We met with the Vault 51 guys at PlayIT - a gameshow we attended with Vagrus - where we discussed how cool it would be to organize a fans & developers meet-up there some time. We exchanged numbers and unlike most things that get forgotten soon after, we followed through, and it was a blast.

As I am writing these lines, we are actively working on what we call Enduring Effects for the game. What are these? Well, in short and to put it simply, these are all buffs and debuffs that last for several in-game days or are permanent (until removed somehow). They come in a variety of types and can be used for a lot of things to enhance gameplay and narrative alike.

'When we arrived at the observation  post, Borgan was nowhere to be seen. The craven slaves pointed to tracks in the sand that looked like someone had been dragged away, accompanied by small, triangular stab marks – Yrg prints, I presumed correctly. These led to a dark crevice at the foot of one of the towers. We tried calling after Borgan but there was no answer. Eventually, I sent down one of the slaves with a torch. The unfortunate bloke happened upon the mutilated body of Borgan down there and fled back up in a panic. Yrg are clearly present down in the underside of the city, that much is certain. This ties in perfectly with what we know of the Elven tribes of the Second Age. The accounts of Sage Ikar record that the realm of Dor Anthelas was involved in a great war against the Yrg that lasted for  millennia. What these insect broods were like, I cannot imagine, but  they must have been a far cry from the mostly docile Yrg we know today.'

The creepy Hollow Eyes may look like weird children but in truth they are one of the most dangerous enemies you can come across while traversing the Riven Realms. Luckily, these creatures of cold hatred can only be encountered in and around the Hollow Crags and the Hargad Tuul in general.

Skornar may keep reminding you that he is getting old but he is still one of the best fighters you can have among your Companions. Sturdy and crafty, he is very tanky, able to mitigate and sustain a lot of damage before going down. Though he may not deal tons of damage, his support skills make him extremely useful on the battlefield.

As the name suggests, Tainted Madmen are unfortunate souls driven insane by the arcane disease called the Taint. Even if it does not directly erode their minds, the more extremely mutated of these forsaken are cast out by family and society, which is often enough to start them down a path of madness and desperation.

As enemies in the game, Tainted Madmen are often encountered all around the central regions of the Empire. Living in city gutters, sewers, or caves in the wilderness, they often emerge to waylay passersby.

Next up in our series of posts about character poses and skills is the mighty warrior and gladiator Gor'Goro.

Gor'Goro is not only a heavy-hitting melee character but very tanky as well; someone that any vagrus would gladly employ as muscle for the crew. Although he has no ranged skill, he is far from useless when he gets in the back line, however.

In this post dedicated to character poses and skills we are taking a look at the sleazy Dwarven smuggler and budding criminal mastermind Garrik.

Garrik is ranged support character with some very unique mechanics, so he will not be very efficient in the frontlines. In fact, he does not have any melee skills but is still fairly sturdy. All his attacks ignore Armor and even though not all of these are direct damage skills, Garrik can be extremely devastating when used correctly.