Hey everyone,

we thought we would share with you a glimpse into character art work that has been coming along for a while now. You may have noticed that common enemies in-game (like certain outlaws or Orc warriors) have received new variants when it comes to looks and well, this is how it began - concepts and outlines and ideas that ended up reworked until we picked the three or four we thought would be best. We believe that these small but significant variations give a lot of diversity to the roster of your more common foes and we hope you feel the same! Have at them!

Hirelings are new kinds of allies we have recently added to the game. They are in effect companions but can only be hired for a limited time - for a steep price. They have no story of their own because they are only meant to represent nameless mercenaries, rounding out the abilities of your companions or making up for something you are missing in your comitatus. You always hire these henchmen from certain Factions.

The dreaded Cinderborn are forever smoldering due to the curse that struck them down in the first place. Although their idle animation may look slow and sluggish, they can lunge into action with alarming, fiery energy.

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'Ah, Larnak, the city of contradictions. It sits in the middle of the hottest, driest desert of the continent and yet you could not find a more damp and dark place. The reason is, of course, the presence of the vast underground lakes around which the settlement was built. The waters are sacred to the desert-dwelling Sadirar tribes and yet these days the Imperials use them as industrial ponds to grow their precious brightkelp. But that is not the strangest thing to see in Larnak, oh no. For that reason, take in its wonders but tread lightly, good master.'

Should the darkness cruelly whisper,

Call upon a kindly sister

Sister, sister, blood drops glister

Revoke now your cruel dark whisper

- From an Imperial children's rhyme

Kindly Sisters are members of the Nosferatis Sisterhood, a coven of mystics and sorceresses who delve into the deepest, darkest arcane secrets one can think of. The organization is one of the Pillars of the Empire, a religious order that serves the realms in an important capacity, although in the case of the Nosferatis, most Imperials have no idea what this service entails - except that it is most ominous. The wise seem to believe that it involves espionage, magical warfare, and arcane research. Members of the coven worship Bal-Ur-Kaal the Demon Prince and Ahskul, King of the Underworld, which is quite telling in and of itself.

We've got a bit of an announcement on our hands, folks! As it happens, you are about to get a new, previously unannounced companion for your travels in the person of Nedir, the lovely (but cruel) lady you can see on this character art image. It's no easy task adding new companions to the game but it is certainly rewarding to create them - we hope it'll be equally fun to find Nedir and have her as a member of your team. So who is she and what does she do?

Wraiths are a race of subterranean humanoids who have adapted to the utter darkness and cramped spaces of caverns. Hairless, pale, and small of stature, they do not seem much of a threat but underestimating them often proves lethal. In-game, you can come across their enemy version in cities as well as members of an outlaw group. Sometimes you can even encounter enemy groups made up solely of Wraiths.

Hey Folks,

this patch is a beast in all sense. So many new features and changes have been added that if you ever considered starting a new play-through, this might be the perfect time for it. A shedload of tweaks has been applied to make the early game a little more forgiving (without making the late game easier), and we look forward to your feedback on the direction of these changes.

This week's enemy breakdown post takes a look at he Dark Elf Marauder/Mercenary, one of the newer enemies added to the game. Let's dive in!

As we have previously discussed, these Dark Elven warriors either fight in lockstep formations in their Prince's armies, maraud on the surface at their lord's behest, or serve as mercenaries in the Riven Realms (mercenary variant).

In this week's animation sneak peek, we take a look at Finndurarth, one of the companions you can recruit during Vagrus' main campaign who has become something of a fan favorite. Apart from being generally pleasant to be around, the Dragonmage can also summon devastating lightning strikes and force shields, so no wonder she's popular. In her idle animation, she is casually awaiting action while keeping tempestuous energies at her fingertips.