Elemental: War of Magic is set in a world filled with magic and ancient lore. As the ruler of your kingdom, you must expand your empire through a combination of magical power, military might, diplomatic skill, technological advancement and bold adventuring. Your worlds will be of your choosing, or players are free to create their own.

The story of Elemental: War of Magic begins with an immersive single player campaign with you being the only person in your kingdom with the ability to channel magic through mysterious shards of magic that are scattered across the world. These shards, a result of a tremendous cataclysm that occurred a century prior when powerful beings waged war across the world, are the source of much of the world’s magic.

With the powers of old now gone, you now hold the key to the use of magic in your land. As ruler of your land and a channeler of magic, you must decide how much of your power to imbue into your heroes as you build new cities, explore dungeons, perfect spells of ever-increasing power and negotiate with friends and foes alike. Other channelers in the world, whether they be of the race of Men, The Fallen or the Beasts, are also able to access magic and may not share your vision of the world.

Del Rey is proud to publish Elemental: Destiny’s Embers (Del Rey Trade Paperback; on sale August 24, 2010), an official novel from Bradley Wardell, creator and executive producer of Stardock’s fantasy strategy game.  Customers who purchase a copy of the book Elemental: Destiny’s Embers will be able to download the additional, exclusive video game campaign, Elemental: Destiny’s Embers.  The campaign will release in four stages, with the first stage, Elemental Destiny’s Embers: Book 1 – Xander & Geni, releasing on August 24.

The novel is set in the world of Elemental, a land of magic in the throes of chaos. Only you can restore much needed balance to the land. Elemental: War of Magic the game opens a world of magic and ancient lore as you begin the game as the only being in your kingdom still able to channel power from shards of magic – a series of mystical artifacts left over from the Cataclysm. You must decide how much of your power to imbue into your heroes as you build new cities, battle wild creatures, perfect spells of ever-increasing power and negotiate with friends and foes.

The novel tells the story beginning at a frontier outpost on the fringes of the civilized world, when an orphaned messenger named Xander witnesses the destruction of all he knows at the hands of the Fallen, the great enemy thought vanquished during the War of Magic.

Abruptly, Xander’s life is changed forever. Now he must seek out an ancient artifact of legendary power in the hopes that it can stop the Fallen hordes from destroying the entire kingdom. Little does he realize that the hope of all mankind rests on his young shoulders, as powers of unimaginable might set out to stop him at all costs.

Aided by his friend Genica, a mysterious thief named Vreen, and a crafty Sion of unknown loyalty, Xander journeys into the heart of the world, where long-hidden secrets will be revealed that could shatter the delicate balance established by the great Cataclysm a thousand years earlier.

Harnessing the technology of ImpulseReactor, ground-breaking multiplayer modes include traditional skirmish modes as well as a persistent universe mode. Additionally, integrated modding support allows players to submit maps, items, creatures, races, technologies, spells, buildings, environments and much more from right within the game and become available to all players of the game seamlessly.

The game also includes integrated modding tools that allow players to create their own fantasy maps, monsters, tiles, effects and much more. The game’s story-driven campaign, written by Random House’s writing team, was made exclusively with the built-in modding tools.

Besides including the sand box game and campaign, Elemental also includes a multiplayer mode in which up to 16 players can play online while taking simultaneous turns. Players can save their multiplayer games online and return to them to continue in order to support players who wish to play more epic-sized games.

Like all Stardock titles, Elemental: War of Magic will include no on-disk DRM and will be available for re-download and updates through the Impulse digital distribution platform regardless of wherever it is purchased.