Scales

Deity: Solanys, the Holy Warden

The Lands of Scales

Population: Approximately 2 million
Capital: Paragon
Governing Body: The Bard King (Monarch)
The Grand Church acts as an advisory body
Notable Locations: The Dwarven Forges of Red Rock, The Free Port of Argos, The Southland Agricultural Annex

The great Kingdom of Scales is all that is left from the once-proud global union that was the Warden Empire. When man cast-out the Gods, the aristocracy of this Empire kept the world united under a single banner. Once the Empire began to crumble under corruption and the citizenry turning to religion once more, the Priest-King of the Great Church emerged as the ruler of the toppled Empire’s heart.

When the Priest-King died, his eldest child, now known as the Bard-King, took the crown and has ruled the Kingdom of Scales ever since. His massive Warden army is supported by the Dwarven forges of Red Rock and the mercenary union of Argos. This military strength has stabilized the kingdom, allowing the great nation to look outward, surrounded by potential threats.

To the West, the Rage Mountains form a natural barrier between Scales and Strife. The Giant’s Pass, opened with the re-emergence of the great Dragons, provide the single access point through these mountains. The armies entrenched themselves on either side of the pass. To the North, the lower plains give way to the near-frozen swamps of Eclipse’s Sunken Hollow. To the East, a natural barrier of jagged passes provides only scant access on its northern edge to the desert lands of Silence. Along the Southern border, the ragtag Hollows and bark-skinned Druids of Thorns keep wanderers at bay.

Scales counts Eclipse and Strife as chief enemies, though recent assassinations among the minor nobility have made them suspicious of Silence. The Ether Mines have ceased their shipments, forcing Scales to venture southward into the forests of Thorns to find a replacement for the lost fuel for the Dwarven forges. While pressed on nearly every side, Scales has fortified quickly and has one of the most highly-trained armies on Terrene Gall.

The Champions of Scales

Chief Engineer Bromell

Basic Deck Champion

Bromell is the first human to ever be granted full access to the Dwarven forges. It is said that his understanding of construction makes him less human in Dwarven eyes, and more of “just a really tall Dwarf.” Bromell has been a hero at Giant’s Pass countless times, capable of entrenching any position, no matter how desperate. When the foes of Scales think of a nemesis, most conjure an image of Bromell atop his mighty steed.

Fairfield's Bird of Prey

Lord Fairfield, a minor Baronet in the Southlands of Scales, is said to have commissioned the creation of the Bird of Prey from designs he created while watching hummingbird’s in his garden. Unfortunately, he was killed by a renegade faerie raiding party before he could see it completed. When it was completed, his family’s banner was emblazoned inside the cockpit. Today, few things can cause even a Stygian to know fear, but the Bird of Prey is one of them.

Big Bertha

When the Dwarves of Red Rock were attacked by the armies of Nymeer, they went to work on a siege engine that would be capable of striking the heart of Nymeer, hundreds of miles away, from the security of their walls. While the massive cannonade cannot reach quite that far, it is easily capable of destroying entire companies of slags as they cross Giant’s Pass. Countless derivations of Big Bertha have been created over the years, but none have proven as successful as the massive siege engine.

Tower of Argos

Said to be the last scion of the great rulers of Argos, the Tower is, to say the least, an imposing figure. He was once destined for obscurity as a mercenary commander, but when the Second Great War began in full, he drew on his noble roots, forging the five major mercenary guilds into a single, unified whole. His training and combat prowess has not only proven critical to the survival of the Kingdom of Scales, it has kept his soldiers alive. He is a battle-hardened leader that has little mercy left for the enemy. He just seeks an end to the war, by nearly any means necessary.

The Bard King

Conquest Mode Boss Champion

The coronation of the Bard-King has given the new ruler a chance to forge a new path for the Kingdom of Scales. Beset on all sides by rogue nations, the monarch has declared a manifest destiny to see the world united under the watchful eyes of the Wardens once more.

Lead the armies of Scales forth to secure their future and gain the loyalty of the Bard-King!

Malice

Dual Faction Champion; Scales and Strife
Release: 2024

A huge dragonesque creature blending both the demonic look of Strife’s Korrad Dur and the Warden military edge of Scales. The great dragon Malice reportedly took one of the Knight Wardens prisoner and forced the slave to teach it knightly etiquette. Over time, the two became almost friends, and the result instilled something approaching honor to the great draconic warlord. As a consequence of this, Malice stands tall on the field of battle, arrayed in the finest armor and wielding a massive trench pick. On the field of battle, he dons a massive mask that muzzles his fiery breath, piping it through his armor to keep him scalding hot to the touch.

Ja'Ru

Dual Faction Champion; Scales and Thorns
Release: 2034

When Scales sought to uncover the secrets of biofuel, they excavated lands, pulling tree and earth from sacred grounds along the shorelines of Thorns. The kodama, tree spirits of Thorns, woke from their ancient slumber and took shape. The massive form was that of a great badger, which roared from the mudpits of the shoreline to challenge the profaning dwarven squad. Dwarving ingenuity bound this creature to a biofuel pump, to imprison it, but more importantly protect its infrastructure.

Eternal Warden

Dual Faction Champion; Eclipse and Scales
Release: 2024

The Eternal Warden is a once-proud knight that was dragged into the ranks of the Shades. The turret-sidecar belches a black essence that draws the life from a foe. Atop the great constructed steed, sits a knight-captain that has clearly abandoned his life for undying service. The coat is a reminder that the Warden once served Scales, the moldering state of the body leaves no illusions as to its current form.

Lady

Dual Faction Champion; Scales and Silence
Release: 2024

Lady, also known as the Mistress of the Sands, feeds on Netherworld energy that bleeds into Terrene Gall through untended portals and rifts. She is said to be the mother of all manner of lizard and dragon, but few know if this is true or not. She has found a way to gestate life through leeching energy from the netherworld, and has remained alone for centuries, hidden far beneath the sands of Steelgate. When the city was destroyed, it destabilized the portals from which she fed, forcing her back to the surface and world of man.

Valeria of Crowns

Dual Faction Champion; Scales and Essence
Release: 2024

Lady Valeria, Dowager Duchess of Hereford and Ether Bluffs is formerly minor royalty of Essence Lands. Her marriage to the Duke of Hereford solidified the trade alliance between Scales and Essence for Ether supplies to keep the forges of Red Rock running. When her husband was killed during a zeppelin flight home, the Duchess inherited both lands. She has maintained the alliance between the two kingdoms, despite the trade deal being canceled by Essence.

Etwas the Jester

Dual Faction Champion; Scales and Delirium
Release: 2024

Etwas was the Jester for the old King-Priest of Scales. When that ruler died long into his years and his son, the Bard King ascended to the throne, the Jester was set aside, as the Bard King could entertain his own guests. Dejected, the Jester was determined to find new sources of inspiration and traveled into the lands of Essence, seeking the forbidden libraries. There, she found ancient rites meant to breach barriers to alternate worlds. Her experimentation with these powers left her changed, broken, and a touch...off.

The Armies of Scales

Three main forces comprise the bulk of the armies of Scales. This massive military protects an even larger civilian population, which levies huge amounts of food and materiel to keep enemies at bay.

The Dwarven Forgers

Dwarves have always been men of science and industry. When the wars started, they were bribed to work with the highest bidder to build mighty weapons of mass destruction. It wasn’t long until the Strife found it easier to kidnap these scientists, or their progeny, to force their allegiance. Now the Dwarves have sided with Scales as freemen, bolstering the Wardens with amazing inventions of war. It is said that Dwarven armor is nearly impenetrable.

Example Unit: Dwarven Phalanx

The Mercenary Union

Years ago, there were five mercenary, or merc, guilds. The Tower of Argos, said to be the finest commander in history, fought a protracted campaign to unite the guilds under his banner, which has now given its support to the Kingdom of Scales. Some mercs believe that the Scales’ “crusade” is just, but most just want to get paid. One thing no mercenary company disputes, however, is that pledging their allegiance to the Tower was a good, and lucrative, idea.

Example Unit: Merc Platoon

The Wardens

These holy crusaders served the first true army, serving order and justice, and providing the balance the world required for peace. The kindling for the Global War sparked when the other factions began to challenge the laws of the Warden Empire. The Wardens, the backbone of the Empire’s waning power, rebelled against the aristocracy and lent their blades to the Great Church. This signaled the end of the Empire, and the rise of the Kingdom of Scales.