New To Armada – Two Player Set – Learn The Lore

So, Sailor, you wish to set sail with Armada but you know little of the Pannithor universe? 

Worry not! Today we explore the lore around the courageous Basileans and marauding orcs.

The Basileans

Basilea is the greatest nation of men in Pannithor, and possesses arguably the best human navy. Their ships are certainly a sight to behold, with brilliant white sails and sculpted golden prows proclaiming their devotion to the Shining Ones.

Characterised by massive ships of the line, supported by an array of smaller, more specialised vessels, Basilean fleets are unlike any other human warfleets in both appearance and battle tactics. Like all human warfleets, however, the Basilean Navy depends upon sail for its speed and manoeuvrability. Their sailors are experts in bringing vessels alongside the enemy, or even crossing their bows, so that the gunners might unleash several decks of thunderous broadsides, delivering the divine wrath of the Shining Ones to their foes. Indeed, of all human fleets, it is the Basileans who both pioneered and perfected the tactic of breaking the enemy line, developing the Dictator-class warship for just that purpose. For the Basileans, victory alone is not enough – the enemy, should they be faithless, must be destroyed utterly.

Much like on land, the Basileans dedicate all they do to the gods. Some liken the Basilean ships to floating temples, which in the case of the larger vessels is literally true. Priests are assigned to every ship, blessing cannon-shot as it is loaded, and filling the crew with a sense of righteous piety as they go to war. In battle, the Elohi swoop overhead, their battle-hymns inspiring zealous fervour within the faithful, and dread in the wicked. Their most famous warships are emblazoned with names like Wrath of Domivar, Kolosu’s Glory, and Hegemon’s Fury – names that evoke a solemn and reverential pride in their crews, who would rather fight to the last sailor than abandon one of these glorious vessels.

The orcs

The orcs could never be considered a seafaring race, but from the day they gazed out across the sea and saw two warring fleets ablaze as cannons roared, their greatest Krudger declared: ‘Yessssssss!’ And so began the orcs’ naval adventure. 

The downside to Orcish ambitions were twofold: firstly, the Orcs couldn’t decide where to start, and every time they tried to make a plan, they simply fell to bickering and fighting. Secondly, not a single Orc had the first idea how to construct anything bigger than a raft, let alone how to sail it. Thankfully, both these problems had the same solution: Goblins.

All Orc vessels are designed by goblin Gadjits and built by a swarm of brow-beaten goblin workers. They vary hugely in design, cobbled together out of whatever raw materials lie close to hand, or from whatever enemy ships they can commandeer. As long as they follow the Orcs’ two cardinal rules (‘Make them faster,’ and ‘Make them more brutal’), the Orcs don’t really care what they look like. They simply represent a thrill-ride to a new and previously undreamt-of theatre of war. The thudding of long-guns; the roar of ships aflame; the screams of enemy sailors as they plunge into shark-infested waters… these are music to the ears of the Orcs, and the stuff of dreams.

To more civilised eyes, an Orc flotilla resembles nothing more than enormous piles of wreckage floating merrily along on the tide. Only when sails unfurl and the motley mountains of detritus change course and head directly towards them do most sea-captains start to worry. When the great hulks come closer still, and the massive prows reveal insane spinning sawblades, gigantic drills and ridiculously over-sized battering rams do they really start to panic. And rightly so – for up close, an Orc fleet is the most ludicrous and dangerous foe on the high seas. A foe that cares only for destruction and conquest for its own sake, and will go to any lengths to achieve it.