The Imperial lands are vast and rich in wondrous and enigmatic places. Some of these have long been known and studied, while others remain a mystery, including those that have only recently revealed themselves to the world. The mysterious residence of the Gray Baron, located in the very heart of the territories entrusted to him by the Empress, was one such place. Among the local populace, there were many rumors about what the walls of this truly impressive architectural masterpiece actually concealed. From terrifying gossip about diabolical experiments to the most absurd tales that could only elicit an ironic smile. The truth, however, was much simpler, and at the same time, indescribably more complex. Perhaps the suddenly invited visitor will uncover at least a fragment of the mysteries hidden within the depths of this dwelling.
«Welcome to the residence of the Gray Baron, – said Rodrigo, the majordomo, with a friendly smile as he stood at the threshold, – Please follow me; the master is waiting in the third guest hall». A step over the threshold and a spacious, well-lit hall with columns, statues, and broad staircases leading to the upper floors came into view. Beyond lay the expansive vastness of the first hall, followed once again by columns supporting high arches and balconies. Between them, one could see gilded walls adorned with massive paintings depicting astounding landscapes, as if from fairy-tale worlds. Beneath each of these canvases there were several glass cases filled with a multitude of coins. Time seemed to flow differently in this place – and suddenly, the hall, which only a moment ago seemed to have no end, transitioned into a corridor. Which then led to a new hall, similar to the first but slightly different. New paintings – and again, coins. Rodrigo continued walking, maintaining a mysterious silence, when suddenly something strange caught the eye. The floor was strewn with the debris of several shattered columns, beyond which lay tilted paintings and broken glass cases. Amongst the chunks of marble glittered the countless scattered coins. «Pay no attention to this mess, – Rodrigo's voice suddenly broke the silence, – I fear the master's pet is a bit under the weather. And in his stubborn disposition, he refused to take his medicine». The majordomo adjusted the slightly torn cuff of his left sleeve, from under which fresh claw marks were still visible. It was hard to even imagine what kind of creature could wreak such havoc. Meanwhile, the surrounding interior transitioned into another corridor, leading to the next hall. Its massive doors swung open — and finally, the master of the dwelling appeared. Maintaining a dignified posture, he stood by a pedestal situated right in the middle of the hall, which was covered with several silk pillows, among which rested a cat. An ordinary, pedigreed cat. At least, that's how it seemed from a distance, causing some bewilderment given the earlier scene. «Master, – Rodrigo said softly, drawing the attention of the Gray Baron, – How is he?» – «Better already, – the Baron replied calmly, continuing to stroke his tiredly purring pet, – He will soon be livelier than ever before. Look after him for now». Without another word, the majordomo dutifully took his master's place.
«Poor Marquis, – said the Gray Baron as he approached, – He was just doing what he was made to do. But he caught too many mice, and now he doesn't understand why he can't continue his favorite activity and has to drink an unpalatable mixture. But let's not dwell on that... You are interested in unfathomable mysteries, like everyone else from various cycles. Most of them, as before, you'll have to understand on the battlefield. But I'll reveal some things. This world is astonishing and very fragile. One careless move, and everything can... change. But is that necessarily a bad thing? A tough choice between endlessly maintaining a continuously deteriorating balance and the possibility to witness the emergence of something frighteningly new. The realization of only one thing gives me the slight feeling of regret now. You won't be able to comprehend it. In your illusory consciousness, nothing has changed because everything has always been exactly this way. Has it? Or has it not? Accept my challenge, and make your own choice. Maybe it will surprise me...»
Lords and Ladies! The mysterious Gray Baron once again invites all daredevils who wish to touch the fragments of ancient and long-forgotten secrets. If you are not afraid to make choices and face their consequences, then this combat challenge is especially for you!
Addendum ¹1 to the Participation Agreement:
1) All Lords and Ladies of combat level 5 and higher are invited to participate;
2) Only shop artifacts are allowed. Artifacts’ enchantments have no effect;
3) Only castle armies are allowed to fight, Faction skills and Talents are fully functional;
4) The opponents will be the armies and units of various official and unofficial factions;
5) Battles can be fought in several different formats. Pay close attention to the surroundings on the map, so as not to miss possible hidden details of current and future battles;
6) The combat stages of the event are divided into main battles and additional battles. The main battles are tied to the central road and lead to the endpoint of the journey. Additional battles are attached to branching paths. The difficulty of main battles will be standard, and the difficulty of additional battles will increase as you move further away from the main path;
7) All combat encounter points are tied to the location of the ancient mysteries scattered on the map. Each track reveals the secret of a long-forgotten skill and this is a permanent gain to one of the Lord’s or Lady’s characteristics, which will last until the end of the main path. However, the fragility and instability of these mysteries make hesitation not an option: It will not be possible to go back to the missed stages. You can only move forward!
8) Each main and additional stage of the event will offer a fork of two possible paths with different choices of rewards and opponents. Only one of the suggested paths will allow you to move on. Make your choice thoughtfully and deliberately – only 2 attempts will be given for each direction. If you fail again, the chosen path will be closed and the reward will be irretrievably lost;
9) If defeated on one of the chosen paths, you may attempt to challenge the enemy on the other. However, if attempts on both paths are exhausted, both will be closed and the Lord’s or Lady’s army will have to return to the main road and proceed to the next main stage;
10) A total of 35 main battle stages will be available. Maximum number of wins: 105;
11) Important! In any additional battle stage, there will be an option to skip it and move on to the next main stage. It will not be possible to undo this decision and go back;
12) On the first day only 5 main battle stages will be available, each following day 5 new ones will be unlocked;
13) The event will last 11 days, until October 24th inclusive;
14) As a reward for victories, there is a chance to gain Hunters’, Mercenaries’, Thieves’ and Watchers’ guild points, as well as – Gold, Diamonds, Creature armaments, Elements, Leaders’ guild followers, Scrolls of calling, parts of creature stacks and parts of special artifacts:
From the battles it will be possible to obtain up to 25 parts of Fear Robe, up to 15 parts Magma arbalest and up to 15 parts of Imperial boots. In addition, Grey Baron promises to honor the successes of Lords and Ladies with a special trophy artifact from his personal collection. The durability of this artifact will depend on the number of ancient mysteries found and returned to Grey Baron.
Annex ¹1A:
Extremely important! During this event, the "Battle Exhaustion" system is in effect. Starting from the 15th turn of any battle, the Lords’ and Ladies’ Talent 'Mana recovery' will cease to function. The same will hold for the abilities'Life drain' and 'Battledive' for the units in the Lords’ and Ladies’ armies. Additionally, all enemy units will gain the ability 'Attentive', Ignore defense 50%, increase in initiative and speed. Notifications corresponding to this exhaustion will appear as a warning 1 turn before and at the onset of exhaustion.
- The top 75 military clans and all their active members will be specially rewarded. Awarding will be based on the final clan ranking, where the final result will be equal to the sum of victories of Top 100 Lords and Ladies of the clan;
- All unblocked Lords and Ladies of successful military clans will be rewarded if they bring at least 30 points to the clan;
- If a Lord or Lady leaves or is evicted from a military clan, the clan loses all the points the Lord or Lady gained for that clan, if they rejoin the clan, all the points will be returned to the clan;
- Leaving the clan on the last day of the event and before the award ceremony is forbidden ;
- Admission to military clans during the event is limited to three Lords or Ladies per day;
- Important! Lords and Ladies who achieve 50 victories or more in the event will not be able to join any military clan until the event is over.
Reward for active members of top-ranking military clans:
| Clan rank | Reward | Glory | | 1 | | 1,500 | | 2 | | 1,300 | | 3 | | 1,100 | | 4 | | 1,000 | | 5 - 8 | | 900 | | 9 - 13 | | 800 | | 14 - 20 | | 600 | | 21 - 30 | | 500 | | 31 - 45 | | 400 | | 46 - 60 | | 250 | | 61 - 75 | | 100 |
Personal reward for the best 5,000 Lords and Ladies based on the amount of their victories:
| Lord/Lady rank | Reward | | 1 - 50 | | | 51 - 100 | | | 101 - 200 | | | 201 - 400 | | | 401 - 650 | | | 651 - 1000 | | | 1001 - 1500 | | | 1501 - 2250 | | | 2251 - 3000 | | | 3001 - 3750 | | | 3751 - 5000 | |
There will be no additional rewards to the ones mentioned in this addendum!
May the destiny show you the way to success! |
