While we're on the subject of lore, we've got some more of it for you today courtesy of En Masse's latest press dump. You'll find plenty of backstory on the argons after the break, and you can also see some fresh screenshots in our gallery below.
As far as Mysterium scholars can tell, argons operate, at least to some degree, under a collective consciousness. Certainly the smaller argons lack the ability to function without orders, but many argons not only exhibit independent thought, they can even lead. Among the most dangerous of these are the gilgashes.
Massive, powerful, and heavily armored, gilgashes act as generals on the battlefield. They lead from the front, wading into fights and inflicting terrible casualties. Gilgashes possess great muscular strength and agility, coupled with some degree of magical ability, which makes them difficult to kill. A gilgash's shield can ward off danger one moment, but strike back at enemies in the blink of an eye. While an akalath, another massive argon, might present more of a direct threat, gilgashes combine their martial might with keen insight and the ability to exploit tactical advantages in the heat of battle. When the stakes are high, the argons deploy the gilgashes.
Argons -- the Inexorable Scourge
When the argons burst from the ground and launched their invasion on Northern Shara, no one expected they'd obliterate their opposition so easily. The blue-black creatures swept through Val Kaeli, and then the Helkan District, before swallowing up Val Tirkai. No unit could withstand the power of these dark forces. A veritable sea of black and blue crushed all organized resistance across Northern Shara, seemingly unstoppable. Insidious swarms of smaller argons wreaked havoc, but it was the argon behemoths-their battlemasters-that struck fear into the hearts of soldiers. Each massive argon fought with the strength of an entire company, cleaving through battle formations and leaving nothing but broken bodies in its wake. In a matter of weeks, the argons controlled nearly half the continent and marched toward the amani capital city-Kaiator.
The argons lay siege to Kaiator, but the battle didn't slow their advance. A massive contingent marched south, invading the fey province of Sylvanoth. The amani sent emissaries to the high elves and baraka in Allemantheia, as well as to the other races on Southern Arun. The castanics, poporis, elins, baraka, and high elves joined the humans and the amani emissary in Velika. Even as the argons conquered Sylvanoth and crossed the Great Rift into Southern Shara, the Valkyon Federation was born-and the counterattack began.
A Desperate Fight
Detailed reports from behind the argon front remain scarce. Already stretched thin, federation forces struggle to break through the argon lines. Few missions slip past the enemy vanguard...and even fewer return. Even from Kaiator, however, spotters have detected changes to the color of the sky over Val Kaeli. No one knows why the sky turns green, but they have come to dread such reports.
Across the federation, reserves report for training, and then deploy to Northern Shara. The invasion may be over, but the Argon War has just begun.
[Source: En Masse press release]
