Following on from our preview of the miniatures and the world of Eldfall Chronicles, we're sharing some more background on the lore and the factions that make up this Fantastic world. There are all manner of fascinating factions in this game and each of their pros and cons.

As a reminder (check out our first post HERE for more), Eldfall Chronicles takes place in a Fantasy world of with a High-Medieval feel called Calad. Games will typically take place between small combat groups of around three-to-seven units per side which have been tailored by the player.

Each of the factions in the game has their own unique feel to them and that's where this article comes in as it explores their "fluff". Maybe you'll be able to make up your mind as to which faction you'll be playing when this lands on Kickstarter?

The Empire Of Soga

With a few exceptions, the Empire is largely populated by humans. What they lack in magic, they make up for in martial prowess and by having the finest military equipment. This makes them the most resilient of the four factions.

"The Empire of Soga is the largest and most northern of the four main factions. The past, along with varying environment with a certain harshness, shaped the nation into a pragmatic and feudal society. Upholding martial traditions of the ruling warrior clans were woven into its core, where the Soga clan holds the legitimacy of rulers.

As a realm torn from foreign rule with a bloodstained blade, it became further riddled with internal conflict. Grief struck the land and where misfortune loomed large there profane forces took root and hold, plaguing and praying upon the passers-by. The worst of it turned out to be the dilapidated shrines and mistreated places of worship, which became overshadowed by tormented spirits.

Through esoteric practices of the disciples of Rishinkyo, who rely on their knowledge of ancient scriptures, ascetic training, the understanding of such spirits and wayward demons, the Empire became a more hospitable land. To seal ill fortune, they cherish their alliance to the Kitsune tribes, who are known for their foxlike features and their alluring rituals, which appeal to the gods. Customarily, the Grand Priestess, a descendent of the fox peoples, holds the position of the first empress as well as the position of Head Court Ritualist at the main Soga Court.

Nonetheless, even with all their efforts, the roads and depopulated land remain thick with reminders of past errors. And while the matters of the gods and ghosts are left to those few capable, the general populace is a sturdy folk of no familiarity with the magical doctrines. Resilient to constant threats, moody weather, sparse population and wars, they generally favour physical and martial doctrines. More so, the northerners are especially known for their brawn and might, as every winter the demonic ogroids, Oni, re-emerge from hibernation and descend from the boreal mountains to ravage and harass the snowy domains."

While units may have to be careful of some more unusual shenanigans (special magic attacks etc.), their superior armour makes them sturdy enough to face mostly anything quite head-on.

Pros & Cons

• + Their units have more Health and are more Armored, allowing a straightforward play
• + Are capable of fighting from long range and close range.
• + They tend to be more equipped for open combat and carry longer weapons, such as spears and greatswords, giving them reach advantage in melee.
• - Little to no magic, when compared to other factions.
• - Might lack some gimmicks that are available to other factions.

Because of this, they might be more straightforward to play, however they truly shine under a capable command.

The Helian League

The Helian League is, in its gameplay, the most balanced of the four factions. Their units benefit both from magic and quality gear and share a form of synergy, where each unit brings something crucial to the party.

"Holding the most esteem among the four main factions of the world of Calad, the Helian League, its scarce numbers notwithstanding, is a radiant faction of Rin peoples. Their continent is in the south. Thriving in all aspects of civilization, the main principle of the league is upholding ancient traditions whilst achieving prosperity for the entire realm.

When the world seemed as though it will finally be altogether engulfed in obscuring haze during the Age of Dusk, a hero came forth, bearing a vision sent from the Sun goddess Helios-Hyperia. As the haze crept ever closer, the last remaining in the homeland felt the pressures it brought. They saw no other solution but to embark and sail into the unknown, whilst heeding the hero’s words.

Upon several trials of the harsh seas that they unfalteringly overcame, they reached a clearing, from where they saw what was prophesized; a newly discovered landmass and what would become their home. Upon docking their ships, they saw bountiful nature, sunbathed and fertile with life.

Having escaped the dreaded black, they were elated to gaze at the sun and feel its warmth, which stayed foreign for months. As they settled the land, they began praising the goddess as their saviour and honoured everything that she created. In her honour, they named their land Helion and themselves Helrin, Rin of the Sun.

They shaped their cities with pale stone, golden-white crystal tops and arranged them to overflow with natural beauty. Similarly, they erected monuments to remind them of their hero, who led them on their path. While they are a proud nation, each individual is honourable to a fault. They are as well spiritual and kind-hearted, focusing their energy on collective goodness while maintaining a keen interest in their history and knowledge of the old world.

Their greatest feat was leading the resistance against the invaders, marking their fame as the leading military force of the entire world. Unlike their naturally unruly counterparts (the Rin of the Moon), the Helrin seem rather harmonious. However, even they cannot resist their ambitions and the appeal of glory."

This makes their combat groups powerful and versatile, however, this may change if the number of your units starts to dwindle.

Pros & Cons

• + Synergy amongst their units, where each has something to offer to another. When together, they behave as a fort.
• + Access to magic makes them terrifying at short distances and mid-ranged combat, allowing them a control-style play. Furthermore, they have access to healing spells.
• + Versatile.
• - Units have to stick together to not expose weaknesses.
• - Lacking in long-range combat

Starting out, this might be just what you need to get the best of both worlds when it comes to Eldfall Chronicles!

The Thenian Coalition

As their lore below suggests, Thenrin are not familiar with the concept of professional standing armies, which is reflected in their play.

"Said to be the most mysterious of all the regions of the world, Thenion is one of the two lands occupied by the Rin peoples. As a contrast to the fairer Helrin, long exposure to a lightless life has rendered their skin ashen and their characters mischievous and individualistic with a thirst for fulfilment.

As the darkness spread in the Age of Dusk and crept ever closer to the shores of their homeland, a portion of the Rin peoples went in search of refuge and habitable lands. Swallowed by the persevering night, beaten by the sea which carried them and tormented by that which dwelled within it, they held on to hope and strength by glimpsing dimmed light only once per day. Thusly they endured what seemed like an unending odyssey, now thought to have spanned over a decade. Finally, on an especially clear night, they saw the fleeting moon and as if she herself illuminated them the way, they encountered the island and hoisted their sails. On it, they stumbled upon caverns and caved systems lit by purple and red lights, which emanated from thousands of crystals growing inside them.

They then sparsely went to the still shrouded cold surface, yet, whenever the moon would show herself, they celebrated the Moon goddess, Thea-Luna and her seven patron gods, marking the Lunar equinox as their main festival. They soon pledged to become children of the Moon. Therein originated from their name, as they are Thenrin, Rin of the Moon.

They began colonizing the systems underground and after time went on, they became an increasingly elaborate society, creating subterranean cities. Each is ruled by a matriarch, but in them, guilds also vie for influence. Their ethics contrast others of this world and are said to be unconventional, however, they are a people driven by passion, avidity, fierceness; a kind of tempest-like spirit that they inherited from the Night. They indulge their everyday life in many pleasantries of the under-cities, merrymaking and brawling their days and nights away. When they get serious, however, they are no strangers to skullduggery or cunning when it comes to achieving their ends. This is also their forte, as the Rin of the Moon are much sought after when planning subterfuges or other “delicate” matters.

The concept of a standing army is unknown to the Thenrin peoples; however, the guilds provide ample support in repelling external threat. Like their Helrin kin counterparts, they are deeply in tune with mana, but they by and large choose using mana latently, as a means of enhancing their physique, rather than spellcasting actively."

While their units are not particularly resilient, they are the fastest and most mobile of these four factions, excelling at roguish and guerrilla tactics.

Pros & Cons

• + Most can conceal themselves on the field: this allows them safety as well as the upper hand in attacking; allowing lots of ambushing and a guerrilla approach.
• + Many of their units can be deployed outside of their deployment zone.
• + Faster and more agile than other units (and can thus move more and are harder to hit) and excellent long and short-range offence.
• - Low health and armour makes them ‘squishy’ in an open confrontation.
• - As the Thenrin mainly use magic latently (which shows in some of their abilities), they will have limited access to spells.

Their units should allow you to engage the enemy from multiple directions, and employ all sorts of cunning and stealth against them.

The Sand Kingdoms

Their units are mostly all mages and each one of them can singlehandedly deal significant damage* to the enemy!

"The name Sand Kingdoms refers to the many lush and abundant city-kingdoms, positioned amidst what seems to be a lifeless desert in the west. Many believe it to be the cradle of all civilization on Calad. The Sand Kingdoms are not only the main source of magical knowledge, they are a lively melting pot of cultures and peoples as well as a whirlpool of trade, commerce and invention.

The current settlers laid their foundations atop abandoned remainders of ancient cultures; peculiar and grand, containing innumerate writings of old wisdom, precious relics of mysterious usage, but steeped with power and potential. As they gathered the writings, the cleverest among them started to make sense of them, practising rituals and incantations they could decipher. They knew that what they discovered was of endless value: a primordial force of nature itself, mana, the energy they learned to harvest and manipulate. Because the sand settlers inhabit the most sterile land in the whole of Calad, they are yet vigorous in keeping and broadening their understanding of the old arts as a means to survive.

In this quest for comfort in an unforgiving land, they have established a social order based on the merit of its inhabitants. The practitioners of magic (which is commonly referred to as arcana), are now known as arcanists. They oversee the workings along the chains of production and other matters of state, supporting other non-arcanists with their daily tasks. The governing bodies consist of the most adept arcanists.

The Grand Academy is the central governing force above the city-kingdoms called nomes. It is the main patron of the spellcrafting arts and is positioned in the capital Men’Nefer. It is an institution tasked with ensuring the prosperity of the nomes, as well as keeping the individual nomes and other external threats in check. In order to continue the cycle of generations, an even greater responsibility is the tutelage of the young who show any promise of becoming arcanists."

Their summoners will give you access to other creatures, which may fight and take damage in place of your ‘more valuable’ group members!

Pros & Cons

• + Vast access to magic grants them lots of versatility.
• + Magic allows them powerful mid-ranged combat and defence
• + They have access to summoners, who can summon various creatures to the field to protect the mages, or fight in their stead; outnumbering the enemy and making this faction particularly strong in the late-game.
• - Individually weak and fragile at close and long-ranged combat; however, this can be fixed with summoned creatures.
• - Getting to know all of the available spells and going through possibilities might make them harder to get to know at the get-go.

Knowing your units, their spells and how to keep them safe will play a crucial role in your battles.

*Some might be concerned that summoners and mages are over-powered. They are indeed strong, but mostly lack armour (lore-wise it inhibits their channelling of mana) and although their spells can reach far, they do not out-reach arrows and similar missile weapons.

Neutral Units

As well as the four factions presented above there will also be mercenaries, or Neutral Units, which can be recruited by any faction and might help you work out the best way to fill the gaps in your faction of choice.

Within the world of Eldfall Chronicles, you do have the two dominant factions of Humans (Sand Kingdoms and Empire Of Soga) and the Rin (Elves-But-Not-Elves from the Coalition Of Thenion and Helian League) but there are many more factions coming down the pipeline.

If you want to keep up-to-date with Eldfall Chronicles and see where the game is going then make sure to stay tuned here on OnTableTop plus also check out their Mailing List and follow them on social media via Facebook and Instagram.

Which of the factions speaks to you from the world of Eldfall Chronicles?