Expansion Spoiler 1: The Story So Far

Greetings, players and fans of Shadow Era! It's GondorianDotCom here again, with another domain-defying blog post, to officially launch our spoiler series for the first expansion!

Over the coming weeks, we will steadily be revealing more about the story, the theme, new mechanics, class differentiation, and the name of the expansion itself. Following on from that, when we've done sufficient testing and balancing on the Design Server, we'll publish a card list (with names and types) and progressively reveal the cards themselves until the expansion is ready to go on the Test Server.

Given PFG feedback so far, we're confident it's going to be a really exciting journey from here - for us developing the game and for you finding out more about it - and I hope you will stay with us for the duration.

We'll be making the first step of that journey today, with this story-based post, which presents a recap of the story so far and then two story excerpts to set the stage for the first expansion, all brought to you by the Design Team's own, NachyoChez.

Prologue for Call of the Crystals

The howl of the wolves chilled the air around Nishaven as he made his way through the forest towards the borders of Layar. At least, he assumed they were wolves. Ever since the fall of King Rothem it was getting harder and harder to tell what creatures were lurking in the trees. He tightened the hooded cloak around his body and pressed deeper into the forest, hopeful to be free of the woods all the sooner. The large beast that stepped into the path before him, however, seemed to be no particular rush to let him escape. Nor did the other three who slipped into sight from the shadows behind Nishaven.
He'd dealt with these things on more occasions than he liked; beasts spewing forth from the Shadow Gates that had been appearing all over his lands. Wulven, they called themselves. The largest of these Wulven surrounding him sniffed the air before speaking. "Trying to run away, little human? Did you think the scent of what you stole wouldn't call to us?"

He sighed softly in frustration as his eyes narrowed onto the creature that had invaded his homeland from another world. It had the audacity to walk through a portal and claim the powers of this world as its own? Were it a man Nishaven might have been convinced to simply scold and send him on his way; but this monster before him was no man. The scolding would need to be much, much more severe. So the Mage reached beneath his cloak, pulling forth the Shadow Crystal the Wulven was hunting, falsely complying with its demands.

Instantly he felt its power hum, the energies within calling to him for release. Nishaven let them flow through him, growing, forming into a force to be reckoned with. The beasts leapt at him ferociously, no doubt praying the closer they got the less likely he could unleash some horrific magic to stop them. As the lightning roared outwards, lashing at each one and incinerating them in a streak of glorious power and light, he spared a moment to wonder if they'd even had time to realize their mistake. Shaking the thought away, he placed the crystal once more in his bag before moving again through the shadows.

Epilogue for Call of the Crystals

The bitterly cold wind swirled around Arthyle as he looked out over the valley, not that it chilled him anymore.

Since his return from the dead, it took far more for his body to take notice, or maybe it was the shock of returning that had lessened his senses.

It'd been so many centuries since he'd been killed; assassinated by the Vozitian that served as the King's hand at the time. The fool had thought that was the last they'd seen of Arthyle, but that was when magic was reserved for poets and legends. Of course, it was before humanity had discovered the Shadow Crystals and believed theirs to be the only reality.

The last two years had changed many things.
Now his master, known only as the Man of Shadows, had gathered an army from across a dozen other worlds. They stood united against the human kingdoms, poised to take the world of Balor and its new found powers for their own. Of course the natives wouldn't allow it. They'd formed an alliance of their own, surrounding the Shadow's controlled lands. The only thing left was to begin the war.

Prologue for the First Expansion

Legs burning almost as much as his lungs, Loest actually considered taking a moment to catch his breath. Running had, after all, seemingly become his new favorite past time since the fall of Arada's temple so long ago. First, he'd escaped Layar for a short time, trying to tear himself from such a brutal past. Then, soon after, he'd fled again, trying to stop the prophecy his father had given. Fate seemed to have other ideas though, as it led him to the very height of Mt. Balor and the fortress that'd been erected there.
It'd been stupid luck - emphasis on stupid - that he'd not been captured once he'd stumbled across the marching armies of the Shadow.

The memory spurred him on.

Somehow, more worlds had been brought to bear against the warless people of Balor; even some of its citizens had joined the cause to rule it. Monstrosities that the past two years had not prepared him for, creations of darkness given flesh. He knew he had to get back to the leaders of the alliance to warn them, and he forced his body over the last crested hill.

At last he set his eyes upon the forces of the united human armies, drawn from around the world as ancient grudges were forgotten and forged into a single purpose. He'd come to warn them, but now he wondered if the Shadow were the ones unprepared.


Now that we've set the stage for the first expansion, we hope you'll join us again next time, as we delve deeper and reveal more about the theme of the set as a whole.