Persephone

　　Persephone, god of life Today we kick off the third segment in our five-part coverage of Shiny and Interplay's upcoming 3D real-time strategy game, Sacrifice. With each update, we've been profiling one of the five gods in Sacrifice, taking a look at the spells and minions they afford players who choose to stand by their side. We're also updating our Sacrifice coverage with screenshots that are specific to that week's god. Lastly, each update includes a voice sample of its respective god.

　　Shiny has only recently finished recording the dialogue in the game using the impressive pool of voice talent it managed to line up. We've already taken a look at the game's god of strife, Charnel, and the god of earth, James. Today we're profiling a unique deity in Sacrifice: Persephone, the god of life. Persephone rules over the land of Elysium, a world of rolling hills, lush forests, and fertile plains. She is a loving god who cares for her followers as if they were her own children, and yet she is swift to exact revenge on any who stray from the enlightened path. Persephone seeks only peace but will resort to violence and enact justice in its pursuit.

　　Spells

　　As a follower of Persephone and defender of Elysium, you'll be granted the art of mysticism, a very primal magic that focuses on the forces of life and the earth around you. Most of Persephone's spells involve healing or protection. However, her offensive spells can also be among the deadliest in Sacrifice.

　　Speed up: This spell is essentially the same for all five of the gods in Sacrifice. It provides its target with a quick burst of speed, and it is best used right before a surprise attack or when a hasty retreat is called for.

　　Wrath: Wrath is one of the first spells you'll master under Persephone. When cast, it discharges a brilliant ball of blue energy that homes in on the nearest enemy, inflicting a great deal of damage.

　　Heal: Heal is another spell that's shared by followers of all five gods. Any targeted creature will regain a portion of its health when this spell is cast.

　　Ethereal form: This spell will cause your wizard to take on the form of a ghost, making him immune to any attack whatsoever, whether it's physical or magical. While under the influence of this spell, you won't lose the ability to order your minions or to cast magic either.

　　Grasping vines: Grasping vines sends forth a tangle of heavy vegetation to rise from the ground and entangle any targeted enemy. These vines, thought to be the fingers of Persephone herself, will immobilize any creature within their grasp for a limited time.

　　Rainbow: More powerful than the standard heal spell, rainbow will daisy-chain itself from creature to creature and only restore the health of your followers.

　　Rain of frogs: A hail of these bouncy amphibians will rain from the sky to cover a small area of the land. The frogs will chase any nearby creatures, causing them to slow down before inflicting damage. Being simple-minded creatures, however, the frogs won't be able to tell the difference between your minions and those of another player.

　　Healing aura: The most powerful of Persephone's healing spells, healing aura will not only mend the wounds of a targeted creature but will also radiate outward and restore the health of any creature standing nearby. This spell's effect wears off after a short while.

　　Vine wall: Similar to grasping vines, vine wall calls forth a long wall of mighty tendrils that can ensnare a whole army of enemy creatures. And like grasping vines, the effects of this spell only last for a few moments.

　　Charm: Charm is the greatest gift Persephone can bestow upon her followers. With this spell, your wizard can make enemy creatures see the error in their ways and convert them to fight on your side. When used correctly, charm can quickly turn the tide of battle in your favor.

　　Meanstalks: When cast, a giant vine will erupt from the ground, grasp any targeted creature, and send it flying off into the distance. Most creatures can't withstand the deadly impact with the ground that follows.

Bestiary

　　By pledging allegiance to gods, you will not only have access to their lists of powerful magic spells, but you'll also be able to call upon their unique creatures to aid you in your conquests. All of the creatures available to your wizard within Sacrifice fall into one of 11 categories. They are pursuers, scouts, flyers, snipers, bruisers, support, bombers, siege, crowd control, juggernauts, and ultimate. Like all the gods, however, Persephone only has ten of these creatures, and she lacks a crowd control minion. Her army of faithful is capable of self-regeneration, and each unit is constantly regaining health at no cost in mana to you and your wizard. Here's a detailed description of each creature in Persephone's army.

　　Druid (pursuer): The only weapons carried by these melee fighters are their own two fists. While they will fight viciously to the death, they possess the power to create an aura of protection around them, which reduces the amount of damage they take.

　　Ranger (scout): These hunters and trackers will attack enemy creatures using their finely crafted bows and arrows. They also have the ability of divine sight, which reveals the location of enemy creatures, even when they're far away or hidden.

　　Shrike (flyer): The shrikes were once songbirds that graced the lands of Elysium with their pleasant tunes. While they look nothing like their former selves, the shrikes retain the gift of song and can stun any enemy creature with their melodious tunes. Like the druids, they can also protect themselves with an energy shield.

　　Scarab (support): While they look like deadly spiders, the scarabs can't actually inflict any pain. Instead, they can cast a healing web, which they shoot out at your own minions. Having two or three scarabs in a group of attacking units is a sure way to extend the life of your creatures and increase the effectiveness of your battles.

　　Troll (bruiser): Even though all of Persephone's creatures have the gift of regenerative health, the trolls can regain their life force incredibly quickly. They're also one of Persephone's most powerful melee fighters, which makes the trolls a deadly adversary indeed.

　　Gnome (sniper): The gnomes aren't originally from Elysium; they were brought to this land by Persephone ages ago. Inventive creatures, Persephone's gnomes have fitted each arm with a gigantic cannon that strikes enemies instantly, with no travel time whatsoever, though the rate of fire is slow. The gnomes are perfect for attacking moving targets at a distance.

　　Gremlin (bomber): Gremlins were the first creatures to be created on Elysium. Because they possess no true combat skill, they are best used to distract enemy wizards from casting magic spells. Gremlins can fling a thread of sticky web at any targeted creature and slowly pull the creatures toward them.

　　Mutant (siege): Mutants are abominations from Charnel's menagerie that have been accepted into Persephone's order. They reach deep within their abdomen and fling healing energy out toward the battlefield. This healing shower will only affect your own creatures and not the enemy's.

　　These aren't all the creatures in Persephone's menagerie. If you fall into favor with the god of life, she'll give you the ability to summon an additional two minions, which we'll let you discover on your own. Be sure to check back here next week for our next god profile, and as always, take a look at the rest of our Sacrifice coverage and the new screenshots by following the links in the upper right-hand corner of this page.