Joseph Datief is a legendary name among the Marauders of Kathos. Spoken about with almost regal admiration, Joseph Datief was the first great Sky Pirate King and a vicious enemy of Rahmos. Notorious for his bloodthirstiness and lack of mercy towards Rahmos ships and crews, Joseph Datief has left a permanent mark on history. To this day, mothers use his legacy to scare their children - “Behave or Datief will make you walk the sky plank”.



The infamous Sky Pirate King had very humble beginnings, but his story serves to show that even the smallest act can have disastrous consequences. Joseph Datief arrived in Rahmos to work as a servant in a large manor due to debts he owed. Though a routine punishment, in the years to come many would wish that Datief had never been brought to Rahmos. After serving five years and paying his debts in full, Joseph Datief turned to piracy and sky buccaneering. Being a Kathos native in Rahmos, he had no other option.

He and his crew were successful for the first couple of years, plucking heavy trading barges from the sky in North Osetia and South Rahmos. However, all good things come to an end - and that end is painful if Rahmos has anything to do with it. His crew was ambushed and slaughtered to the man by a battle barge of the Rahmos fleet. The only survivor was Datief, who had covered himself in the blood of his comrades and hidden among the dead. This experience left Joseph with a furious desire for vengeance.

A few months later, Datief managed to commandeer a new ship and take the people of a trading post hostage. The Rahmosian governor of Kathos sent a battle barge to hunt down Datief and kill him. Datief captured and beheaded the entire crew save one, whom he spared so that a message could be delivered to the governor: "Henceforward, I shall never give quarter to any Rahmosian."

Datief sacked Mithas by attacking it from the land, where it was defenseless. Over the following two months, Datief and his men held the city hostage. Despite the payment of the ransom (20,000 gold ingots), Datief continued to ransack the city, acquiring masses of gems, silverware and silks, a total 260,000 pieces of eight, and a number of slaves. The damage Datief inflicted upon Mithas was so great that the city, formerly a major trading center, nearly ceased to exist.

Joseph Datief and his crew disappeared over the Teltos Sea while battling a barge of the Rahmosian fleet. Legend has it that with his last breath, Datief cursed Rahmos and vowed to return from the grave to deliver his vengeance. Marauders still tell the tales of the Sky Pirate King with a mix of reverence and fear. Reverence for his daring exploits and fear that he will make good on his vow and return.

Marauders are robbers, highwaymen and thieves! But they are all those things combined with tradition! And few traditions, namely thievery and backstabbing, are more important to Marauders than the “Grind”. The “Grind” is the oldest and most famous airship race in all of Kathos. The race was the brainchild of the eccentric Baron Vitale, a very affluent noble in Kathos. The conditions for entering the race demanded that every airship had to have its cannons removed and no weaponry above a certain caliber was allowed. This made for an interesting race – no airship could be blasted out of the sky but marauders could still fire and throw everything that they could at each other.

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The first “Grind” was held from Anchorpoint to Baggerstown and won by the marauder Spitfire Johnson, captaining his augmented Taveron – “The Despicable”. Records from the race suggest that aside from the standard low caliber small arms and insults, Spitfire Johnson had mounted a catapult on the deck of his airship and argued that he wasn’t breaking the rules, merely interpreting them. It is notable to say that the night before the race, a shady group of thugs made off with the Trophy so the organizers were forced to improvise.

The Second “Grind” was held from Baggerstown to the Walker Boneyard. It was a race of thrills, spills and interpretation of the rules once more. It was again won by Spitfire Johnson, who after being stripped of his catapult resorted to other means of dealing with the competition. At the start of the race, Johnson rammed his augmented Taveron into the nearby Majestic of captain No-pats Brigs! Upon completing the ramming action, the crew of the “Despicable” commandeered the Majestic and with its improved engines managed to finish first yet again! The move prompted heated protests from the other contestants but Johnson again stated that he misinterpreted the rules as none of his crew used firearms of any caliber during the assault.

The Trophy was placed under the watch of the captain of Baron Vitale’s guard and despite several attempts at theft during the night, managed to be awarded to the deserving Spitfire Johnson! Upon receiving his trophy, Johnson’s crew had managed to load a significant portion of Baron Vitale’s treasury on to the “Despicable” and managed to make off with it.

Now the third “Grind” is coming and it promises to be even more wacky and crazy. A prize has been placed not only on winning the race, but also on information regarding Spitfire Johnson! We will see if he makes the race despite the threat!

<em>Don’t forget to check the Black Market as we’ll be offering a sweet summer boosterpack each Sunday in July. This summer we also have a variety of avatar items for you. </em>

Temperatures are rising in Anchorpoint. As a rule this means more fights on the streets and girls in bikinis lounging on the precipice near the airship dock. It was on a searing hot day like this that the young and still somewhat naïve Sai met Farlix for the first time.
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/SaisStorySummer01.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-7200" title="SaisStorySummer01" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/SaisStorySummer01.jpg" alt="" width="520" height="488" /></a></p>
<a href="http://www.isotx.com/freaky-friday-sais-dark-past-part-1/">After being kidnapped by Alesta</a> and <a href="http://www.isotx.com/sais-dark-past-part-2/">turned into a sky pirate</a>, Sai built a new life in Anchorpoint. While at first the roughness of the pirate town rubbed against her high-born sensibilities, Sai soon took to partying and drinking like the best of them. It was in one such drunken haze that Sai and Farlix met.

<em>Sai stepped off the boarding plank, the world spinning in front of her eyes. It was time to enjoy some well-earned hours drinking mojito’s in the sun. Together with her friend Keira she strolled along the precipice finding a good spot to bake for a while. It was nice to enjoy the relative quiet of the beach for a while after having partied all night aboard her airship.

Summer was her favorite season for sure. Walking around in nothing but a bikini and grass skirt all day certainly beat lacing yourself in the corsets that made up most of her winter wardrobe. Sai and Keira had found the perfect spot, just close enough to the booze stand, yet far away enough to not be crowded.

Just as Sai was about to lay down her towel, she felt a hand smack her ass. Furious she straightened herself, balled her fist and punched whoever was standing behind her. As she turned she saw the huge figure of Farlix towering over her, her teeth flashing white in an ear-to-ear grin and Cinnamon casually circling around his ankles. Her fist landed hard on his nose. “I like em spicy,” he laughed: “What’s your name sweetcakes?”</em>

So now you know how Sai and Farlix met. It’s up to you to let me know how you want this story to end. You can either finish the story yourself, or tell me how you’d like to end and I’ll write it!

“No! This alliance must not become reality! It is of utter strategic importance that France does not ally with the Russian Tsar!”

- Kaiser Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany

It was these words that were the first step on the path that brought the world to where it is today – bitter, angered and merciless. With these words, Kaiser Wilhelm II sponsored the revolutionary movement Narodnaya Volya, with the sole goal of toppling the Russian Empire, thus unknowingly condemning hundreds of thousands from both sides to death.

In place of the Russian Empire came the Soviet Union – a nation centered on the belief that communism is the only way to world peace and equality. A nation that saw the European states and empires as decadent, decayed - a complete antithesis to everything that communism stood for. A society that was an affront which could no longer be tolerated and had to be shown the true way.

Thus, under the pretext that the Soviet Union had an obligation to all proletariat in the world did the Red Army invade Europe. On the night of August 1935, hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers and vehicles, grouped in three armies, crossed the border between the recently founded European Alliance and the Soviet Union. The now combined European armies, though unsurprised as they had been preparing for this inevitable clash, were none the less ill-equipped to handle a war on this scale. This war shattered the idea of gentleman’s combat in the battle of Budapest.

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The Red Army was pressing hard for the capitals of the eastern countries in the European alliance, sweeping aside all opposition in its path. The Europeans had been on the defensive, falling back before the unchecked might of the Red Tide. The world was changing for them; the colonies in Latin America and Africa had rebelled and seceded, former allies had abandoned them. European High Command was determined to make a stand at Budapest. Should the Soviets carry the day, Austria, Italy and South Eastern Europe could be cut off.

With roughly two million soldiers on both sides, the Battle of Budapest turned into carnage of unimaginable proportions. The Soviet soldiers were hurling themselves into the battle with their European counterparts who were responding to the assaults with grim determination. The sky was darkened from flak and burning zeppelins and aircraft were seen falling from the sky in great balls of fire. Soviet armored divisions were closing around the city ready to encircle the defenders. This would have been a disaster for the European forces, and it was only with the introduction of the still experimental Siege Tanks that the crisis was averted. An entire armored division of the “Earth Shaker” Siege Tanks were hastily dispatched to the battle and managed to inflict such heavy casualties on Soviet armor and morale that the Red Army was forced to retreat. Victory was achieved… but at a terrible price – roughly 500,000 soldiers had lost their lives in the three month long battle. The “Pearl of the Danube” was shattered and devastated beyond recognition.

And for all that, this was only the first great battle of many more to come!

Hello, Everyone! Hope everybody is looking forward to a nice weekend. Just to get you on your way ,we've prepared a special video for you! ISOTX CEO Vincent van Geel shares what he loves about the game and gaming in general. Check it out and have an awesome weekend!

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Have a great weekend !

If you've been paying close attention to our <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/isotx" target="_blank">YouTube Channel</a> and Blog, you've probably noticed that we've been adding a lot of speed painting videos. We decided to make a recap for you so you can take a look at all of them! Keep a close eye on our Channel for more awesome art and content!

The United Republic is readying its advanced aircraft and experimental weaponry in its pursuit of freedom and profit! For Liberty!
http://www.youtube.com/embed/9YlTz71poyc

From the jungles of South America, the Latin Junta is preparing to throw its highly skilled guerrilla soldiers and toxic weapons into the fray for World Domination. Viva la Revolucion!
http://www.youtube.com/embed/xsnZxEayCnk

To the East, Asia's armies march to challenge the Old Superpowers and bring the rule of the Emperor of the Shogun Empire to rest of the world! Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!
http://www.youtube.com/embed/yhE-G9a4uXE

The endless tides of soldiers and heavy weapon platforms of the Red Army are marching to war, ready to spread the benefits of Communism! За Родину! За коммунистическое будущее!
http://www.youtube.com/embed/v0_zd-5er9M

The world is on the brink of a war the likes of which has never been seen. A war of frightening weaponry and epic proportions! Are you ready to lead ? Are you ready to march to war ?
http://www.youtube.com/embed/D4kbhufKhGU

Special thanks to Jay Productions and our very own Michal Kus for the great videos and art!

We are looking for a kickass Canadian accent for a voice-over! As you all know March of War will be released pretty soon, and the Canadian Mounties are still without a voice. They are United Republic infantry and are similar to the G.I.s, but are more focused on fast movement around the battlefield.<p>

At any case we still need a good voice-over for this unit and that’s where you come in. The rules of this competition are simple:
<ul>
<li>Record the following line “Those hosers won't know what hit them!”</li>
<li>And send it to us! The winner will be asked to record the whole script (14 short lines) and will be the voice of the Canadian Mounties!</li>
<li>The deadline of the competition is July 2nd. Submissions that are sent after that date will not be eligible.</li>
</ul>
<div><a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/MountyBlog.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-6886" title="MountyBlog" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/MountyBlog.jpg" alt="" width="543" height="768" /></a></div><p>
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><strong>How to record</strong></span><br>
Make sure you are in a quiet area with no background noise. If you’ve got a separate microphone, use that as it will limit the noise and static in the recording. However, be careful not to use the microphone close to your speakers. You won’t need to download a recording program, you can simply go to Soundcloud, make an account, and when you click on upload you will get the option to record something. Once your recording is done, you can easily share your voice-over with us by e-mailing the link to community@isotx.com, or contact MechanicalAngel or SneakySoundz.<p>

<span style="color: #cccccc;"><strong>The Republican Mounties</strong></span><br>
The day the Canadian prime minister announced that Canada was breaking its bonds with the United Kingdom was the day the country erupted in flames. The Royalists, mostly consisting of the Mounties, protested this break with the Crown of England, arguing that they had sworn an oath the serve the Queen, not the prime minister. Without a police force, Canada almost spiralled into a civil war. The Royalists had taken up arms and were pursuing those who supported the Republic.<p>

After a particularly violent act of terrorism, where over a hundred civilians were killed after a bomb exploded in a market square in Vancouver, the United States decided, after many pleas from the prime minister, to intervene. This resulted in the quickest and dirtiest solution money can buy; targeted air raids to root out the rebels. The tired, starving, Royalists were no match for the planes and flying soldiers of the Republican forces.<p>

The United States brought down the Royalists and reinstated the Mounties as a division in the Republican army. With civil war avoided, Canada joined the United States, together forming the United Republic; the name chosen to emphasize that Royalists will not be tolerated.

Commander, I need your help! Over 5,000 people have already liked our Facebook page, but the war can’t start until we reach 100,000 likes! Will you help me? Soldiers who lend me a hand can win March of War posters, T-shirts, and other goodies.<p>

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country!” John F. Kennedy<p>

<span style="color: #cccccc;"><strong>Here is what you can do to join the war effort:</strong></span><br>
- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarchofWar">Like our page</a><br>
- Share this image on you own page and ask your friends to like us as well<p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarchofWar"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6869" title="ThisPersonWillMarchToWar01" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/ThisPersonWillMarchToWar01.jpg" alt="" width="398" height="281" /></a></p>
<em>The line in front of the recruitment office was astronomical, going all the way around the corner. Joe had been waiting for an hour and only now saw the front door. He had dreamed of joining the army for years and today he’d turned eighteen.</em><p>

<em>His mother cried this morning; his father was proud though he didn’t say it. He would be out there, fighting for freedom. Joe didn’t care about the rumors of corruption and human experiments in the army. Starting today he would make his country proud!</em><p>
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Legends and fairy tales are not unknown among the Marauders. Stories of bravery, of fearsome monsters, of impossible feats are still told around the campfires and during the feasts when the loot is divided!  One story is famous above all else - "The dream of Captain Jacky". It tells the tale of a drunk marauder captain waking up in an enchanted forest filled with monsters and enemies alike. He had to fight his way out of the dream and that was no easy matter. The only thing that could save him was a blue pill, on top of a mountain that was in the middle of the forest filled monsters and his enemies!

<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Midsummer_Nighmares.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-6856" title="Midsummer_Nighmares" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Midsummer_Nighmares.jpg" alt="" width="543" height="225" /></a></p>

Are you ready to relive Captain Jacky's dream? Enter the enchanted forest. Don't stop moving! Keep going! Only a blue pill can make you wake up! Beware, others are trapped in the dream too, but there is only one blue pill! Good luck, Marauder!

The tribes of Africa would never stand strong, they said. The tribes of Africa are savages, no more than the beasts they claim to master. While the world was looking at the European Alliance and the Soviet Union, the Warlords united to reclaim <em>their</em> lands. It was not unheard of for the tribes of Africa to stand together when it suited the need of all the tribes. To <em>stay</em> united, that was the surprise Africa had for the world. And that surprise came in the form of a dark diamond, Hanifa.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/African-beastmaster.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-6830" title="African-beastmaster" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/African-beastmaster.jpg" alt="" width="543" height="427" /></a></p>
“Her eyes shone like twin stars the night before the attack,” they said. Half of Africa is in love with her. Hanifa smiled at the serenades and the gifts. The men went to war for love, but she knew they won because she inspired something more in them. Among the beastmasters of the forgotten continent she was without peer. Her elephant Bin nuzzled his trunk in her neck. She fed him a papaya.</p>

She gazed over the plain filled with the warriors of Africa. Beside her the war elephant grazed peacefully. At times like this it was hard to imagine that the gentle elephant would gore the enemy at her command. That was a mistake her adversaries often made. The white men thought her soft. But they mistook her care and love for animals with compassion. Her brothers respected her, because she respected the spirit of the animal. Her animals respected her, because she cared for the spirit of the animal. Her enemies would be mistaken not to respect her, because she would never hesitate to harness the spirit of the animal.</p>

Her reverie was roughly interrupted by screaming. Looking to check where the noise came from, she saw that one of the baragumu had gotten out of control and was stampeding through the camp. Fortunately, it was close by and Hanifa hurried over to lend a hand, loading her tranquilizer gun as she sprinted to the camp. She took aim; there was only one spot on a baragumu’s thick hide that could be penetrated by the dart. Her aim was true, and the behemoth sunk to the ground, crushing tents and men in the process. That was the risk of these beasts, nothing could ensure complete control. She would sit with the baragumu to make sure he would be calm when he woke, and then lead him back to the herd.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/African-Overlord.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-6831" title="African-Overlord" src="http://www.isotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/African-Overlord.jpg" alt="" width="543" height="508" /></a></p>
During colonial times the baragumu became almost extinct. Hunted down, like the rhino and the elephant, for their ivory and thick, strong hides. Despite her years of experience, it still amazed Hanifa that this king of beasts, the largest land animal in the world, had enough respect for her to follow her commands.