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While I was stuck at home getting crushed by 10 inches of blinding snow last weekend, I bundled up in my comfy Parallel hoodie, grabbed myself a juice box, and dove deeper into Marcolian lore.
Instead of an accompanying Aftermath card to reveal this week, I shared the recent reveals (plus some juicy lore insights at the bottom) from my good friend and top Marcolian player, the Kobra Kommander!
Same as before, you can view the โdisclaimersโ for this series below, along with links to the other character infographics (Augencore, Earthen, Kathari). Weโll have the Shroud codex posted next Thursday to complete the series, then shift our attention to the ultra-hyped Aftermath drop.
FYI: The design contest we were planning for this month will be postponed until Q1 of 2025. We decided to save it for after the holiday season and after weโve hosted the 2024 Prime.Wiki Awards. Thanks for your patience, it’s going to be a fun one!
Here are just a few of the Marcolian cards you’ll find in the Aftermath expansion set, courtesy of Kobra. Remember, the sale takes place on November 23 and the cards are playable starting November 25.
One of the undisputed champions of the entire Parallel universe is Catherine Lapointe, The Mad General.
Since the game’s earliest iterations, ‘Cathy’ has been a staple Paragon in the game, making her the subject of much joy, frustration, fantastic memes, and even a killer cosplay from the 2023 #Paralleloween contest.
Catherine is found in multiple places beyond the game board, including in other cards like (everyone’s favorite) Catherine’s Rallying Cry. But most notably, she’s featured in the gameโs Closed Beta Release Trailer, a delight to the senses for all who bleed Marcolian red.
This trailer holds a special place in a lore goblinโs heart โ it also appears as the gameโs tutorial ‘lead-off’ cinematic. This instantly drops a new player into a suspenseful scene where Catherineโs character is completelyโฆon point. Marlo simply doesn’t stand a chance.
In terms of gameplay, the iconic and infuriating โCathy Burnโ deck is quite popular on the ladder right now. Her lore and flavor text point to the story behind her nickname, while her ability proves what kind of berserker type damage she can inflict upon the enemy.
Overall, the crossover between Catherine’s art, her lore, and in-game ability is peak Parallel character excellence. And there’s a lot more coming in Aftermath.
Hands down, my favorite Marcolian character of them all is Colonel Renard. He’s only featured in the comics, but I often wonder what type of ability or function he would have in the game. Maybe we’ll see him someday (hint, hint Veen).
Until then, you can learn a lot about his sinister and twisted motives in Issues 3 and 5 of The Priming. He’s super creepy all around, and the Collector’s Edition cover of Issue 3 is a fantastic representation of this power-hungry and truly evil leader.
Another main Marcolian character in the Priming comics is the Grand Marshal, Lucian Laurent.
His claim to a leadership role in the Marcolian army is not only his by birthright, but it is secured by his mother, Madam Laurent. Their lineage is a story just waiting to be told in a future comic, as it is clearly full of political intrigue. There are already three guaranteed generations of the Laurent family, so who knows how many more may have existed.
One of my favorite scenes with Laurent takes place on Page 5 of Issue 3. Brooding over one of his Marcolian war room manifolds, you can see the tension in his arms as his blood begins to boil at the sight of Gaffar. Visually speaking, the scene has awesome Marcolian aesthetics, while also giving you a sense of Laurent’s deep hatred for the Earthen enemy.
Between Laurent, Colonel Renard, Captain Barrett, and the rest of the Crimson Room fanatics, corruption is clearly a weapon that is being used to its fullest disposal in Valli. Agendas are not what they appear to be on the surface, and trust only reaches as far as your next swing.
Huge shoutout to Lore Goblin commander DragonSpit. He’s been sharing a cool series on X about the comics and card crossover. Since Issue 3 features the Marcolian, we wanted to share his latest installment.
While we may not have a high volume of specifically named characters in the Marcolian codex, they are littered with various branches of military-related groups. Below is a handful of them.
+ Marcolian Armored Division
+ Marcolian Artillery Corps
+ Marcolian Bannermen
+ Marcolian High Guard
+ Marcolian Intelligence
+ Combat Medics
+ Iron Corps
+ Commando Corps Recruits
+ Machinists
+ Marcolian Troopers
+ Marcolian Snipers
+ Marcolian Scout Corps
There might be a few more out there, and I’m sure we’ll have some new Marcolian groups introduced when Aftermath hits.
Below weโve listed some more cards that reveal Marcolian characters and nuggets of lore. Shoutout to Kobra for contributing to this section! Feel free to share your own findings on X and tag us so we can share it!
Kobra also adds: “I thought it was interesting that Cendrillon is referred to as the ‘Scarlet Daughter’ in caps, kind of like that’s a title? Crimson verdict also sounded interesting to explore.”
Over the past few years, we’ve seen some super cool Marcolian cosplay and Halloween costumes. Below are just a few!
Lemieux, Master Commando
Cendrillon // Rend from Earth
Lemieux, Master Commando
Cendrillon // Rend from Earth
Armored Division HQ
Catherine Lapointe, The Mad General
Lemieux, Master Commando
Artillery Corps
Artillery Spotter
‘Crimson Blade’ [codename]
Chief Munitions Officer
Combat Veteran
Commando Recruit
Crimson Fleet Machinist
Elite Sharpshooter
Field Marshal
Iron Corps Quartermaster
Iron Corps Rifleman
Lemieuxโs Irregulars
Logistics Officer
Loyal Comrade
Marcolian Bannerman
Pathfinder
‘Phobos 2’ [codename]
Revered Captain
Ruthless Sergeant
Scimitar Captain
Sister in Arms
Trigger Happy Trooper
Unseen Commando
Vigilant Patrol
For this Character Codex series, Iโve included some disclaimers to help clear up any ambiguities.
If you’d like to catch up on the Character Codex series, here are the other installments:
+ Kathari Character Codex
+ Augencore Character Codex
+ Earthen Character Codex
If you’re new to Parallel and haven’t explored the game’s basic lore, below is a series I wrote for Prime.Wiki a few years ago. Disclaimer: Always refer to Parallel’s official website for the latest version of the lore.
Inside the Lines is a program dedicated to Parallel lore. If you would like to contribute, please contact @Goldy_TGG. Donโt forget to follow @ParallelLore so you donโt miss future posts and giveaways from us. If you’d like to play Parallel, please use our referral link!