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Laugh while you can, Luclin. In five hundred years, you and your whole frickin' moon get blowed up. All the Akhevans who worship you, all those bubble-headed Centi alien creatures, all those weird red-skinned cavemen, those mana-sucking mind worms, it all goes kablooey. But you know all about that, don't you? Because when that world-enveloping storm, the Maiden's Scar, swept through this old Akhevan city of Ka Vethan, and left behind the Akheva Ruins we know today, and all your four-armed, sexless minions ran off in terror to Vex Thal, you just stopped caring. Let it all blow up, you screamed in your dark joy. Let them all die.

The Akheva Ruins, that old stronghold of the Akheva made of crystallized shadow, a once-living shrine to their mistress and creator, the Dark Maiden Luclin, is in shambles. Though seen today mainly as the level 50 to 55 hot zone, it's still a place of dark mystery and lore, explored in EQPlayer's latest entry in its "Into the Depths" series exploring the lore behind EverQuest zones. One thing they don't mention? How great Centi Toes taste in stew!

The Lineage II team is hard at work on the next expansion, the first of three dealing with the dark land to the west of Aden, Gracia. This dire land, infected by the evil summoned forth to balance the calling of the Kamael by the goddess Eva, is wild, wide, and scarcely ever explored. Now, Gracia's evil is creeping beyond its shores, and the fate of the entire world is at stake.

In advance of the formal announcement of the expansion in August, NCsoft has let slip some of the lore behind Gracia, Part 1. You can read the entire thing, right here, after the break -- and check out the screen shots as well.

The blogger who's titled himself "Lume the Mad" (ahem) has an interesting take on the lore surrounding World of Warcraft's lore for the Burning Crusade as a whole, and the patch 2.4 content drop in specific. According to Lume, Blizzard needs to make a better effort in the future towards keeping everything in-game. As it stands, the final encounter in the Sunwell dungeon is nigh-incomprehensible if you're only using in-game references. The final interplay between Kalecgos, Aveena, and Kil'jaeden is perfectly understandable if you follow WoW Insider's excellent "Know Your Lore" series, but otherwise you'd have to read a few graphic novels to get the full effect of the dungeon's climax.

Lume compares this storytelling to the way that the television show Lost approaches lore. There are pieces of story spread around various types of media - videogames, books, websites, podcasts - all of which expand on the Lost world. The key is that none of these 'extra' components are integral to the television show's story. They enhance, rather than prop up, elements of the show's plot. In WoW, that's not the case - you need to read these manga, effectively, to really get what's going on. As we look forward to seeing a lot of Arthas in Wrath of the Lich King, let's hope the company keeps in mind what players have and haven't seen to date in-game.

In a game that is mostly arena PvP between giant bipedal robots, we'd imagine that would be about all we'd need to know, right? We have all we need in the game with giant weapons, mechanaught add-ons and a hundred different ways to blast holes in our enemies. Or do we? Well, as it turns out, Exteel actually has a back story, and you can find it over at GameZone.

In this story, we learn about the struggle between four colonies on the recently-inhabited planet of Natha. Each of these colonies has their own ideals and their own reasons for warring against the others. Some are refugees from Mars, some from Saturn and some from Jupiter, but they're all at war with each other. The reason they were once unified has crumbled away, and now they must continue their skirmishes in their metal behemoths until a resolution is found.

CCP has announced a weekly series of chronicles -- short lore stories -- related to the EVE Online's Empyrean Age expansion. The first four will tell stories about the motivations of the heads of the four factions in this new time of war. The final chronicle will focus on regular ol' capsuleers.

The first chronicle -- titled "Silent Furies" -- is available now. It's a talky story starring Sanmatar Maleatu Shakor, the head honcho of the Minmatar faction. Check it out if you're really into EVE lore. Needless to say, though, you don't need to know any of this stuff to just log in and blow people up.

In the event that you do read it, CCP has provided an official forum thread for chronicle-related discussions.

"With the enemy at their heels, the High Elf armies pour into Dragonwake and race to the old temples and holy sites to rouse the slumbering titans of the skies. The Dragons are among the High Elves' mightiest weapons, and their wrath will surely be terrible when they behold the treacherous armies of the Witch King burning and pillaging the lands of Ulthuan. But the Dragons' slumber is deep indeed, and there is no knowing whether they will ever take to the wing again."

In the world of Warhammer Online. in the east of Caledor, where the mountains give way to hills and grass, dragons slumber the ages away. Above their deep caves, the High Elves battle the Dark Elves for their very survival. Will the High Elves manage to rouse the Dragons to their aid before the forces of the Witch King turn them to the side of chaos? What will Malekith find on the Isle of the Dead -- his own destruction, or power beyond the imagination?

Read all about it in EA Mythic's overview of the eldritch, war-torn land known as Dragonwake.

Hail, fellow onlookers! (IE: Those of us not in Warhammer Online beta). Last month's news about the Advance on Altdorf has kept our breath at bay. You can breathe easy, there will be no peace. In this latest dispatch concerning the Aegis of the Oathbearers and Bloody Sun Boyz it indicates that the Greenskins and Dwarfs took up arms against one another clashing for the first time in over half a year. Further tasty lore bits and new images from the beta can be seen over on the Warhammer Herald.

It's hinted that the next focus test will involve guilds. This is exciting news, and maybe some guilds that won invites last April will finally reap their better later than never reward. For older but still damn good Warhammer news, and I mean a metric ton of exclusive Warhammer information, check out our Massively goes to WAR coverage. A detailed list on what the latest round of beta testing focused on resides after the jump.

Deep in Ronfaure, a fallen knight looks around at the bodies of his fellows on the battlefield, then catches sight of a dark horse nosing through the bodies. Dark Ixion, the lightning-wielding heroic notorious monster of legend, has returned to Final Fantasy XI Online's world of Vanadiel, and death is riding by his side.

"The raging flame, whose lapping tongues but a moment ago had threatened to scorch the underbelly of the sky, had regressed to wisps of smoke unfurling hypnotically in the cool breeze. An elderly knight, a veteran of countless campaigns, lies half buried in smoldering debris with limbs entangled with those of fallen friends and foes, his pallid complexion masked in the grey and crimson of ash and caking blood. He stares with glazed eyes at clouds drifting lazily across the dusk sky, his head swimming in the mingled smell of rusted metal, burnt foliage, and death. The faint whistling of the wind is a soothing song compared to the horror-filled shrieks that accompanied the sickening sound of flesh and bone giving way to tempered steel."

Read the rest of the fallen knight's story and his encounter with the legendary beast!

TenTonHammer has done a well-timed interview with Tony Gonzales, Lead Writer for EVE Online, who as of next week will be the published author of a sci-fi novel titled The Empyrean Age. The novel ties in with the namesake game expansion that CCP rolled out just days ago; both the novel and the game deal with the strife of all-out galactic warfare between the four races of New Eden.

Gonzales talks about how he began as a volunteer writer for CCP Games, churning out fan fiction a cut above the rest and catching CCP's eye in the process. He discusses the challenges of making The Empyrean Age novel accessible to any fan of sci-fi, particularly those who are not familiar with the setting of EVE Online and the serendipity of 'being at the right place at the right time.' Have a look at the TenTonHammer interview and get an idea of the universal conflict Tony Gonzales brings to readers and gamers alike in The Empyrean Age. If you're interested in a sneak peak before the June 19 release date, TenTonHammer also has an excerpt from the novel at their site.

Via EVE Online

Back in the day when a 500 Mhz processor was fast, we were lulled into these weird online universes with multitudes of golden tongued promises. "Play online with thousands of others!", "Make a hero and save detailed and vast worlds!", and, my favorite, "Live in an persistent universe where your actions will have long lasting effects!"

Certainly, two of those promises have come true. Our worlds are traveled by thousands upon thousands of users daily, and the characters we have created are truly the stuff of legends who have saved these vast worlds countless times. But the one thing that has still eluded us all this time... persistence.

The funny thing is, it's not because we can't program or realize persistence in our games. We have the technology and expertise to do that just fine. We don't have persistence because persistence isn't profitable.

Have you ever been wandering around in the world of Middle-earth, only to stumble upon something grand? A hidden ruin, perhaps, or something you recognize instantly from the books? The Lord of the Rings Online forum-goers are calling these "hidden nuggets"; a lengthy thread on the official site is acting as a trading hub for in-jokes and special places, Lore-specific areas going back and forth like trading cards. Berephon, the resident "Lore-monkey" gets in on the act, confirming some notes and correcting misconceptions. Most interesting is his reference to their purposeful tweaking of some of the direct-from-the-books tales. They didn't have a license for every part of the original trilogy, meaning some minor changes were necessary to keep things distinct.

Two other threads caught our eye as we were enjoying the 'hidden nuggets.' In a continued Lore theme, players are discussing some of the open-ended portals the developers have left into the rest of the world. Much speculation surrounds where the developers will take us next, a discussion we've had on the site before. For example, that "huge door south of Michel Delving" ... where will it lead? Developers jump in once in a while, offering their own views on future map expansion. A final thread worth checking out is great if you're a LOTRO fan heading to Gen Con this August. Some of the development crew will be on-hand for a "Challenge the Lore-masters" event; a great chance to go one-on-one with your fellow Tolkien nerds. The event is likely full up, but onlookers are always welcome at those sorts of get-togethers.

Clear Skies is a groundbreaking machinima produced by Ian Chisholm, which takes place entirely within the galactic setting of EVE Online, known as New Eden. Any attempt to lump Clear Skies in with your run-of-the-mill machinima would be a disservice to the scope of the work; the film clocks in at just under 40 minutes and was a labor of love for two years in the lives of its creators.

Clear Skies follows a trio of down-and-out misfits who've seen no end of bad luck. John Rourke is the obstinate captain of the Clear Skies, a Tempest class battleship manufactured by the downtrodden Minmatar race of New Eden. Rourke's attitude toward his hazardous chosen lifestyle is cavalier, although this does not sit well with his friends among the crew. Solomon Burke is the pessimistic ship's engineer, while Charlie Fodder -- a gunner with an ironic name -- does his best to keep the crew alive. Typical of life in New Eden, Fodder is doomed to remain a rather busy man.

Your Tempest of Set has been set down and your Dark Templar's gone dark. You've really gotten into this whole Conan thing but the Age of Conan servers are down for maintenance. Now what are you going to do? Well, you're sitting at your computer so you could check out the wealth of online forums, fansites, wikis, whatever, that are devoted to the game. But if you really want to dig into Conan and his world you're in luck because there has never been a better time to immerse yourself in Hyboria.

Of course, the best way to learn about Conan is to read the stories written by Robert E. Howard. Howard completed 21 Conan stories between 1932 and his suicide in 1936. Although his writing style may sound somewhat stilted and some of the cultural attitudes about women and non-Europeans prevalent when he lived may be offensive to the modern reader, his work holds up remarkably well. Howard was an exceptionally evocative and imaginative writer with a marked ability to bring his extravagant settings to life. There's a reason why the creation of a pulp fiction author living in a small rural Texas town has not only survived for decades but has become so well known that it's the basis for a best-selling MMO from a game company based in Norway. The original Conan stories are well written and exciting. The problem has been finding them.

Having the most available classes and arguably the best racial abilities in The Lord of the Rings Online, the Race of Man is also the most popular. So it can be hard to find a decent name for your human. Everyone wants to be a hero, for their character to be great and achieve fame and glory. But can you do this without naming your character "Aragorrn" or "Boromier"? You bet! This guide will take you through finding the perfect first name and surname for your man or woman.

Unlike the other races, a member of the Race of Man's name relies heavily on its origin/nationality. A man from Dale's name is going to sound nothing like the name of a man from Bree. The conventions for both the first names and surnames are highly varied between each culture. This is mostly due to the fact that men live such short lives and live so far away from each other, and also due to war, which has separated members of the race greatly. The cultures of the four nationalities are so varied that if you want a lore-appropriate name for role-playing, you will have to choose the name first based on your character's chosen nationality. With the other races, this isn't as important.

According to Turbine's most recently highlighted The Lord of the Rings Online Lorebook entry, even Ents can turn to the proverbial dark side. One might think that even if they did, it would take them such a long time to work out how to kill you that they wouldn't be much of a threat. Unfortunately, you'll hear a different story from anyone who's faced the dour-root -- or Huorn, as some call it -- in Agamaur.

To be more specific, the monster is an Elite Master boss encounter in the Lone-lands' Garth Agarwen instance. It's probably not the first killer tree encountered by most LotRO players. That honor most likely goes to the Warped Oaks in the Old Forest.