Infernal Host

Infernal Host
Information
Type	Conquering horde
Status	Active
Headquarters	Infernal homeworld

"Embrace the power of the Infernal Host, a warlike race of demonic alien invaders! Through Stormgates, they traverse dimensions, invading planets to exploit resources, drain their Animus, and bolster their ranks."

- Faction description^(src)

Infernal Host, otherwise simplified as Infernals or "demons" by humans, is one of the playable factions of Stormgate.

Overview

"Will humanity withstand the unbending will of the Infernal Host? Or are we doomed to suffer the fate of countless other species -- to be conquered and assimilated?"

- Faction description^(src)

An Infernal

The Infernals are an assortment of alien creatures and otherworldly lifeforms, absorbed into the Host through conquest.

Infernals are capable of using magic, which powers their weapons, and their forces rely on weight of numbers and savage tactics. Their biology is very different compared to humans', and they are apparently connected by a psychic link.

The Infernals travel through stormgates to descend upon unsuspecting worlds like a plague of locusts; harvesting resources, decimating resistance, and conscripting their mightiest foes. This is done to collect resources, most importantly, animus. Through their invasions, the Infernals' numbers are bolstered, as the indigenous lifeforms are absorbed into the Host. Infernals are summoned to the worlds they invade from the Infernal homeworld.

Culture

A warrior-race of star-spanning marauders, the Infernals are a violent, warmongering society. As domineering as the Infernals may seem, they believe they're serving a greater purpose: that strength in numbers and powerful magic will be necessary to save the universe.

The Host is bound by a strict code of conduct, valuing victory, strength, and loyalty above all else. Infernals live and die by the code of "victory at any cost." They do not believe that individual lives matter, and believe that the ends justify the means. As such, the Infernals will sacrifice any number of their own in order to achieve their goals.

History

"Fight. Cower. Either way, your world will fall."

- Warz^(src)

Infernal Host insignia

The Infernals have made their way across the galaxy in their never-ending pursuit of power. Entire civilizations have been subjugated by the Infernals, their worlds changed to match the Infernals' image. They are the sworn enemies of the Celestial Armada.

The Infernals arrived on Earth c. 4900 BCE, where they fought a war with the Celestial Armada. While the details of this war are unclear, the Celestials apparently defeated the Infernals and deployed the Suppressor, which prevented the Infernals from again accessing Earth via stormgate. In the aftermath, the Infernals became the basis of demon myths for various human cultures.

The Infernals invade Earth

Sometime in the early 2110s, an Infernal known only as "the Whisperer" used her patsies in the Sigma Program to disable the Suppressor, once again granting the Infernals access to Earth. A stormgate opened a portal to the Infernals' homeworld, allowing them to again invade the planet. The Infernals' use of magic was an enigma to humanity, which was unable to understand how they functioned, and the Infernals nearly succeeded in overrunning the planet. Humanity successfully defended Earth, but the planet was decimated in the conflict.

Twenty years after they reappeared on Earth, the Infernals remained hellbent on claiming the planet as their own. In the Host's minds, they were fully justified in their actions. Twenty years after the Infernals' initial incursion, Warz continued to lead the Host on Earth. Around this point or afterwards, the Celestial Armada arrived at Earth, and fought the Infernals for control of the planet.

Gameplay

Infernal units and structures

The Infernals are the most unit-centric faction in Stormgate. They are a "swarm-type" faction, fielding a large variety and number of units, and are suitable to players who value speed. Infernals produce units quickly, and are designed to overwhelm their opponent through force of numbers. However, there is a playstyle available where a small number of highly-powered Infernals is available. It has been indicated that the Infernals have a mechanic where they sacrifice their own units in order to gain greater power. While the Infernals have "swarm" elements, they are also suited to territory control. The Infernals are not recommended for first-time players.

The Shroud is a key mechanic for the Infernals. Every Infernal unit has a secondary health bar colloquially referred to as "white health" that fills up when the unit is within the Shroud, buffing them. This makes early-game harassment of the Infernals difficult. Generally, the "white health" is 25% of the 'core health.' The "white health" is restored when the Infernal is on the Shroud.

Infernal units build instantly, but each structure has only so many 'charges' to build a unit at any given time. As such, a player can spawn multiple units simultaniously if they have held off unit construction for a sufficient period of time.

Infernal structures are summoned by imps. The imp sacrifices itself to construct the structure.

Animus is a resource unique to the Infernals.

Structures

• Conclave
• Effigy
• Elder Shrine
• Greater Shrine
• Hellforge
• Iron Vault
• Meat Farm
• Ritual Chamber
• Shadowcleft
• Shrine
• Shroudstone
• Twilight Spire
• Wraithstone

Units

• Battle thrall
• Brute
• Burned One
• Chimera
• Dire mastiff
• Felhog
• Fiend
• Fire Giant
• Flayed Dragon
• Gaunt
• Harbinger
• Hellborne
• Hexen
• Imp
• Incarnate
• Magmadon
• Mist reaper
• Mortardon
• Shadowflyer
• Spriggan
• Weaver

Known Infernals

• Dagon
• Gorgana
• Maloc, leader of the Red Right Hand
• The Domina
• The Whisperer
• Warz

Notes

Infernals

• The Infernal Host's motivations for invading Earth will be revealed over the course of the game's storyline.

Development

• In late 2022, the concept team spent six weeks focusing on the visual development of the Infernals.
• The developers want to keep the Infernals "generally dark and gritty," but there's some areas where they want to have charm and levity.
• The Infernals' OST and sound palette was composed by Frank Klepacki. He intended the music to be eerie and unsettling, while also having an aggressive side to it. Some playfulness was included in the sound palette. The sound palette included chanting-esque effects, while the music uses synthisized sounds.

Inspirations

"The Infernal Host. These are the bad boys of the upcoming RTS, and if you were a Zerg main in StarCraft, I think they'll make you feel right at home. That home might be covered in spikes and actively on fire, but I'm not here to judge."

- Leana Hafer^(src)

• The Infernals have been described as a mix of the demons of the Diablo franchise with the zerg of the StarCraft franchise. Gameplay-wise, they are most akin to the zerg and Scourge from StarCraft and Warcraft III respectively, given their nature as a swarm-type faction.
• It has been indicated, if not by Frost Giant themselves, that the Infernals are representative of the Diablo IP as a whole.
• While not outright stated as such, the Host can also be compared to the Burning Legion from Warcraft; an army of various demons that has decimated numerous worlds. Notably, the Infernal is a Legion unit that debuted in Warcraft III.
• That Infernal units are summoned from their homeworld to the field of battle is similar to the protoss in StarCraft.