Lore Update #3 - The Fifth Kingdom & Those That Covet it
Champions!
Before you set off on a quest to find The Fifth Kingdom and free the world from Alaloth’s influence, let’s consult old tomes to learn more about the history of the Kingdom. Read a tale of ambition, ignorance, and manipulation.
The Fifth Kingdom
At the dawning hours of the Second Era, the Goddess of Light, Vaizmil, looked upon the world and saw only conflict and war. She saw friend turned against friend, and disloyalty and pain. She saw a realm disjointed by falsehoods when it could have been one prosperous kingdom. Thus, she came up with a plan.
The Fifth Kingdom, a kingdom that was to be in the center of The Four Kingdoms, was at that time a vacant land with a mighty abandoned city, ripe for the taking if one was brave enough. Vaizmil convinced the All-Father to enact her dream through trickery, telling him that only the strongest realm would be able to claim the Fifth Kingdom and rule over all others. But the reality was that she had no intention of leaving The Fifth Kingdom to competition. Her purpose was unification, as only with the united force of The Four Kingdoms would the land truly know peace.
Vaizmil was so set on her ambition to save the mortal realm and the All-Father on the prospect of combat that they did not think of the rules he’d set up long ago, prohibiting him from intervening physically in the mortal realm. The moment The Fifth Kingdom was created, the Mother of Betrayers was free to revolt against the All-Father.
Vaizmil realized her mistake and the Mother’s plan and tried to warn the gods of the war that was coming, but none would listen. As a martyr, she confronted the Mother and her son, Alaloth, alone, only to be murdered. But when she died, her life force spread across the kingdom in shards in the hope that they would one day help the mortal race enter the Fifth Kingdom.
With Alaloth’s victory over The First Pantheon and his mother, he saw himself as beyond the gods. He attempted to cross into the mortal realm via The Fifth Kingdom, but the moment he set foot in it, he was chained to the ground, unable to move, stuck forever. His sheer presence in such a holy place has corrupted the Kingdom and spread his venom into the ground.
There is only one way to restore the world to what it was before Alaloth ravaged the lands with his Tempests—gather the shards of Vaizmil’s life force and conquer The Fifth Kingdom for the good of the whole mortal realm.
The Spectral Circle
Since the moment Alaloth was born, he had already planned to betray his mother. With his powers of manipulation, he had convinced a selected few in the mortal realm to wait for his descent and be his mortal army as he took over their world.
These few formed what is now known as The Spectral Circle, a cult that worships Alaloth and revels in the corruption he brings to the world, caged in The Fifth Kingdom. The goal of the Circle is to spread his corruption further, seeding chaos inside The Four Kingdoms, and defile their gods.
Their ultimate goal is to release Alaloth from his chains and let him wreak havoc on the realm, taking it as his own. They expect to be rewarded for their efforts and will go to any length to show devotion to their lord.
They are hunted all across the kingdoms, but like cockroaches they always reappear, corrupt the young, and increase their ranks faster than any cult the world has ever seen. They care nothing for mortal life and accept their death as part of Alaloth’s plan. They fear nothing and their ideology will survive as long as Alaloth is alive. While the other kingdoms and groups want The Fifth Kingdom for themselves or for the good of all mortal beings, the Circle merely wants it as a tool to free their lord—the Kingdom and the world mean nothing to them.
Discover new content every week
If you missed any lore update post, explore them here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/919360/announcements/detail/2947008021749049042 https://steamcommunity.com/games/919360/announcements/detail/2947007387768598012 We hope you enjoyed this introduction into the rich world of Alaloth. What did you find the most interesting? Share your thoughts with us on Steam and Discord.
Lore updates will be posted on Steam every Wednesday* and will introduce key characters, companions, guilds, places, monsters, stories, gods, legends, and so on, to give you the full picture of the work we’ve done to bring this epic world to life. A brand new piece of art will be available every Monday* as well!
Be sure to check Steam every other Friday* to get an update on Alaloth’s development.The updates will give a general overview of in-game content, explain gameplay features, give insight into the gaming tech we use as well as reveal other game-related content.
*Based on external and internal factors, the frequency may change.
Discord Kingdom Allegiance
Earlier today, we also introduced an Allegiance feature on the game’s official Discord server. Those of you who are already in the server or just joined it, have to decide to which King or Queen you want to swear your allegiance.
For now, the roles are just a display of your allegiance. In the future, they will play a greater part in community activities.
Make sure to pick your Kingdom now and discuss your homeland’s lore with your fellow countrymen.
Development Update #2 - Bringing a fantasy world to life
When we started Alaloth’s pre-production back in 2017, we knew we wanted to make a full 3D game. The original prototype was very cool in the end and we caught the attention of a few outlets by showing it behind closed doors at different events. In the end, we decided to announce the game early on in its timeline because we had the chance to be featured by IGN on its whole network.
That meant millions of viewers and it was the best way to get the ball rolling! Anyway, while thinking about the pros and cons of the plan we had in mind, and still busy with pre-production, we decided to change direction. Environments make up most of what you see in the screen of a game and in their complexity, they are among the most difficult things for a computer to render. To look as visually appealing as possible while still being able to run on almost all platforms, we decided Alaloth should use pre-rendered environments. Moving on using fully pre-rendered environments completely changed our work pipeline but at that time, our thought was that pushing on the art department would have been much easier than stressing coders, in a moment when we were still on the hunt for talents able to push Unity to its limits and still working on our tools. It ended up being a wise choice that allowed us to work on our idea of creating a hybrid game that was in-between a classic RPG and a modern action game, bringing 3D mechanics to an iso-view. Challenging. Unique.
Working with pre-rendered environments allows for a much faster workflow and less of a burden on our computers, with the only downside that scenes cannot be rotated while playing. Depending on the kind of scene, if combat or non-combat, we start from a concept, outlining the key parts of the experience we want to offer. For cities, the focus is almost only on the visuals, while dealing with a fighting area brings a totally different scope to the level design. No matter what scene we’re working on, the first step after the concept stage is measuring its size. It would be really bad to have extremely different sizes inside the same area family, so we essentially measure two kinds of values: the minimum distance a player will travel to reach the edge of an area and the one he needs to walk to roughly reach every spot in the area. Each kind of area, be it a city, fighting area, or anything else, is enclosed in a range of sizes that can’t be broken.
At this stage, multiple professionals work together to reach the right balance of performance, visual appeal, and design elements. When all the sizes are set and the walkable blockout has been created, the Environment Artist, together with a designer, start building the scene.
While for non-combat areas the process is more or less straightforward, for fighting scenes, we have to keep an eye on combat flow. Multiple design elements can be used to enhance a user’s experience and let the player interact with environments instead of just walking through them. However, these design mechanics are condensed in advanced stages, since we wanted to keep early scenes simpler and gradually add more challenges the farther a player goes on their journey.
A scene is gradually built, from ground up, with a neuter light to better see all the important details. At this stage, we mostly take into account navigation and boundaries; everything must be as easy as possible to walk through, while enemies can’t remain stuck in place or block a player in a corner.
When everything is in its place, we tweak the lights according to the mood we want to achieve.
After that, we focus on VFX such as post-process, fog, and particles. Keeping in mind that everything is going to be baked onto textures, we make sure to migrate animated elements to final scenes, such as flames, water, and similar VFX. At this point, the vast majority of the work is done and we proceed to bake everything into a set of textures that our proprietary tool automatically outputs as an array of pictures. Not only is a color texture produced, but also technical elements such as depth, occlusion and geometry information, as well as navigation and real-time lights.
The technical stuff is being moved into the final scene to make things work, while the color bakes undergo a final step of hand painting to enhance details that would be too complex to do in 3D.
Lastly, the scene is populated with NPCs and mobs and tested over and over again to ensure that everything works as it should.
The entire process takes 3 to 5 days, depending on the size of the area. This is why we were able to create over 100+ areas with a relatively small team in less than a year. Completely 3D scenes would have needed much more time and resources to achieve similar results, with the need of a much more powerful machine to run the game.
Discover New Content Every Week
Lore updates will be posted on Steam every Wednesday* and will introduce key characters, companions, guilds, places, monsters, stories, gods, legends, and so on, to give you the full picture of the work we’ve done to bring this epic world to life. A brand new piece of art will be available every Monday* as well!
Be sure to check Steam every other Friday* to get an update on Alaloth’s development. The updates will give a general overview of in-game content, explain gameplay features, give insight into the gaming tech we use as well as reveal other game-related content.
*Based on external and internal factors, the frequency may change.
Let’s take a deeper look into the world of Alaloth with a brand new lore update. Today we’ll explore the heavens and meet two pantheons of gods. Begin your journey!
The Religion and Deities of Plamen
At the dawn of time, as the All-Father’s blood spilled onto the chaotic world of Plamen, the Gods, elements, creatures, and mortals were created. With powerful beings vying for control, the All-Father decided to gather them up into one institution under his control and thus, The First Pantheon was created.
For much of the history known to the mortal realm, the Pantheon was a peaceful and isolationist gathering of the Gods. There they would argue, fight, drink, and chant together, with no real plan of molding the world below them.
Only a few took interest in the lives of mortals, while some sought solace in the lives of natural creatures. Bit by bit they helped the mortals by rewarding those they found deserving, but due to the rules imposed by the All-Father, they were forbidden from walking the earth and intervening in conflicts between the kingdoms in any way.
They continued like this for many centuries, until hubris took over and the All-Father broke his own rule, plunging the Pantheon into war against his own daughter, the Mother of Betrayers, and her son, Alaloth.
The Higher Gods
The All-Father: The father of all living beings from whose blood all creatures come. Once he was chaos incarnate, now he is chief over the Gods he created. The All-Father adored one child above the rest, allowing his pride and favor to blind him to his own mistakes. His confidence in his own powers has left the Pantheon defenceless against the attacks of the Mother and Alaloth.
Bingel, The Hawk: Once the goddess of the sky, she was injured by a spear of lightning cast by Alaloth that has turned her into a lesser deity. Since then she has taken the form of a hawk, becoming the patron of Watchfulness and decisive strikes. She awaits the day that she may reclaim the skies once more.
Bohai, The Goddess of Nature: One of the three children cut from the Earth Goddess during the Pantheonic War. She took over as patron of vegetation and wilderness, blessing the harvests and all those who favor nature.
Enh-Hohn: Lord of The Stone and of Karak-Hohn, the home of the dwarves, patron of stone crafting and the hammer. Enh-Hohn watches over the dwarven kingdom, assisting those that need his hand in their craft or their labor. He prefers to be close to his worshippers rather than stay aloof like the other gods.
Idaris, The Beacon: Patron of the humans and the shield that protects them, Idaris represents the spiritual and hopeful nature of mortal life. However, the recent tribulations of Edherest have changed the humans’ perception of Idaris to a war god, supposedly giving them the right to commit atrocities.
Jaiha, The Earth Goddess: The shaper of the mortal realm, of nature, stone, water, and sand. She existed along with the All-Father as his blood spilled upon her realm. She is a kind and naive soul who favors the creatures of nature and the elves. Since the Pantheonic War, her powers were split and created three children that took their own aspects of nature. Using her naivety and weakened state against her, the God of Deception is manipulating her creations without her knowledge.
Sei-Eld, The God of Nature: One of the three children cut out of the Earth Goddess during the Pantheonic War. He is the patron god of the elves, protecting them more than his mother or siblings, and represents a relentless spirit, always fighting and easily swayed.
Taine, The Huntress: Another one of the three children cut out of the Earth Goddess during the Pantheonic War. She is the goddess of the hunt, both of prey and of the abominations that Xis has unleashed upon the world. She swears to destroy anything that hurts nature.
Vaizmil, The Goddess of Light: a favorite to the All-Father. She cared for mortals too much and planned to give them a Fifth Kingdom that would unify them. Her actions led to her death at the hands of Alaloth and the Mother of Betrayers, and to the First Pantheonic War. She is the key to entering the Fifth Kingdom and destroying Alaloth.
Xis: The God of Deception, a two-faced skeleton. One face is his own, the other is the God of Truth whom Xis has absorbed. Using the face of the God of Truth, he manipulates the Earth Goddess to sow dissent and chaos in the world from behind the God of Truth’s back. He is helping Alaloth in secret, but also deceiving him at the same time.
The Lesser Gods
Lauron: The Lesser God of the Tides, patron of sailors and pirates. Often prayed to when fishing or sailing.
Tutem: The Goddess of Beauty and Passions, patron of lovers and seducers.
Ulher: The Lesser God of Fertility and Marriage, requires worship in exchange for his blessing.
Rhid’Reklis: The Lesser God of Time, Patron of the House of the First Bells. It is not a sentient being, but the actual concept of time.
The Minions
The Children: A deity with a hundred personalities, minion of the All-Father who fights amongst themselves to see who can worship him better.
Phidell: A minion created by Boahi to patrol the forests and keep watch over all natural creatures.
Ridal, The Crow: An aspect of Bingel that was split when she fell from the sky. Ridal takes charge of all the birds in the sky as he awaits the return of his goddess to absorb him into herself again.
Tutur: The God of the sacred stone. Some might dispute his rank as a god, but he is the personification of the stone that the dwarves use to build their halls and make crafts.
Alfiera the Guard: The Patron Goddess of the Guard Tower, an elevated mortal and servant of Idaris.
Somjiar: One of the first animals that walked the mortal realm and a close and personal friend of the goddess Jaiha. Somjiar is an enormous spider, but even with his size, he often passes unseen in the forests of the split kingdoms.
Ghital: An elevated elf who achieved a demi-god status as a result of her deeds and worship of the Goddess of the Hunt.
Rius: The Lesser God of Ruination and a loyal minion of Xis. Rius’ appearance is that of an amalgamation of many ugly abominations.
Iter’Il: A spirit of eternity, of a never-ending circle. It is attached to the Sei-Eld wishes and infects the elven people with waves of hostility and relentlessness.
Valyn: Keeper of records in the First Pantheon, a great supporter of Vaizmil’s quest, and a loyal servant until her death.
The Mother’s Pantheon
Born out of darkness and with corruption on her mind, the Mother of Betrayers founded a new pantheon in secret, just under the All-Father’s nose. The disdain she felt towards Vaizmil, the All-Father’s favorite, damned their relationship beyond repair and there was nothing to be done about her intent. The first of her pantheon was Alaloth, her first child and her second in command in her plan to usurp her father. The second to join her pantheon was Modut, who was weaker than Alaloth and thus was just a loyal minion. Together with many others and the Goddess of the orcs, Maraika, they planned and executed their attempt at a coup. After they weakened the gods and killed Vaizmil, Alaloth betrayed his mother and took over her Pantheon, driving Maraika and Modut away from him before he attempted to enter the Fifth Kingdom and found himself imprisoned.
The Higher Gods
The Mother of Betrayers: The last goddess of the original pantheon, born out of the All-Father’s shadow. The Mother had an ambition to rule over all the gods and, in secret, she created another pantheon, so that when the moment came, she would be able to defeat the First Pantheon and usurp the All-Father’s position. In the moment of truth, she was betrayed by her son, Alaloth.
Alaloth: The first son of the Mother of Betrayers and the greatest betrayer in history. Alaloth killed his mother and usurped her power. Thinking himself invincible, he attempted to cross into the mortal realm to assert his dominance there. But the laws of the All-Father stood strong and he found himself trapped in The Fifth Kingdom, spreading his corruption from within, awaiting his eventual release.
Maraika: The Goddess of the Orcs and patron of the Matriarchs of Baga. Maraika originally was part of the First Pantheon, but was loyal to the Mother at the same time. After the Mother’s death, Maraika abandoned her ambitions and returned to the Pantheon, looking for a way to take revenge on Alaloth.
The Lesser Gods
Serlietis: The snake god, half mortal, half serpent. Patron god of all reptiles, including dragons, who see him as a father of sorts.
Martum: The God of the Underworld and The God of Death. Martum is not worshiped, no temples rise to his honor, he simply is.
The Minions
The Forbidden: A group of children of the Mother who abandoned her when Alaloth betrayed her. They now follow Alaloth, awaiting the day that he is released, so they can follow him into the mortal realm and wreak havoc.
Modut: A loyal servant of The Mother of Betrayers since before the First Pantheonic War. He was the second son, the second member of her own pantheon. When Alaloth betrayed her, Modut went into a self-imposed exile, avoiding current events in mourning for his mother.
Xoluga: Patron goddess of blood-spilling, once one of the cruelest matriarchs that the orcish kingdom has ever known. At the time of her death she ceremonially burned herself alive with prayers to Maraika.
Discover new content every week
If you missed the first lore update post, explore The Known World & The Outer World here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/919360/announcements/detail/2947007387768598012
We hope you enjoyed this introduction into the rich world of Alaloth. What did you find the most interesting? Share your thoughts with us on Steam and Discord.
Lore updates will be posted on Steam every Wednesday* and will introduce key characters, companions, guilds, places, monsters, stories, gods, legends, and so on, to give you the full picture of the work we’ve done to bring this epic world to life. A brand new piece of art will be available every Monday* as well!
Be sure to check Steam every other Friday* to get an update on Alaloth’s development.The updates will give a general overview of in-game content, explain gameplay features, give insight into the gaming tech we use, as well as reveal other game related content.
*Based on external and internal factors, the frequency may change.
Lore Update #1 - The Known World & The Outer World
Champions!
Prepare yourselves to go deep into the lore of Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms. The four kingdoms have already been introduced, but there are still many paths that we want to invite you to traverse. May the lore series begin!
The World of Alaloth
Using archeology and magic, the mortal races were able to discover much about the ancient roots of their world, from its inception to its current state. Some parts of history have been lost along the way or are kept guarded as secrets among the eternal races, but the main series of events are well-recorded and known.
The tale of the kingdoms begins with the First Era, an Era of blood and birth, a time when life was created and gods were born. It was during this time that the All-Father’s blood dripped onto the world, creating man, elf, dwarf, orc, and beast, as well as the First Pantheon of the Gods.
The Second Era is the time of legends, when great heroes from all the mortal kingdoms fought and vanquished any terror that dared to beset the land. Much of this history has been recorded in dusty tomes by the humans, while the elves choose to simply remember the tale instead of putting it down in writing.
The current Era is the Third, the Era of The Fifth Kingdom. With the creation of the Fifth Kingdom, and the loss of the world’s light, Vaizmil, the world fell into chaos. With the gods weakened, Alaloth descended on the land from the realms of the gods. Although the joint effort of the races managed to confine him in The Fifth Kingdom, he still seeds his corruption deep into the ground. No one knows how this Era will end. Will hope return to our world once more or will we plunge into eternal darkness?
The Known World
In the midst of chaos and violence, four kingdoms rose in the world of Plamen, separated from the rest of the globe by unknown dangers, treacherous terrain, and hubris. This is the known world, the world of magic and great heroes, of immortal gods who shape the world and decide to let it prosper or doom it to destruction.
In current times, the world is about to descend into chaos as Alaloth sows corruption into every aspect of life. The Four Kingdoms, each distinctly different from the others, divided by race, culture, territory, and religion, have been suffering immensely during the trying times that have unfolded over hundreds of years due to the recklessness of the gods.
The Blessed Kingdom of Edherest stands strong in number and with the power of humankind. Once a deeply religious people, the citizens of Edherest have turned on their priests and leaders needing someone to blame for the world’s descent into turmoil. They now look to all-powerful magic to save them. The kingdom has been further fractured by rising hostilities between its ruling houses as each one vies for ultimate control over the others.
The Republic of Larastir is home to the elves who worship Jaiha, the Goddess of the Earth. Their connection to nature and to the magical aura of the world makes them excellent fighters and deadly archers, while their eternal life grants them wisdom beyond their apparent age. Their society has been tainted by the Ver’Quintiss inquisition, brought on by the coming of Alaloth which has torn through their culture and left deep scars. Over the past few years the Elves have withdrawn into the depths of their forests, and, even more worrying, there have been more and more sightings of the Dark Elves, loyal to Alaloth.
The Expanse of Karak-Hohn is the kingdom of the dwarves. The grand halls they call home are built-in caverns that were created by an unknown precursor race. They are masters of stone crafting and the main providers of metal and stone to the rest of the kingdoms, making them safer politically than others. The coming of Alaloth shook their underground chambers, corrupting their halls and filling them with golems.
The Desolation of Baga, the kingdom of the orcs, has been left completely in ruins after their hero, Baga, attempted to face Alaloth in combat. The ground is barren and the weather unforgiving. Not many survive in the deserts of Baga, but the orcs are resilient people and they do not give up, even when all seems lost.
The Outer World
Beyond the realm of The Four Kingdoms exists another world, vibrant and different, beautiful and dangerous. Only a professional explorer would have a chance at traversing the areas surrounding the kingdoms. Anyone else who tries is never heard from again. The seas to the north are home to wild islands, with rough seas that only a seasoned sailor can endure. To the north-east lay the great frozen plains, where few can survive their inhuman temperatures. And to the west lies the kingdom of the desert, with sands that sprawl on for an eternity.
The North Sea Empire rules the northern sea, sailing, and trading with the known world, but staying away from their politics. They were once one of the great houses of Edherest, but left the kingdom to explore new lands. While the island they live on is a cold flatland, they have prospered there and have been left relatively unaffected by Alaloth and The Tempest.
The Frozen Plains are a vast area to the North East of Karak-Hohn where the cold rules and few survive. A few clans of barbarians have settled the lands, but most of the plains are desolate with only dangerous animals and monsters to roam the frozen waste. The Tempest of Alaloth has reached these lands and his corruption runs deep.
The Sariqi Caliphate, centered around the great city of Sariq, is a solitary and distant kingdom, born from the eternal sands. Though they live in isolation from the known world, they are more culturally and magically advanced, allowing them to make creations beyond imagination. At the same time, their riches have plunged them into corruption and chaos as they consort with evil forces.
The Shadow Continent is the prison of the dark elves that were banished by the Ver’Quintiss during their inquisition. The continent exists in parallel with Plamen, where there is no sun, not one source of light, and nothing grows from the ground. The Continent is inaccessible without powerful magic to a common mortal, but ever since The Tempest, more and more dark elves have been seen in Larastir, leading to rumors that the Shadow Continent is open once more.
Discover New Content Every Week
We hope you enjoyed this introduction into the rich world of Alaloth. What did you find the most interesting? Share your thoughts with us on Steam and Discord.
Lore updates will be posted on Steam every Wednesday* and will introduce key characters, companions, guilds, places, monsters, stories, gods, legends, and so on, to give you the full picture of the work we’ve done to bring this epic world to life. A brand new piece of art will be available every Monday* as well!
Be sure to check Steam every other Friday* to get an update on Alaloth’s development. The updates will give a general overview of in-game content, explain gameplay features, give insight into the gaming tech we use as well as reveal other game-related content.
*Based on external and internal factors, the frequency may change.
Development Update #1 - The Road to The Four Kingdoms
As you might have noticed, we’ve been silent since the last major events Alaloth took part in: the PC Gaming Show and Gamescom. Alaloth received a lot of interest at the PC Gaming Show in June and was written about by PC Gamer and PCGamesN. Gamescom was a great success too. At the event we released a new gameplay trailer, were featured in an IGN article, announced new platforms (PlayStation and Nintendo Switch), and made a 2021 release official.
So with Christmas on the way, we felt that now was the right moment for a new wall of text! We’re back with a massive update on Alaloth’s development and a peek at what’s been going on for us behind the scenes during this crazy year.
First things first, we’d like to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for your interest and support. More and more people have been joining in the wait for Alaloth and our Discord server has been growing as fast as our amazing community! We’re so glad that you’re as excited about Alaloth as we are. It’s definitely kept our spirits lifted during 2020.
When we started working with our publisher last winter, we shared another wall of text explaining how complex 2019 had been for us, how many unpredictable (and tragic) problems we had to face, and how we successfully turned all of this into a new fresh start with a new plan, extra resources available, a clear path in front of us.
This year we had a great time at PAX and we had the chance to move into a new office, hire new people, and finally be able to bring our vision to life the way we’d always imagined. But it wasn’t all sunshine and roses—something unpredictable happened once again; the pandemic. We were just starting everything afresh, so we had new employees stuck in Airbnb rooms, with no way to access the studio, no way to work remotely. Some even had to move back home, when lockdown was suddenly announced on the Monday morning when we were supposed to have one of our first operative meetings. We entered our new venue at the end of February and employees were expected to move in by March 5th. We had to leave on March 8th...yet to return.
We use our office for business meetings only when necessary, but the whole team is still scattered and it’s hard to imagine returning to normal any time soon. Despite all of this, we’ve been working harder than ever while thinking on plan B. We have received full support from All in! Games who’ve helped us as much as possible. Collaborating together, we reworked our whole masterplan and found a way to make the best of the situation. We had huge plans for 2020, but worry not! We have every intention of seeing all of our cool ideas become a reality in 2021! Game development is about continuously adapting and despite the surprises we had this year, we can finally say that our pipeline is working smoothly.
Anyway, let’s talk about the cool stuff that’s happening. One of the biggest updates is that , we are going to start sharing regular updates about the game from now on, with news every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday*! These updates will consist of two main types of information; updates on the lore of Alaloth and updates on its development.
LORE UPDATES
Over the past few months we’ve been introducing you to the world of Alaloth, focusing on each kingdom at a time. Now we’d like to go deeper into Alaloth’s lore (something we are really proud of!). Lore updates will be posted on Steam and on our Discord server every Wednesday and will introduce key characters, companions, guilds, places, monsters, stories, gods, legends, and so on, to give you the full picture of the work we’ve done to bring this epic world to life. A brand new piece of art will be available every Monday as well!
DEV UPDATES
Be sure to check Steam every other Friday* to get an update on Alaloth’s development.The updates will give a general overview of in-game content, explain gameplay features, give insight into the tech as well as reveal other game related content.
Last but not least, we have tons of cool stuff for you on the way, including something related to Alaloth’s recently announced comic book and contests, AMA’s, and other community activities set through our Discord server. The server is also going to be updated. We’ll share more information on that soon.
*Based on external and internal factors, the frequency may change. Join us and stay tuned, the best is yet to come!
Hot winds are blowing in from the Desolation of Baga, bringing the smell of the blazing sun and the promise of a story. Will you be enticed to journey to the desert and listen to the tale of the orcs?
Often referred to simply as the “orc homeland” and currently called The Desolation of Baga, the name of the kingdom changes with every era a great hero or tyrant appears, always in motion like the shifting sands.
When The Tempest swept the land, a great hero by the name of Baga attempted to enter the Valley of Storms to defeat Alaloth and claim the land for the orcs. Some say Baga heard the screams of his suffering ancestors in the Tempest and sought to set them free. Regardless of the truth, the story always ends the same way. The hero failed and the region around the breach became tainted, while the vegetation and cities were destroyed by a second storm. It is rumored that Baga was cast back into his homeland and swallowed by the earth.
Forced to leave their ruined cities, the orcs from this region adopted the use of tents and became a more nomadic people. A high resistance to heat allowed them to quickly adjust to hostile environments and endure the hot winds of The Desolation.
The orcs enjoy tests and trials, such as consuming lethally spiced food and drinks, developing a resistance to poison. They believe that a child must spill blood to be considered an adult, but at the same time, they value life. After all, how can one learn from a challenge that kills them? The orcs consider murder of one’s family and tribesmen a great offense, especially matricide. Hence, they especially despise Alaloth for his deed.
Orcs have a social hierarchy with a ruler who reigns in their capital city Na’Nardur at the top. All the lords of the other orc cities pay fealty to his strength. His rule is determined solely by deed and strength, so the lords of each of the cities always seek to outdo each other. While the hierarchy is based on one’s strength, seeking fame and glory, the society is quietly matriarchal. Female orcs hold significant power in their homeland, albeit not openly. They have an unspoken power network in the Desolation of Baga, and are often powerful magic users and priestesses.
But much has changed since The Tempest hit the Desolation of Baga. Murders have grown in number with many of the orcish murderers exiled. Stronger orcs have held onto their traditions, but the exiled often fall prey to the Alaloth’s cult, The Spectral Circle. The orcs now look at their younger generation with unease, as they seem willing to embrace Alaloth’s teachings and kill to earn power and respect, and many highly respected orcish priestesses have begun to vanish or die under mysterious circumstances.
Orc citizens
Orc savages
The title character, Alaloth, is a dark god who turned on his pantheon and came to the mortal realms. There he lies imprisoned in the Valley of Storms, where the Four Great Kingdoms of humans, orcs, elves, and dwarves intersect. From the Valley’s heart, he spreads evil throughout the kingdoms, determined to extinguish any light of hope for all who call this world home.
Beasts of all kinds thrived well before Alaloth’s coming – it is said his fall to the mortal realms merely awoke some that slumbered – and caused others to go mad, which began their migration back to the Kingdoms. Others, however, are known to have been created by Alaloth himself, especially in places where his blood struck the ground or was carried by the wind.
Storms, monsters, plagues, strife, and great dragons beset the land – it will require strength and courage to unite the kingdoms and defeat Alaloth in his prison.
The world of Alaloth comprises four territories. To the northwest lies The Goldwood Forest and The Republic of Larastir, where the elves live. The northeast is home to the dwarves that inhabit Karak-Hohn. To the southwest, the orcs rule in the Desolation of Baga. The humans from the southeast brought about a golden age of civilization: The Blessed Kingdom of Edherest.
This sums up our series about the kingdoms. You can now act as an expert on races that inhabit the world of Alaloth. If you missed any of previous entries, catch up now: https://steamcommunity.com/games/919360/announcements/detail/2915474027238387350 https://steamcommunity.com/games/919360/announcements/detail/2539416399411216491 https://steamcommunity.com/games/919360/announcements/detail/1700609558255407868 Which realm are you going to choose as your homeland? Drop us a comment in Steam Discussions or join the discussion on Discord.
Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms is getting a comic book!
Champions!
We’re coming to you with the latest news from The Four Kingdoms. Alaloth is going to receive a comic book, Alaloth - The Tempest, which will be a prequel to the game’s main story. The comic book will be released in 2021, in partnership with publisher Edizioni BD, which is taking care of the international licensing.
The story will transport readers to The Four Kingdoms before the arrival of Alaloth. In this new fantasy saga you’ll follow a young girl, Asha, who leaves her home to save her family only to find herself involved in the war for The Fifth Kingdom. With the help of a few fierce warriors of other races, Asha will have to prevent an ancient evil from being unleashed.
You can check out three pages from the comic book below!
Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms will be making its first foray into the Japanese gaming market with an appearance at the Tokyo Game Show Online taking place from September 24-27.
Alaloth’s latest gameplay trailer came with an announcement that the game will now be coming to Nintendo Switch and PS4 in addition to PC and XBOX, and will aim for a simultaneous release on all platforms. If you haven’t watched it yet, it’s time to catch up:
[previewyoutube="YR8HxNUtlWY;full"]
Speaking of recent updates, have you delved into the dwarven realm yet? Visit (or revisit!) the Expanse of Karak-Hohn in the latest lore article from which you’ll learn about the dwarves’ history, notable houses, and their current situation in the world of Alaloth:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/919360/announcements/detail/2915474027238387350 Join our Discord to discuss all the big news from the Tokyo Game Show and talk about everything Alaloth with other community members. See you there!
The clouds that once hid the high peaks of Karak-Hohn have drawn back, leaving them open for discovery. Do you have the courage to follow the rocky path to the dwarven realm?
Although the dwarves' glory days are far behind them, they are an optimistic and focused race. Settled in one of the most remote regions of The Four Kingdoms, they’ve handled the unrest the arrival of Alaloth caused best of all the kingdoms. They rather see it as a challenge. The dwarves have even welcomed refugees and traders from other realms into their vast halls and promised both safety and shelter—as long as newcomers are willing to work.
While the dwarves may currently be withdrawn from the roiling conflict centered around Alaloth, they have never backed down from a fight to defend their territory. In the past, the dwarves fought in a war against the dragons that spanned generations. Dragons learned to leave dwarven communities alone, for dwarves, though smaller, are very determined in their retaliation and didn’t hesitate to kill a dragon in an array of deadly ways to set an example. Several old dragon traps can still be found in abandoned dungeons. If Alaloth’s minions plan to attack The Expanse of Karak-Hohn, they won’t have an easy fight on their hands.
There is still hope in the battle against Alaloth. When he came to the mortal realms, some of the underground dwarven cities bordering The Valley of Storms were shattered. It is said that some of his essence bled into the stone there and, if mined and retrieved, could be turned into a powerful weapon used to fight the fallen god and his minions. So far, expeditions sent by the dwarves have been stopped by the earth itself, the golems awoken by Alaloth’s blood. Every statue, forge, and stone-carved dwarven hall in the area has either been destroyed or brought to life in the form of elemental monsters that have turned against their creators, the dwarves. Perhaps if a true hero were to venture the dangerous roads to The Valley of Storms and retrieve Alaloth’s essence, the god’s defeat would come nigh…
The title character, Alaloth, is a dark god who turned on his pantheon and came to the mortal realms. There he lies imprisoned in the Valley of Storms, where the Four Great Kingdoms of humans, orcs, elves, and dwarves intersect. From the Valley’s heart, he spreads evil throughout the kingdoms, determined to extinguish any light of hope for all who call this world home.
Beasts of all kinds thrived well before Alaloth’s coming – it is said his fall to the mortal realms merely awoke some that slumbered – and caused others to go mad, which began their migration back to the Kingdoms. Others, however, are known to have been created by Alaloth himself, especially in places where his blood struck the ground or was carried by the wind.
Storms, monsters, plagues, strife, and great dragons beset the land – it will require strength and courage to unite the kingdoms and defeat Alaloth in his prison.
The world of Alaloth comprises four territories. To the northwest lies The Goldwood Forest and The Republic of Larastir, where the elves live. The northeast is home to the dwarves that inhabit Karak-Hohn. To the southwest, the orcs rule in the Desolation of Baga. The humans from the southeast brought about a golden age of civilization: The Blessed Kingdom of Edherest.
Follow Alaloth on Steam for more exciting news. May the stars guide you!
Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms Has a New Trailer and Release Window
Champions! A new trailer for Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms has premiered at gamescom. The trailer focuses on exploration and lets you take a peek into the stunning world of Alaloth.
Watch the video now and explore new locations:
[previewyoutube="YR8HxNUtlWY;full"]
But that’s not all! Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms will now be coming to Nintendo Switch and PS4 in addition to PC and XBOX, and will aim for a simultaneous release on all platforms. Due to these plans, as well as the global pandemic, the game’s release window has been shifted to 2021.
We know you’ve been looking forward to playing Alaloth, but unfortunately, this situation has forced us to postpone its release. We’ll use this time to polish the game, to present you with the most satisfying and enjoyable gaming experience possible. We really value your feedback and support.
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