Mission 01 - Whispers of the Source

## 01 - Whispers of the Source

Everything starts with a seed. Even a future threat to all the cosmos...

### Aftermath

Induction completed.* Karak included into the Source's trials for the Children of the Izlar.

## Belligerents

* Children of the Izlar

* Izlarian natives.

## Commanders

* Karak

* None

## Forces

* Guard warrior breed.
* Simple Colony, including Agarics
* Karak

* Scattered Zhogarn strains.

## Objectives

* Follow all of the Source's instructions in commanding a Zhogarn colony.

* None.

## Casualties and losses

Minimal
Minimal

## Involved Characters

* Karak
* The Source

> - "Why have I been chosen?"
> - "You assume you are the only one I have chosen for this task? You are wrong, I have chosen a hundred of you and you shall all be tested. Only the strongest of your kind will be favored."
>
> First exchange between Karak and the Transcendent Source

*Whispers of the Source* is the first mission of Chapter 03 - Cataclysm in the Five Nations campaign.

## Setting

Less than five months had passed since the unorthodox alliance between the United Federation and the Renegade Sylons had overcome the Thorun Empire forces within the Sedra System. In that meantime, while the United Federation had retreated from the system, as did the Renegade Sylons, the war between the Thorun Empire and the Athrael Theocracy continued on, unabated.

In the meanwhile, within the realm of the Izlar, a lone Alpha named Karak is called upon by the presence of the Transcendent Source, whom had announced her arrival to "rescue" the Children of the Izlar, trapped on the dying Chromosphere against their volition, and deliver them into a galaxy where all Zhogarn would evolve and multiply without threat.

She announced that Karak (as well as a hundred others) were chosen for this task, and all would be tested, with only the strongest to be favored in the end.

## Humble Beginnings

The Source would offer Karak a symbiotic reality, where all creatures would work together, to ensure survival. In essence, it was a Zhogarn simulacrum of virtual reality, which the Source used to train Karak into the basic aspects of colony and economic management and breeding minions via the largest - and most critical - of Zhogarn strains, the Argus and it's Spawns that would morph into creatures and colonies.

Karak would follow the Source's instructions as he received them... and thus would grow to be a capable, commanding Alpha, able to carry on to the final trial ahead.

## Walkthrough

This mission is basically a tutorial level for the player, teaching multiple aspects of playing with the Zhogarn faction.

Amongst the most important aspects are the importance of always hatch Spawns with the Argus, as a means of producing units and building structures. The Spawn's ability to hatch multiple units at once allows to skip queue lines seen in the infra-structure of other races. In addition, both the Argus and Spawns are mobile and can be moved to any location in the map, especially the Spawns that can avoid obstacles such as asteroids. Spawns also cost only Metal some some energy, but take no supply. Unlike all the other factions however the Zhogarns, when morphing structures, cannot bring in more workers to accelerate the building process.

Like the Thoruns their mining breed, the Worker, also cannot build structures, but like the Athraels they have no need of cargo vessels to return structures, the Digestivator instead converting all resources like the Mass Transmitter does. The Zhogarn, like all other factions, also make use of energy and supply by morphing Metabolists and Nutrient Colonies. In addition, the most basic structure needed to spawn Guards is a defensive one, the Agaric, which allows the Zhogarn player to readily advance in the tech tree and establish a defense of a resource field, all at once.

The player will be asked very simple things of the Source, such as creating Workers and building the needed structures until the Guards can be hatched, which she will ask for eight of them. The map can also be explored with enemies to fight, which Karak can handle most with ease, as long as the player isn't careless. One thing to notice, if the player decides to do so, is Karak's tendency to 'miss' shots with his attack, hence it's not recommended he handles groups of fighters all by himself. Karak, while also possesses, aside from the usual abilities of other Alphas, which are Adrenaline and Protective Cloud, the ability to spawn Banshees, suicidal units that deal potent area damage against other enemy units. However, while Karak has twice the health of Alphas, he has no shields of his own, hence it's recommended he's used as a support unit across the entire Chapter.

When the eight Guards are all spawned, the mission is finished.

## Notes

This is a mission that can also be fully accomplished without the player ever being asked to build a supply structure, as long as remaining below six Workers.