We were approached recently by Mike Davies, an active member of the WARMACHINE community and one of many players keenly interested in the forthcoming Dusk: House Kallyss army. Mike proposed that we entertain a community Q&A to help reveal a little more background on the Empire of the  Eternal Dusk, which we thought would be a great way to provide some additional insight to the newest faction in WARMACHINE without actually spoiling what will be in the upcoming army. So, we agreed to field any questions that did not contain specific questions about the upcoming army composition or  performance, and we would then try to provide as much color as we could regarding the origins of the Dusk, their attitudes, and how they relate to the  world around them. Mike then gathered questions from WARMACHINE community members…

• Where is Garryth in all of this? Is he still murdering round ears?

Garryth is officially MIA. If he is alive, he is keeping a low profile. Time may tell if he surfaces again, either amongst the quick or the dead.

• How does the Empire of Eternal Dusk view Elara? Is she a pariah who caused the Sundering or is she a hero who ushered in the new era?

If Elara survived the chaos she created, she is lying low and staying quiet. Certainly she does not have many friends amongst either the living Iosans or the other Eldritch, virtually all of whom would blame her for their unliving state.

• Will the Eldritch aesthetic continue to be ragged in appearance (following the tone of the MiniCrate undead Aiyana) or will they be more put together than your basic undead?

Living Dead Girl Aiyana is definitely on the extreme end of wear-and-tear for House Kallyss. However, as a general aesthetic, they do all show signs of age in their garments and armor. They do not, however, look like they just crawled out of the grave. More like…they’re trying hard to avoid it.

• Info about the existing Retribution warcasters and what became of them (dead, alive elsewhere, now Eldritch)?

The whereabouts and status of most of the Retributions warcasters is presently uncertain. A number will have fallen in the wars of the recent past and others may have risen as Eldritch. Some few may have been outside Ios when the gods perished and have been spared that fate. At this time, the specifics cannot be provided. Time may tell.

• How does the Empire view Cryx? Fellow undead bros or enemies who give the undead a bad name?

In general, the Dusk waste no love on Cryx. There is no alignment in their goals nor similarities in their culture.

• How does the new Dusk hierarchy view what is left of the Retribution forces outside of Ios and vice versa?

The Dusk inside Ios are beyond the old politics that once divided their society. They would likely see the remnants of the Retribution as potentially useful tools to further their own ends. The survivors of the Retribution themselves are likely to be in the midst of the kind of existential crisis we could only guess at. The gods are dead, their world has irrevocably changed, and they are exiles beyond the borders of their former nation. The most pragmatic amongst them may yet align themselves with the more benevolent factions within Dusk society, such as the masters of House Kallyss.

• How is society in the Empire laid out? Are soulless seen as second-class soul snack citizens and Eldritch the elite?

The eldritch have divided themselves into houses made up of individuals with similar views and intentions. These houses make up the power structure within Eldritch society. The soulless are indeed viewed as second-class citizens who exist to serve the needs and ambitions of their masters. It is a role the dispassionate soulless are only too willing to play.

• How do the Seekers view the events of the Sundering—both on an organizational level and individually?

Like the Retribution, the Seekers have lost their purpose. Most of those who survived the death of the gods and who were not transformed into Eldritch have likely focused their energies on safeguarding their people and preserving Iosan history and higher learning. As you will see, some few have actually dedicated themselves to aiding the more altruistic elements of Dusk society. Such work is dangerous, however, and not all amongst the living are forgiving of those who collaborate with the Eldritch.

• We know that the Dawnguard took the Abyssal Fortress from the Skorne, what are they doing now after the Sundering?

Those who survived have dedicated themselves to defending one of the last strongholds of the living Iosan outside of Ios. They are likely quite insular, thinking more about survival than any political motivations or grand designs.

• Is there any religious presence in the Empire that has taken the place of the dead Iosan pantheon?

Amongst the old, bad Eldritch there maybe yet a cult of Nyrro still pantomiming Iosan rituals, but for the most part the Eldritch are beyond worship of their dead gods. That road is dominated by loss and sorrow.

• What are the driving goals of the Empire of Eternal Dusk?

House Kallyss, specifically, believes it was a mistake that the Retribution failed to stand by the human kingdoms during the Claiming. The repercussions inflicted upon the Iosan people in the wake of the infernal apocalypse might have been avoided. Now, House Kallyss seeks to earn its place among the Iron Kingdoms by aiding in the protection of Immoren from the Orgoth invaders. But they have far to go before they will gain the acceptance of their neighboring nations.

• Is Goreshade really dead this time?

Only time will tell.

• Is anyone on staff going to get to sculpt Eldritch Elara?

Get back to work, Hamilton! We know this was you!

• How many Houses are there in the Empire of Eternal Dusk? Do we have names for them already?

We will feature two Dusk houses in WARMACHINE. For now, the second house remains obfuscated, even to us…

• Does Dusk still blame humans for the fall of most of the elven gods?

The Claiming revealed many truths about the relationship humanity has with the gift and the inaccurate assumptions the Retribution had made about how that affected their gods. House Kallyss has come to terms with the hubris they exhibited in life and hopes to put that behind them in their new, transcended existence.

• Will they remain technologically advanced? Cygnar in particular seem to have made massive strides technologically.

House Kallyss inherited the technology of their predecessors and will continue to build on that, though they are not as motivated by progress as the Retribution or many other human kingdoms.

We’d like to thank Mike Davies and everyone who offered up questions for this Q&A! We’re sure this is only the first of many that we’ll do in the future.

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