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The Enclave of the Five Sacrifices is a collection of rock realms drifting through the Deadspell Storm.
The DeadSpell Storm allows the world to exist in a mythical state; inhabited islands float through a breathable void that boils with elder power, in which nothing but ancient magic prevents the islands from falling into oblivion. These levitating rock-realms harbor cities villages, farm fields and even mountains and forests. But to travel from one realm to the other, you have to fly through the maelstrom of restless magic, which is home to many dangerous creatures and ravaged by fierce weather.
Though you have never known otherwise, the universe didn’t always look like this. Whatever world came before was torn apart and has largely disappeared, leaving behind a massive
atmosphere in turmoil, which stretches out into infinity. You have heard tales of a preceding world; a civilization that existed before the current one, in which the land was
whole, not shattered and broken. But it was a place of darkness and oppression and ultimately, Five Clans turned against their masters.
As far as you understand it, five clans of heroes founded the Enclave of the Five Sacrifices after a great war destroyed the previous world. Everyone alive in the enclave today descends from people who were slaves in those ancient times.
You have heard people refer to this ancient land as "The Ancestor World".
Genre, style, influences
A little wild west frontier exploration, some political intrigue, a shattered world full of hidden secrets, and a rich past waiting to be relived make The Chronicles of Spellborn something new and exciting. Veteran fantasy gamers should find joy in a new take on things, while those who are new will be greeted by a wondrous world combining elements of films, fiction, television and the real world which they can identify with.
The setting itself lends itself to a darker fantasy, as well as to a bit more swords and sorcery feel than other games. Elven wizards in flowing robes accompanied by dwarven warriors and their nimble gnomish scouts are the stuff of far too many other games. While the team loves and respects great works of fantasy such as The Lord of the Rings and the like, they’ve stepped away from the common ideals populating the MMOG market.
A great deal has inspired the development of the game and world. Films such as Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal as well as wonderous tales such as The Dying Earth by Jack Vance or Larry Niven’s The Magic Goes Away have contributed to the mystery and atmosphere (which is at times very fairytale-like) of the game. Sword and Sorcery works such as the Conan stories of Robert E. Howard (and more recently Robert Jordan), the Stormbringer Saga by Michael Moorcock, or the tales of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser from Fritz Lieber have had a clear impact These books lend themselves to the feel of skilled individuals making their own adventure in incredible worlds full of danger and unknown power. More contemporary fantasy writers such as Steven Erikson (The Malazan Chronicles) and George R.R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire) have drawn influences from these Swords and Sorcery roots, just as our game has.
In terms of the visual style of the world, we have a great deal of comic-book influence in TCoS. Both of our primary concept artists (Romano Molenaar and Chris Evenhuis) have worked in the comic industry, and their experiences have led them to create a fantastic style which is "European" in nature. Perhaps a bit "less realistic" than American works, yet without the same sort of stylized and exaggerated features found in Asian styles, this concept has become the focal point of design for models as well as environments. With an eye on avoiding the "overly realistic" they have created a believable fantasy world without turning it into a festival of bright colors and absurdly rendered models.
In addition to these aspect, we also have an experienced sound design team including industry favorite Jesper Kyd which has worked to bring a more "natural" feel to the world. Through the use of scoring and ambience, the "music" of the world will be a step away from the looping soundtracks often found in games. These ideas have been inspired by films, music and games as well as simply listening to the way our world itself sounds. The team’s goal has been realized through heavy use of ambient tracks and subtle and poignant periods of varying mood tracks.
Shards
While most MMOGs exist on a world, or multiple worlds, the world in which the Chronicles of Spellborn take place has a different atmosphere entirely. The current civilization of which all characters are a member is built on hollow rock-realms known as Shards. There are multiple Shards known to the population of this civilization, called the Enclave of the Five Sacrifices. Two of these Shards are heavily populated, while the other two have been settled to a point, but have a much more "frontier" feel to them.
Other Shards, both small and large, float within the confines of the magical Deadspell Storm. Some are known to a few of the Enclave’s elite, while others are almost certainly myths grown out of the struggle to survive in the aftermath of the war which sundered the Ancestor World.
Each shard varies in size. While some are relatively small, others are quite large. Within each Shard there are also areas to uncover and explore. This allows for more of a feeling of depth rather than breadth. It is by delving deeper that one uncovers the full spectrum of what the game has to offer. The largest advantage to this is simply that travel times in the game are relatively low, allowing you to spend more time playing and less time running around. Each Shard is different in environment and appearance, having come from a varying landscape which is no longer whole. There are cities and villages, deep and forbidding wildernesses, desolate wastelands, and imposing mountains. Each Shard is a pocket ripped from the ancient lands of the Empire of the Eight Demons, and has it’s own peculiarities.
The Oracle and the Past
There are also bits and pieces of the past which must be explored in order to open up new opportunities. An ancient being called the Oracle has the power to grant visions of the Ancestor World before the sundering. Through sharing these experiences, the citizens of the Enclave will rediscover their heritage. Once enough of the members of a High House have attained sufficient knowledge, the Oracle has promised to show them the paths to navigate the Deadspell Storm safely to a new Shard.
The visions of the Oracle provide an even larger universe to explore. Brave citizens who take on these challenges will find fascinating places which have ceased to exist. These places offer excitement and adventure, as well as the opportunity to aid one’s House in the struggle for power within the Enclave.
In addition to the present world, adventurers may find themselves in the past, reliving events hundreds of years old. The Ancestral Quests offered by the Oracle place participants in the ancient world. These landscapes are vastly different to the Shards, and offer a familiar yet alien feel.
History
There have been three great wars in the five hundred years of the Enclave's existence; Marrow’s Crusade, the War of Shadow’s Hammer and the Tyranny of Tlykarxu. The first one created the enclave of the Five Sacrifices and brought them together. The second one taught that heroes can become traitors and wrongfully turned the people away from the advice of the Oracle. The third one made us realize that we needed to learn, and that knowledge can be as dangerous as a blade.
Tlykarxu was a champion of Clan Rune and was dedicated to the enclave. But at that time, our society was rife with idolatry, paganism and superstition. In the aftermath of the Shadow’s Hammer, we had turned away from the Oracle, and in the time of Tlykarxu, none had listened to the ancient oversoul of Quarterstone for several long centuries. Yet it was the Oracle that summoned a young Daevi called Evhiel Muaun, and made her see that the enclave needed its advice. At one time, Tlykarxu and Evhiel were lovers, but when he gathered the brotherhood of the Glaive and the Arionites around him - both factions were products of the age of the Shadow Hammer - the Daevi prodigal knew that Tlykarxu was bent on destruction. He proved that all too clearly by dismissing Ringfell and Mount-of-Heroes. Other fallen champions from the enclave joined his side, riding great Vailyrian beasts like him, and they became known as “The Council of Reapers”.
Ultimately, Muaun was taught by the Oracle how to defeat the Runite fiend and led him away from the enclave in a running battle through the Deadspell Storm. Some say she is still doing that even to this very day; drawing her former lover away to the furthest veils of the Deadspell.’
The Deadspell Storm
The Deadspell Storm originated at the end of the War of the Eight Demons and is thought to have caused the destruction of the Ancestor World by some, while others believe that it is the result of the destruction. It is possible that the Oracle knows of the truth, however this knowledge has never been shared with the citizens of the Enclave. The Deadspell Storm itself offers adventure. Travel between Shards can be dangerous. Shardships are often attacked or lost within the perilous miasma. Nonetheless, adventurers must often enough brave the Deadspell in order to reach other Shards.
The goal in design was to provide an interesting variety of places to explore and adventure in. With the prevalence of the Shards in the Deadspell as well as the entirety of the Ancestor World as material, we have ample material for near limitless development of new and interesting environments.
Society
Politics and a character’s relationship to civilization play a major role in TcoS. The conflict between the Enclave and enemies outside of the civilization builds a tension and purpose. House rivalries and alliances influence guilds which may be friends one day and face each other on the field of battle the next. The atmosphere is not "good vs. evil" . . . it is centered around a complex society which aims to expand into the unknown.
The civilization of humans and daevi which survived the destruction of the Ancestor World is known as the Enclave of the Five Sacrifices, or simply: the Enclave. They have occupied parts of at least four Shardrealms, including Quarterstone, Parliament, Ringfell and Mount of Heroes. Of the four realms, only Quarterstone and Parliament can be considered truly controlled, and even these Shardrealms hold dangers within them. The Enclave is an alliance of five High Houses. The political balance is relatively stable, however the Houses vie with each other for power on a regular basis. Though outright violence in the city streets is shunned, the Arena and wilderness can oft be seen full of conflicts between the Houses, as well as guilds, groups, or individuals.
The citizens of the Enclave believe in cooperation, as long as it furthers the ideals of their own allegiances. As a result they form a united front against external threats. Once a threat has been controlled or mollified, the political infighting (as well as the real combat at times) becomes intense. While terms of good and evil mean little, who your allies are at a given moment is of the utmost importance.
This article is essentially a reshuffling of the answers found in the official FAQ and other tidbits found on the official site, in order to achieve a more comprehensive read for interested readers. All credits due to the Spellborn International Ltd. Team.
For a more personal, involving introduction, we highly recommend you visit The Spellborn Scrolls at the Official Site. |
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