-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 0
Lore
Rank 10: Radiant Lord (1 piece, can move)
Supreme commander - Born from pure starlight, the Radiant Lord stands as the eternal champion of illumination. Their presence on the battlefield burns away shadows and inspires unwavering loyalty in all Light forces. When they fall, the very essence of light dims across the realm. Only through treachery and stealth can darkness hope to extinguish their brilliance.
Rank 9: Solar General (1 piece, can move)
Elite battlefield commander - Forged in the heart of a dying star, the Solar General commands with the fury of a supernova. Their tactical genius has turned the tide of countless battles against the encroaching darkness. They burn with such intensity that even approaching them requires tremendous courage. Their strategies illuminate the path to victory while scorching all who oppose them.
Rank 8: Dawn Captain (2 pieces, can move)
Tactical field leaders - These legendary warriors emerged at the first sunrise, when light first pierced the primordial void. Each Dawn Captain carries the memory of that momentous victory over eternal darkness. They lead from the front, their golden armor blazing like the morning sun cresting the horizon. Under their command, even the weakest Light forces fight with the courage of heroes.
Rank 7: Prism Knight (3 pieces, can move)
Heavy cavalry units - Mounted on steeds of crystallized light, these knights refract their inner radiance into devastating rainbow attacks. Their crystal lances can pierce any shadow armor, shattering darkness into harmless fragments. They charge across battlefields like living auroras, their prismatic powers creating spectacular displays of lethal beauty. Each knight's armor contains a fragment of the original Crystal of Illumination.
Rank 6: Gleam Sergeant (4 pieces, can move)
Squad leaders - Veterans of a hundred shadow wars, these sergeants have learned to focus their light into precise, cutting beams. They earned their ranks by surviving the Long Eclipse, when darkness covered the land for seven years. Their experience guides younger warriors through the chaos of battle. Each scar they bear tells a story of light's triumph over despair.
Rank 5: Flash Fighter (4 pieces, can move)
Mobile assault specialists - Masters of lightning-fast combat, these warriors move like living bolts of electricity across the battlefield. They specialize in hit-and-run tactics, striking with blinding speed before vanishing in bursts of brilliant light. Their reflexes are so enhanced by light magic that they can dodge arrows in mid-flight. In their hands, even simple weapons become conduits for devastating light attacks.
Rank 4: Beam Guard (4 pieces, can move)
Defensive specialists - These stalwart defenders form walls of solid light that no shadow can penetrate. They have sworn sacred oaths to protect the innocent, their shields blazing with protective radiance. Each guard can project barriers of pure energy, creating safe havens in the midst of battle. Their unwavering faith in the light makes them nearly immovable when defending their positions.
Rank 3: Heavenly Saint (5 pieces, can move)
Mystical warriors - Blessed by celestial powers, these holy warriors wield divine magic alongside their martial skills. They can purify corrupted areas and dispel the darkest shadow magic with their prayers. Their touch can heal allies or burn enemies with sacred fire. Most remarkably, they possess the divine wisdom to safely disarm shadow traps, turning dark magic against itself.
Rank 2: Spark Soldier (8 pieces, can move)
Infantry with scout movement - These agile warriors channel electrical energy through their bodies, allowing them to move with supernatural speed. They serve as the eyes and ears of the Light army, their enhanced mobility making them perfect scouts. Their weapons crackle with stored lightning, delivering shocking surprises to unwary enemies. Despite their low rank, their speed and versatility make them invaluable on any battlefield.
Rank 1: Light Infiltrator (1 piece, can move)
Stealth reconnaissance unit - A master of invisibility and misdirection, the Light Infiltrator bends light around themselves to become nearly transparent. They have trained for decades in the art of silent movement and precise strikes. Paradoxically, their greatest weapon is the ability to create absolute darkness at crucial moments, blinding their targets. Even the mighty Void Lord cannot detect their approach until it's too late.
Rank 0: Prism Barrier (6 pieces, immobile)
Immobile defensive traps - These crystalline constructs are fragments of pure light energy given solid form. When disturbed by enemy forces, they explode in brilliant flashes that can blind and burn attackers. They serve as the Light army's early warning system, their destruction alerting allies to enemy movements. Only the most enlightened warriors can safely approach and disarm these radiant sentinels.
Rank -1: Crystal of Illumination (1 piece, immobile)
Must be protected to win - The source of all light in the realm, this ancient crystal pulses with the power of creation itself. Legend says it was formed from the first photon that ever existed, containing the essence of every star in the sky. Its destruction would plunge the world into eternal darkness, making it the most precious and vulnerable piece on the battlefield. The crystal's pure radiance is so intense that it can only be approached by those with the strongest connection to the light.
Rank 10: Void Lord (1 piece, can move)
Supreme commander - Born from the space between stars, the Void Lord embodies the primordial darkness that existed before creation. Their very presence absorbs light and hope, creating fields of despair that weaken enemy resolve. They command through fear and respect, having survived since the universe's first shadow. Only the most cunning infiltrator can approach close enough to strike at this master of darkness.
Rank 9: Eclipse General (1 piece, can move)
Elite battlefield commander - This ancient strategist orchestrated the Great Eclipse that once nearly consumed all light from the world. They understand darkness not as evil, but as the necessary balance to light's overwhelming brilliance. Their tactical mind operates on multiple levels, seeing patterns and possibilities that escape lesser beings. Under their command, shadow forces move with perfect coordination, like a living extension of the night itself.
Rank 8: Dusk Captain (2 pieces, can move)
Tactical field leaders - These twilight warriors emerged during the last moments of dying days, when light and shadow exist in perfect balance. They have mastered the art of fighting in liminal spaces where visibility shifts constantly. Each captain carries the wisdom of countless sunsets, understanding that darkness is not the absence of light but its eternal partner. Their leadership brings calm certainty to the chaos of battle.
Rank 7: Shade Knight (3 pieces, can move)
Heavy cavalry units - Mounted on steeds of living shadow, these knights phase in and out of reality as they charge. Their dark lances can pierce through any light-based defenses, striking at the very essence of their enemies. They move silently across battlefields like moving patches of night, their presence felt rather than seen. Each knight's armor is woven from the darkness of a moonless night, providing protection that conventional weapons cannot penetrate.
Rank 6: Gloom Sergeant (4 pieces, can move)
Squad leaders - Veterans who have learned to weaponize melancholy and despair, these sergeants drain the fighting spirit from their enemies. They survived the Radiant Purges when light forces attempted to eliminate all darkness from the world. Their experience teaches younger shadows how to find strength in the spaces between certainties. Each earned their rank by protecting fellow shadows during the brightest and most dangerous battles.
Rank 5: Shadow Striker (4 pieces, can move)
Mobile assault specialists - These assassins move through darkness like water flows downhill, always finding the path of least resistance to their targets. They specialize in psychological warfare, using fear and uncertainty as weapons alongside their physical skills. Their attacks come from impossible angles, striking from shadows that shouldn't exist. In their hands, darkness itself becomes a weapon that can cut through the strongest light-forged armor.
Rank 4: Umbral Guard (4 pieces, can move)
Defensive specialists - These protectors create zones of impenetrable darkness that shield their allies from enemy sight and magic. They have sworn oaths to preserve the balance between light and shadow, understanding that total victory for either side would destroy the world. Their shields absorb light-based attacks, growing stronger the more radiance strikes them. They stand as immovable barriers against the aggressive expansion of illumination.
Rank 3: Shadow Shaman (5 pieces, can move)
Mystical warriors - These wise practitioners understand that darkness is not evil but necessary, channeling shadow magic for protection and healing. They can sense the hidden connections between all dark places, using this network for communication and travel. Their most sacred ability is the power to safely disarm light-based traps, understanding their energy patterns well enough to harmlessly disperse them. They serve as the spiritual guides for all shadow forces.
Rank 2: Murk Soldier (8 pieces, can move)
Infantry with scout movement - These nimble warriors flow through shadows like smoke, their enhanced mobility making them perfect for reconnaissance missions. They can compress their forms to slip through the smallest gaps, emerging where enemies least expect them. Their weapons are forged from crystallized darkness, striking with the weight of midnight itself. Though individually weak, their speed and stealth make them valuable assets in any shadow campaign.
Rank 1: Shadow Infiltrator (1 piece, can move)
Stealth reconnaissance unit - A master of absolute stealth, this infiltrator can become one with any shadow, moving unseen even in broad daylight. They have trained to suppress even their own thoughts, becoming truly invisible to both physical and magical detection. Their greatest skill is the ability to create momentary bursts of blinding light, using the enemy's own element against them. Even the mighty Radiant Lord cannot sense their presence until the killing blow is already falling.
Rank 0: Darkness Trap (6 pieces, immobile)
Immobile defensive hazards - These manifestations of concentrated darkness create zones where light cannot exist, instantly extinguishing torches and magical illumination. When triggered by enemy movement, they release waves of despair and confusion that can drive attackers to madness. They serve as the Shadow army's silent sentinels, reporting enemy movements through the dark network that connects all shadows. Only those who truly understand the nature of darkness can safely disarm these potent guardians.
Rank -1: Crystal of Darkness (1 piece, immobile)
Must be protected to win - The primordial source of all shadows, this crystal exists in a state of anti-light that absorbs all illumination around it. Ancient beyond measure, it was formed from the first shadow cast by the first light, creating the eternal balance that maintains reality. Its destruction would flood the world with unbearable radiance, burning away all subtlety and mystery. The crystal's dark radiance is so profound that approaching it requires one to abandon all fear of the unknown.
The world had known balance for a thousand years when the Eclipse General first whispered their terrible plan.
Captain Solaria of the Dawn felt the wrongness in the air three days before it began. The light from her Crystal of Illumination seemed dimmer somehow, its usual warm radiance flickering like a candle in an unfelt wind. She stood atop the Prism Towers, watching her Spark Soldiers drill in the courtyard below, their movements slower than usual, their electrical auras subdued.
"Something comes," she murmured to her lieutenant, a Gleam Sergeant whose scarred face spoke of countless shadow wars. "The very air tastes of twilight."
Across the Contested Lands, in the obsidian fortress of Umbral Keep, the Eclipse General gazed into their scrying pool of liquid darkness. The ancient strategist had spent centuries calculating this moment—when the cosmic dance of celestial bodies would align perfectly with the ley lines of shadow magic that crisscrossed the realm.
"Begin," they commanded.
The ritual started at midnight, when darkness held its strongest sway. Shadow Shamans across the world raised their voices in unison, their chants resonating through the dark network that connected every shadow to every other. Murk Soldiers spread out across the land, carrying fragments of the Crystal of Darkness to predetermined positions, creating a vast geometric pattern that spanned continents.
On the first day, the sun rose pale and weak, as if struggling against some invisible weight. Light forces mobilized immediately, Radiant Lords leading armies of Heavenly Saints and Prism Knights toward the shadow strongholds. But every battle they won felt hollow—for each shadow warrior they defeated, the sky grew a little darker.
Captain Solaria led the charge against Umbral Keep itself, her Dawn Captains flanking her as they crossed the Twilight Fields. But something was wrong with their enemies. The Shade Knights they faced fought with desperate fury, as if they too were afraid of what their General had set in motion.
"This isn't victory or defeat," gasped a wounded Dusk Captain as Solaria's forces overran his position. "This is madness. If the Eclipse succeeds, there will be nothing left for either of us to rule."
By the third day, the sun appeared as merely a dim orange ember in a sky of deepest purple. Plants began to wither. The Crystal of Illumination, usually blazing with celestial fire, had dimmed to barely more than a glowing ember. Light Infiltrators reported that even the Shadow armies seemed to be weakening—their connection to the Crystal of Darkness growing unstable as the balance shifted too far.
Captain Solaria finally understood the Eclipse General's true plan. It wasn't conquest—it was annihilation through imbalance. By creating a world of pure shadow, they would destroy not just the light, but shadow itself. Without contrast, neither force could exist.
On the seventh day, as the world teetered on the edge of eternal darkness, something unprecedented happened. In the ruins of what had once been neutral ground, Light and Shadow forces encountered each other not as enemies, but as desperate allies.
"The madness must end," declared Solaria, her voice barely audible in the oppressive gloom.
"Agreed," replied Commander Nyx, a Void Lord whose ancient eyes held the wisdom of eons. "My Eclipse General has forgotten that destruction of light means destruction of shadow. We are two faces of one truth."
Together, the combined armies marched on the ritual site where the Eclipse General continued their working, so consumed by their vision of perfect darkness that they hadn't noticed their own Crystal of Darkness beginning to crack from the strain.
The final battle was unlike any in recorded history. Prism Knights fought alongside Shade Knights, their rainbow lances and shadow blades cutting through the animated darkness that the Eclipse General had summoned to defend the ritual. Heavenly Saints and Shadow Shamans worked together, their opposing magics creating stable zones where the laws of reality still functioned normally.
But it was a single Light Infiltrator who ended it all. Using techniques learned from her Shadow counterpart, she became invisible even to darkness itself, slipping through the Eclipse General's defenses to shatter the ritual focus—a massive obsidian mirror that had been reflecting the dying light back into shadow.
The mirror's destruction sent shockwaves across the world. Light returned in a rush so sudden and brilliant that it temporarily blinded even the Radiant Lords. The Eclipse General, their life force bound to the ritual, crumbled to dust as the cosmic balance reasserted itself.
In the aftermath, as the natural cycle of day and night resumed, Captain Solaria found herself standing beside Commander Nyx in the crater where the ritual site had been. Around them, light and shadow forces tended to each other's wounded without thought of ancient enmities.
"The General was right about one thing," Nyx said quietly, his dark armor reflecting the newly restored sunlight. "We are stronger together than apart. Perhaps it's time our armies remembered that."
Solaria nodded, watching a Shadow Shaman heal a wounded Beam Guard with gentle darkness magic. "Balance," she said. "Not dominance. Never again dominance."
They established the Twilight Accords that day—rules of engagement that ensured neither force would again threaten the cosmic balance. The Great Eclipse became a cautionary tale told to young warriors of both armies, a reminder that victory without balance is merely another form of defeat.
And in the years that followed, when Eclipse Generals and Dawn Captains met on battlefields across the realm, they fought with honor and restraint, each understanding that their eternal conflict was not about winning, but about maintaining the delicate dance between light and shadow that kept the world alive.
The Great Eclipse had lasted only seven days, but its lessons would endure forever.
Now available on itch.io