Monsters, Part Two

9 Dragons Developer Journal: The Monsters

This is the third in a series of exclusive articles for MMORPG introducing 9Dragons.

9Dragons is the first authentic martial arts massively multiplayer online game. Think of the world of House of the Flying Daggers, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or even Kwai Chang Caine from TV’s Kung Fu series in the 70’s (If you are old enough to remember it!).

In the last article I took you through the general monsters that are around and also some of the specific monster clans that are in the game 9Dragons.

If after reading this article you want more information, take a look at the North American site www.9Dragonsgame.com or for the European site go to www.9Dragonsonline.com. Acclaim and Persistent Worlds are launching the game simultaneously across both America and Europe later this year.

In the last article I explained that in 9Dragons the monsters also have their own clans, at least the more dangerous ones! There are five major monster clans in 9Dragons. They are the Clan of Secret Shadows, the Clan of Death Valley, the Clan of the King of Hell, the Clan of Beasts, and the Clan of the Golden War. I took you through two of the major clans, the Secret Shadows and the Clan of Death Valley. Now let me take you through the final three.

The Clan of King of Hell
Hell is a hidden valley deep in China. It is called Hell because in the valley are many monsters and zombies. These have been created by Mei San-He, the ruler of the eastern side of the valley, in his war with the black clans. It is said that he created them by demonic experiments on human bodies. No one knows for sure but one thing is certain, it is a very dangerous place indeed.

First you have to contend with the stone-skinned demons. Since they are some kind of zombie, their intelligence is pretty low but with all that extra armor they are very good at close-range fighting. You have to be very tough to go toe-to-toe with one of these.

If you get past them, then there are the Blood-clawed demons. They must be among the ugliest demons in the valley (but it’s not wise to tell them that!), and they are the fastest too, but not the smartest. Ugly and dumb, what a combination! However, they have a special power in their claws. These are loaded with poison and so fatal that they always have the Black Clans members’ blood on them. You have been warned!

Next comes something even weirder, Four-armed demons. The attacking power from those arms is deadly and even worse still, they move fast. So unless you are a very skilled martial artist you better think twice about tackling one of these!

Should you survive that, you would then have to face the Crippled demons. When they first appeared people had pity on them. Wrong! Although they are crippled and slow, they can change their forms with the power of black sorcery and their martial arts skill is legendary. Do not be fooled into thinking that you could take these on easily!

And those were just the warm up act! Past them you get to meet the Dungeon guardians – they were all weapons masters, before Mei San-He blinded them and dominated their will with his demonic powers. Even though they can’t see, their other senses are superhuman and their powers are humongous. They will guard their rulers without fear and massacre any players who dare to come near the valley.

Then there is Mei Sam-He himself. Known as the Iron Claw because of the favorite weapon he uses in combat. Only the very strongest of teams would make it through his dungeon to come face to face with him. He possesses a vast treasure room that is full of exciting articles for players to claim. If they live that long! Rumor says that he was an axe master of Lu-Lin clan, but disappeared during the War of 9Dragons. Either way the King of Hell is a formidable foe.

The Beast Clan
Enter Nan-Qiang and you will find beautiful open countryside. You will also find more ferocious wild animals than you can shake a stick at it! And living with these animals are the clan members of the beast clan. The Beast clan members usually ride various wild animals from tigers to elephants. The animals they ride enhance their attack skills, their speed and their power. The few Beast warriors who don’t ride animals are usually slower than riders, but more powerful and carry heavier weapons. In general, the Beast clan members excel at close-range combat. Having teeth and claws ripping into your side can be quite a distraction for a martial arts master!

If you can find your way alive through the beasts and warriors in the countryside you may find the entrance to the clans headquarters. By the way, there you will also find the most significant members of the beast clan warriors. The White Tiger riders and the Black Bear riders. No prizes for guessing what you are going to face with them! They are some of the most skilled riders in the clan, and the tigers and bears have the most powerful attacks.

Once past them you get to the two personal bodyguards of Zhurong, the clan’s leader.

Yan-Niu Gui is one of the largest men you will ever see. Not only is he huge but he is also so strong that he can wield a great sword or war axe in one hand as easily as a normal man would use a toothpick. He attacks at an astonishingly fast rate and only the very nimblest will be able to avoid him.

Oh, but I did say there were two bodyguards. While fighting off Yan you might suddenly find his friend and counterpart Ye-Shou Gui.

Ye-Shou Gui is a giant werewolf, who has the power and mind of a merciless beast. Even a simple attack from his sharp claws can easily kill the best player in 9Dragons. You are going to have to make sure that your tactics are well planned if you want to get past these two. Guarded as it is, by these two powerful creatures, the ‘Palace of the Beast’ cannot easily be infiltrated.