8th Level Monsters

            All was silent and quiet in Erathia for a long time while both the forces of darkness and the forces of light did not intervene. But the forces of darkness grew impatient, desiring power and control over Erathia. And what is the best way to subdue the world? Force! So in order to bring their new devilish order to the world, terrible mutants were brought to life-- monsters of 8th level. And to stand against them, the forces of light were forced to do the same.

Basic Description:

All 8th level monsters are divine in essence, and therefore cannot be recruited the same way other monsters are recruited. To recruit 8th level monsters it is necessary to capture a dwelling of the appropriate monster. To do so, you will have to battle against several 8th level monsters. Immediately after capturing a dwelling it is possible to recruit the monster into the hero's army. If you delay, the monster will no longer be available there and after the initial recruitment, you will also no longer find them at their dwelling.

However, on day one of each week, for each 8th level external dwelling controlled by the player, one 8th level monster from that dwelling will be available to be recruited from any town owned by the player in which the appropriate 7th level dwelling has been built. However, this is a total number of these monsters available to the player that week, regardless of which town or towns owned by the player they are recruited from. For example, if you control two Storm Temples and also own two Tower castles, each with a 7th level dwelling built, you could recruit 1 Lord of Thunder at each castle, or 2 at one and none at the other as you choose. Note that the presence of one or more 8th level monsters at a 7th level castle dwelling is in addition to the 7th level monsters there and not instead of them.

The 8th level monsters have an extreme level of individuality and because of this you may only recruit one at a time, and if not recruited during the week, their number will not add to the following week's. Thus, if you have two external Storm Temples, then after recruiting one Lord of Thunder, the second one will become available. Also realize, that if you try to recruit 8th level monsters by clicking on the castle in the town screen where all monsters of all levels can be recruited, you will not find them; they can only be found by clicking directly on the 7th level dwelling in the town screen.

Each time an 8th level dwelling is captured by a different player, the new owner has the opportunity to immediately recruit the 8th level monster there even if a monster has already been recruited this week by another player.

Supreme Archangel (Castle)

One day, the Knight Orrin received an order to deliver a message to the neighboring kingdom. Life was peaceful, and so he took only one Archangel and a few Crusaders as guards for his journey. This seemed more than enough protection so Orrin set off. On the second day of his journey, a completely unfamiliar fiery monster suddenly arose from beneath the ground. The fight was short and deadly. Although the Archangel resurrected brave Orrin's crusaders, his small army was still unable to resist so strong an enemy. Orrin's troops were defeated and Orrin, wounded by the beast, was finally forced to flee. With great effort he eventually reached his native kingdom.

This story might have been quickly forgotten had not two circumstances determined the further course of events:

The monster that attacked Orrin and his troops had never been seen or heard of before. It was incredibly powerful and had the terrible ability to steal an enemy's soul;

The Archangels' honor was at stake, since one of them had fallen in an unequal fight. Orrin prayed long and hard with the clerics and called for protection from the Heavens. Although usually silent, this time the Heavens answered his call and sent a boon: new powers were granted to some Archangels. And that is how the Erathian Supreme Archangels came to be. Their new ability and improved resurrection skills further increased the morale of the armies they accompanied.

Diamond Dragon (Rampart)

Beginning one fateful day, affairs in the rampart went wrong. For unknown reasons, gems began to vanish. The situation threatened to get out of control, as these gems were absolutely necessary for the rampart’s building needs. The community of the Elder Dendroids agreed that they had need of the wisdom of the Magic Wood, so they decided to travel there and ask for help.

Having reached the Wood, they asked for guidance and were led to the base of a cliff where they were amazed by what they saw: the dazzling beauty of a dragon from whose mouth, instead of sulfur fumes, came fire and jewels. The Magic Wood granted the Elder Dendroids one of these sparkly dragons and the inhabitants of the rampart gratefully accepted the gift. In addition to the gems it provided, the new dragon proved a powerful ally.

Later, the reason for the missing gems was found out. A black knight spy from the necropolis had been stealing them! But he was caught in the act, and was seized, and hung from the nearest tree where he soon became a barbecued lesson for other would-be spies.

Lord of Thunder (Tower)

A titan once got caught in a thunderstorm on his way home. He paid it little attention, for as everyone knows, titans are so hardy that an act of nature can’t normally harm them. The horrible lightning struck him in the head and crackled through is body, exiting through his foot. This did not faze him at all and he continued on his way. Ten minutes later he got into an ambush with power liches. There were a lot of them and their quantity might become their best quality. The titan did not know dialectics, and so their numbers did not deter him. Being a soldier of fortune, he had agreed to lose his life in a battle and started fighting.

While fighting, he began to realize that the power liches’ death cloud caused much less harm to him than usual. In addition to taking less damage, our titan hero discovered he was now able to attack twice as often as his opponents. As the undead losses mounted higher, the power liches started to fall back, unsure if they could win. And while their optimism dropped, the titan's grew, until suddenly he found that he had exhausted his supply of thunderbolts. What to do? There was only hand-to-hand combat now and so the titan rushed bravely into the thinned crowd of enemies. And threw as another surprise! Every stroke that hit an opponent was accompanied by a bolt of powerful lightning that came down from the clear blue sky. The fight ended in victory for the titan.

Having returned, he told all about the miracle that happened to him. The elder mages consulted and conferred and finally decided that this could not have come about without the intervention of higher Elemental Forces. And since that time, titans who have been found worthy have followed the Divine Call and gone on a journey of empowerment. They have constructed storm temples in far off places amidst the fiercest of storms. While dwelling within these temples that struck many times a day by the bolts of lightning, the titans have gained their new powers.

Antichrist (Inferno)

Some people refer to the dark forces as "disturbers of calmness" because they cannot be content any place where around them is peace and harmony.

In the deepest and darkest levels of Hell, the forces agreed to create the new perfect monster that could subdue Erathia and all adjoining lands. And no sooner said than done. In the world has appeared the antichrist -- an awful fiery monster against whom no other spirit could stand. His authority over souls is practically boundless.