Deep in the ruins of the Ashen Temple sat the Stone of Bargamuth, one of Darren’s most coveted acquisitions that helped make him into the fabled craftsman that he is today.
Darren Vane
Grand Artisan Blacksmith
Story written by Daniel Gleason III
Darren scoffed and said, “Sorry to disappoint you friend, but I don’t spook so easily.”
Bargamuth was an ancient being, worshipped for his sway over fire and stone. But that was a long time ago, and Darren wasn’t one to believe in ghost stories. He stood before the ruined temple and hacked away at the vines obscuring the entrance, revealing a door with a runic message carved above it. He made his way inside, being wary of any pressure plates that may be waiting to trigger. He carefully made his way to the inner-sanctum, where an altar was located with a large stone bowl. If the rumors were true, then Darren would find the stone sitting at the base of the bowl. When Darren took the first step up to the altar, a booming voice broke the silence.
“Intruder! You dare enter my temple?! Begone before you face my wrath.”
A large gout of fire burst from behind the altar, revealing a flaming demon, who leapt at him in a fit of rage. Darren and the demon became locked in a grappling match as the hellion’s fire blasted towards him and scorched his hand, causing him to wince in pain. The demon then reached into the bowl at the center of the room, recovered the stone and snorted arrogantly.
Darren gritted his teeth in pain as he elbowed the demon in its ribs, causing the fiend to drop the stone. Darren then took the stone in his bloody hand and clobbered the demon into submission, causing it to scream in agony as it collapsed onto the altar.
Darren turned around and strode out of the temple with his prize. Once back at his workshop he took the stone that had saved his life and admired it, turning it over in his hands. “Sway over fire and stone, eh?” he thought to himself, “Let’s put that to the test.” He then fastened the stone to a hammer’s hilt and crafted the tool with which he would shape his future.
Gameplay
Darren’s gameplay centers around crafting powerful equipments to build up and boost your hero’s strengths. Darren starts off slow, he has below average attributes, and it can take time to collect and play all of your equipments, but once you do Darren can become one of the most powerful heroes in the game.
Even though most of Darren’s attributes are modest, his armor gain is higher than any hero. This damage mitigation can be a great way to ensure your survival into the late game, but be careful not to rely too heavily on your armor since magical damage will go straight through it.
Darren’s basic ability allows him to pull from a selection of basic equipments in the side deck. This is a great way to get a few tools at your disposal even if you get unlucky with your card draw. Try to hold out on playing equipments unless you need to, you don’t want to risk something being destroyed before you can combine it with one of your abilities.