RIFT's Carnival of the Ascended is in full-swing in Telara, but there's something dastardly dwelling under the veil of the festivities. While the Ascended feast, imbibe, and debauch, the less-than-phlegmatic cults of the Golden Maw and the Wanton scheme to free their dragon overlords from imprisonment in the upcoming raid, Infernal Dawn. But no Ascended should go up against the dragons unprepared, so Trion Worlds' Adam Gershowitz has volunteered to take players on a short tour of the Earth Wing of Infernal Dawn, where they will be tasked with destroying the Golden Maw, the Wanton, and ultimately their leaders: the earth dragon Laethys and the infernal Maelforge.

Infernal Dawn isn't the only new feature in the works. Gershowitz also reveals that the studio is working on new Instant Adventures set on the Ember Isle. Less pugilistic players will be receiving some new treats as well in the form of new tradeskills. While Gershowitz doesn't reveal any specifics on what these new tradeskills will be, he does hint that they "may or may not involve bodies of water." We've been fishing for ideas all day, but we're just not getting any bites. Oh well, we'll find out soon enough! In the meantime, check out the full video tour and prepare yourselves; Infernal Dawn is planned to go live in "just a month or two." Oh, and remember: Former RIFT subscribers can play free starting today until March 14th, so if you wanna get back into the world of Telara, now's the time.

And finally, be sure to keep an eye out for our own Karen Bryan's RIFT coverage straight from GDC 2012, which will surely shed more light on these upcoming additions.