Sisters of the Blade (solo v1.0)

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Factions 

The Order of the Blade- 
			For thousands of years, the Order had covered the entire known world. This noble religious order protected the peasantry from bandits and evil doers, and spread justice and civilization across the land. But a millenia ago, the Order's ranks were cracked in two by a doctrinal dispute, and a third of it's followers fled into the wilderness. The Order's power has slowly waned since that time, but it remains the largest and strongest power around.

The Skadi- 
			After traveling far from the Order's land, the "heretics" settled in a dry and hostile region known as the Skadi Waste. A thousand years of fighting for survival in this land has transformed this Order offshoot into half a dozen primitive, nomadic tribes. The Skadi keep largely to themselves, but occasionaly come into conflict with the Order and with mercenary groups.

The Grey Circle- 
			Following the chaos of the Schisim within the Order, a group of assassins took advantage of the infighting, and consolidated themselves into a single company of mercenaries. Eventualy the Grey Circle expanded their services from assassinations to full blown military operations, working for any wouldbe warlord or small time usurper. The Circle's shady dealings often bring them into conflict with the Order, especialy in the outlying borderlands.

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Units 

Trin- Trin is a young(seventeen-ish) initiate of the Order of the Blade, a religious military regime, sort of like the midevil catholic church. Both parents were Order members, but died in battle when she was young. Raised in this culture of disipline and ritual, Trin has never questioned the way things are. Trained since a very early age in the ways of battle, Trin is an innately skilled swordfighter, who constantly suprises her superiors with her talent.

Trin is fairly quiet and unassuming, but is an incredibly strong person underneath her trained humility. Trin is a natural leader, but the opressive society in which she lives prevents her from rising beyond her low ranking position.

Paladins of the Blade
            The Paladins are the lifeblood of the Order of the Blade. Celibate warriors who were trained since childhood in the ways of war, Paladins are both beautiful and deadly. Their armor is shaped to each Paladin's individual body and forged by the Order's finest craftsmen, and is able to withstand even the strongest blows. Their lack of helmets stems from an ancient Order commandment that says "A woman shall not cover her head in the sight of men."
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Paladins are medium range melee fighters. Not the fastest, not the strongest, but they can definitely hold their own. Paladins are highly resistant to missile attacks, but vulnerable to lightning.

Templars of the Blade
            If Paladins are the fist of the Order, then Templars are the mind. Templars wear armor similar to their sisters, but arm themselves with maces that are more ornamental than functional. This is hardly a problem, as Templars are trained in the magical arts, and can create powerful orbs of explosive light.
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Templars have similar resistances and vulnerabilities as the Paladins. Templars aren't helpless when it comes to melee fighting, but their real strength is their long range attack. Templars are best used in tandem with melee, softening up enemies before finishing them off with your other troops.

Skadi Wildmen
            Centuries ago, a doctrinal conflict arose within the Order. A third of the Order broke ties with their brothers and sisters, and fled into the harsh Skadi Waste. A thousand years of fighting for survival in such an unforgiving land has changed their culture from a strict religious organization to a wild and pragmatic tribal system. The Wildmen are almost the literal embodiment of this change, wielding huge battle axes and wearing very little clothing to slow them down.
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Wildmen can defeat any opponent one on one, but are vulnerable to missile and melee attacks. These guys are powerful and fast, but a small group of Grunes will still take care of them.

Skadi Scouts
            The females of the Skadi are just as militant as the men, but choose to focus on speed and stamina than on brute force. Scouts carry light short swords and scant armor, and are able to trek incredible distances with great speed, making them the fastest military force in the land.
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Scouts are the fastest units in SoB, but their fighting power is relatively weak. Scouts are best used to pick off enemy Archers and Smokeweavers, or assisting your more robust melee.

Skadi Priestesses
            On rare occasions, a Skadi girl is born with innate magical abilities. Assuming that she doesn't destroy herself before mastering her talents, she will become a Priestess of her tribe. Controlling  elemental lightning, the Priestesses are respected by their tribes, and feared by their enemies.
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Priestesses have very little health, and are prime targets for Archers and Greymen. Keep them protected with some strong melee units, and a Priestess can do major damage to your enemies. If cornered, a Priestess with full mana can summon a protective bolt of lightning as a special ability. Be warned however, this special ability doesn't differentiate between friend or foe.

Grey Men
            In the chaos following the Schism within the Order, a group of assassins for hire banded together in order to attract larger commissions. That group called themselves the Grey Circle, and soon became the most powerful and well known mercenary company in the world. Greymen are known for their almost supernatural stealth, and their victims often aren't aware of their presence until the moment a dagger is slipped between their ribs.
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Greymen aren't the fastest units, the strongest fighters, or the best missile units, but they are effective units overall. Their true strength comes into play during multiplayer games, as Greymen do not show up on on your opponents overhead maps. The same is true for your enemy's Greymen, so keep an eye out for invisible flanks.

Archers
            The Grey Circle soon realized that they would make a great deal more money if their services weren't as specialized. The first new addition to their arsenal was the bow, allowing the Circle to pick off it's targets at a safer distance.
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Archers are fairly similar to standard Myth archers, but move slightly faster. Little explanation is necessary:)

Smokeweavers
            Smokeweavers are a very elite guild within the Grey Circle. Their skills are not combative so much as alchemical, and perhaps even magical. Smokeweavers employ their knowledge of science and slight of hand to create potent weapons of destruction and confusion. 
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Smokeweavers throw explosive bottles of poisonous gas. In solo levels, Smokeweavers have a special Illusion ability, that creates a lifelike image of another Weaver. The illusions are harmless, but often release a deadly cloud of gas when destroyed. In multiplayer games, Smokeweavers throw a special bottle of red gas that can temporarily freeze enemy units in place.

Grunes
            Grunes are an enigma. A very secretive race, Grunes stayed out of human affairs for most of history. Recently, a large group of them joined the Grey Circle, but their motives remain a mystery. Grunes are rumored to engage in ritual mutilation and human(so to speak) sacrifice, but these rumors have never been proven.
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Grunes are fairly standard cannon fodder. Cheap, slow, not terribly strong, but still effective if used by a clever commander. Despite their individual weakness, they can still overwhelm stronger opponents by sheer force of numbers.

Douds
            Grunes may be mysterious, but Douds are utterly unknown to most of the world. Douds live far from human civilization, in ancient forests as old as creation. The few scholars that are aware of their existence speculate that the Douds are not truly alive, but rather incorporeal beings who occasionally take physical form.
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Douds powerful units, provided you use them correctly. They're large and powerful, but can still be killed by a small group of weaker units. Douds have a mana based healing special ability, but regenerates very slowly. The most effective use for your Douds are as support for other units, especially protecting your missile forces.
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Prologue

      My name is Asher, and I'm the apprentice of Ezrath, historian and prophet of the Order of the Blade. My job is to assist Ezrath in chronicling the events of the world, and to record his prophecies when he isn't able. I've only had this position for three years, since I first reached the age of a full Order member. In these last three years, things have been... interesting.

	I was only six years old when conflicts in doctrine tore the Order apart and almost half our number fled to the Skadi Waste, a harsh and dry region outside our borders. I still remember when my best friend Isac came to my barrack window before the sun had come up, and told me that his parents were taking him away. The next morning, my teacher said that Isac and his family was guilty of heresy, and they were dead to the Order. To this day I don't fully understand what happened. "Ours is not to question, but to do."

	But understand or not, that's all in the past. After the Schism, a small group of mercenaries started causing trouble on the border between the Waste and our farmlands. They started calling themselves the Grey Circle, and worked for whoever had enough money to hire them. They weren't a big problem, until they recruited the godless race called Grunes. My barrack-mother used to tell scary stories about the Grunes, but it's now pretty obvious that they're more than just stories.

	I said, being a historian is an interesting job lately. It's even more interesting when your superior is a prophet. When Ezrath has a vision, he sometimes starts babbling strange things. It's my job to write down his ravings, and help him decipher them after he comes out of it.  Sometimes he scares me, but I think he scares himself just as much. His visions have been happening more frequently in these last few months. Lately they all seem to center around a young woman and her baby, and something vague about treachery and betrayal. 

		Ezrath believes it's all incredibly important, but none of the Cardinals pay much attention. Personally, I don't know what to believe. Whether he's right or not, Ezrath's prophecies won't come true in my lifetime, he's said as much. "Ours is not to question, but to do."

																						-Historian Asher, Anno Creare 5027


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Contributers

Project Lead: 

Giant

Story and Level Design:

Demosthenes

Unit Models:

Jon Malis, Kalypso, Korgath, Giant

Unit Animation and Amber:

Giant, Korgath

Fear:

Silicon Dream, Demosthenes

Special F/X

Silicon Dream, Giant

Color Maps:

Giant, Dozer, Clem, Omac

Scripting:

Ghost, Synapsed, Giant, Silicon Dream

Scenery

Clem, Giant

Pregames:

Clem, Giant

New Models:

Pope, Amadeus

Model Retextures:

Doz, Giant

Unit Flavor:

Silicon Dream, Demosthenes

Voice Acting:

Giant, Mrs. Giant, Silicon Dream, Ms. Silicon Dream, Pope.

Web Page:

Clem, Giant

Beta Testers:

Macros, Inferno, Iron Duke, Khellek, Maug and Team Creation.

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Creation recognize the pre-existing rights and responsibilities of Bungie Software Products
Corporation ("Bungie"). All appropriate graphics ©1997-2001, All Rights Reserved. Bungie Software Products Corporation. Portions of the Software made with Fear and/or Loathing and/or 
other Bungie products, tools or generally published documentation remain under the prior license agreements for the use of those  software products. No Maps for you, come back one year! Myth: The Fallen Lords, Myth II: Soulblighter, Fear, and Loathing © 1996-2001. All Rights Reserved. Bungie Software Products Corporation. 
