RELEASE WEEK: Release 2.5 of 3

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         We're not quite finished with the full Release 3, but thought we'd give you a 2.5 to keep you busy; the complete Release 3 will come out over the next few days.

        RELEASE 2.5 of 3 - DAWN OF FACTIONS
NPCs (Non-Player Characters) are now seeded across the map.

They appear on NPC terrain squares (Dolmens, Barrows, Ruined Towers and the like), can be scouted and/or attacked, and respawn on the same schedule as the Resource squares.

There are 3 distinct types of Faction which you should become familiar with.

        NATURE

Nature has, currently, 3 types of beast who will spawn on the map, in order of viciousness:

         Wild Dogs

         Wolves

         Bears

The Nature Faction is considered non-sentient; these poor beasts will be perplexed when you show up on the square but will defend it with their lives.

Nature Faction units show up on the map as icons of Wild Dogs, Wolves & Bears.

        MONSTER

The Monster Faction consists of organized monsters who will defend their territory at all costs.

There are currently 2 Monster Factions: Arakvar and Serpentkin.

         Arakvar
The Arakvar are a rigid society of giant spiders, organized under their brood mothers.  They work in unison to provide a tight knit defence, and it has been known for a particularly large and enraged Arakvar Nest to counter-attack against a particularly dangerous foe.

         Serpentkin
The origins of Serpentkin are lost to the Histories of Illyria.  Legend has two competing versions.  

First, that they were intentionally created by the foul magics of the demented mages of Yorak, who were subsequently destroyed by what they had unleashed.  Alternately, that they have simply always been here - deep underground - but that the scent of flesh has brought them to the surface.

Monster Factions can be very dangerous when in number.  Nests, hives and Lairs can be large, and the defenders are organized - including ranged units and commanders amongst them.

Arakvar & Serpentkin show on the map as icons of Spiders and Serpents respectively.

        HUMANOID FACTIONS
Potentially the most dangerous of all the NPCs, there are 5 Factions.

         Crimson Dawn
The most heartless, vicious and downright lethal of Mercenary Companies, Crimson Dawn are an elite fighting unit, fielding all unit types and strategies in the field.  Crimsom Dawn is led by a Legendary commander known only as Honehn.  His origins are unknown.  Crimson Dawn will give no mercy and no quarter - and expect none either.

         Treggar's Crows
This company was founded nearly a century ago by Treggar the Exile - a cousin of Dwarven King Graythorn.  Treggar fell spectacularly out-of-favour with his King and ended up taking a large band of malcontents to found his own Empire in the far reaches of Illyria.  The exact location of their base is unknown, but they often roam through the Kingdom on their own missions and are generally a feared fighting force.

         Brotherhood of Kerala
Elves who fall from grace are generally referred to as Dark Elves and exiled from the Elven heartlands.  Those who survive in the wild sometimes run into - and join - the Brotherhood of Kerala.  The Brotherhood is a mystic organisation who occasionally hire themselves out to the highest bidder in order to fund the expansion of the City of Temples.

         Bayne's Irregulars
Bayne is a well known and truly gifted Mercenary commander.  The company he has formed consists of many of Illyriad's best trained soldiers, and he fields a full set of fighting troops.  Bayne's philosophy of combat is simply that only the best will do - and he has no qualms about taking in soldiers of any race to fight with his Irregulars - so long as they are experts in their field.

         Marauding Skullsplitters
There's almost nothing Orcs like better than to kill things and eat them.  Orcs who become dissatisfied with the lack of leadership in their city will head out in the surrounding countryside and prey on passers-by for their own amusement, enrichment, and belly.

        Factions appear on the map simply as Occupying (Neutral) armies.
        FACTION SIZES
        Nature and Monster factions give you an indication of their size when you click on them.  

        Be aware, however, that size is not necessarily an indication of lethality.  For example (if we introduce them) "A few Enraged Mammoths" is likely to be a lot more difficult than "A few Wild Dogs".
        Humanoid Factions must be scouted to ascertain their strength and composition.
        In fact, we strongly recommend that you scout each and every NPC encounter before deciding whether to engage.
        Faction size comes in 10... err... sizes 

         Few
         Handful
         Several
         Pack
         Many

         Gathering
         Horde
         Throng
         Host
         Legion

        The sizes range from less than 5 to more than 5000.

        We hope you enjoy this new content, and you now have an outlet for your aggression that doesn't involve other players.

        We have large plans for Factions in the future.

        OTHER FIXES

         Sending zero goods to a square on the map would cause an error; this now correctly returns an informative message instead.

         Diplomatic units were proving far too stealthy as their visibility time was mistakingly in terms of seconds rather than minutes. This has now been resolved.

         The diplomatic and military recall buttons now have a timer to tell you how long you have left to rescind your orders.

Edited by GM Stormcrow - 27 May 2010 at 23:00 