORN[/h3]
Zian is born, one of the
Bleedwater Gypsies, in Baystone.
[h3]
294 TE[/h3]
[h3]
VADEN IS BORN[/h3]
Vaden is born, child of
The House of Orphans.
[h3]
300 TE[/h3]
[h3]
ESTEN IS RECRUITED AS A SPY[/h3]
Esten is ordered to leave his post as a Glen Warden and ordered by the Edherest military to become their spy within the criminal networks in Edherest. Esten participates in smuggling and thieving, always with a mind to sell out his compatriots to the king.
[h3]
THE DARK ELVES RETURN[/h3]
Dark Elves, using their magic to pierce their prison into Larastir, emerge and begin to infiltrate Larastir’s forests. They come into contact with the Spectral Circle and form an alliance and together, devise a means to channel Alaloth’s rage and use its power to sunder the gate permanently, allowing Dark Elves to return to the surface world.
[h3]
301 TE[/h3]
[h3]
LILEAH BECOMES A SHIELD-BEARER OF VAIZMIL[/h3]
Lileah is initiated as a
Shield-Bearer, vowing to protect all that's good and defend the will of Vaizmil. She helps persecuted priests and councilors in service of Vaizmil escape Goldport during the purges.
[h3]
302 TE[/h3]
[h3]
THE TEMPEST[/h3]
The tempest occurs, a storm of Alaloth’s rage across the land (there were others, this is the most recent).
Vaden murders his mother for what he believes to be an insult and travels to the wastes to join the exiles.
A strange phenomena occurs in Larastir’s forests, emanating from the Underworld Gate, the home of the Dark Elves.
Ver’Quintiss Caine awakens from his meditation to find the Ver’Quintiss have vanished. He goes on a pilgrimage of his own to restore his broken world.
The Altar City of Edherest falls, the now-ruined temples become the God Graves.
Khorhan defends his people, guarding their escape as the Valley of Storms’ influence spreads below ground, shattering the ancestral homes of the dwarves in many cities.
[h3]
303 TE[/h3]
[h3]
AFTERMATH[/h3]
The northern tribes beyond the dwarf kingdoms begin to be beset by strange new beasts, and even begin all-out war against each other.
The priesthood in Edherest fell out of favor based on evidence of Alaloth’s growing strength. A nation that once embraced piety begins to turn from it, and the Houses begin fighting amongst themselves.
The Beacon Towers of Edherest go unmanned by soldiers and mages. Mages (kept in check by the priesthood) begin to become more of a force in local warfare and politics, despite the danger they represent to others and themselves.
The keep overlooking the isle of the Red Mage becomes the Vanishing Keep, believed to be betrayed by magic of the Spectral Circle.
[h3]
305 TE[/h3]
[h3]
THE RED SOLSTICE[/h3]
Years after the Tempest the northern barbarian tribes plea for aid. The Winter Solstice at Winterleaf becomes a massacre as a barbarian, believed in league with demons and beasts, attacks the gathering. No bodies were recovered, and a message was written in blood on the wall of the festival court: The South shall join the North
[h3]
BECKONSTONE SEALED[/h3]
Beckonstone Tower (a beacon tower in Edherest by the sea – like a lighthouse) falls to an internal magical explosion (believed to be an accident from within, but there are no survivors, only ash), and is abandoned.
[h3]
307 TE[/h3]
[h3]
THE SEALED STAIRS[/h3]
After several years of erosion by the tides, the stones of Beckonstone weaken and crumble, creating inadvertent stairs to the Kingdom plateau above. The formerly Sealed Tower becomes the Sealed Stairs, which are used by bandits and smugglers as a port to stage raids into the mainland or smuggle weapons into Edherest.
[h3]
309 TE[/h3]
[h3]
NA'RAGEN CONFRONTS AND BEFRIENDS ILLN-ASHAH AT THE THIRST[/h3]
Iln-Ashah, having made the perilous journey from Sariq, comes to the Desolation of Baga. His desert survival skills make him more than a match for the orc warriors in the region, and he constantly overpowers or eludes them.
Iln-Ashah’s “infamy”, for slaying orcs in the Desolation of Baga, spreads until Na’Ragen, the champion of Ballek’Mahl, seeks him out.
Na’Ragen investigates the incidents and travels to the Thirst and meets Iln-Ashah. The two bond, and Na’Ragen welcomes Iln-Ashah to the kingdom. Na’Ragen turns from annoyance to a threat, and the orc matriarchs begin to plot how to remove him from power.
[h3]
311 TE[/h3]
[h3]
NA'RAGEN PILGRIMAGE[/h3]
Na’Ragen, guided by lies of the Orc Matriarchs, goes on a pilgrimage to defeat the dragons of the Split Kingdoms. He speaks to the shaman at the Thirst, who counsels him on how best to proceed (and hints that the quest may have broader interpretations).
[h3]
AMBERWAKE SLEEPS[/h3]
The mage college of Amberwake in Edherest folds in onto itself due to (believed reckless) use of magic. No one know how many, if any, are trapped alive inside the inaccessible structure.
[h3]
313 TE[/h3]
[h3]
ZIAN IS BETRAYED[/h3]
Zian’s band of smugglers and pirates are betrayed and slain by Edherest forces waiting in ambush at the Sealed Stair. “Prince” Esten (unknown to Zian as the spy who betrayed them) escapes with his life, unaware that Zian survived.
[h3]
TODAY, 315 TE[/h3]
Champions from each kingdom are summoned to fight the evils of Alaloth.
And so it begins! More lore-related contents will be posted regularly since now on and new cool stuff will be available in our Discord server, where we created a dedicated channel for this! Oh a new Hotfix on its way tomorrow!
Share the love and stay tuned!
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The team in full wearing our amazing armor sets. And cats. Cats everywhere.