Dawn of Fantasy/Humans

The Noble Race of Man

Descendants of the Old Dagbor Empire, the noble race of man crossed the sea in the Older Times, settling on the Western shores of Teria.With the best livestock, economy, and farming - as well as the finest strongholds - the race of men is equally suited for offensive and defensive tactics.

The race of men provides gamers with a tactically-balanced army. Men have no major strong or weak points on the battlefield, bringing a medieval style of combat and tactics to their warfare. A skilled player will be able to exploit his opponent's weakness by capitalizing on the versatility of men. Armies of men often require more micromanagement and mix-weapons strategy than the other races.

The men have a traditional RTS economy with the peasant as the standard villager unit. They gather food from farms or livestock, mine stone and gold, and chop down trees for wood. Peasants require drop-off points, such as horse carts, mills, or the townhall, for all resources. Unlike the elves or orcs, the humans can build farms on specified plots to provide a constant, but slow, source of food.

The men have a strong array of technological upgrades which can bridge any defensive or offensive shortcomings. These upgrades include strong counter-siege mechanisms, such as stationary catapults, stone tippers, and oil pots which can be built anywhere along their walls to stop an advancing army in their tracks.

The Realm of Teria

efenses.

The bitter rivalry between Dagbor and Menthorn arises in part because strongholds built in the rugged hills of Southmont are quite powerful and difficult to dislodge. This in turn has led to Dagbor dominating all of Teria.

During the War of the Lost Kings, Menthorns and their allies savaged great swaths of Southmont. To spur economic revival, King Erian has now opened up many lordships in this region, encouraging knights to come and rebuild the devastated land.

Southmont players have by far the best strongholds. An abundance of stone mines allows top-notch fortifications to be built and fully upgraded. By raising large herds of sheep, and by exploiting their numerous gold mines, players are able to turtle-up, quest, research, and prosper.

The Plains Region of the Rollingplain: Rollingplain is one of the older provinces of Teria. Thorndale stronghold dominates this flat, meadow-rich, wide-open landscape. Traditionally, the Lords of Thorndale have considered themselves loyal vassals to the King of Dagbor, and this in turn has placed the men of Rollingplain at odds with the rebellious Menthorns. For its part, Dagbor has always recognized the strategic value of Rollingplain, as it serves as a buffer between Southmont, the Realm of the Elves, and the great open borders of the Orcish Realm in the east. During the War of the Lost Kings, the orcs destroyed many lordships in Rollingplain. As a result, in the ruinous aftermath, there is plenty of empty land up for grab. Dagbor would prefer to see this area settled by knights loyal to the King, but dislocated and disaffected rebels from Menthorn are equally likely to settle here.

In Rollingplain, players will have to rely on a gold-based economy. Cavalry and infantry will be the backbone of their army. Lack of ranged units will create some difficulty with sieges, but Rollingplain riders will top any cavalry of the world. In the wide open plains, trees are scarce, so strongholds will tend to be built from stone, making a dramatic silhouette on the horizon line. In this wide-open, thinly forested region, which is half alpine terrain, players will find plenty of room for building and expanding their city. Gold mines are plentiful and will drive the economy effectively. Stone will be the building material of choice, as stone mines here are easy to find. Hunting is available, but there are limited herds of deer.

The Grassland Region of the Wold: According to ancient Terian lore, the first human settlements were built in the Wold, and Menthorn was the first great stronghold to arise in the Older Times. In later years, however, the Dagborians of Southmont became the pre-eminent lords of Teria. To this day, the Menthorns believe that their rightful place as the leading Lords of Teria has been usurped from them. Thus, when times are uncertain, the Menthorns sei ze the opportunity to strike out against Dagbor.

After the War of the Lost Kings, however, the Menthorns were scattered and their power was broken. Now the lands of the Wold have been opened up by the King of Dagbor to knights who want to make a fresh start there.

In the Wold, players will be able to build a strong economy by harvesting wood. Here, under the protective cover of the ancient coastal forest, ranged units develop quickly, receiving significant combat bonuses. And the Wold player is the best in Teria when it comes to offensive siege warfare. On the defensive side of the equation, mighty Wold Archers and Harlberdiers make a deadly combination.

The Estate

awn of Fantasy's MMORTS, or Online Kingdom, mode gameplay revolves around a player's Homeland territory, which can be built in one of the nine regions (three per race) across the game world of Mythador. Players will develop their homeland from a single building, a few peasant battalions, and a hero unit to a massive empire complete with layers of heavy walls and keeps, a complex economy, and a number of armies and trade caravans wandering the map. To develop this city, players can gather resources, construct various buildings, recruit new units, and research powerful upgrades and new abilities. Even when a player is offline, their homeland will still be in development with the worker units still gathering resources and finishing constructing any buildings tasked shortly before logging off.

The Men of Teria, emphasizing order over the mob-like ways of the Orcs, have a simplified construction system. They build on pre-determined slots, revealed by their double cross emblem. When a player uses up these slots, they may expand and purchase more from their central Town Hall building. This frees up their worker unit, the Peasant, as builders will spawn automatically to construct a building. Houses, built around their town from a Town Hall function, do not take up slots. The Men also have various slots away from their main towns in fertile areas meant for agriculture. Once these slots are discovered or liberated, players can build Mills, but no other buildings upon them. Mills will be able to provide peasants with wheat to harvest during the summer months, allowing them to have a more automated economy than hunting and trade. The technologically-advance men have the greatest amount of researchable techs and automated siege defenses to make their homeland easily defendable.

At your homeland, you will meet an Advisor unit, who will give you your first quests, which will ease the MMORTS learning curve in their introduction to many of the game's mechanics. These quests form the foundation of the MMORTS Campaign storyline and unlock various elements of the game, through which you will discover the large world of Dawn of Fantasy, with its myriad of characters, events, and subplots. While most of these quests engage the player in PvE gameplay throughout the twelve major NPC strongholds of Mythador, there are a couple PvP quests in which players must conquer similarly-matched players in a specified region. Completion of these quests typically results in additional resources or units.

If at any point your own homeland is threatened, you will be able to opt out of the battle by paying a tribute to your attacker. If you decline this payment and ultimately lose the battle at hand, your loss will not be devastating. Your homeland will recover but suffer a small loss of some units, resources, and buildings while the victor will receive a considerable amount of resources.

The Military

The Noble Race of Man has one of the most diverse armies, consisting of a large selection of melee, ranged, cavalry, and siege units, each with a wide range of abilities and unique formations. The specialty unit for Teria is the Knight, an elite heavy infantry unit clad in extremely heavy armor trained from the Barracks. The extensively-trained knight is effective against all units, but very expensive. Alternatively, Mounted Knights can be trained from the Stable and combine the sheer power and armor of a Knight with the speed and trample ability of a Cavalier – an incredibly powerful combination, very effective in field battles.

The Human Campaign & The State of Teria

As the human campaign opens, we learn that the recent devastating war between humans, orcs, and elves is still sending aftershocks through the human realm of Teria. The terrible War Without Kings destroyed the fragile peace between these three races, as each race found their beloved monarch murdered, and each realm blamed one of the others for the act of regicide. In Teria, the treacherous city of Menthorn used the chaos of the War Without Kings as an opportunity to seize power from their ancient rivals in Dagbor. That rebellion was put down, but now you, the player, find yourself embroiled in the simmering hatred that still percolates below the surface of the newly restored peace.

s you settle into your new estate and attempt to bring law and order to a neglected corner of Teria, the first signs of a larger political problem begin to appear. First in small numbers, then with greater and greater frequency, peasant unrest is detected throughout Teria, and try as you might to keep them happy, even your own peasants are being affected by the cries for rebellion.

Working with a royal agent sent by King Erian, you set out to get to the bottom of this unrest and discover that the old hand of the Menthorns has shown itself once more, trying to create another opportunity to seize power from the heirs of Hamilon in Dagbor. Even as you attempt to root out the Menthorn conspiracy, King Erian has another task for you...

He has long suspected that the rogue wizard Faramor played a significant role in the murder of his father. But Faramor was never brought to justice, an oversight King Erian now intends to correct. Word of the wily sorcerer has come to the King from a remote corner of Teria, and you are dispatched with one of Erian's trusted veteran companions from the War Without Kings to locate and capture the wizard. Ever tried to capture a wizard? Be careful, because nothing is what it seems...

As if that weren't enough to keep a young knight busy, matters are also coming to a crisis point in Teria's relations with the elves of Nhob'ru. The elven princess Alidea is caught in a power struggle with her own Council of Archons, who are loathe to see a woman ascend the throne after her father's murder. Now Alidea is making her move against the Archons by offering a unique alliance with the humans. You are sent as King Erian's trusted agent to see this—ahem—alliance, brought to fruition. But you soon discover that a journey into elven forests is one whose consequences can never be predicted. And if the magic of elves weren't enough to contend with, never forget that a renegade wizard also looms large in the affairs of Mythador as well.

May your wits, your sword, and the strength of your well-governed stronghold give you the resources you need to navigate these treacherous waters, friend! The Lake be with you!

Main MMORTS NPCs (Non-Player Characters)

Fred Firkinson - The respected village elder of the player's estate. Fred teaches the player how to take charge of the estate and introduces him or her to the game world.

"Well, then, first and foremost -- welcome to thy new estate, my lord. Oh the village folk are quite pleased to have such a noble knight as thee leading us. And if I may introduce myself - Fred Firkinson, son of Basil. You true vassal and servant."

King Erian IV of Dagbor, Lord of Teria, Master of the Tattered Isles, Sovereign of Fardale Forest - The young King of the Human Realm who ascended to his throne after his father's untimely disappearance during the War Without Kings. With the help of some key advisors, the young prince Erian quickly took charge of his father's kingdom, showing intermittent glimpses of a commanding constitution and an iron-strong voice, giving hope to his men in a time of chaos. Today, King Erian is a great defender of his people and has lead Teria to a prosperity, but his kingdom is divided, the renegade wizard responsible for the War Without Kings is still at large, and his efforts of uniting the realms are seemingly hopeless.

And so it is that our paths cross again, my good fellow. I am most grateful that thou hast responded so promptly to this summons. Thou hast proven thyself in every test to be a stalwart, trustworthy supporter of the crown. This however, is not a matter of armies and raiding parties. This is a more personal affair..."

Lord Harthram - Hero of the War Without Kings, Lord of busy Thorndale, and trusted vassal to the King. Lord Harthram is the player's main quest advisor.

"Oh yes, I am Lord Harthram of Thorndale. Welcome to my estate. King Erian sent me word thou wouldst be arriving. It was his intention to knight thee himself, but this Menthorn assault came down upon us like a storm. The King and his company withdrew to Dagbor. We were nearly overwhelmed, but by the blessed mist thou hadst the presence of mind to come well-armed. I thank thee for that."

Sir Lenteth - A royal agent assigned to oversee the reconstruction of Teria following the recent war. He helps the player build up their esate and officially registers it as a vassalage of Dagbor. He is later appointed to investigate a rebel conspiracy plaguing Teria.

"Good evening, gentle sir. Art thou ready? Then let us be off, my friend - great things await. Well not quite, but squashing a peasant revolt is no laughing matter. I advise, no, I insist that you take with you anyone who can wield a sword or handle a bow. Now, let’s away. Give the order."

Sir Lomad - Lord of Darssen and prominent member of the King's Court in Dagbor who fights alongside Lord Harthram. Always boisterous, Lomad often tries to make up for his relative lack of expertise on the battlefield with well-placed insults. Lomad has grown, and matured, much since the last great war but would still rather spend time making crude jokes, which makes him a favorite among the lower ranks.

"Hail, good soldier! I’m most pleased y’were able to answer m’summons in such a timely manner. Yer first trip to Darrsen, is it? Good, simple folk here who’ll never pass up the chance to tell you that’s what they are... as good and simple as bloody dung beetles!"

Sir Morin - The half-human, half-dwarf Lord of Denwall who takes a pivotal role in the war with the orcs. Morin was raised in a Dwarven under-city, and feels extremely at home with his hard-drinking, irate, bearded half. He resents being only half-dwarf, and often denies his human heritage. He makes up for this insecurity by always having a large cache of dwarven anecdotes and jokes on hand. His favorite pastime is fighting in the rain.

"Come on, then! Let’s fall upon ‘em at once! We may get lucky and catch them w’that renegade wizard. Dinnae dally, lad! To arms! Have at the green scum!"

Sir Warren the Just - Lord of Dagbor, and Minister of Peace and Chief Justiciar of King Erian, responsible for maintaining law and order in Teria. Eloquent and even tempered, Warren often functions as a chief diplomat, and has been known to mediate between opposing groups even as a young lad. Due to his extensive traveling history, he has become fairly fluent in several languages and can often make other races and cultures feel comfortable in negotiations. Warren stands for honor and believes in a strict code of chivalry.

"Thou dost appear to a stalwart lord with some military experience. I would most heartily avail me of thy services in this campaign to preserve the king’s peace. But thou art now a mere country squire. Wouldst thou care to be knighted, my young vassal? Yes? Well then I have an assignment for thee."

Sir Patrick - Seasoned soldier and mercenary military advisor to the King. Recruited by King Hamilon, father of Erian, shortly before the War Without Kings, Patrick is a slick man of mysterious intentions, and a rogue-like countenance. One never knows what angle Sir Patrick is truly working, or to what extent his knighthood is based purely on money. Stories of Patrick's valor in the recent war make him a highly respected by his peers, although few have been able to fully trust him.

"Welcome, sir knight. I see thou hast finally caught up with us. All is in chaos, as thou canst see. Lords keep straggling in, we’re running hours behind schedule, and no one is following my orders. I can tell you I wish this were being run like a proper military operation! But no, ‘tis a festive occasion and I cannot enforce military order on these guests."

NPC Merchants

Mercenary Merchant - Each of the 4 major towns (Dagbor, Darssen, Denwal, and Thorndale) and many of the smaller towns have a Mercenary Merchant from whom players can hire powerful soldiers to join their cause. Mercenary Merchants have different rates, so be sure to ask

Goods/Livestock Merchant - Each of the 4 major towns and many of the smaller towns have a Goods and Livestock Merchant with whom players can trade resources and/or purchase livestock to bring back to their homeland. Traveling armies can only carry a limited amount of resources based on the number of units and Horse Carts - efficient trade envoys should come well supplied with both resources and soldiers to defend those resources. Goods Merchants have different rates, so be sure to ask around to find the best deal.

Doctor - Each of the 4 major towns and many of the smaller towns have a Doctor from whom players seek healing services for a small fee. Doctors are able to heal all troops in your army, and, while it is not the only way to heal troops, it is often well worth the price and the most convenient for militaristic players.

Trainer - Each of the 4 major towns and many of the smaller towns have a Trainer NPC that can train your units for a small fee. Through training, units will automatically increase in level, increasing their health and granting the player a skill point which they can use to further increase a stat of their choice. Units also level up through combat, but training allows players to easily customize their units or increase their army strength without having to fight creeps or go back to the homeland.