Armada – Northern Alliance And Varangur – Same Same But Different?

So you're excited about the release of the latest stunning new fleet to hit the high seas of Pannithor, but you're not quite sure which side of the icy cold fence you sit on.

Well let's delve a little into the background of both these mighty navies so you can decide for yourself.

Varangur

Many are the tales of woe told by the survivors of their attacks – stories of the arrival of dragon-headed ships, and the cold-hearted raiders they bear. In huddled dockside taverns across the northern provinces, men speak in hushed tones of the Varangur berserkers, who arrive in their longships, razing ports and pillaging all before them in the name of their god, Korgaan.

To the Varangur, the Northern Alliance are pretenders, whose cultured ways under the guidance of Talannar have broken with tradition, and are an affront to Korgaan. They most often come to blows upon the Frozen Sea – a treacherous ocean of scattered ice that has long been the hunting ground of the Varangur.

The fleets of the northern clans share their designs – ones that have served them well for centuries. Their sleek vessels often eschew heavy guns in favour of maneuverability and boarding equipment, striking swiftly into the heart of the enemy fleet that their hardy warriors might get to grips with the foe face-to-face. For the Varangur, this entails packing their decks with merciless, bloodthirsty warriors. Though they also employ cannons plundered from vanquished foes, each shot cursed by their mystics.

Northern Alliance

The Northern Alliance are often tarred with the same brush by those ignorant of the ways of the North. Their fleets are similar in appearance, and their ferocity in battle near equal. To those who fall prey to the dragonships of the North, what matter the identity of the conquerors?

In truth, though occasional alliances of convenience form between the clans, the two great factions are bitter rivals. To the Northern Alliance, the Varangur are savages, so consumed with warmongering in the name of their spiteful god that they are beyond reason.

For the Northern Alliance, much of the fighting is undertaken by the Icekin, doughty dwarfs, hulking snow trolls, and ogre mercenaries once boarded. This is not to say that their vessels are ineffective at range – what they lack in firepower, they make up for with enchanted shot. The Northern Alliance employ dwarf-forged weapons of prodigious power and great harpoons infused with deadly ice magic.

So who will you side with, the bloodthirsty Varangur or the slightly more reasonable, yet equally as ferocious, Northern Alliance?