TenTonHammer.com - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

By Danny "Ralsu" Gourley

Runes of Magic is the latest free-to-play massively-multiplayer online game in development by the folks at Frogster Interactive Pictures. The game features a dual-class system using 36 unique classes and boasts over 600 quests that tell the epic story. Other bells and whistles include extensive player housing, player-vs-player duels, and promises of content updates every 3-4 months.

Frogster recently released an overview of the starting zone for Runes of Magic, and Ten Ton Hammer has the details.

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Don't let the serene appearance fool you. This place used to be home to sacrificial rituals.

The Howling Mountains
The gloomy word howling in the name of the Howling Mountains does not correspond to the mellow landscape. In earnest though there was a meeting place of lower daemons here and especially the Barrow was a venue for the wild hordes. In certain nights they performed bizarre sacrificial rituals in the Barrow’s monumental stone formation. Due to the accompanying screams the area was later called the Howling Mountains. Some years ago the Council of Varanas and the Eye of Wisdom repeatedly cleansed the region with great wraith expulsions and the force of arms. At the time the first humans settled there, no howling could be heard, which has once reverberated through the valley. Since then travelers and adventures experience the Howling Mountains as an open ley, which can be
perceived at a glance. The surrounding mountains and spiky stone formations can nonetheless instill a slightly eerie feeling of discomfort.

Once a meeting place of lower demons and wild hordes that is nowadays characterized by a mellow landscape, there are also ominous places in the Howling Mountains. The Barren Caves for example. Formerly a breeding ground of terrifying daemons they even now instill fear into the humans heart. It is said that goblins now dwell there and that they have begun to look for the daemon’s treasures.

Hidden Valley
The Hidden Valley received its name because of its hidden location. In all four directions this deep-set region is surrounded by towering mountains. This is why the Hidden Valley was only discovered after the adventure guild “Silvershadow” was looking for the sources of different bodies of water. In
addition to one of the springs they also detected traces of ore. To mine the ore the Council of Caranas founded the Pioneer’s Colony.

The Pioneer’s Colony

Humans had to abandon this mine to the invading goblins.

In the idyllic scenery of the Howling Mountains the Council of Varanas build a base. With its clear lake and its picturesque waterfall, its proud forests and newly discovered veins of ore the Pioneer’s Colony is rich in both beauty and raw materials. A small mine to the west of the village is the newest
excavation area in the region. After mushroom-beings in great numbers appeared all of a sudden “Silvershadow” sent out many young adventures to settle the matter and help with the mining so that the region might prosper.

The Hidden Valley Mine
After the founding of the Pioneer’s Colony the mine yielded a steady supply of ore for years. It did not take long though before a band of goblins launched a surprise attack. They even brought cave crabs with them as if to publicly announce that the ore was now theirs.

In light of the goblin’s attack and the crab’s furious digging, the mine’s stonewalls became loose. That was the moment the humans decided to abandon the mine in order to focus on the ore vein to the west of the settlement. This was a temporary measure until all goblins and cave crabs could be driven away.

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