The next character to be revealed is another enemy, although this one can often be encountered as a temporary ally as well: the elemental shaman of the Sadirar people.

The ancestors of the Sadirar survived the Calamity in underground vaults and left those several generations after the catastrophe. Upon going back to the surface, they found endless sand dunes, blinding sunlight, and searing temperatures in place of their dense forests and hills. In their hour of despair, however, the Great Spirits spoke to them and guided them to oases in the cruel desert. These spirits have been worshiped by the Sadirar ever since. Each spirit is the embodiment of an element: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. Those that communicate with the Great Spirits and in turn command these elements are the shamans. The Sadirar are now a nomadic people who thrive in the deserts called the Searing Plains. They rose above cruel barbarism through spirit worship but are far from docile.

The Empire in the Riven Realms is based on the Roman Empire of our history, so it's no surprise that the gladiators of these cultures are also very similar.

This character artwork is that of the gladiator enemy that you can come across in arena battles. These arena or pit fights will feature in larger settlements, as the Empire of the Riven Realms is very fond of such bloody games.

Here are some character poses for the Orc Marauder enemy to feast your eyes upon!

This week's character reveal is the Orc Marauder. Orcs are popular fantasy characters with many different iterations since their addition to fiction by Tolkien. The Orcs of the Riven Realms are creatures prone to violence, sharing a mystical past and origin but they were created fairly recently. They are tribal in their homeland called Darkmoor but rarely travel in groups when far from it.

Here's another little character art post. This time, there are four combat poses/phases for the Priest of Sergorod.

It is time for a combat update!

More character poses! This time for the good old Brigand - the very first character Szonja designed for the game!

The first image (top) is for Hamstring, an ability which immobilizes the target. The second (bottom left) is for Fend Off, an overwatch-type combat skill where the Brigand targets an empty space on the battlefield. It's bad news for an enemy if they move onto it. The third one (bottom right) is the Brigand's block/defense pose. The brigand is a very versatile support/defensive character for the outlaw roster, able to block spaces and defend other combatants, making him quite a pesky enemy.

This week's character artwork and reveal is that of a fairly common enemy: the Bruiser; created by Szonja. These folks are on the 'wasteland outlaws' roster and represent the muscle of the group. Bruiser abilities include a bull rush (that pushes opponents away), a blunt attack (that stuns the target), and a cheap shot (that puts a savage debuff on the target).

Here's a quick look at some of the character poses from combat that Crifta, the mutated archer has. These are (from top left to bottom right): Dodge, Suppressing Shot (skill), Idle, and Downed (when a character is beaten but not yet killed). Szonja put a lot of work into making Crifta look unique and her poses dynamic, and it shows.

Character Artwork Day!

This time, another enemy that sometimes can appear as an ally: the Sergorodite Priest.

Priests of Sergorod are the lowest ranking but already ordained members of the Church of Sergorod. One of the three new gods of the Triumvirate - the patron gods of the Empire -, Sergorod lords over the spheres of vengeance, anger, curses, grudges, and malevolence. Those who enter the service of the Church usually train as novices to become ordained priests of Sergorod (some of them join the more militant Cult of Retribution or other more obscure sects, though).