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Post by aaron on Jul 2, 2014 20:17:44 GMT -9
here is the stuff I am working on so you can see what will be up and coming for Pigmi Games! Netel bats roost in caves found in the northern foothills they come out every evening and fly for many miles to the great Jub jub Trees that line the edges of the forest. they are the only animal that can get to the Jub jub fruit and with their sharp claws extract the fruit from its hard casing. in the northern woods the Tribes of Splinterwood elves have tamed and trained these large bats and eventually learned to fly on them. in times of need the Netel Flyers bring swift death from above, scout out enemy positions carry messages or harass the enemies flanks. The Netel Flyers have become a vital part of the Splinterwood forces. The Volpine were once found all over Estall they were like jypsies and traders but their real ocupation was theivery and assassination. thier reputation got so bad that the other races began hunting them to extinction. when the last of the Volpine tried to take refuge in the Splinterwoods it was Queen Ellasaph who made a pact with them. they would have sanctuary in the Splinterwoods as long as they worked for her alone. Striking a bargan that can not be undone the Volpine wasted no time settling in to their new home and now can be found in every part of the Splinterwoods and no where else on the planet. and though they are all over the Splinterwood you would be very hard pressed to find one. the Volpine see you you don't see the Volpine. as it is the queen is surrounded by no less than 10 of them at any given moment but you will not see them untill it is to late. they work as Assassins and messengers for the queen and are her eyes and ears in teh Splinterwoods. Here are some sketches of units up and coming! to help some Splinterwood Elves draw on the Magic of the hart stone they ware elaberate head gear this is a helmet designed for that purpose. KestelVarnan Elves have an entire army of their own. Known as the High elves (amung themselves)because they have risin above magic others know them as the clockwork Elves! what do they look like well now you get your first glimps at the KestelVarnan clockwork elves! soon we will be leaving the Splinterwoods behind and building new armies ! stay tuned for more preview goodness from Pigmi Games!
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Post by squirmydad on Jul 2, 2014 20:40:37 GMT -9
And here's tomorrow's release preview;
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Post by wildagreenbough on Jul 2, 2014 22:36:49 GMT -9
Oh wow! This just sooooo exciting From your sketches Aaron the Clockwork Elves in some ways remind me of the Eldar from the 40k universe.
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Post by pavaro on Jul 2, 2014 23:38:13 GMT -9
I hope that your ideas will never end.
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Post by WackyAnne on Jul 3, 2014 4:38:55 GMT -9
I agree with pavaro - keep them coming! If this was you losing a bet, I think _everyone_ has won!
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Post by aaron on Jul 3, 2014 5:08:58 GMT -9
tahnks wildagreenbough and though I do think the Kestel Varnan elves bear a resemblance to the Eldar it's only because they both have pointy back packs .... although unlike Eldar who Im sure have some odd or obscure purpose for dragging such bulky and cumbersome equipment around the Clock work elves not only need their back packs they are an esential part of what they do. and here's why ! you see the cooling coils cause water to condense on the metal plates. the condensed water from the atmosphere then runs down the trough into the storage chamber and the special Kestel Varnan refractory lenses (which are capable of refracting the light of a single candle ) this heats the water to boiling and the steam is channeled passed a steam vent (in case the pressure builds to much )into the quick connect chamber where it can power many different devices from the steam powered repeating crossbows that are strong enough to cut a man in half to the claw arm of the spear men who can cut down small trees with it. because the packs are self filling and they only need a small amount of steam they are fairly light to Cary and in the bottom of the trough there is a carbon filter and a tube going to the helmet so the elf wearing it always has clean drinking water ... this is the ultimate camel pack. Also the steam vent or valve is pointed at the cooling plates so any steam vented will hit the cooling plates and go back into the pack as a self regenerative process. so that's why they look like they do.
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Post by wildagreenbough on Jul 3, 2014 8:51:17 GMT -9
The inventiveness of your imagination is beyond compare.
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Post by aaron on Jul 3, 2014 9:14:33 GMT -9
it's why I can't sleep at night I can't turn my head off.... if you only knew the amount of stuff that never sees the light of day.... I have TONS of it! ok so Netel bat riders are going to be a multi part model like the Dragon only not as complex .... or maybe they will be I haven't decided yet. . here's the rider with the wing off to the side so you can see her. now controlling a bat isn't like flying on a bird or a fixed wing creature, if a bird swoops on a target and misses then they have to circle back around before they can try again. Bats can stop mid flight and hover or even change direction because they aren't really flying in the traditional sense they are scooping the air and they can't stop flapping their wings and glide like birds can they have to keep scooping the air but their direction is determine by how they twist their bodies and scoop the air... imagine trying to hold on to something like that. it would take every ounce of concentration just to stay in the saddle so trying to shoot at something with a traditional bow would be impossible. that's why the Netel bat riders have invented an arm mounted crossbow with a twist flex trigger so when they have a shot they just point, twist their wrist and shoot! and this is what it looks like
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Post by aaron on Jul 3, 2014 12:24:29 GMT -9
In the world of Awesh goblins are like roaches. you find them on every continent and in large quantities and they are just about as desirable. sadly for the Splinterwood elves the Splinterwood is no different. though you can find goblins all over the splinterwood they actually hail from one of two clans. the Uthan goblins are more adapted to the hot weather that pervades that region but the Amastall goblins are from the cold north nether group spends much time in the sun but the Amastall goblins hate sun-lite more than most. they keep themselves covered in shrouds made from cast off wood elf material. Being attacked by a goblin would be akin to an attack from a rabid Chihuahua. yes it might bite you and you would probably have to wash afterword but at it's worst it's just annoying. though if left unchecked goblins have a tendency to grow to very large numbers. and though it's rare some times they stop fighting among themselves and start to organised. when this happens the Splinterwood elves know that their will be trouble. when Goblins go on the march their will be much blood spilled ... usually goblin blood until they all run away screaming but still who wants to spend an afternoon slaughtering goblins LOL who knows maybe its therapeutic?
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Post by wildagreenbough on Jul 3, 2014 16:29:43 GMT -9
Wonderful, just wonderful! I love the artwork. 'Goblins are like roaches,' - I haven't heard anyone refer to Goblins like that before and it just fits them so well. The twist wrist crossbow both sounds and looks like something it isn't a great idea to be on the wrong side of. Both the bat and rider artwork looks really good and I can't wait for the Netel bat rider set to be released for sale (quiver of anticipation)
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Post by aaron on Jul 3, 2014 17:05:06 GMT -9
with a twist and a pop they drop Arrows that are more like ax on a stick as accuracy isn't very likely they made up for that with big and heavy. when it hits it hurts. theirs not much in the world that can survive a direct hit from a Netel Arrow. remember it's already really high so all they have to do is drop it and it will hit terminal velocity before it crunches into what ever it hits.
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Post by aaron on Jul 4, 2014 13:05:35 GMT -9
Amastall Goblins are more apt to orginise than their suthern kin for two reasons. one they live in Urock country and are mostly left alone, Moslty because the Urock think it's more troble than it's worth killing gobos they don't have any good gear and you have to eat a whole lot of them before your full and gobos are fattning and bad for your hart. and the only thing worse than an Urock warrior is a nagging Urock wife that's angry about you bingeing with the boyz again. then they have to sleep on the rock outside the cave and all the other Urock warriors make fun of them until their wives start in on the sexist things they say and how guys shouldn't act all tough around their friends and if they if you talked to me like that I would bust your head with a rock (and she really means she would bust their head with a rock ..... and she could do it.... ) .... it's just ugly so the Urock mostly leave the goblins in peace. This means that the Amastall Goblins start to build up armies some times they come swarming out of the hills in the thousands. this is when they get dangerous. even a Chihuahua can be dangerous when they swarm over you in the thousands. there have been two times in recorded history that Amastall Goblins have swarmed into the Splinterwoods seeking to conquer all they see. the First time was known as the black mire conflict and lasted nearly a week. Thousands of Amastall Goblins were cut down in the battel and a hand full of elves were wounded some even got scars. The battle was so intense that the northern woods wreaked of dead goblins for nearly two months. the carrion animals had stopped eating them they were so full. the next time though was the worst in recorded history. A Goblin known as Guthor Grossnick which probably means something in Goblin but no one really bothers to learn their language as it's mostly just curse words and conjunctions of curse words. Guthor rallid goblins from all over not only from Amastall but from the Parduvian mountans and even as far away as the great plains. No one knows how but Grossnick bartered a deal with the Urock to fight with them and when they marched on the splinter woods the Amastall goblins came in the Hundreds of thousands and with the backing of the Urock even the might of the Splinterwood elves was hard pressed to drive them back. In the Grossnick war as it was later called many elves lost their lives and the real threat of Goblins became apparent. the only thing that stopped Grossnicks forces was betrayal and fractious infighting. Though much of his forces were destroyed Grossnick was never accounted for and even though the Volpine have been searching for him he remains elusive. It is obvious however that his influence is still driving the Amastall Goblins so they remaine a thorn in the side of the Splinterwood. everyone knows that a goblin archer cant hit the broad side of a sleeping dragon two feet in front of them but when you have ten thousand archers darkening the sky it's ouch time!
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Post by wildagreenbough on Jul 4, 2014 14:00:46 GMT -9
Cool bananas! Your Goblins look so perfectly Goblinish Aaron and once again you tell a wonderful story and background history to go with them
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Post by WackyAnne on Jul 4, 2014 14:17:25 GMT -9
Agreed - your storytelling is so fantastic (in both senses of the word) that you even have my inner grammar-nazi enthralled & subdued I've always loved gobbos! The Splinterwood's story is getting more and more enriched and immersive with every post... keep it up!
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Post by pavaro on Jul 5, 2014 0:36:30 GMT -9
The nobel prize for aaron!!
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Post by aaron on Jul 5, 2014 9:16:54 GMT -9
Yay!! I would like to thank the academy and accept this award for contributing to sciences.... um wait no .... uuuhhh Health and medicine ... no that's not right either ... wait why was I getting a nobel prize again?
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Post by aaron on Jul 5, 2014 10:23:40 GMT -9
The Amastall Goblen Spearmen/women yes there is a girl goblin in there see if you can spot her LOL the way I have it set up now there are 24 to a page so just a few Pages and you will have more goblins than you can roast over an open fire on a friday night when your sitting oround talking with your chappeis about the latest gathem game!
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Post by wildagreenbough on Jul 5, 2014 10:43:37 GMT -9
Love your new Avatar
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Post by aaron on Jul 5, 2014 11:03:55 GMT -9
what new avat.... GROSSNIK GET OUT OF MY CHAIR!!! you not funny!
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Post by aaron on Jul 5, 2014 13:20:57 GMT -9
The Splinterwoods is all about nature taking it's course and times and tides and seasons. there is a time for life and a time for death. when you mess with this cycle or interrupt it's process bad things happen. one of the more powerful stories that punctuates this moral principle is the tale of Grossnick the would be king. Ellasaph and Tanelarell are married and both rule over the Spliterwoods as king and queen but their duties are very different from one another. so far you have herd much about Ellasaph as her primary function is to take care of her subjects and see to it that life is functioning properly. Tanelarell however is charged with foreign affairs and diplomacy as well as maintaining and understanding the ebb and flow of the magic that pervades the Splinterwood. If something goes wrong it's Tanelarell's job to find out why or what happened. this means that he is like M. at Mi6 and that means that their are special agents that work for an organisation known as the Splinter Section. These agents are covert and only a small handful of individuals know who they are. they are made up of many different races stretching their influence as far as the Kelthosian empire and even Barnof has given certain Kestel Varnan elves a level of diplomatic immunity. when Guthor Grossnick attacked the splinterwoods it took everyone by surprise. the goblin strikes were fast , organised and well thought out. they struck with almost surgical precision and in the attacks where they didn't have the numbers to drive out the elves they were backed by the Urock with devastating effects. In the end the goblins were driven out but the Gossnick war was so odd that the Splinter Section was immediately sent out to find out what happened. the report on Grossnick was so tragic and terrifying that in only a short period of time he and his story have become both a legend and a warning.
the sun had set when the hunting party of Splinter wood elves was returning to their camp just on the west bank of the Amastall lake, only a few miles north of Isuada's winter glade. one lone hunter trailed behind the rest and soon found herself lost in thought and wandering the twilight paths alone. the underbrush rustled and a goblin female came crashing onto the trail! with knee jerk reflex and with the speed of a splintwood elf an arrow flew piecing the side of the goblin it fell to the ground screaming but not from the Arrow that would soon claim it's life but because she was in labor. in a mix of horror and fascination the Elf Huntress watched as the goblin mother struggled with the last of her life to give life to her child. soon the mother stopped screaming but it was replaced but the sound of a squalling goblin infant. the Huntress thought it best as the creatures suffering would soon be over. the more noise it made the more likely it would attract a predator. She started to walk away, then in a moment of love or weakness or perhaps both she turned to see the baby goblin looking at her quietly contemplating. She would keep him as a pet. that's what she told herself. Goblins are stupid and irritating but perhaps she could train him up a bit and he could fetch arrows and other menial things. so she scooped the slimy little goblin into her arms and Grossnick's life began. She named him Guthor Grossnick. Guthor is an Elf word for foolish like a child. Grossnick because it was the first sound he made. she didn't know what to feed him or how to raise him no one knew much about goblins as they are just treated as vermin and exterminated accordingly. this meant she didn't know how quickly he would grow. in a few weeks she found that he had become a toddler and learned things at an alarming rate. It all started making sense though as she thought in a society where goblins often prey on each-other and children are most often the product of violent rape and the female was able to get away rather than being eaten, it would stand to reason that children are mostly left to their own devices. they would have to learn quickly and grow up fast. Grossnick reached full maturity in about 6 months and was strong for a goblin. His Adopted mother taught him right and wrong. she taught him to speak Sill the proper Splinterwood elf language. he learned math and writing. in only a few short years he was every bit as smart as an adult elf and so by saving this goblin child the adopted mother did him a kindness, or did she. Because goblins are so hated among almost all other races Grossnick was not accepted among the Elf kind and often he was threatened with death. He was to smart and cultured to be returned to goblin country, Grossnick had no place in the world. One day His adopted mother found that he had fled to where no one knows, why no one could say. it was only a few years later that the Grossnick wars happened. no one knows how long Goblins live in the wild as they are most often killed by other goblins or something equally horrible. but not Grossnick he's to smart for that and now he's out their planning something but no one knows exactly what. the Splinter Section was able to ascertain two valuable pieces of information. the Grossnick wars were not intended to win. they were first a test of the ability of the Splinterwoods to defend it's self and second a distraction. while the battle took place Grossnick was no where to be found what he was doing or what his true purpose was is still shrouded in mystery. Tanelarell has made it his business to find out where he is and what he is up to. All the while they have been spreading his story so that others will not make the same mistake and alter the natural order by raising the next would be king!
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Post by wildagreenbough on Jul 5, 2014 15:14:22 GMT -9
T'was the Nobel Prize for Literature you was getting Another marvellous portion of the Splinterwood histories is revealed
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Post by Rhannon on Jul 6, 2014 0:32:23 GMT -9
Are there any news about "Temporum Oblitus" ?
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Post by pavaro on Jul 6, 2014 0:49:57 GMT -9
aaron believe me, if only will be the nobel prize with category "cardboard hero" , you have a statue in the pocket.
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Post by aaron on Jul 6, 2014 5:23:45 GMT -9
Thanks pavaro we should give out the cardboard award LOL I Like that !! I'm making the Cardboard Award to give out today!! Rhannon News about Temporum Oblitus .... ok Squirmy dad and I have been working very hard on re-structuring the entire game. the rules are the same, but were going to make it 28mm compatible and some of / most of the vehicles and creatures are getting a make over as they are a bit complex. personally I like them that way but without hours of instructions some of the models take days to put together. also some of the models like the Grack riders and the rocket bikes, and the Obb copters have some really difficult pieces right now but when reduced to 28mm they become impossible. so I am debating on if I am going to make them 2.5 d models or if I will just go flat with them. we will hopefully be beta testing late July -early august .... Hopefully!
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Post by aaron on Jul 6, 2014 15:08:22 GMT -9
It's not common for goblin words to become a part of Elven language. Most creatures are content to ignore goblins like you would ignore rats in a sewer. the word Skein however became a very important word because it helped to identify and explain another goblin word that even Tanelarell couldn't decipher Geejaw. The mystery of it all unfolded around the idea that some goblins are able to channel magic. In fact goblins are some of the most powerful magic users in the world, not because they try to be and typically not for very long, as they often do something that will cause their untimely demise in a rather gruesome and spectacular fashion. Everyone thought that goblins got so powerful because they were to stupid not to be like a light that keeps drawing more power through it until it burns up. And though there is truth to that Tanelaerell thought their must be more to it than that. so he quietly observed the Goblins of Utharian for some time, then he went up north to the Amastall goblins and their he got his answers. Tanelarell observed that Goblins who can use magic are treated with great respect among the other goblins they show them the highest level of courtesy they can, which is to scream like little girls and run for their lives. Tanelarell thought at first it was because the other goblins knew the magic wielding goblin would do something stupid that would lead to gruesome and spectacular death and they didn't want to be caught in it. The goblins would run screaming Skein! Skein! Tanelarell thought this words to mean magic. He later learned he was wrong, very very wrong. The word skein was being used to define little dolls that the sorcerers often surrounded themselves with. It didn't take Tanelarell long to discover the more dolls the goblin mage had the more powerful they were. upon closer inspection he discovered the dolls were some how alive, which could only mean they were oodrick dolls (oodrick is a strange form of magic practiced by the Keth and even the most gifted of the Splinterwood casters has no idea how it works, despite the keth's repeted attmept to show them) Needless to say this fascinated Tanelarell and he needed to inspect the doll closer. the easiest way was to engage a goblin mage, kill him and take the doll. this proved to be a disaster. Tanelarell waited until a lone mage with only a few other goblins came down to the lake followed by his Skein. with lightning proficiency Tanelarell struck down the goblin mage and turning to deliver more of the same to the other goblins he found that they were running and screaming, though not from him. The words they were screaming was Geejaw! Geejaw! Tanelarell turned back to claim the oodrick doll only to see it smoldering in a blue flame colder than death. The materiel split apart and from it's essence a slathering demon stood with blazing bail fire in it's eyes. It was a demon of the old world. they appear from time to time in the splinterwoods and the vigilant are called upon to bring them down. The demon was bound into that doll and the goblins are feeding off their power. the more dolls they have the more powerful they are but once the goblin mage is dead their is no magic binding the demons. Goblins are afraid of Skein or bound demons, because they break free and become Geejaw unbound demons looking for a little pay back. the fight between Tanelarell and the Geejaw was fierce and in the end tanelarell forced the demon into Isuada's glade. Isuada was unhappy with the intrusion and promptly obliterated the demon and gave Tanelarell a good talking to ... it lasted several days and later he was quoted as saying he was better off with the demon. Tanelarell was left with more questions than answers, how are the goblins using oodrick magic and how are they able to so completely bind the Demons in such a way that even the oldest and most powerful elder spirit wouldn't dream of. The task of uncovering these mysteries was laid at the feet of the splinter section. There is no conclusive evidence yet that can explain this phenomenon but certain information has come to light recently that points very disturbingly at to the Falien islands and may even go back to the origins of goblins themselves. Tanelarell was overheard saying "if this even hints at what I think it does, then it sickens me to my core, and Erasabeth has many crimes to answer for!" As it stands since Elves of any race had no word for these oodrick dolls the words Skein and Geejaw have stuck and now they are common especially among the vigilant. there are ways for the vigilant to banish the Skein before they become Geejaw but it requires them to open a portal to the Deep and that is always like cracking open Pandora's box so it's a matter of decideing what is the best of two evils.
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Post by WackyAnne on Jul 6, 2014 19:34:54 GMT -9
Love it! Goblins come into their own!!!
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Post by cadia134 on Jul 7, 2014 6:37:47 GMT -9
Does the switch to the gobbos mean the elves line is complete?
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Post by aaron on Jul 7, 2014 7:17:08 GMT -9
not a chance cadia134! there is still SOOOO much! LOL I am still working on Gathem a game that the Splinterwood elves play an you will to (to them it's like the world cup it's a big deal )LOL . I haven't finished with the knights both mounted and on foot ... their is still the foot soldiers ... and the vigilant !! Their like a special forces units of Van Helsing at his finest ! they are going to spin off in their own game called The Deep which will be very similar to Hero Quest. The Goblins were just like adding a little spice to the dish. There are other spices coming .... like the Urock ... I have a friend who is (freaking out would be a bit over dramatic but she wants them badly soooo I'll probably be doing something with them next) there will be best men, knolls , satyers , other more obscure and intresting creatures that only exsist in my emagination LOL If you look at the map of the Splinterwoods you will see it's a VERY big place and it's CHOCK full of all kinds of coolness. when I do leave the Splinterwoods behind I will be working next on the Falien Elves as they are (like the Splinterwoods )full of muchness. Erasabeth (if you haven't figured out yet from the goblins back story ) is breading elves with creatures she is pulling from the void. this means that the Falien Islands are full of creepy hateful creatures that have been twisted and bound to the Falien elves and more to the point Erasabeth. it will be fun to explore my dark side. at the same time I'm working on Temporum Oblitus (re-tooling it for 28mm and making some of the more complex models ... less so) soo all in all Pigmi Games is BUSY BUSY ... why? did you want me to move on to something else? possibly taking requests.... just a small taste of whats coming up! yes you read that correctly it's a Yetti!! somthing the Parduvan dwarves have to deal with on a regualr basses that and you haven't even seen any of the Utharian goblins or the very creepy looking Keth goblins .... ooooh your going to like Keth that has lots of cold blooded coolness and the gobos that evolved to live there are creepy cool!!
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Post by cadia134 on Jul 7, 2014 10:39:29 GMT -9
no, the opposite in fact. I want more Splinterwoods elves. I am a bit dissapointed with all of the other troop types showing up, The Goblins, assassins, the hinted at yeti, and other beasts. I would have rather seen units that were still elves but still filled the same niche in the army. But, then again I am looking at it from a wargame point of view, not as much into the story aspect of it.
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Post by squirmydad on Jul 7, 2014 12:08:03 GMT -9
Elven archers will be up this week.
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