Over the summer we have rolled out a large update and expansion of Arelith along at the foot of the Dark Spire Mountains. This includes a greatly improved Brogendenstein, home of the Golden Halls and seat of the Earthkin Alliance.

A player-formed political union of the dwarves, halflings and gnomes of Arelith, with lands that now cover much of central Arelith, from the village of Bendir Dale in the east, to the sprawling Brodendenstein upon the western shores. Playling any of these races (and many of their respective subraces) brings with it the option of taking a whole different point of entry to Arelith, whether one is an old player looking for a fresh perspective on the game world, or a new player that prefers to begins to start in a highly thematic setting.

And the work has been....extensive, to say the least.

The Town of Brogendenstein

Situated along the western shore, where the mountain meets the sea, this town serves as the approach the halls themselves.

The Town of Brogendenstein is overseen from the central Earthkin Keep, the new start location for all Earthkin races. With a thriving market, a number of player shops, and ample housing be it for individual or guilds, this is designed very much as the hub of all early play within the setting.

The Town Port connects the town to much of the isle.

At the port one can access Arelith's unique sailing system, or use (and possibly even purchase) the 'Heathhouse Tavern', a player run inn where one can interact with, and possibly master, the career as a barkeep - preparing and serving rare and expensive beverages from across Faerun. Here, as with elsewhere in the town there are also henchmen for hire, those those with leadership skills enough to recruit them.

The Golden Halls

The Golden Halls are one of the oldest, and most heavily guarded, player-strongholds on Arelith

The seat of the Dwarven Thane - one of Arelith's player run settlement locations, is based within the Golden Halls, this massive structure sits between the port town and the Dark Spire Mountains above. As adventurers progress in experience there are many dangers to face in the higher mountains, while for those that do visit the region the halls provide a place of welcome rest and safety in an otherwise deadly environment. Within the Golden Halls themselves there are extensive histories of Brogendenstein, as well as exquisite homes for Brogendenstein's most prestigious dwarven clans, and a new battle arena for those earthkin willing to test their mettle in gladitorial combat.

The Great Grotto

The Embassy of Lantan sits atop the Great Grotto, and is Brogendenstein's point of political contact to the larger realms, and a worthwhile ally.

Brogendstein runs deep, very deep, in fact. As in the Mithral Hall there exists a lonstanding alliance between the svirfneblin (deep gnomes) and the dwarves, one of mutual protection against the many enemies of their races that lay in wait below. The Great Grotto is dug within caverns far below the town, and themselves connect to the svirfneblin village yet deeper.. A quite different environment to the Dark Spires or tranquil town above, but one that serves as Brogendenstein's own gateway to the horrors (and wonders) of the Underdark.

The Svirfneblin Village of the Underdark

The Dungeons

The Haar Home is where the living mist forms along the sea caves before drifting out each dawn into Brogendenstein Bay

Of course no update would be complete without a large amount of dungeon content, and this is no exception, from new wilderness areas to the dungeons like Haar Home (pictured), the Court of Spires, and the foul troglodyte infested Oorlich, there are a great many new dungeons, and over a dozen new writs (quests) for characters to complete during their experience in Brogendenstein. This update also introduced many new creatures and entirely new models, some of which have been custom made for Arelith (like the menacing Vargouille) or added from the community managed NWN Vault.

As always one can learn more about Arelith on the player-run Arelith Wiki, our forums, or the partnered Discord channel.

IF YOU ARE NEW TO ARELITH - Likely you may be asking yourselves questions as to what exactly we are, and possibly...what the catch is? Well the history of NWN and it's Enhanced Edition is an interesting one, that I can' really cover here, suffice to say the game was released as a digital sourcebook in an era where big name RPG's were a little less interested in hoovering up your cash, and more in supporting world and campaign builders. Because of this brief, wondrous moment in PC gaming history we are at liberty to make our own Forgotten Realms content using the NWN engine - a vast, and ever expanding library of resources to create living, breathing online modules - be they persistent worlds like Arelith, or just Dungeon Master and friend groups creating and running their own campaigns. You can learn about Arelith from countless media articles, website threads and fan videos, some of which might say we are the very best online D&D experience out there, while others might insist we are blight on the fabric of gaming, but the important point to know for a first time user is that...we're free. We don't profit from sales of the base game, and there are no transactions or subscriptions or premium content of any kind. We're just RPG gamers, looking for an in-character online D&D experience. Our DMS, Coders, Digital Artists working within a staff of over 70 do it all voluntarily, for the love of the game.