The primary power of these sorcerers comes from their anger. Having survived a long history of slaughter and starvation, the powers that the Ardent Mages discovered - and that permitted them to survive - were those based on Dust magic, agony, and rage. As masters of magic, the Ardent Mages can place pillars on the map to increase outputs or reduce movement costs. In combat, they can use their unique spells, but also raise their combativity when suffering damage.
Lore[]
The Ardent Mages are a people who were born in struggle and pain, and these conditions dominate their day to day lives.
Though they control great powers, they pay a great price to do so. To manipulate the powers of Dust, an Ardent Mage must dissociate their mind from their body. For this they have developed elaborate pain rituals, for the more they are able to withstand the agony and ignore their physical discomfort, the deeper their relationship with Dust becomes. Pain has become a fundamental element of their society, to the point where children are taught from a young age to withstand it.
Stoicism is therefore as important as intelligence, and indifference to physical discomfort is the way in which an individual's worth is measured - be they an Ardent Mage or a stranger.
After falling out with the rest of the Inner Circle in dark circumstances, Zor Abaz has annexed her clan from the greater Ardent Mage nation and struck out for new territory. The suffering must be great, even magnificent, if she is to prepare the Ardent Mages for the endtimes.
Faction Traits[]
| Name | Type | Effect | Lore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Through Pain | Affinity | Can choose Arcana Pillars and spells at a lower cost in Trait points | Ardent Mages can more easily manipulate the magic properties of Dust, changing them into powerful spell casters. |
| Rising Fire | Dust Eclipse Effect | During eclipses units with low health enjoy bonus damage as well as attack from Ardent Fire | Building off pain rituals, during Dust Eclipses injured Ardent Mages find themselves driven into violent rages that make them extra dangerous fighters. |
| Arcana of Authority | Technology | Makes available the Faction-specific technology Arcana of Authority. | |
| Arcana of Materializing | Technology | Makes available the Faction-specific technology Arcana of Materializing. | |
| Arcana of Renewal | Technology | Makes available the Faction-specific technology Arcana of Renewal. | |
| Dust Mechanics | Technology | Makes available the Faction-specific technology Dust Mechanics. | |
| Dust Purifier | Technology | Makes available the Faction-specific technology Dust Purifier. | |
| Painosphere | Technology | Makes available the Faction-specific technology Painosphere. | |
| Sacrificial Amplifiers | Technology | Makes available the Faction-specific technology Sacrificial Amplifiers. | |
| Arcana of Agility | Starting Technology | Unlocks the Arcana of Agility Technology. | |
| Arcana of Matter | Starting Technology | Unlocks the Arcana of Matter Technology. |
Power Through Pain[]
Unlike most other faction affinities which have some great effect on the gameplay style of the faction in question, Power Through Pain only really shows itself when creating a custom faction. When creating a custom faction, you are given a pool of 80 trait points to draw from, and every trait you add costs some amount (though some traits are detrimental and thus have a negative cost). Typically, all Arcana and Arcana-related technologies cost 10 points, but having the Power Through Pain affinity reduces the cost of Arcana technologies to 6, and the supporting technologies Dust Mechanics, Dust Purifier, Painosphere, and Sacrificial Amplifiers only cost 4. This means that a faction with the Power Through Pain affinity can get all the Arcana and related technologies for a total of only 56 points, while a faction without it would need 90 points to get them all, and therefore must go without at least one.
That said, Power Through Pain doesn't provide much of a benefit to the base Ardent Mages, since the 80 point limit on traits doesn't apply to the base factions. For example, the Vaulters have a trait cost total of 105.
Rising Fire[]
During a Dust Eclipse, the Ardent Fire capacity inherent to all Ardent Mages units and heroes becomes enhanced. While normally units with this capacity receive a percentage bonus to their Attack 
based on the percent of their Life 
missing, during a Dust Eclipse, these units also receive a matching bonus to Damage 
, making Ardent Mages units far more powerful during a Dust Eclipse. It should be noted that all Ardent Mages units, regardless of which faction owns them, will benefit from this effect.
Unique Technologies[]
Arcana of Matter
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Through crude pain experiments, Mages and Artificers blend their first insights into Dust, enabling the construction of pillars that boost science nearby, and spells that increase unit defense. | ||||||||||
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Effects:
+1 Pillar of Knowledge on Empire | ||||||||||||
Arcana of Agility
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By ingesting a unique Dust-concoction that brings on searing pains, Mages can dedicate themselves to the art of awareness, and learn how the mind can overcome the limitations of the body. | ||||||||||
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Effects:
+1 Pillar of Speed on Empire | ||||||||||||
Verda's Temple (Technology)
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The subtleties of Dust are numerous and easy to overlook. Only through its methodical study will its secrets be discovered. This temple, replete with terrifying contraptions, will aid that endeavor. | |||||||||||||||||
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Unlocks for Construction:
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Arcana of Authority
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This branch of Dust magic is focused on bending the will of others. Through such understanding, allies may champion your causes more readily, and enemies will fight with less passion. | ||||||||||
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Effects:
+1 Pillar of Influence on Empire | ||||||||||||
Dust Purifier
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By refining the Dust used in spells, the potency of all Dust magic increases. | ||||||||||
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Effects:
+1 arcana level for all spells on empire | ||||||||||||
Arcana of Materializing
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Most of the Dust that finds its way into the hands - and bodies - of the races of Auriga is but a mere drop in an ocean. Through extreme pain rituals, Ardent Mages can begint o unlock more of these vast untapped resources. | ||||||||||
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Effects:
+1 Pillar of Extraction on Empire | ||||||||||||
Dust Mechanics
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Deeper insights into the storage and transferal of Dust allows increased quantities of the substance to be delivered from all towering pillars, raising the strength of their effects. | ||||||||||
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Effects:
+1 arcana level for all pillars on empire | ||||||||||||
Cold Engineering
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Being versed in the thermal properties of Dust under extreme cold conditions allows Ardent Mage pillars to become even more effective in winter. | ||||||||||
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Effects:
Unlocks winter versions of the pillars | ||||||||||||
Arcana of Renewal
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Ardent Mages are rightly feared for their mastery of the destructive aspects of Dust magic, but it is less well known that intense study of the properties of Dust can lead to curative abilities. | ||||||||||
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Effects:
+1 Pillar of Regeneration on Empire | ||||||||||||
Altar of Transcendence (Technology)
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When constructed, this dense slab of some of Auriga's rarest materials hums with Dust energy. Mages strong and brave enough to climb into its recessed contours will transcend or die. Either way they will experience unimaginable pain. | |||||||||||||||||
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Unlocks for Construction:
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Secrets of the Virtuals
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I am transcended. I have become something more than flesh and bone. I realize now that our investigations into Dust were nothing more than child's play in the surf beside a great ocean of knowledge. Still, already I can see how to make our pillars stronger, our spells fiercer... | ||||||||||
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Effects:
+2 arcana level for all Pillars on Empire | ||||||||||||
Painosphere
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Mages hardened to the everyday pain rituals that would cripple lesser mortals can increase the potency of their spells by visiting the Painosphere and experiencing true agony. | ||||||||||
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Effects:
+1 arcana level for all spells on empire | ||||||||||||
Sacrificial Amplifiers
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By strapping living, breathing Mages to the sides of the massive pillars, human vessels can act as magnifying conduits, increasing the power of pillars across your empire. The screams, and the stench of cooked skin and shit is a small price to pay. | ||||||||||
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Effects:
+1 arcana level for all Pillars on Empire | ||||||||||||
Military Units[]
Telsem Warlock
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Base Attributes:
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Devout and disciplined, the Telsem Warlock is the rank-and-file of the Ardent Mages' armies, capable of leaving a trail of scorched destruction in his wake. |
Ateshi Zealot
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Base Attributes:
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It is said the very air in the vicinity cools as an Ateshi Zealot conjures a rain of fire to hurl onto the enemy's ranks, but this is preferable to being in the burning firing line.'' |
Eneqa Wing
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Base Attributes:
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It is said that the worst way to die is to burn. With wings of blazing flame sending motes of fire into the air, these airborne combatants strike fear into the bravest of foes. |
Heroes[]
Note: Base Attributes reflect the unit's attributes before bonuses from equipment or capacities.
All Ardent Mage heroes are able to wield Longscepters, Magewands, and Quarterstaves as weapons.
Argbadh Bose Falhala
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Base Attributes:
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High Inquisitor Asalah Arca
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Base Attributes:
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Nahla Al-Jazar, Argbadh of the Phoenix
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Base Attributes:
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Sunseeker Zakiya Eli
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Base Attributes:
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Wadeha Hakan
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Base Attributes:
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Zarcha Attinul
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Base Attributes:
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Quest Heroes[]
Faresh Zima[]
Faresh Zima appears leading an army in Chapter 4 of the Mykara faction quest, and cannot be obtained by normal means in-game. Faresh and the army she is leading must be defeated to complete the quest. Faresh appears at Level 2 with a full set of Tier 1 Iron Armor and wielding a Tier 1 Iron Quarterstaff. Because Faresh only appears as an enemy and therefore cannot have her equipment changed, her listed attributes and capacities include the bonuses gained from her equipment and level.
Faresh Zima
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Base Attributes:
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Faction Quest[]
While many of your people have grown slovenly and soft, the rigors of survival and study have kept you and your clan strong. But now your brother has been killed, and the signs lead in many confusing directions. It will require all the strength you have, and all the pain you can sustain, to solve the mystery and secure the future of the Ardent Mages.
| 1. Embers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Description | ||
| Slain! My brother, Verda Abaz, High Sunseeker of the mighty Al-Rubit Clan, is slain, struck down by unseen hands. And the cushion plumpers? The soft-bellied priests and commanders who buzz around the Saoshyant like flies around dung - they whisper in his ear that my hand played a part in his death. Thus, I, Zor Abaz had no choice but to flee. What dark magics my brother entwined himself with I do not know, but what I know is that his loyalty to our people, his loyalty to our gods, was beyond reproach. That whatever path he'd set himself upon was one for the glory and protection of our people. I swear, as the stars are my witness, I will find the perpetrator and inflict on them the ultimate penance. Ad more than this, I will discover my brother's quest: His work will not die! We will stand united, the fiery branches lashing our bare backs, and revel in the ecstasy. Who will join me! | |||
| Summary | Objectives | Outcome | |
| Try to bring together your followers and the faithful after the events of your brother's death. | 1. Parley with at least 2 villages to gather more information about your brother's death 2. There are rumors of rogue troops nearby. Go search the ruins marked by the rays of Dust. |
We found true believers hiding in the villages, and our numbers are bolstered. More than this, some even claim to have knowledge of my brother's death... | |
| Reward | 1. Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 2. Ardent Mages Army: 2 Ateshi Zealot Units | ||
| 1(Alt). Embers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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|
Description | ||
| Prerequisites: Must be playing a custom Ardent Mages faction with the Pitiless trait
Slain! My brother, Verda Abaz, High Sunseeker of the mighty Al-Rubit Clan, is slain, struck down by unseen hands. And the cushion plumpers? The soft-bellied priests and commanders who buzz around the Saoshyant like flies around dung - they whisper in his ear that my hand played a part in his death. Thus, I, Zor Abaz had no choice but to flee. What dark magics my brother entwined himself with I do not know, but what I know is that his loyalty to our people, his loyalty to our gods, was beyond reproach. That whatever path he'd set himself upon was one for the glory and protection of our people. I swear, as the stars are my witness, I will find the perpetrator and inflict on them the ultimate penance. And more than this, I will discover my brother's quest: His work will not die! We will stand united, the fiery branches lashing our bare backs, and revel in the ecstasy. Who will join me! | |||
| Summary | Objectives | Outcome | |
| Try to bring together your followers and the faithful after the events of your brother's death. | 1. Destroy the village in which you last saw your brother. 2. There are rumors of rogue troops nearby. Go search the ruins marked by the rays of Dust. |
We found true believers hiding in the villages, and our numbers are bolstered. More than this, some even claim to have knowledge of my brother's death... | |
| Reward | 1. Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 2. Ardent Mages Army: 2 Ateshi Zealot Units | ||
| 2. Ancient Paths | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Description | ||
| The truth is we were growing slovenly. Turning away from the caress of thorn and whip and fire. Turning away from the old gods. Turning away from the very pain that gave our lives meaning - and power. I was disgusted by our failure; my brother, even more so. We didn't see eye to eye on all things, but we saw eye to eye on that. He was... searching... searching for something that might arrest our fall and restore our convictions. What, I don't know. Whenever I pressed him he would say “Sister, the truth lies in shadow. When it comes into the light I will tell you all.” He was taken in the final contrition trying to learn that truth.
I have talked with one - a man named Fisilt - who claims knowledge of my brother's death. He tells me that shortly before Verda lost his life, he was often seen traveling an ancient road that joined two ruins - those places where the Dust whispers. Many avoid this land's old places, believing them haunted by long dead spirits. But perhaps my brother had found something important there? The only way to know is to search the ruins. | |||
| Summary | Objectives | Outcome | |
| The scope of the search party has narrowed. Learn something of your brother's investigations by searching two ancient sites. | 1. Start searching the 2 ruins indicated on the map. One of them should hold the clues you are looking for. 2. Ambushed! Destroy those who would keep you from your quest. 3. The [Minor Faction]! They are from a village in the region called [Region]. Find the village and Parley with them to learn more about what is going on. 4. The [Minor Faction] hold an artifact belonging to your dead brother: The Transcendent Rod of Verda! Defeat their army and reclaim your brother's possession. |
Mysteries and enigmas... We found a scepter with my brother's characters in the [Minor Faction] camp. They claim to know nothing. Is the scepter a simple spoil of war... or something more? | |
| Reward | 1. Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 2. Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 3. Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 | ||
| 2(Alt). Ancient Paths | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Description | ||
| Prerequisites: Must be playing a custom Ardent Mages faction with the Pitiless trait
The truth is we were growing slovenly. Turning away from the caress of thorn and whip and fire. Turning away from the old gods. Turning away from the very pain that gave our lives meaning - and power. I was disgusted by our failure; my brother, even more so. We didn't see eye to eye on all things, but we saw eye to eye on that. He was... searching... searching for something that might arrest our fall and restore our convictions. What, I don't know. Whenever I pressed him he would say “Sister, the truth lies in shadow. When it comes into the light I will tell you all.” He was taken in the final contrition trying to learn that truth. I have talked with one - a man named Fisilt - who claims knowledge of my brother's death. He tells me that shortly before Verda lost his life, he was often seen travelling an ancient road that joined two ruins - those places where the Dust whispers. Many avoid this land's old places, believing them haunted by long dead spirits. But perhaps my brother had found something important there? The only way to know is to search the ruins. | |||
| Summary | Objectives | Outcome | |
| The scope of the search party has narrowed. Learn something of your brother's investigations by searching two ancient sites. | 1. Start searching the 2 ruins indicated on the map. One of them should hold the clues you are looking for. 2. Ambushed! Destroy those who would keep you from your quest. 3. The [Minor Faction]! They are from a village in the region called [Region]. As you torture the last living officer, he tells you that an army with a precious artifact will soon depart from a nearby village. Find them. Kill them. |
Mysteries and enigmas... We found a scepter with my brother's characters in the [Minor Faction] camp. They claim to know nothing. Is the scepter a simple spoil of war... or something more? | |
| Reward | 1. Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 2. Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 3. Transcendent Rod of Verda, Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 | ||
| 3. Prudence Before Passion | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Description | ||
| We possess the finest interrogators in all Auriga. Our Inquisitors know the landscape of pain the way a red spider knows the dunes; they know how to burrow through weak flesh in search of the truth. That my inquisitors learnt little from the prisoners tells me that there was little to know. Search the ruins, they were told. Safeguard any trinkets you find, and smite any who follow in your path. Who gave them such instructions, and for what ends, remains shrouded in darkness.
Pure rage, pure violence isn't always enough. Sometimes the mind can see further than the eye, and now I wonder what other traps my brother's enemies - my enemies - have laid. There are many other villages in nearby regions, thus many other potential risks and traitors. We must find them, speak with them, and ensure that no other traps have been laid that may catch us unawares. | |||
| Summary | Objectives | Outcome | |
| Ensure that Minor Factions are no longer a threat to your Empire. | Pacify at least 5 villages within your empire | I find no other assassins, traps, or hidden enemies; the security of my empire can be left to others. Now I can study my brother's scepter, his alchemies, and the security of our future. | |
| Reward | Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 | ||
| 4. A Trail Gone Cold | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Description | ||
| Every morning after administering my seven repents, I walk from the castellum to the chamber where my brother's scepter hangs, and take it in my hands. The instrument hums with a strange power, as if it is restless, as if it still seeks something. I imagine Verda holding it, spinning it, mastering it. Somehow it holds the key to his demise, holds the key to his work. We will found a new city, populate it with our brightest minds, and raise it as a center of mortification and study as is needed to understand my brother's enquiries. The scepter has an affinity with the Dust that permeates this world, like a diviner's rod channeling ancient forces. I am certain that Dust is key to what my brothers sought to achieve, but by what methods remain a mystery...
A great temple of science must be constructed, and the nature of Dust, and its link with pain, must be explored. Word comes from outside our borders that other races are afoot, jostling for land and power. We must be leery of these races, protect ourselves from their advances in any manner we see fit, but we must not delay in our scientific explorations. The winters grow fiercer, grow longer, and I fear that one year there will come a final judgement. And I believe that means of our salvation will not be found in thicker furs or higher walls or sharper blades, but in something much deeper, something my brother glimpsed in his agonized dreams. | |||
| Summary | Objectives | Outcome | |
| Found a city dedicated to scientific research in order to better understand your brother's scepter and magic. Gods willing, these studies will shed light on his mysterious death too. | 1. Make a new city the laboratory of your growing Empire. Colonize a new region, settling in an area providing at least 10 Science at the city's founding. 2. Raise your new city's Science output to 30 Science 3. Build the "Verda's Temple" improvement in your new city. |
The temple is built, the laboratories stocked with instruments of magnificent dread. Now my alchemists bring me designs for a place where Dust magic can be properly studied, where pain can be quantified. | |
| Reward | 1. Rage Wizards Chapter 4 Step 1 Droplist, picks 1
3. Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 | ||
| 5. The Secrets of Dust | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Description | ||
| Learning - and suffering - proceed apace at Verda's Temple, as screams of enlightenment and ecstasy echo from the buildings day and night. Dust is much more than we ever imagined; it is no simple spice or mineral that we once presumed. It teems, and writes, and endlessly transforms itself into million-hued aspects, almost as if it was alive. Sometimes it makes a man a savant of numbers, sometimes it makes him able to scale a wall in three bounds, sometimes it makes his heart hammer so hard it erupts from his chest in a crimson fire. I am certain that long ago our forgotten ancestors mastered this Dust, and enslaved it to do their bidding in miraculous ways. We are far from that point, but our path is clear. We have climbed onto the foothills of knowledge and caught a glimpse of boundless lands beyond, but we must keep climbing until Dust contains no more mysteries than does water.
But to reach that place, we must know more of the magic of Dust and how it has come to permeate Auriga. We must study the land itself, the anomalies that populate it like gifts from a mad but loving god. And there is something else. One of my Inquisitors, Reza, has made it her personal mission to fully understand the circumstances of my brother's death. Painstaking work into Verda's expeditions and known whereabouts over the seasons preceding his death have indicated that he had established his own private sanctuary... But I move with too much haste. Planning, like pain, must be done with patience and precision. I will let Reza carry on her investigations; once we have learned more of the greater answers, we can more easily concentrate on these smaller ones. | |||
| Summary | Objectives | Outcome | |
| How did your brother stumble upon capabilities that were mastered by the ancients long before? It is time to learn more of Auriga's ancient, Dust-riddled places, and ready your people for further investigations. | 1. Exploit 6 Anomalies within your Empire in order to study the origins and magics of Auriga 2. Increase your notoriety and develop your network to collect information. Produce a minimum of 30 Influence for a period of 5 turns in one of your cities. |
Every day Dust becomes less our master, more our servant; once complex puzzles are now child's play. Verda, my brother, we shall soon find your workshop and avenge your passing. | |
| Reward | 1. Cold Engineering
2. Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 | ||
| 5(Alt). The Secrets of Dust | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Description | ||
| Learning - and suffering - proceed apace at Verda's Temple, as screams of enlightenment and ecstasy echo from the buildings day and night. Dust is so much more than we ever imagined; it is no simple spice or mineral that we once presumed. It teems, and writes, and endlessly transforms itself into million-hued aspects, almost as if it was alive. Sometimes it makes a man a savant of numbers, sometimes it makes him able to scale a wall in three bounds, sometimes it makes his heart hammer so hard it erupts from his chest in a crimson fire. I am certain that long ago our forgotten ancestors mastered this Dust, and enslaved it to do their bidding in miraculous ways. We are far from that point, but our path is clear. We have climbed onto the foothills of knowledge and caught a glimpse of boundless lands beyond, but we must keep climbing until Dust contains no more mysteries than does water.
But to reach that place, we must know more of the magic of Dust and how it has come to permeate Auriga, and what role the Dark Season has in all of this. Surely the strangeness of the winters is an element in all of this change. And there is something else. One of my Inquisitors, Reza, has made it her personal mission to fully understand the circumstances of my brother's death. Painstaking work into Verda's expeditions and known whereabouts over the seasons preceding his death have indicated that he had established his own private sanctuary... But I move with too much haste. Planning, like pain, must be done with patience and precision. I will let Reza carry on her investigations; once we have learned more of the greater answers, we can more easily concentrate on these smaller ones. | |||
| Summary | Objectives | Outcome | |
| How did your brother stumble upon capabilities that were mastered by the ancients long before? You must study winter's effects on ancient, Dust-riddled places, and ready your people for further investigations. | 1. During the Dark Season (winter) only, search the [Ruins] and the [Ruins] locations 2. Increase your notoriety and develop your network to collect information. Produce a minimum of 30 Influence for a period of 5 turns in one of your cities. |
Every day Dust becomes less our master, more our servant; once complex puzzles are now child's play. Verda, my brother, we shall soon find your workshop and avenge your passing. | |
| Reward | 1. Cold Engineering
2. Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 | ||
| 6. The Taste of Fire | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Description | ||
| Every night he comes to me in my dreams. Always the same. I believe it is a memory - well part of a memory - but the mind plays tricks so I cannot be certain. We are children, a handful of years between us. We are walking in the dunes beyond the last tents of our settlement where penitence is offered, the sun hot, the land barren save for a scattering of spine trees. Something sparkles on the sand, and Verda snatches it up. He turns his back, gasps. “What, what have you found?” I cry, curious but enjoying being teased nonetheless. “Show me!” He turns back to me, his hands cupped, eyes gleeful. “With this we could be as powerful as the Saoshyant, sister.” He lifts his hands closer... and then the earth shudders, and the sun blinds me momentarily, and when I can see again he is gone, only his footprints left in the sand.
When someone leaves you suddenly, without warning, without answers, it is like having a piece of your heart ripped from you. You are not complete. I know this because though the shock of his death has now passed, there is still a hole the shape of Verda inside me. I don't know if we will ever be together again, but I do know that that hole - that wound - will only begin to heal when I learn the truth. That is why Reza's claim - that she has found a way to fix the location of my brother's secret hideaway - leaves the hairs on the back of my neck raised, and the taste of fire on my tongue. Will we learn to tame Dust, and will I gain some peace? I offer extreme mortification, praying that when we find this haven it is much more than a simple retreat... | |||
| Summary | Objectives | Outcome | |
| You now have greater knowledge of your brother and greater influence. Verda had a hidden lab, accessible with his scepter and a specific incantation. But more magic is required to find its exact location. | 1. Erect 4 Pillars of Extraction so they are present on the map at the same time. This will lead you to Verda's hidden lab. 2. Send an Ardent Mage Hero with the Transcendent Rod and 2 Level 6 Ateshi Zealots to search [Region] ruins. |
We have entered Verda's secret hideaway! I tremble at the thought of stepping into his lair, and learning if the powers of Dust can save us from the coming end of days. | |
| Reward | 1. Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 2. Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 | ||
| 7. Fratricide | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Description | ||
| The air was musty, and though the flasks and instruments were caked in a layer of grime the echoes of Verda's presence came to me. The way he stacked codexes, the small relics he carried for luck, the faintest trace of his scent in the robes hanging in his armoire. Reza brought me his chronicle, carrying it in a devout fashion, opened to the last entry. The scrawl was his; spidery and precise. The date at the head of the parchment recorded a day a few scant days before his death. I read:
“I have found myself thrust upon a miracle, the ebb and flow of the Dust inside my mortal body like the tide of a wondrous sea. When it comes, it comes in great waves of fire, cleansing me, before infusing me with the strangest powers. Sometimes the pains is so great a blackness takes me, but regardless of what wounds it inflicts upon me I always come back. In two days I will possess more Dust than I will ever need. I will transcend. I only hope Azeema keeps his word.” Azeema. I know that name. A Roving Clansman. A Warden from the Icatha Clan, according to Reza. The Clans? Our distant kin with whom we shared the beauty of the plains so many ages ago? Nothing more than filthy Dust hoarders now, grown fat from their control of the markets. It seems obvious, now - if anyone had discovered the hidden power of Dust it would be the Clans. Had they suspected the forces Verda was about to unleash? Is that why he died? I shall not wait long for an answer. Outside, the lookouts have spied a column of Dervish and Kassai approaching our position. We will smite this army with the fury of the righteous. Auriga will know - and see - the truth of Dust. | |||
| Summary | Objectives | Outcome | |
| In the lab you have learned much of your brother's last days and the Roving Clansmen he dealt with. They will kill to keep their secrets and their Dust - prepare yourself! | 1. [City] is about to be attacked. Defend it and defeat all of the intruding armies 2. War is a difficult time; you need to restore a climate of confidence. For a period of 10 turns, keep the Approval in [City] at Happy. |
Our armies held, and our cities stand. Transcendence is within in our grasp. | |
| Reward | 1. Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 2. Altar of Transcendence | ||
| 8. Transcendence | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| The enemy is scattered, and our borders secured. A hundred Roving Clansmen hang in the hot sun, their mortification offered as penance for their brothers’ and sisters’ sins. My brother's entire research has been recovered from his hideout and transported to the temple that bears his name. He kept meticulous notes. And the priests make rapid progress understanding the finer properties of Dust. Soon we must begin constructing the altars that will lead us to a life beyond the reaches of this dying planet. My brother understood that through Dust and ritual we could slough off our mortal frames as a snake sheds its skin; we can live anew. While we turn inwards, the enemy will surely attack us with all their might. We must be ready for them. | |||
| Summary | Objectives | Outcome | |
| For the sake of your people, it is time to complete that which your brother began. Transcending IS the future of the Ardent Mages; you must build the Altar of Transcendence. | 1. Build at least 1 (Adamantian/Palladian) and 1 (Mithrite/Hyperium) extractor to gather the resources necessary for transcendence. 2. Build the Altar of Transcendence in your Empire. |
The Altar of Transcendence is completed. Out there, in the ultimate power beyond the ultimate pain, lies a new universe. I will soon know pain beyond measure - and know if Verda awaits me on the other side. | |
| Reward | 1. Mad Fairies Droplist, picks 1 2. Secrets of the Virtuals, Temple of the Earth's Core | ||
Trailer[]
Trivia[]
- The Ardent Mages are referred to as "Rage Wizards" in the game files.
