‘What lies hidden must be found’
October 4, 2005
[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Game Developer and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press]
Author: Spellborn
Official website:www.thechroniclesofspellborn.com
Developer: Spellborn International Ltd
Platform: PC
Projected Beta: Q1-2006
Projected release: First half of 2006
What is 'The Chronicles of Spellborn'?
An online role-playing game set in an original fantasy setting developed by Dutch game company Spellborn International using the renowned Unreal EngineTM.
The Chronicles of Spellborn is an experience to be shared with thousands of players worldwide from day-to-day. Questing with a group of heroes one day, embark on clan conquest the next and engage in the politics of the governing high houses the following.
A world where players create their own future amidst fellow players as they seek out adventure, interact with other characters and discover truths that lie hidden in history.
A place that is built for the players, but remember: What lies hidden must be found.
What is the background of 'The Chronicles of Spellborn'?
The Chronicles of Spellborn is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the Enclave of the Five Sacrifices. This enclave is a collection of rock realms drifting through the DeadSpell Storm.
The DeadSpell Storm allows the world to exist in a mythical state; inhabited shards of rock float through a breathable void that boils with elder power. Nothing but a common history and ancient magic prevents the shards from falling into oblivion.
These levitating rock-realms contain mountains, forests, fields, villages and cities built on the pieces of a broken world. To travel from one realm to the other, you have to fly through a maelstrom of restless magic and brave the many dangers that the ever shifting storms hide.
Why the subtitle 'What lies hidden must be found'?
'What lies hidden' refers to the history of the Enclave of the Five Sacrifices. As the players progress through the game, the true history of the world becomes known. One question stands out as past events are pieced together: will knowledge of the past help safeguard the future?
'What lies hidden' also refers to hidden doors; new areas to be conquered; secrets to be revealed.
'What lies hidden' refers, last but not least, to our vision that games should be fun and stay that way. There must always be new adventures beyond the next horizon, discoveries waiting to be found.
Why is 'The Chronicles of Spellborn' different?
We have developed our world based on three simple design principles:
Players want to interact with each other or fight against each other individually and / or in groups.
Players want to experience a fun game and look cool right from the start.
Players want to influence the world and make a difference.
Players will be able to interact with each other in an original fantasy setting, experienced through a unique graphics style. Players can fight with or against each other, forge alliances and control parts of the world.
The players' strength is not determined by the sword that he or she wields, but by the skill with which it is wielded. This is one of the things that allow players to create varying but recognizable identities for their characters. In addition, players are free to use a wide variety of faces, clothes, armors and symbols to customize their characters in the game.
Players will change the world with their actions, from unlocking entire new parts of the world, to putting a personal lasting mark on a small part of the world.
High adventure is offered even at the lower levels: Hidden doors can be found, conquering clans can be joined; you will make a difference even at lower levels.
The Empire of the Eight Demons
This is the name generally given to the preceding ancestral world, the place that existed before Deadspell. Little is known about the Empire of the Eight Demons, except that it was destroyed in an epic war between its eight demonic rulers. It is also known as Mummujoxuru or the "Ancestor World".
After the destruction of the Ancestor world a long time passed before humanity awakened and started to build up what is now known as the Enclave.
The Enclave of the Five Sacrifices
A small cluster of Shard Worlds, this is the foothold of civilization established by the survivors of the war that destroyed the Ancestor World. The name of the Enclave is derived from the fact that at the pinnacle of the war, five houses banded together and fought for justice and honor, instead of satisfying the bloodlust of their demonic sovereigns. They betrayed the Empire and prevailed in the end, long after the Ancestor World and its eight demonic overlords had been destroyed.
Among the ruins of a horrible past, they founded the Enclave.
The Deadspell
A vast nebula of dead magic: a disc-shaped cloud that holds thousands of Shardrealms. These worlds orbit the small focal point of a gigantic corona, expanding outwards in uncounted rings. In the centre - the first ring - a new civilization has been founded by the survivors of the war that destroyed the Ancestor World.
They call the ruined universe that surrounds them"Deadspell".
Players travel through the Deadspell and its dangerous Storms on large Shard Ships. These vessels are crafted from the rocks and magical stones called "liftstone", the materials that actually keep the ships in the air.
Shard Realms
Oppidan - The inhabited rock isle(s) inside a Shardrealm.
Outer Carapace - The outer rock shell of a Shardrealm.
Focal Aperture(s) - The hole(s) through which light falls in a Shardrealm.
Inner Carapace - The inside of the rock shell of a Shardrealm.
Levee - The space inside a Shardrealm which is not occupied by the Oppidan.
Quarterstone
Quarterstone is a large city which completely fills its entire Shards' interior and serves as the initial home to all the players of The Chronicles of Spellborn.
It is a safe haven where combat will only occur in the Arena or on very special occasions. Players can trade, craft, relax in a tavern or on the streets, battle in the arena, visit the Temple of the Oracle, take on quests or do whatever they want inside the safe walls of Quarterstone. Inhabitants of the Enclave can journey to the Ancestor World to replay historic events (such as important battles between the Houses and forces of the Eight Demons) through the Temple of the Oracle.
For more detailed descriptions of Quarterstone you can read the scrolls (most of the scrolls take place inside the walls of Quarterstone) or check out the screenshot section. The cityscapes are all part of Quarterstone.
Parliament
The Shardrealm called Parliament is the home to the Five Houses, hence the name Parliament. Each House has a Great Hall inside the Shardrealm. Some can be found in the town Hawksmouth. Others are a bit more out of the way on the upper wilds, an area that can be dangerous for unprepared travelers. Unlike Quarterstone, which is a safe haven, Parliament houses many dangers for members of the Enclave.
Groups of Ousted (everyone not living in the Enclave, generally synonymous with "criminal" or "rogue") roam the upper wilds and the hidden marshes in Parliament.
As well, another far more sinister - and elusive - threat lurks in the marshes.
For detailed descriptions of the Five Houses themselves as well as Parliament you can read the Spellborn scroll First Journey.
Mount of Heroes
Mount of Heroes takes its name from the mountain inside the large Shardrealm.
This peak is called the Howling Mountain and is the place where the forces of the Enclave first encountered the Howlers, a relentless force of bizarre creatures of unknown origin. Many heroes died inside the Howling mountain fighting the near unstoppable Howler forces. The members of the Enclave built a large wall and small town at the foot of the mountain in order to contain the Howler problem, but have yet to find a remedy for the plague. As long as the wall still stands, the people of the Enclave can live in relative peace inside this Shard.
Ringfell
Ringfell is a Shard that is only partially inhabitable. A large part of Ringfell is covered by the Wastelands, a dangerous and mysterious place with many undiscovered answers about the past and the future of the world. The Enclave was able to build two small villages, called Scourpool and Cairnkegg on the relatively safe upper ring, a landmass that lies above the thick blanket of fog that covers the Wastelands.
The fifth Shardrealm
Devoid of Enclave presence, a fifth large Shardrealm lies within the Inner Ring of the Deadspell. There are rumours of an enemy which threatens the safety of the Enclave, could this uncharted realm hold answers yet unfound?
Can the Enclave maintain it's tenuous hold on the Inner Ring, or will conflict and fear rule again?
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