Shale Lord

Shale Lord
Rice	500
Water	150
Yang	2
Melee	Blunt
Missile/Ranged	None
Strengths	Cutting (-75%), Blunt (-75%), Fire (-75%), Piercing (-50%)
Weaknesses	Explosive (+100%), Magic (+50%)
Passive	hi Regeneration: The unit can naturally heal to full health and does so slightly faster than normal.
Passive	Great Height: The Shale Lord always enjoys height advantage even when fighting on level ground. Battle Lust: While fighting, the Shale Lord will slowly regain stamina. Fists of Fury: The Shale Lord destroys buildings with great potency. Slow Regeneration: This unit heals to full health though does so slower than normal

"He fights like a behemoth! I say we're lucky he's on our side!" — Wildeye

The Shale Lord is a Zen Master of the Wolf Clan.

Background

Among most members of the Wolf Clan, it is believed that this walking stone beast was actually once one of their kind, a Wolf named Hightongue for his eloquent speeches and sharp insults. Hightongue was around before the enslavement wars between the Wolf and Serpent/Lotus Clans, and he was often the most outspoken and vocal slave of them all.

He became notorious among the Serpent and Lotus Clan enslavers for causing too much trouble and was thus "given" to a Lotus Clan magician called Soban, who experimented on him in an attempt to create the perfect miner. Soban's experiments on Hightongue are rumoured to have left him with skin of stone. Hightongue was never seen again after the night of Soban's experiment, but the stone-skinned creature would often be seen by Wolf slaves wandering the mines at night. The creature was soon given the name "Shale Lord" by the Wolf community.

During the Wolf Clan revolt, the Shale Lord appeared and assisted the Wolves in fighting off the Serpent and Lotus armies, but since that night, sightings of the Shale Lord have been sporadic. While there's no actual evidence to link the Shale Lord to Hightongue, it's believed that they are indeed one and the same.

These days, the Shale Lord is a symbol of the Wolf Clan's enslavement, a failed magical experiment, a lonely outcast, a military asset. Ever since he escaped captivity he roamed the wilderness for years - a strange stone man, faceless, voiceless, alone.

In battle there is no more terrifying opponent. Naturally armored and hugely strong, he fights with his macelike fists. No one hates the Lotus Clan more, and his rage seems to increase his strength even as he battles.

Battle Gear

	Armored Friend	Stamina: No Cost, health was reduced by a fraction per use%
The Shale Lord can flake sheets of stone off his own body, sacrificing his own health in the process. Already man-shaped, it can serve as stone plate armor for his allies.

Trivia

• Based on the names of the sound files used for the Shale Lord, he uses the sounds that were originally used by the Golems, while the Golems use sounds that were meant to be used by the Shale Lord. This makes sense, as the Shale Lord has no unique sounds for attacking or killing an enemy unit, while the Golems (who cannot attack) do. The Golem's sounds also fit the Shale Lord's character description, as they contain no spoken words.
• The Shale Lord is the only hero with a slow health regeneration
• The Shale Lord appears in Grayback's Journey. He will emerge from any second building which Wildeye or the Digger destroy by rolling boulder into it (most of the time that second building is the Aviary at the valley's south-eastern corner). As long as Soban's Phase Tower still stands, the Shale Lord, Wildeye and the Digger cannot be damaged or killed by any Lotus units in the valley, and only the Shamblers above the Valley can damage and kill Wildeye & the Digger, for the Shalelord cannot escape from the valley yet, not until Soban's Phase Tower is destroyed. If the player micro-manage well, s/he can use the Shale lord to damage the Lotus base as much as possible before time runs out.
• The Shale Lord is fought in Kenji's Journey regardless what Clan Kenji joined. In both paths, the Shale Lord is guarding the Shale Mines in the northern region after capturing Serpentholm for the first time. Though he controlled most of the map with his forces, he was killed along with his men by Kenji and his forces.
• The Shale Lord has 750 HP.

Gallery

Shale Lord Concept Art

Shale Lord shown in the Grayback's Journey cutscene

Quotes (Move)

• "I....obey...."
• "Yes....master...."
• "I....serve...."
• "If....I....must...."
• "Certain...."
• "Yes...."

Quotes (Death)

• "I am...free..."
• "Finally..."
• "Released...at last..."