Trial By Sword

[burford_bunny]

The world tree is a living thing. It grows. And as it grows, it moves from one era to the next.

As of now, the tree is moving from the age of opulence into the Time of Trials, characterized by brutality, competition, and glory. Trial by Sword is the first installment in a series of trials that will push Valorians to their limits.

Trial by Sword sees the world tree branching out. In the past, there was only one type of world with one set of rules. Now the tree is sprouting four different types of worlds where Lords can prove their skill.

Standard Worlds fall under General Valahand’s purvey. By his policy, Lords no longer use scholars to conquer Barbarian cities. They do so with ordinary troops, thus making the first few weeks after world entry a crucial period of strategy and guild coordination.

In Speed Worlds, entire empires rise and fall in a matter of hours. Throw some gold in the pool to enter, race to the top rank in the world, and hold your place to the end to walk away with the prize.

Tournament Worlds feature weeks of grueling battle among an elite few, ending in one final winner.

Spirits nostalgic for the old ways can enter Legacy Worlds to relive the world tree’s past era.

Spanning all worlds are Titles that spirits can earn and display so allies and rivals alike can see their accumulation of past accomplishments.

Trial by Sword is a time of purification. A time of weeding out the weak from the strong. In order to rise, we must first endure.

[Morrow]

I have done some digging.

Since Quiddlebog sent back news concerning the Tournament of Champions, I have been attempting to follow up on his research. To that end, I scoured the archives of academy after academy, looking for any mention of the Tournament in Paladin history.

After the first few weeks, I had nothing to show for my work other than bleary eyes and a creaking back. Not to mention Sir Cluckles’s complaints ringing in my ears because of the dust coating his feathers. But at last our perseverance yielded fruit.

I stumbled upon an old scroll--so old that the slightest touch of my fingers crumbled the edges. After much examination, I managed to make out its meaning.

As this legend tells it, the Tournament comes to the world tree in times of great strife. It senses that the spirits on the tree are ready for a trial heightened beyond all normal rules of combat. The Tournament is selective in choosing its champions. They say it summons the greatest Lord from each world on the tree and brings them together in a long series of battles.

The Tournament is not one world but many linked together in a cluster. The worlds blossom and wither at an accelerated pace, each smaller than the last as champions are eliminated from the contest. In the end, one Lord will emerge victorious.

The scroll suggested that, in Tournament worlds, Lords will not have to build their cities from the ground up. Instead, each contender will be able to communicate with the tree itself and customize his or her starting city with a certain number of buildings and troops before world entry.

If this is true, then competitors will need a deep understanding of the strategy involved in the early stages of empire building and throughout the whole rise and fall of a world. I hope would-be champions will have the sense to seek out wisdom where they know it may be found.

If Quiddlebog is right and the Tournament does grace us with its presence, I intend to be there studying events every step of the way. I will have to make sure to prepare some popped corn for the occasion. Sir Cluckles will be beside himself with joy.

[Aurora]

The sun rises on a new era. We are not what we were. The worlds are new, and we are new.

But at what cost?

General Valahand has much power in this age. He has convinced us to bow to his rules. He inspired us with talk of glory and threatened us with the fear of contamination. Weigh his counsel carefully. Is this who we want to be? Is his way truly the way to Valor?

I hear the cries of Barbarian children. Their parents are gone. Their future is slavery. Their hearts are black with vengeance.

If we proceed down this path, they will be the legacy we leave behind. There are those who claim it is the only path. They say the road to Valor demands that we eliminate compassion and silence justice. Only time will tell whether or not they speak the truth.

I have hope in the Lords of the world tree. They are courageous and good. They will bring us glory. But I fear that their nobility is being poisoned, not by opulence, but by cruelty.

[General Valahand]

Now it begins. Welcome, my disciples, to the lands of your proving.

I am glad to see you have left your sloth and indolence behind in the old worlds of a past era. I am glad you have chosen to abandon the heretical practice of wasting scholars on the education of Barbarian tribes. You will soon reap the rewards of your wisdom.

As you enter your worlds and build your empires, take into account the options now open to you. You no longer have to wait the long weeks and months it takes to build up a train of scholars. You and your guild can gain an early advantage over other Lords by immediately conquering a Barbarian city. Once its inhabitants are under your control, they will add to your warehouses and your armies so that you can be emboldened in the great battle for dominance.

Of course, there are dangers inherent to this kind of immediate conquest. Some Lords prefer to bide their time as their neighbors grow weak throwing troops at a well-defended Barb city. If you choose to go in for the kill, go in with your eyes wide open.

You will find that this attitude towards the barbarian tribes will immediately change the relationship between your spirit and the world tree. You will no longer be encumbered by weak sentimentality and primitive contamination. You will rise higher than you ever have before.

Go forth and let the worlds feel the mark of your crusade. This is Trial by Sword!