Every good game has its fair share of heroes and villains, and upcoming fantasy MMORPG The Chronicles of Spellborn is no exception. The lore for this video game is building itself quite nicely, and the developers from Spellborn NV wanted to give people an inside look on just some of the prominent figures from the rock-realms of the Shards.

First off, from the heroes we introduce Bazir Shadowcrest and Doyen Sellgret. They both hail from the city of Quarterstone and both have built up an impressive reputation in their own way. While Bazir, a Daevi rogue, and Doyen, a human Commander of the Marksmen, operate separately, they both aim to serve the Enclave in their own unique way.

And of course what are the heroes in a high fantasy realm without their fair share of villains to fight against. Shagaine Lusinfarn is just one of the antagonists who leads the fight against the Enclave. With his Brotherhood of the Glaive sowing chaos with each raid, he seek vengeance against the atrocities he feels House Maul has placed upon his head.

If there's one villain you definitely don't want to come across in your travels through the Shards, it's this one - Adinthalos, the General of the Demon Army Forces. While Adinthalos may no longer be living among the denizens of the realms, he still haunts the dreams of those who think they can go through life without facing the wrath of the Demon Armies.

All in all, The Chronicles of Spellborn is building up a lore that makes a great basis for any good fantasy game setting. Hopefully, we'll be seeing more updates like these from the developers as time goes on. In the meantime, take a look at some of the images we have of Doyen and Adinthalos from the game.

 

For an MMO still in beta and having been around little more than a year, the MMORPG known as the The Chronicles of Spellborn has done quite well for itself. This past weekend, forum moderator Thee Nailros announced that it's 50,000th subscriber had signed up. "A very big thank you from all of us here at Spellborn HQ," he says.

They have now opened a general forum topic where any question can be asked. Six of these will be chosen and answered at two week intervals.

Before starting this new feature however, Thee Nailros decided to pick on one of the CoS community's most active member, who goes by the handle of "Wickens."  Here's a bit of the interview:

Thee Nailros: How did you first hear about about The Chronicles of Spellborn?

Wickens: I was getting bored with WoW's grind, and constant item grab so I was [looking] for a new game. That's when I saw TCoS. After a few hours of poking around on various websites, I was in awe. It sounded like someone finally took out the parts of the game that were  fun and annoying, then created a system that's just fun and gives you actual control over your character.

Thee Nailros: Was there a special reason why you signed up on TCoS.com (the community forum)?

Wickens: For a few weeks, I was basically just sitting in the background of the forums, reading and taking everything in about the game that I could. I quickly realized that the community feeling for this game is very different from most online communities. The people have a wonderful sense of humor, and sarcasm to go with it. Being able to joke around with forum/IRC members and not worry about getting flamed because they know you're just joking is a great breath of fresh air.

The most important thing to me though was the developers participation; It's outstanding! There's always a dev lurking somewhere on the forums. They dont hide from questions, and they're always willing to help anyone with anything.
They make their own topics, they talk about their lives with the rest of the community, just like any other forum member does. It really helps the users when they see that the devs are so dedicated to the game, that they take the time to talk with the community on a daily basis, and get to know us on a personal level.

Thee Nailros: What keeps you coming back to the forums on a regular base?

Wickens: The community is great. New people are always welcome with us and everyone does whatever they can to help people out with info about the game...people who post their own artwork, ideas and music themed towards the game is staggering.

Thee Nailros: After being around for several months, what are you most looking forward to in TCoS?

Wickens: The whole game. It's hard to narrow it down to specific things; Especially after they revealed the Daevi. If I had to choose, it would easily be the customization options when you make your character. Being a beta tester I cant say anything about it's current form, but I cant wait to see the final character creation system.

Thee Nailros: Is there anything you want to share with the TCoS community?

Wickens: Yes, there is; Boobies!

The Chronicles Of Spellborn is currently in beta, and is scheduled for a Q4 release.

Not long ago, we brought you the story of the  Daevi race in The Chronicles of Spellborn; their history, their identity, their place in Human society. Today, we get our first look at the Daevi in these new screenshots courtesy of MMORPG.COM.

These images were taken on the game's starting Shard, named "Parliament." From the city of Hawksmouth and its surrounding regions - Cherrybow Forest, Sorrowmist and Armourgrave Fields - players who choose a Daevi character will begin the quests that will take them through the dangers of the Deadspell Storm to the new Shards of Mount of Heroes, Carnyx and Ringfall.

As the screenshots show, Daevi indeed resemble humans - but there's no mistaking one for the other. One imagines they run and jump quite well, and those nasty-looking heel-spurs are not something I'd want to encounter in battle...

You can read more about the Daevi here. In the meantime, enjoy these screenshots of Spellborn's second playable race.

TCoS is scheduled for release sometime this fall.

    
   

"Races" (a "charged" word, admittedly;  I think "species" or "peoples" would be preferable in gaming contexts) are a part of most MMORPG's. Usually, these are the "Race" of Men, the "Race" of Dwarves, the "Race" of Elves, the "Race" of Goblins, and so forth. Some game designers have created whole "races" from scratch, however.

One of these original "races" was partially the creation of Chris Nengerman, Lead Game Designer for The Chronicles of Spellborn. Recently, Mr. Nengerman had some things to say about his creation - an interesting group called the Daevi.

Daevi are a mixed people -  a hybrid between the magical immortals known as the Mumia and mortal humans. As such, they stand with a foot in each world, yet not quite fitting into either. Their physical appearance is determined by their mythical Birthsigns, which allowed the Eight to keep track of their half-human offspring while continuing their enslavement.

Eventually, the Mumia who had sired the Daevi lost their power over them, and they sided with the Houses of Humanity. Their birthsigns, once a symbol of their slavery, are now symbols of freedom and defiance. Over the years, all Daevi have come to look the same, and bear a strong resemblance to their human cousins.

As far as their lives, the Daevi differ little from humans. They are born, they grow, age and die, albeit more slowly; the average lifespan of a Daevi is about 20 years longer than that of a Human. They tend to be more decisive than Humans, and their moral choices effect them and those around them to a much greater degree.  Interestingly, when Humans and Daevi mate, the offspring is invariably one or the other - there are no "half-blooded" children or hybrids. 

Like  Humans, Daevi live all over the Enclave. Because of their valiant actions during the rebellion against the Eight and their subsequent contributions to the arts, sciences, crafts, trade and education, Daevi are treated as equals by Humans and are valued members of society,

If you've missed any Chronicles of Spellborn newsletters, don't fret. As of today, their newsletter archive is live. All bi-weekly newsletters will be archived after three days, and can be accessed without charge or registration requirement.

Currently, all issues are available, and the six most recent newsletters are available in French and German as well as English.

Currently in development by Spellborn International,  TCoS combines elements of sword and sorcery with science fiction. In the game universe, a civilization consisting of two races - humans and daevi - are struggling to survive inside hollow rocks, known as Shards, which are the remnants of the Ancestor world destroyed by the Deadspell Storm. Collectively, the Shards where survivors live are called "The Enclave," which is an Alliance of Five houses. The conflict is the result of power struggles among the Five Houses. As these are of a political nature, the term "good vs. evil" has little meaning; however, you will want to choose your allies carefully, and these shift constantly.

The game uses a unique animation and graphic style, and will use the Unreal Engine. It is scheduled for release later this year.