Rise & Fall of the Shadow Triad

Formation

During the peak of the OmniWar that ravaged the end of the Divine Age, Avernox was one of the five Grand Luxmasters of the Lux Pentorum, the ruling council of Luxevor. While necromancy was strictly outlawed in Luxevor due to the dangers of Cyr & the newer god of undeath (Danos), Avernox used his resources & influence as Grand Luxmaster to practice the dark art in secret. He held special influence over Lady Gaelica, a general of the Lux Atheknight Corps, and Grand Hierophant Zalcophet, an archmage specialized in the school of divination & the study of deciphering & replicating divine magic. In the waning years of the OmniWar, Zalcophet foresaw the destruction of Luxevor at the hands of Cyr and reported his vision to Avernox. Rather than report this to the Pentorum, Avernox enacted a plan to grant power & immortality to himself and those loyal to him. As such, Avernox directed his cult & Zalcophet to place inconspicuous runes across the city’s magical power grid (the arcana grid) as part of a complicated arcane ritual. In theory, this ritual would activate if a sufficiently powerful force were to either:

• Destroy the city-wide magic shielding, or
• Destroy or compromise the arcana grid.

As predicted, Cyr herself attacked Luxevor while Cyrofel (her divine capital) beseiged Fraisokovia, hoping to wipe out the last of the remaining atheist city-states in Cyregnor. Luxevor put up a strong defense, using every anti-divine weapon in their arsenal to keep Cyr’s full divine might & undead forces at bay. However, upon the enactment of the Divine Accords, Cyr summoned a powerful black hole with the legendary Scythe of the Frost Reaper (Vessel of Gaios containing the Daidrin Gaiostone), pushing the dark energy levels beyond what the weapon could contain without damaging itself. Described by survivors & witnesses as the Blackstar Bomb, Cyr imploded the dark energy & threw the scythe at the center of the city, shattering the remnants of the shield and colliding directly with the arcana grid. As designed, this activated Avernox’s ritual, which channeled the dark energy across the crumbling arcana grid to perform the follows rites & spells:

• Rites of Lichdom: Immediately prior to the destruction, Avernox constructed a magitech device known as the Eye of Entropy, capable of channeling as much of the Daidrin Gaioforce as the user could control. He performed the ritual & drank the potion required to transform into a lich, which was powered by the excess dark energy of Luxevor’s fall channeled through the Eye, turning it into his phylactery. This amplified his power in arcana & the Daidrin Gaioforce by connecting his essence to the domain of Shadow.
• Rites of the Mummy Lord: Immediately prior to the destruction, Zalcophet had the Cult of Shadows place his body into magical stasis while removing his organs/encasing them into special urns, finishing with his heart. When the destruction hit, the ritual channeled the souls of all Luxevorians killed by the blast through the arcana grid and through Zalcophet’s tomb, granting him a dark divine connection to the domain of Shadow as an archcleric/mummy lord to Avernox. These souls remained restless in the mortal plane as ghosts, wraiths, shadows, specters & other forms of incorporeal undead, shepherded by Lord Zalcophet.
• Rites of the Death Knight: During the siege of Luxevor, Gaelica fought with her soldiers on the front lines while secretly defending the magical integrity of Avernox’s runes. When the destruction hit & killed the soldiers & citizens, the destroyed bodies were reanimated as deformed shadow monsters, zombies, skeletons, ghouls & other forms of corporeal undead. Meanwhile, Gaelica plunged her sword Aetherbane (additionally marked with Avernox & Zalcophet’s runes) deep into her chest, becoming flooded with the same dark energy that impacted her fellow soldiers. As such, she became permanently bonded to Aetherbane as a death knight, serving as the direct commander of the now-undead Luxevor Army & citizenry.

The ritual bound Avernox, Zalcophet & Gaelica together through the Pact of the Shadow Triad, but had unintended consequences. The excess dark energy combined with the ritual, arcana grid, conflicting magical activity within the city (Avernox was not the only one scheming) & power of the Daidrin Gaiostone caused a city-wide surge of Wild Magic, trapping the city & everyone/everything in a Time-Stopped pocket dimension while shattering the city into countless chunks of ruin. The city’s chunks floated in a wider orbit around the new gravitational force of the Gaiostone. Avernox, Zalcophet, Gaelica, the undead spirits, the undead army & any other survivors remained trapped in stasis, unable to move past their moment of destruction. While Luxevor died on this day, Fraisokovia destroyed the undead forces of Cyrofel and shunted the now leaderless city into the Nairvithone Mountains of the North Pole, leaving it mostly intact but inactive & damaged.

Pact of the Shadow Triad

• Avernox: the Eye of Entropy, his phylactery (connected to the Scythe of the Frost Reaper)
• Gaelica: Aetherbane, her sword/Death Knight tether (also wields the Scythe of the Frost Reaper)
• Zalcophet: Staff of the Void, his scepter (tethered to life via his mummy lord heart)

The Tundra Wars

By the first few centuries of the Mortal Age, the vampire lords of the north consolidated their power into the Bloodfrost Empire, taking Cyrofel as their new capital. Since they could not levitate the city without Cyr’s blessing or the Daidrin Gaiostone, they sought the latter at the rumored site of Luxevor’s fall. They managed to enter the pocket dimension & pull the Scythe of the Frost Reaper from it, dropping the city ruins back into the mortal plane & ending the time stasis. The vampires teleported back to Cyrofel with the Scythe. Now free from stasis and with an undead spirits/army at their disposal, the Shadow Triad re-assembled a small portion of Luxevor into a floating military base & scoured the remaining Ruins of Luxevor for any magical knowledge/research, magitech & artifacts that survived the city’s destruction. However, the Ruins of Luxevor still held a few secrets due to the efforts of fallen Luxevor archmages, including a fellow Lux Pentorum council member’s lab dedicated to the (incomplete) development of a god-killing superweapon. After constructing their fortress using Luxevor’s knowledge, the Shadow Triad advanced towards Cyrofel, beginning the Tundra Wars that would be fought for decades for control of the North. Eventually, the Shadow Triad defeated the Bloodfrost Empire by capturing Cyrofel, forcing the vampires out of the city and away from the Gaiostone. Avernox, Zalcophet & Gaelica fought the Gaiostone-wielding Blood Emperor in a magical battle that witnesses described as legendary & devastating, wiping out some of their forces on both sides through the sheer magical output of their spells & attacks. As a prize of victory, Avernox claimed the Daidrin Gaiostone/Scythe of the Frost Reaper.

Reign of the Shadow Triad

Avernox, Gaelica & Zalcophet conquered Cyrofel, killing or enslaving every vampire left in the city. The Shadow Triad took the following actions to build their new empire:

• Avernox incorporated the salvaged magitech infrastructure, weapons & other relevant arcana of Luxevor into Cyrofel, enhancing its already divine might. He then spent most of his time completing and pushing the research & development of incomplete magical projects to their limits.
• Zalcophet forged the remnants of their floating military base (shards of Luxevor) into a temple to the Shadow King, naming it Zalcovia in honor of his role as the Frost Pharaoh to Avernox. Zalcophet used this as his personal base of operations, charged with raising & maintaining the Shadow King’s faith & worship.
• Gaelica & the Roving Shadows slaughtered the remaining vampires of the Bloodfrost Imperial Army, reanimating the salvageable corpses as vicious ghouls symbolizing their bloodthirst. She then led the Shadows on a brutal conquest of the remaining Bloodfrost territories, slaughtering the populace of every settlement they breached. Gaelica reanimated the vampires as ghouls, but gave the living a choice: death or service. Upon death, they would be reanimated as ghouls & zombies. Upon service, they would be turned into a wight. Bloodfrost territories that surrendered before or during the siege were granted amnesty from destruction if they submit their will & faith to Avernox, being ruled in a similar fashion as the Bloodfrost Empire.

Once the Shadow Triad completed their various objectives, the trio regrouped and waged an all-out war on the living populations of the world, launching global attacks from Cyrofel by teleporting to any target they wished. While new countries had formed since the Cleansing, many were too fresh to mount a strong defense against a surviving Divine Capital & its unholy army. Avernox mainly ravaged Cyrofel, Dalterra, Thatonis & For established nations, Avernox often appeared within the shadows of powerful mages, tempting them with power and pre-OmniWar knowledge if they join him. These mages would then corrupt and ultimately conquering their nations’ governing institutions from within, adding them to the Shadow King’s empire. These mages would be rewarded with high ranking positions within the empire, whether as governors of the conquered territories or as operatives within the Shadow King’s personal ranks. For the strongest nations, Avernox would do this before besieging the city, granting the mages their reward if they betray their city when the time was right, at its most war fatigued-state. Once this practice became known, mass paranoia spread within the mortal populace, unsure of who served the Shadow King vs. who was loyal to their own country. Avernox avoided the strongest nations & empires, such as those that survived the OmniWar (ex. Fraisokovia) or those possessing Gaiostones (Banatar, the Seregan Islands, the Dwemish Empire, Hytherian Remnants).

The Shadow Triad ravaged Gaion until a coalition of new & existing world superpowers (led by the Warian Collective) fought back, creating a unified front against the Roving Shadows. Fraisokovian mages used advanced Divine Age magicks to trace Cyrofel’s location after its attacks, allowing them to coordinate troop movements with their allies to counter-attack. Over time, the Gaion Coalition managed to prevent the Roving Shadows from conquering any new territory, while also ambushing Cyrofel with regular attacks to wear down the defenses.

Eventually, the Gaion Coalition engaged Cyrofel & the Roving Shadows in a final battle of epic proportions, utilizing a multinational force primarily from the Warian Collective, Banatar, Orskan Empire & Fraisokovia. Gaelica slaughtered many soldiers to add to her army, but was eventually slain by General Gorfalix of the Orskan Imperial Army, General ??? of the Banatarian Defense Force, and General ??? of the Fraisokovian Army, her essence retreating to her sword. Prior to the battle, however, Avernox prepared a teleportation spell on her sword to trigger if/when she falls, sending to the Nairvithone Mountains of the North Pole.

Zalcophet was eventually slain by the master divine casters of the Coalition (outside of the Warian Collective), leaving his body to regenerate by his heart over the next day. However, as discussed with Avernox before the battle, Zalcophet had prepared a teleportation spell on Zalcovia to trigger if/when he falls, sending the temple to the Nairvithone Mountains of the North Pole.

Avernox faced off against the most powerful mages of the Coalition, including the Warian Founders & archmages from Fraisokovia & Banatar, archmages. Avernox killed most of the non-Warian mages in this fight, utilizing powerful/brutal dark magicks many of them had never seen before. With Gaelica down, Avernox claimed the Scythe of the Frost Reaper to use directly against his foes, turning the tide against them. The Warian Founders countered with their own powerful biomancy magicks, eventually capturing Avernox in a weave of pseudo-divine arcana. Using all of their remaining spell power & mastery of soul magic, the Founders casted the Rites of Divine Banishment, shunting Avernox, Cyrofel & every undead being in the city to the Astral Fog. They linked the Rites to Avernox’s soul directly, making it something he could not overpower with his might alone. In addition to being trapped in the Astral Fog, Avernox also couldn’t project his essence or magic into the mortal realm, preventing him from building his forces through shadows again.

With all three members of the Shadow Triad defeated, the Gaion Coalition wiped out the Roving Shadows remaining in the mortal realm, liberating any societies still controlled by them & oftentimes adding these territories to their own or establishing favorable diplomatic relations. Their coalition lasts into the modern day, adding more nations to it as the geopolitical situation changed over time. In the century that followed the Shadow Triad’s defeat, Zalcophet used his pseudo-divine magic & the existing tether between Zalcovia & Cyrofel to create a loophole in Avernox’s banishment, allowing him to project his essence/magic into Zalcovia & allowing Zalcophet to relay it across the shadows of the world.

Mages loyal to the Shadow King were hunted down and killed, the few survivors retreating into the darkness of society to form the Cult of Shadows. This cult was eventually found by Zalcophet, who reported their survival to the Shadow King. As a reward for their loyalty, Avernox placed these cultists into key locations across the globe and instructed them to remain in hiding as living beings, surviving into the modern day through secrecy and passing on the mantle through bloodlines & successors. However, Avernox summoned two of these cultists to Zalcovia and granted them warlock pacts as his personal champions: the Death Minister & Shade Walker. These champions would be Avernox’s primary tools in the mortal realm outside of the Shadow Triad, using the Shade Walker to collect souls of his enemies while using the Death Minister to maintain political connections with the remaining Cyregnor territories.

The Gaiobros Quest for the Daidrin Gaiostone

In the centuries since their defeat, the alliance between the Shadow Triad grew tense. With his reach severely limited, Avernox focused on maintaining control over Cyregnor, using the Death Minister to maintain diplomacy with the vampire strongholds while using Gaelica to enforce military dominance on the continent. While Gaelica enjoyed building up her army of the dead once more, she grew frustrated with the limitations placed on her by the Shadow King, particularly his disallowance of military action against Fraisokovia due to lack of resources & desire for secrecy. Since she was fighting with her own army & not Avernox’s Cyrofellian forces, she felt that the Shadow King was holding her back solely because of his own banishment, feeling she could fight this war without him. Similarly, Zalcophet felt that his ambition would always be limited by Avernox’s megalomaniacal ambitions, despite the fact that the former’s contributions to pseudo-divine arcana directly led to some of the latter’s greatest magical achievements. Overall, both lower members of the Triad began secretly plotting against their master, biding their time until the right moment.

At some point between their reign & the Gaiobros Campaign, the Shadow Triad constructed Necropolis, an undead city nestled within the Nairvithone Mountains and beneath Zalcovia to serve as the capital of the Shadow King’s new empire. Zalcovia functioned like a blackout curtain for the sun, allowing all types of undead to reside within the city. Zalcophet & Avernox also developed the Divine Veil abjuration, which would use the continuous energy of the Northern Everstorm to cast a powerful anti-divination field that would prevent all prying eyes (even the gods) from seeing or sensing anything within Zalcovia, Necropolis or Cyrofel. Unbeknownst to Avernox, Zalcophet used a smaller version of this ward to conceal his private laboratory in Zalcovia, dedicated to develop methods at breaking his bonds and defeating the Shadow King. Throughout this time, Avernox’s paranoia regarding loyalty from his servants grew, even though they continued to faithfully execute their duties.

At least 1 month (or earlier) before the Gaiobros arrived in Cyregnor, Avernox’s trust in Zalcophet was shaken, having had numerous disagreements with his pharaoh regarding the direction of their plans. Regardless, they had developed a ritual that could theoretically break the Divine Banishment curse cast upon Avernox & permanently tether his existence to the domain of Shadow, no longer requiring a phylactery as long as his domain persists. This would require the following ingredients:

• Runes activating a 9th-level blend of Dispel Magic, Remove Curse, & Banishment (cast throughout the ritual with modified effects)
• The soul of a near-divine being (consumed by the ritual)
• Five souls imbued with one aura of the Gaioforce each (consumed by the ritual)
• The Eye of Entropy (consumed by the ritual)
• The Daidrin Gaiostone/The Reaper’s Claw

Seeing the dangers of an eternal Avernox, Zalcophet prepared countermeasures in his lab to alter the spell’s effects, which would destroy his prized champions & transfigure their essence into the keys to Avernox’s final death. The rites he developed to achieve this remained on his lab, unknown to Avernox.

The Shadow King, on the other hand, grew extremely distrustful of Zalcophet after their disagreements, feeling that he was no longer the religious intermediary he needed to accomplish his long-term goals. As such, he used the shadows of Gaion to search for his replacement, eventually gazing upon Darkjaw and the newly-resurrected Solya. Given their roots in divine magic & undead nature, Avernox used a newly-developed spell to reach out to their shadows directly, still passing through Zalcovia & bearing its limitations, but not through Zalcophet directly. He proposed a deal: infiltrate Zalcovia & kill the Frost Pharaoh, and they could collectively take his place in the Shadow Triad.

As detailed in the Darkjaw storyline, Solya & Darkjaw infiltrated Zalcovia & confronted Zalcophet, who showed immediate interest in killing Darkjaw & taking Solya as his mummy bride. After a tough fight where both of their bodies were destroyed, Solya’s soul overtook Zalcophet’s (using a modified Soul Swap spell provided by Avernox) and pushed him out of the mummy lord curse, leaving his raw & corrupted soul exposed to Avernox’s wrath. Instead of killing him, the Shadow King froze his soul into a Daidrin Thought Crystal & placed it within a recreation of Zalcophet’s skull, hoping to retain his Divine Age knowledge for himself while forcing his former servant to recount it in his own voice. Prior to this, however, Zalcophet felt the ripples of Avernox’s communication spell through Zalcovia, and while unclear of what was said, his existing paranoia/mistrust pushed him to take precautions. He cast a modified Mind Blank spell on himself to remove any knowledge of his most secretive magical developments from his mind & retain them solely in his lab, ultimately leaving Avernox without any of the secret knowledge designed to destroy him. In their first days as the new Pharaohs, Solya & Darkjaw told Avernox about the Gaiobros, leading the Shadow King & Solya to spy upon their shadows in curiosity. After seeing Gothicca’s that they had collected the reward of a rare, artificial Gaioforce connection for each of them, Avernox saw opportunity to collect ingredients for his curse-breaker ritual. While Solya traveled to Gotharamor to mourn her people & matron dragon, Darkjaw stayed behind to guard Zalcovia, familiarizing himself with his new role and ensuring the Zalcovian Guard was efficiently organized to defend the temple. During this time, Solya gathered Gothicca’s corpse & the corpses of her village to perform a modified Soul Reform spell (provided by Avernox). This allowed her to resurrect Gothicca’s soulless body as a Dracolich, using the Gothicca-rich memories of herself & her people along with the memories imbued into the nature of Gotharamor itself to recreate a limited version of Gothicca’s soul. This, however, sacrificed her own memories of the dragon & corrupted the souls of her people, while forever sundering the ground of her former home. With that, her and Gothicca flew back to the North Pole, leaving behind their mountainous village forever.

Around this time, the Gaiobros infiltrated Santa’s Workshop and killed Wizard Santa, saving Christmas from its corrupted form while cutting off Avernox’s favorite supply of souls. Angered by the potential dissolution of their deal, the Shadow King had Darkjaw project his presence to Santa’s Workshop to convince the new Wizard Santa to honor their arrangement. Upon his refusal, Avernox sent Gaelica & the Roving Shadows to destroy the workshop, but instructed Gaelica to throw the fight so that the Gaiobros would feel emboldened to come further north. Insulted by this command, Gaelica reluctantly agreed, but secretly sent a message to Solya for her to “keep your mind & ears open for my offer” before she left. The Gaiobros “defeated” Gaelica & the first wave of siege force, claiming Aetherbane for themselves and falling into the first rung of the Shadow King’s trap. With Gaelica’s “fall”, the Shadow King instructed Darkjaw to take her place as field commander of the Roving Shadows. Master Obu inadvertently began Gaelica’s rejuvenation process by feeding Aetherbane to Rexy.

Darkjaw led a regiment of the Roving Shadows in battle against the Gaiobros & St. Knights, intending to kill the Gaiobros or at least thin out their forces before they get to Necropolis. The Gaiobros killed Darkjaw and wiped out the regiment, but lost most of the St. Knights in the process. Upon arriving at Necropolis, Avernox ordered the Death Minister to be their guide, allowing them to explore the city before deciding whether to commit to undead life or to become food for the Ravage Ward (district of Necropolis for soul-touched zombies who don’t have enough Daidcoin to maintain their sentient unlife, reverting to feral zombies). After a beast brawl between Darkjaw (dragon form) & Rexy (Gaelica form), Darkjaw fled in disgrace, later hunted down and killed by a recently formed special forces team of the Roving Shadows. Meanwhile, Avernox appeared in Necropolis to reward Gaelica for her victory, reappointing her as Commander of the Roving Shadows. He then taunted the Gaiobros to come visit him through worship in Zalcovia, disappearing with Rexy’s weakened body.

Upon Darkjaw’s rejuvenation at the Tree of Zalcovia (mummy lord heart), Avernox severely punished his soul for desertion, stripping him of his rank and reducing him to a glorified bodyguard for Solya. The two were instructed to either kill the Gaiobros or convince them to trade the Gaioforce portion of their souls for powerful undeath (death knight, lichdom, vampirism, etc.). The Gaiobros did not accept the deal & instead sought to find the Shadow King themselves, accidentally going down to the Heart Chamber instead of up towards the portal to Cyrofel. As guardian of the heart, Gothicca attempted to kill the Gaiobros as revenge for killing her, but was slain. Instead of rejuvenating in the Vesticle Vault, Gothicca’s unnatural soul fell apart, killing her for good.

Enraged, Solya & Darkjaw immediately engaged the Gaiobros, leading to the toughest fight of all their lives. Both sides took each other down, with the Zalcovian Guard finishing off the Gaiobros. As such, their bodies & souls were divided between the Shadow Triad:

Balcazar (James)

Garonis Gaioforce: taken for Avernox’s ritual •Soul: taken for Solya’s ritual •Body: reanimated into Mechazar by the Claw of Madrakor, which immediately fled Necropolis to pursue its own goals

Fork (Sam)

•Goultani Gaioforce: taken for Avernox’s ritual •Soul: taken for Solya’s ritual •Body: reanimated as a standard zombie soldier

Draconius (Alex)

•Rouzhai Gaioforce: taken for Avernox’s ritual •Soul: taken for Solya’s ritual •Body: reanimated as a standard zombie soldier •Ultimately dies in the process after accomplishing his mission of creating the Avernal Anchors.

Obu (Chase)

•Daidrin Gaioforce: taken for Avernox’s ritual •Soul: taken for Solya’s ritual •Body: reanimated as the body of the Demowitch, using Queen Medusa’s head as the main feature. •Ultimately dies in the process after accomplishing his mission of creating the Avernal Anchors.

Chazzle (Nick)

•Soul: corrupted into Wrazloth, a wight assigned to second-in-command of the Roving Shadows •Body: reanimated into Wrazloth, a wight assigned to second-in-command of the Roving Shadows. •Ultimately remains in stasis in the Shrine of Gaelica within Necropolis, guarding her sword & vault of weapons

Sister Glaecia & Commander Kringle

•Sent on a mission to destroy Princess Sevira & Prince Amon as part of Gaelica’s final plan against Avernox. •Ultimately die in the process after accomplishing their missions of creating the Avernal Anchors.

End of the Shadow Triad

With the acquisition of the Gaiobros’ Gaioforce connections, Avernox only needed the soul of a near divine being to complete his ritual. To do so, he possessed the Death Minister so he could “enter” the mortal realm with his magic, knowing that it would destroy him if he remained for too long. He then led the Shade Walker, Gaelica, Darkjaw & Solya on a mission to find and kill Gorofax, the last known legendary Frost Dragon in Cyregnor. They successfully killed Gorofax and took his soul, now ready to prepare the ritual.

Prior to the expedition, Gaelica called a secret meeting with Solya & Darkjaw, choosing to meet in Zalcophet’s private study (found by Solya early on) Gaelica asks them about their long term goals; Solya wishes to be reborn in Aurofae rather than continuing her unlife, while Darkjaw wants to complete his genocide of the Sun Elves. Choosing to not comment on the extremely different goals of the couple, Gaelica expresses that once Avernox ascends to his new form, he won’t let either of them do what they want, instead forcing them to serve his own goals. As such, the three agree to take down Avernox in whatever way they can, spending the new few hours researching Zalcophet’s notes until they find the plans for Lich imprisonment. When Avernox is at the pinnacle of his ritual, they can destroy his form & lock his essence within four new phylacteries, each created from the essence of the Avernal Royal Family (Shade Walker, Death Minister, Prince Amon & Princess Sevira). While Solya prepared the Rites of Lichbane, Gaelica prepped four warriors to plant the Avernal Anchors while Solya, Darkjaw & herself engage Avernox:

• Spoonmaster (undead counterpart to Fork) was tricked out with Divine Age magitech weapons & armor, tasked to kill the Shade Walker & create the Claws of Entropy, which would trap Avernox’s raw magical power.
• Gaelica used Queen Medusa’s head & Master Obu’s skeletal body (meat was thoroughly eaten by Darkjaw) to create the Demowitch, tasked to kill the Death Minister & create the Avernomicon, which would trap Avernox’s spells & magical knowledge.
• Gaelica tasked Commander Kringle with killing Prince Amon to create the Cloak of Shadows, which would trap Avernox’s ethereal presence.
• Gaelica tasked Sister Glaecia with killing Princess Sevira to create the Crown of Whispers, which would trap Avernox’s will.

When the time came, the Zalcovian Guard/Priesthood, the Cult of Shadows & every non-military citizen of Necropolis was ordered to the top of Zalcovia, led in prayer by Solya. Gaelica remained behind, holding the Roving Shadows in formation positioned in a ritual circle pattern across Necropolis. She opened a portal to Cyrofel using the Scythe of the Frost Reaper, levitating it above Zalcovia’s while controlling it from the alter with the Scepter of Zalcophet. The Gaiostone tethered the realms & ritual circles in Cyrofel/Zalcovia/Necropolis together.

Meanwhile, the Shadow King placed the crystallized soul of Gorofax into the Eye of Entropy, utilizing it as a lens/focus for the ritual with the five Gaioforce crystals placed in a ritual circle around them. Solya used the Gaiostone to channel the full power of the Everstorm into it, directly transferring into the Eye of Entropy. Avernox channeled all the ghosts of Cyrofel (the souls that entered his “afterlife”) into himself, combining the aether with the dark energy of the Eye while channeled through Gorofax’s soul. The mix of such dark & near divine energies pushed Avernox fully past the veil of mortality, permanently cementing his connection to the domain of Shadow and freeing him from his bonds of banishment & phylacteries. The ritual left the Eye intact, but inactive and drained of its Gaioforce connection. The citizens praying in Zalcovia were raptured into the streets of Cyrofel as a reward for their faith. Solya & the Zalcovian Guard/Priesthood would remain in Zalcovia to continue the Shadow King’s missionary work, while Gaelica & the Roving Shadows would remain in Necropolis as the military teeth for the faith.

However, during the final moments of the ritual, Solya & Gaelica made their move. During the early portion of the rites, Gaelica secretly dispatched Gaelica’s Fist & the BoneMobile (Spoonmaster, the Demowitch & Sister Glaecia, carriage pulled by Commander Kringle) to engage the Avernal Family. After tough-fought battles, the four defeated their foes and planted the Avernal Anchors into them, holding them there until Avernox’s ritual was complete. In the microsecond of the ritual’s completion, Solya casted Zalcophet’s Time Stop, teleporting her & Gaelica to Avernox’s throne while freezing time for everyone else.

Outdated Notes

V1(?) NOTES, FULLY OUTDATED

The below notes cover the outcome if the Shadow King was defeated, which was 13 HP away from happening. As such, these notes shall be filed with the other Outcome 2 notes under Multiverse Content, which shall be a Secret/special section under all new World Anvil articles. Avernal Anchors if the Shadow King falls 1. Cloak of Shadows: his body, crafted from Prince Amon & Commander Kringle 2. Avernomicon: his mind, crafted from the Death Minister & Demowitch 3. Reaper’s Wand: his power, crafted from the Shade Walker & Spoonmaster 4. Crown of Whispers: his will, crafted from Princess Sevira & Sister Glaecia In the outcome of the Shadow King’s defeat, the Claws of Entropy are claimed by Gaelica as magical weapons for her arsenal, but not as an Avernal Anchor. In the Avernal defeat outcome, the Claws of Entropy, Avernomicon, Cloak of Shadows & Crown of Whispers become the four containers/prisons of Avernox’s soul. Destroying them individually destroys that part of Avernox’s soul/essence, while bringing them together and casting a complicated ritual will resurrect Avernox in full power while killing the caster/wearer as a sacrifice. To prevent them from ever coming together while punishing the Shadow King to forever be entrapped, the Claws/Avernomicon were protected by Gaelica/Solya while the Cloak & Crown were hidden deep in buried temples on Gaion. Gaiobros Episode 51: End of the Shadow Triad (outdated note, reclass to Multiverse Content) With the Gaiobros defeated, their corpses & souls are dispersed amongst the Shadow Triad: 1. Avernox gets the Gaioforce portion of Draconius (Rouzhai), Balcazar (Garonis) & Fork (Goultani) & Obu (Daidrin), using them & the Daidrin Gaiostone for his Rites of Danobreak. This ritual involves a powerful & unique formulation of the Remove Curse, Dispel Magic, Hallow & Wish spells. 2. Solya gets the non-Gaioforce portion of Balcazar, Obu & Fork, using them, the temple of Zalcovia & (after Avernox’s ascension) the Daidrin Gaiostone for the Rites of Feybirth. Sensing that the soul of the one who killed Gothicca (Draconius) still lingers in the mortal world, she & Gaelica create Mechazar (Draconius’ corpse w/ Balcazar’s claw of Madrakor & non-Gaioforce mechsuit) & send him to kill Draconius & Stonius, wherever they are in the world. 3. Gaelica gets the corpses of Balcazar, Fork & Obu, then kills Chazzle herself in the End Games Coliseum to turn him into a wight general (Wrazzloth). Gaelica then creates: - Obutar (Obu’s corpse with Queen Medusa’s head & death cleric spells). -Sporkanis (Fork’s corpse armed with Gaelica’s magitech arsenal) -Balcanor (Balcazar’s corpse with Thugoran Callstone embedded in chest, granting arcane & demonic spells). The various items of the Gaiobros are folded into the Roving Shadows military arsenal or traded to Count Volugard for more weapons. The Pentaphant’s Wrath is held in her vaults, the Shadowsun Greataxe is granted to Wrazzloth, and the Deathstorm Lance and Everstorm Longbow are granted to Commander Kringle. The Bonemobile is rolled into the Roving Shadows as the main war vehicle of Gaelica’s Fist (the undead Gaiobros), pulled by two undead frost wyverns. Commander Kringle is cemented as leader of the Roving Shadows. Mother Vor (formerly Sister Glaecia) is cemented as lead missionary of the Roving Shadows, responsible for creating Shadow Creatures for the army by drawing fiends & undead spirits from the realms beyond. The Mission Protagonists •Solya, the Dread Queen •Darkjaw, the Wrathful Pharaoh •Lady Gaelica, the War Reaper •Wrazzloth, wight-barbarian of Chazzle •Sporkanis, monk/fighter, reanimated from Fork •Obutar, death cleric w/ Queen Medusa’s head, reanimated from Obu •Balcanor, demonic wizard w/Thugoran Callstone in his chest, reanimated from Balcazar Antagonists •Avernox, the Shadow King •The Death Minister •The Shade Walker •Princess Sevira •Prince Amon Neutral/Opposing Both •Fraisokovian Special Forces -Gaelica & Solya fight the near-divine form of Avernox, channeling power from the Daidrin Gaiostone just as Avernox does. -Commander Kringle is cemented as leader of the Roving Shadows, with Mother Vor (formerly Sister Glaecia) as his right-hand. -Sporkanis is sent to kill the Shade Walker -Balcanor is sent to kill the Death Minister -Wrazzloth is sent to kill Prince Amon -Obutar is sent to kill Princess Sevira -the undead wyverns pulling the Bonemobile are sent to kill the D-Rex Mission Outcomes If Gaelica & Solya achieve an uninterrupted victory, Avernox will be sealed within his crown & the four artifacts heavily associated with the Avernal Royal Family; Cyrofel will remain on the mortal plane. Gaelica will still wield Aetherbane (no longer locked in with her essence) while Solya will bequeath the Scepter of Zalcophet to Mother Vor after using it & the Daidrin Gaiostone for the Rites of Feybirth. After Solya completes her ritual, Gaelica will get the Daidrin Gaiostone & Cyrofel for her advancement of the Roving Shadows. If Avernox wins, Gaelica & Solya will sacrifice their souls (and weapons) to complete the Astral Banishment ritual. Avernox will still be a full, near-divine being, but will lose his generals & their four artifacts will spread to the Five Realms, permanently banishing him to the Astral Fog. The Roving Shadows will become a rogue force of the North, led by Commander Kringle & Mother Vor. If Fraisokovia successfully interferes with the fight, Avernox’s banishment will happen while Gaelica & Solya are sealed within their own weapons. The Scepter of Zalcophet will be claimed by Mother Vor & used for the Roving Shadows, while Aetherbane & the Daidrin Gaiostone will be claimed by Fraisokovian forces. Gaiobros Campaign Aftermath: Ascension of the Shadow Triad Key outcomes: 1) After breaking his Shadow Lich curse, the Shadow King leads Lady Gaelica, the Shade Walker & Darkjaw to the lair of Gorofax, one of the last known Legendary Frost Dragons left in Cyregnor. They killed Gorofax as Avernion trapped his soul. Avernion then ascended to a form of pseudo-divinity in a ritual above Necropolis using the Daidrin Gaiostone, Artassa’s Everstorm & Gorofax’s soul. He left the mortal plane with Cyrofel, filled with his arcane divinity-killing weapons, to war with Danos while feeding off divine creatures to sustain his lich-divinity. To support his divine ambitions, the Shadow King assembles the Divine Court of Avernox: A) The Undying Hierophant (formerly the Death Minister), oversees the spread of Avernox’s religion on the war front. B) The Shade Walker, death angel/champion of Avernox & commander of the Avernal Knights C) Prince Amon, riding the D-Rex D) Princess Sevira, riding the D-Rex 3. Solya completes her ritual using the Daidrin Gaiostone, the remaining magic of Zalcovia, & the captured souls of Balcazar, Obu & Fork (Chazzle did not die in the ziggurat, while Draconius sold his soul to Thalonius). This destroyed the souls (used as focal lenses) & reduced Zalcovia to nonmagical rubble. The ritual pushed Solya & Darkjaw through the inter-planar barrier to Aurovia, which would allow Solya to be reborn as a fey. However, her final step was to remove the last toxins in her soul that left her tied to her undead existence: Darkjaw. She severed her ties to him and used the last forces of her ritual to banish her toxic ex back to Gaion. She, however, was reborn in Aurovia and began her new life as a fey creature. Solya becomes a supporting character to Haku in GaioCorps Season 3, where she reincarnates his unstable, recently departed soul into a fey creature in exchange for his help in destroying Darkjaw. 4. Darkjaw wills himself to crash into Gotharamor, corrupting it with a combination of undead, draconic & fey (lycan) magic; no Gaioforce connection. It poisons the mountaintop until Darkjaw is reborn from its corrupted mass, spreading across the surrounding mountains & forests like a plague as Darkjaw slaughtered across his new territory. Darkjaw tracked down his old war buddies & either: A) offered them a position as undead generals for his cause. These wight generals joined Darkjaw as offensive commanders of his renewed genocide of the Sun Elves. B) killed them & converted them into lycanwights, ordered to endlessly patrol his woods for living creatures. These lycanwights commanded the undead of the woods when needed for hunts or defense. Darkjaw remains as a threat to the Warian Collective until Season 3 of the Main Story, when the Collective is overwhelmed by the Perniam Wars. Darkjaw is engaged by Haku, aided by Solya. 5. Draconius sells his soul to Thalonius during his dying moments, escaping the Shadow King’s clutches while having the Rouzhai Gaioforce torn from his spirit. Thalonius (now Thalagar) resurrected Draconius in the body of a winged kobold as humiliation, but allowed him to serve as a warmage alongside Stonius, his true champion. Draconius & Stonius won many battles of Thalagar’s conquest of Vulsemar, right up until Thalagar’s attempted ascension. Stonius wields the mighty Blood Mallet & Cyrovaine, while Draconius has the Thugoran Callstone (his spellcasting focus) embedded in his chest. The story of Thalagar & his champions will conclude in “Long Live The Wyrmking”. 6. Lady Gaelica re-organizes the remaining military assets of the Shadow King’s empire into three distinct forces: A) The Shades of Avernox: consists of zombies/ghouls (foot soldiers), skeletons (ranged soldiers/artillery operators), wights (field officers/special operations), magitech weapons & other undead monsters (giants, beasts, yetis, lesser dragons, etc.). Led by Lady Gaelica, who communes directly with the Shadow King. B) The Hands of Vor: consists of mummies that enforce Avernox’s religion. Led by Mother Vor, a mummy lord who wields the Scepter of Zalcophet & communes directly with the Shadow King. C) The Necropolis Guard: a militia of Necropolis residents & magitech weapons (ex. Dollmen & nutcrackers from Isle of Smiles). Defend the city borders of Necropolis. Lady Gaelica posted up a regiment of older zombies & skeletons deemed unsuitable for the war effort at the Isle of Smiles, Wizard Santa’s toy factory/labor camp for enemies of Christmas. The site has been converted into a full-time weapon factory to construct NeoLux (New Luxevorian) magitech for the Shades of Avernox. With the Scythe of the Frost Reaper (Daidrin Gaiostone) in hand, Lady Gaelica went on a warring rampage across Cyregnor, besieging every vampiric civilization while spreading the word of Avernox. She also layed siege to Fraesokovia, but was once again unsuccessful. Lady Gaelica assembled Gaelica’s Fist, an elite strike team of her finest undead crafted from the corpses, equipment & aspects of the Gaiobros. To do so, she used a modified Soul Reform ritual to draw upon her own memories & recreate echoes of the Gaiobros’ skillsets. The team uses the BoneMobile as their primary mode of transport on missions, piloted by skeletons. A) Spoonmaster (wight): Daidrin monk commissioned by Darkjaw to counter Fork in battle. Leader & stealth expert of Gaelica’s Fist. B) Obuko (floating skeleton): Daidrin cleric made from the skeleton of Obu. Divine caster of Gaelica’s Fist. C) Chazzlewrath (wight): Daidrin Barbarian warped into being from Chazzle’s corpse & vengeful spirit by Gaelica after she killed him in the End Games need to run a 1v1 combat sim for this). Martial expert of Gaelica’s Fist. D) Mechazar (undead): Balcazar’s corpse, sealed within the Lizardflight Mark II Warsuit & the Claw of Madrakor. Magitech expert of Gaelica’s Fist. E) The Underwitch (wraith): Draconius’ corpse w/ Medusa’s head fused atop a swirling cloud of dark arcana from Wizard Santa’s spellbook, warped into a semi-corporeal entity. Arcane caster of Gaelica’s Fist, can also petrify people with a shriek. Lady Gaelica might be an active force of the Perniam Wars in GaioCorps Season 3, as her conflicts in the North will have weakened the vampiric civilizations enough for Lord Daedrius to consolidate power over them. This also brings Kiara into the conflict and eventually gets her close to a Gaiostone. However, all this is dependent on whether she kills Thalagar or not, which she will try to do in “Long Live The Wyrmking”. The Shadow Triad: updated origins Avernion, Zalcophet & Gaelica were each born in or migrated to Luxevor at least a few centuries before the OmniWar. They became influential & powerful figures in Luxevor. •Avernion became one of the most powerful archmages of his time, master of arcana & the Daidrin Gaioforce. During the OmniWar, he earned a seat on the Sentinus Arcanum, the council of mages responsible for overseeing defense of the city from the gods & monsters that threatened it. He made many contributions to arcane & Gaioforce spell craft, including creation of the Divine Veil (with Zalcophet)& spells that could ???. •Zalcophet became an Eldritch Priest, a powerful archcleric & Daidrin Gaioforce-user that could cast divine spells without access to a deity, patron or Druidic magic. He made many contributions to divine & Gaioforce wards & spell craft, including creation of the Divine Veil (with Avernion) & weapons that could turn a deity’s own divine essence against them for harm, imprisonment or abjuration (some of this research was uncovered and used by Kiara & Hana to help develop their Thatos-banishment spell). •Gaelica was the Lord Atheknight of the Luxwatch. She became an Atheknight in her early years and rose through the ranks by the days of the OmniWar. She made several notable contributions to arcane & Gaioforce magitech, including development of the Luxeknight Armor, many of their weapons, and the Luxeknight serum that grants them superhuman abilities and resilience to divine power. He was eventually stripped of his position by the Court of Magisters (rulers of the city) Avernal Reckoning (Short Story) play out TTRPG-style •start with a recap of where the undead Gaiobros left off, the undead fates of their characters, and how they cut through Cyrofel with a large force of Roving Shadows wights to deal with the Laughing Ghouls & Cyrofellian Royal Guards. Part 1: The Royal Family •As the vanguard of this force, Gaelica’s Fist fights Prince Amon, Princess Sevira, the Death Minister, the Shade Walker & the D-Rex. Gaelica’s Fist kills the Death Minister & D-Rex first. Gaelica casts Fractal Clamp on the Shade Walker and the Underwitch casts Forcecage, imprisoning Avernox’s prized champion. •As they look to the wounded twins, Gaelica (familiar with their traumatic history thanks to the Gaiobros) tries convincing them to abandon their weakened king, appealing to their prior history of abuse from a “father” figure. While Prince Amon is only so moved, Princess Sevira remembers the kindness that Master Obu & the others showed her, how she betrayed them in the end in response to their poor (but well intentioned) judgements, as well as how she became undead in the first place. Knowing that her and her brother should live on their own terms rather than to any master, she teleports them both away from the fight, wandering the Underworld and other planes as free beings. Part 2: The Shadow King Protagonists: 1. Queen Gaelica, the Bone Reaper: see “Queen Gaelica updates” for details to add to the statblock. Add the Scythe of the Frost Reaper to her weapons. 2. Spoonmaster (Fork’s counterpart) 3. Father’s Wrath (Chazzle’s wight): Berserker Barbarian 4. Mechazar (Balcazar’s wight): see “World War Gaelica” or “Queen Gaelica” article 5. The Underwitch (Draconius hybrid wight) 6. Commander Kringle: See “World War Gaelica” or “Queen Gaelica” article Antagonists: 1. Avernox: same as Shadow Lich block, but without the Gaiostone benefits or curse limitations. HP max = 2,000-3,000 Notes: 1. Upon the death of Father’s Wrath, the Pentaphant’s Wrath will be teleported out of the battle in a climatic clash of him against Avernox’s spatial magic. The clash will harm Avernox enough for Father’s Wrath to go in peace, as he will know that he avenged his father & clan on this day. The weapon will land in Thatonis & eventually be claimed by Viko during Season 3. 2. Upon the death of Mechazar, the magitech warsuit will be completely destroyed while the Claw of Madrakor spatially plummets towards Vulsemar, left to be claimed by another victim. As this item contains a fragment of Madrakor’s undeath soul (similar to a horcrux from Harry Potter) and has been awakened more strongly than ever, its next victim (should they be a dragon or Dragonborn) could become the avatar of Madrakor, bringing his scourge back to the mortal realm after centuries. Part 3: Aftermath 1. When they & Gaelica defeat Avernox (no real chance that Gaelica’s Fist survives), she will encapsulate Avernox’s knowledge into a Thought Crystal (no will of his own other than as her eternal servant) & his broken soul into a Soul Gem. She will teleport the Soul Gem to Danos’ lair as a consolation prize, who will vengefully add Avernox to his Cloak of Screams. However, she will not claim the domain of Undeath for herself. Instead, she will use the Scythe of the Frost Reaper to teleport/reconstruct Zalcovia/the War Diamond around the domain in the form of necromantic arcane/Gaioforce runes, integrating the Daidrin magitech & “holiness” to contain it (she reverse engineered the Dark Energy Generator she took from the Gaiobros to create a larger version). She will then collapse Zalcovia via black-hole to seal the domain of Undeath into a pseudo-Gaiostone, the Underheart, and bury it permanently deep under the Nairvithone Mountains. This stone will become the new form of sustenance for Necropolis and future undead societies created by Gaelica. This will make the domain completely free of a god’s ownership, as due to the Divine Accords, they cannot cross into the mortal realm to retake it for themselves. Gaelica will be free to spread undeath from Cyrofel without the bounds of the Divine Accords, as she will not be a god. 2. She will take all her knowledge & blueprints to Cyrofel, establishing the city as her new HQ. She will transform Avernox’s library into the Avernal Archive, placing Avernox’s soul crystal in the center as an eternal librarian. His knowledge will be interwoven within the archive, allowing him to recall any information Gaelica seeks when she visits. 3. Gaelica will take command of the Avernal Knights & all of Avernox’s surviving forces, combining them with her own while keeping them in separate divisions. Gaelica will place the Shade Walker (now bound to her will) as the First Knight & General of her forces, with her retaining position as the Supreme Commander. She will instruct Mother Vor and her clergy to redirect worship towards the Underheart, reconstructing their temple in its image & killing anyone who still swears worship to Avernox. Their new purpose will be to manage the city’s undeath supply based on Gaelica’s wishes, rather than worship to her or the Shadow King. She also spreads the vague religious knowledge & worship of the Underheart to all undead societies, who can draw some power & necromantic magic from said worship. The Underheart is frozen in place in a deep maze of subterranean arctic caves, with dark tendrils of necrotic energy seeping through the ice veins. Any living creature (not undead or constructs) must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw for ever hour they spend in these caves (DC 25 within the inner ring of the caverns, DC 30 in the stone chamber) or die instantly & rise as a wight. Any creatures that die by other means will rise as a wight (if their body is intact/soul isn’t pushed out) or as a wraith/specter/ghost & zombie (if their body is destroyed or their soul is no longer in it). 4. In the end, Gaelica will have defeated the Shadow Triad and claimed power by acting the least ambitious of them all, biding her time until they took out or weakened each other. Danos will be able to connect to the power of undeath, but it will no longer be his sole domain; he’ll be forced to share with the Demon Gods, demon princes/lords & mortal necromancers.

V2 NOTES (PARTIALLY OUTDATED)

TABLE OF CONTENTS I: Avernox, the Shadow King II: Zalcophet, the Frost Pharaoh III: Gaelica, the War Reaper IV: Solya, the Caring Pharaoh/Dread Queen V: Darkjaw, the Wrathful Pharaoh I: AVERNOX, THE SHADOW KING Demographics •Undead Type: Shadow Lich (Lich variant) •Race: Moon Elf •Class: Daidrin Sorcerer, Wizard •Specialties: Daidrin Gaioforce, Eternus Arcana, Shadow Magic •Titles: Grand Arcanist of the Atheknight Research Council, King of Cyrofel, God of Necropolis •Shadow Triad Artifact: Eye of Luxevor (Daidrin Gaiostone, former core of the Reaper’s Claw) The Shards of Avernox: new phylacteries for Avernox, replacing the Daidrin Gaiostone & shunted them to different realms. They serve as his prisons until reunited by a host body at the Eye of Luxevor (Daidrin Gaiostone’s construct), at which point Avernox will ascend to the divinity he spent centuries cultivating before his defeat by the rest of the Shadow Triad. 1. Crown of Darkness (his will): shunted to Ominor, eventually recovered by a cecailean mage with a horrific imagination 2. The Avernomicon (his knowledge/spells): shunted to Aurofae, corrupted regions of the Everwild & was weaponized by several archfey until recovered by Solya, then warded/protected & hidden deep in a fey jungle ruin. •Cloak of Shadows (his essence/darkness), shunted to Hytheria & seared into the Celestic Mountains, eventually acquired by Count Volugard in a trade of another powerful magical artifact •Claws of Entropy (his power/hunger shunted to Thugora, wielded by several demons until claimed by Gaelica in battle, now proudly displayed in her arsenal vault •Cyrofel (his worshippers/divinity). Shunted to the Astral Fog, absorbing possibility itself into a localized void. The residents worship Avernox & vow for his return, but neither they nor Cyrofael can leave the Astral Fog through their own will alone. The various factions & guilds of old Necropolis maintain some order in the city, but are ruled in absolute by Mother Vor & the Shadow’s Voice (Avernox’ Church). Mother Vor is the speaker of Avernox’s word, gaining mummy lord status through connection to his divinity in Cyrofel. As such, she has control of the Shadow King’s horrible creations. II: ZALCOPHET, THE FROST PHARAOH Demographics •Undead Type: Mummy Lord •Race: Moon Elf •Class: Daidrin Cleric •Specialties: Daidrin Gaioforce, Divinity •Titles: Grand Hierophant of the Atheknight Research Council, Lord of Zalcovia, Pharaoh of Necropolis •Shadow Triad Artifact: The Voidspire (former shaft of the Scythe of the Frost Reaper) •Replaced by Solya & Darkjaw, but his knowledge was retained in a specialized Thought Crystal by Avernox for his work. III: GAELICA, THE LUX REAPER Demographics •Undead Type: Deathmonger (Death Knight variant) •Race: Moon Elf •Class: Daidrin Paladin, Artificer •Specialties: Daidrin Gaioforce, Arcane/Gaioforce Magitech, War & Combat Mastery •Titles: First Knight of the Atheknight Research Council, Lord Commander of the Roving Shadows •Shadow Triad Artifact: Aetherbane (former blade of the Scythe of the Frost Reaper, converts between two sickles & a longsword made of black ice) •Other Weapons: Shadowsun Greataxe, Deathstorm Lance, Everstorm Longbow IV: SOLYA, THE CARING PHARAOH/DREAD QUEEN Demographics •Undead Type: Necrodruid •Race: Wood Elf •Class: Daidrin Druid •Specialties: Druidic Magic, Daidrin Gaioforce (granted by the Pact of the Shadow Triad, mainly necrobotany & soul magic) V: DARKJAW, THE WRATHFUL PHARAOH Demographics •Undead Type: Death Warden •Race: Wood Elf •Class: Daidrin Ranger •Specialties: Draconic Magic, Daidrin Gaioforce (granted by the Pact of the Shadow Triad, mainly combat & teleportation magic) V1 NOTES (PARTIALLY OUTDATED) Fate of Avernox After his apotheosis, Avernox realized that his ritual didn’t work as intended. While it raised his power to the status of a demigod/lesser deity that could no longer enter the mortal realm due to the Divine Accords, he did not achieve true divinity. Instead, he became a godlich, needing to periodically consume the essence of other powerful or divine beings to sustain himself. Unknown to Avernion (pre-ascension), Gaelica & Solya plotted to banish him to his plane of apotheosis (the Astral Fog), throwing another wrench into his plans. Before the ritual, they each took a special potion that would allow their body & soul to remain tethered to this realm for the next 24 hours, regardless of external factors beyond deliberate removal of their soul. As Avernion’s ritual neared completion, they piggybacked a banishment curse onto the ritual’s existing power, warping its final purpose, by either: a) sacrificing their Bonds of the Shadow Triad (Aetherbane & Scepter of the Frost Pharaoh, respectively), or b) swapping the magic of their respective Bonds with an equivalent amount of the raw, unstable Daidrin Gaioforce, ensuring denigration & destruction of their Bonds within the next day. This essentially caused the ritual to cast Astral Banishment (10th+ level spell from the OmniWar) on Avernox, the Avernal Family, the Death Minister, the Shade Walker, Cyrofel, the Cyrofellians & all of Necropolis’ citizens (besides Gaelica, Solya, Darkjaw & the Roving Shadows), shunting them all to the Astral Fog & leaving them unable to teleport beyond its boundaries. Avernox now hungrily patrols the Astral Fog in search of near-divine prey, forcing the citizens of Cyrofel to worship him as their god. He also collects magic & knowledge he finds in this vast sea of ethereal possibility, hoarding it in the Avernal Archive of his palace. In the mortal realm, Solya used the Daidrin Gaiostone (or the power she drew from it) to complete her Ritual of Feybirth before her potion wore off, destroying Zalcovia & leaving the mortal realm behind while inadvertently shunting Darkjaw back into Gotharamor. As part of the banishment, Aetherbane & the Scepter shattered into five pieces called the Shards of Avernox, which contain small fragments of Avernox’s soul & serve as the anchors for maintaining the spell. After obtaining the Scythe of the Frost Reaper, Gaelica forged these shards into her existing weapons or new ones: 1. The Avernal Crown: Avernox’s former crown, worn by the current king of Cyrofel 2. The Shadow’s Teeth: the Shade Walker’s former sickles, wielded by Queen Gaelica 3. The Minister’s Tome: the Death Minister’s former spellbook, filled with Avernox’s spells & dark magic. Hidden & guarded by Solya in the Everwild (Aurofae) 4. The Ring of Entropy: Princess Sevira’s former ring, hidden in Ominor 5. The Cloak of Darkness: Prince Amon’s former cloak, hidden in Goru’s realm of the Thugoran Chaos. QUEEN GAELICA, THE SHADE REAPER •The Shadowsun Greataxe: wielded by Wrazzloth •The Deathstorm Lance: wielded by Commander Kringle •The Everstorm Longbow: wielded by Captain Umbros & can fire blasts of multiple dark elements (cold, necrotic, force, dark lightning & darkfire) Lady Gaelica took the Gaiostone and bound herself into a new (or long-forgotten) form of undeath; the Deathmonger. She then used it to lift the Zalcovia rubble & empty city of Necropolis into the sky, transforming them into her new base of operations: the Eclipse Castle name TBD. She houses her army of undead on this castle, first laying claim to all of Cyregnor’s living & dead populations. Her elite strike unit, Gaelica’s Sword, consists of the following elite undead crafted from the remains of the Gaiobros, her greatest foes. 1. Captain Umbros: an experienced Necropolis soldier & team leader of Gaelica’s Sword. Formerly known as Spoonmaster under the command of Lord Darkjaw, the Captain was granted the Daidrin Gaioforce & trained to counter legendary Gaiobro known as Fork in combat. With the death of Fork & reassignment to Lady Gaelica, the Captain wields weapons modeled after the Shade Walker, now trained to be his perfect counter: the Everstorm Longbow (a Shard of Avernox), Frost Sickles, and Force/Frost/Shadow Grenades. He also wields throwing knives that he can enhance with Daidrin teleportation abilities, giving them extra momentum damage while using 150/600 ft range. 2. Wrazzloth, the reanimated wight of Chazzle. Wrazzloth wields the Shadowsun Greataxe, a Shard of Avernox. 3. The Demowitch, the severed head of Queen Medusa with the Thugoran Callstone embedded in its forehead. Combined with the mixed blood of Draconius & demon blood that was on his person, Gaelica reanimated the head to float around as a wizard spellcaster, with speciality in Thugoran magic. It can also turn people to stone with a Medusa-gaze. 4. Commander Kringle: the death knight reintar (reindeer centaur) formerly known as Commander Kringle. He serves as First Knight of the Roving Shadows & wields the Deathstorm Lance, a Shard of Avernox. 5. Mother Vor: the religious leader/cleric of Queen Gaelica’s “faith”, formerly known as Sister Glaecia & bonded with Lord Kringle in marriage & undeath. She wields the Cloak of Shadows, a Shard of Avernox. Gaelica’s Sword uses Santa’s Sleigh as their main mode of transportation, dragged by a wyvern zombie. Mechazar, the reanimated magitech zombie of Balcazar cursed by the Claw of Madrakor, escaped shortly after reanimation, fleeing to Vulsemar to enact Madrakor’s master plans. Queen Gaelica sealed away the Pentaphant’s Wrath & the Staff of Dahlivine in her treasure vault, unwilling to lose such divine artifacts in battle. Other weapons, armor & items from the Gaiobros inventory NOT used by Gaelica’s Sword or Commander Kringle were either folded into the Roving Shadows armory (weapons, armor & the BoneMobile), or traded to Count Volugard for other weapons & armor (magic items & equipment) before his departure from the mortal plane. Gaelica created several unique undead warriors: •Frost Behemoths: large undead brutes with shards of ice protruding from their body. They are immune to cold damage and deal it when within 5 ft of creatures, as well as with every fist or bite attack. Also has a Frost Breath (with recharge) Statblocks to create for The Roving Shadows •Queen Gaelica: Moon Elf Deathmonger (death knight variant) •Commander Kringle: Reigntaur Death Knight •Mother Vor: Frost Elf Death Cleric w/ majority ice spells •Spoonmaster: Frost Elf Death Monk (homebrew, undead subclass) •Wrazzloth: Mammodon (wight) Barbarian •Mechazar: Lizardfolk (zombie) Artificer, host of Madrakor •Ghobu: Tortle (wraith) Death Cleric w/ majority necrotic spells, can use life drained from others to heal his party of undead •The Demowitch: Severed head of Queen Medusa, with the Thugoran Callstone embedded in its forehead, tethered to undeath by the blended flesh of Draconius, Medusa blood & demon blood. Wizard with access to arcane, Daidrin & Thugoran spells. Gaiobros Souls involved: •Chazzle: soul used to make the wight •Draconius: Rouzhai Gaioforce taken by Avernion, soul reincarnated by Thalonius •Balcazar: Garonis Gaioforce taken by Avernion, soul used by Solya for the Rites of Feybirth •Fork: Goultani Gaioforce taken by Avernion, soul used by Solya for the Rites of Feybirth •Master Obu: Daidrin Gaioforce taken by Avernion to create Princess Sevira/Prince Amon, soul used by Solya for the Rites of Rebirth

The Final Battle: Avernox vs. The Shadow Triad

Initiative & Special Rules

1. Darkjaw: 20 (0/200 HP)
2. Gaelica: 20 (0/250 HP)
3. Solya: 13 (0/150 HP, 0/86 HP as Flurry)
4. Avernox: 9 (13/600)

Due to their shared power source (the Daidrin Gaiostone), all combatants are resistant (not immune) to cold, necrotic & force damage, regardless of the statblock’s instructions:

Round 1

Darkjaw

• Action: Unleashes a powerful Twinfire (5th level) against the Shadow King, dealing 51 fire damage.
• Avernox Legendary Action 1: Casts Chill Touch on Darkjaw, dealing 9 damage and granting Darkjaw disadvantage on attack rolls next turn

Gaelica

• Action: Tosses a Shadowfire Orb (1/day) against the Shadow King, who dodges it partially and only takes 49 fire & necrotic damage.
• Avernox Legendary Action 2: Casts Cold Blast at Gaelica, dealing 13 cold damage.

Lair Action (1 stored due to the ritual)

• Avernox casts Meteor Swarm; Solya fails the saving throw, but Darkjaw & Gaelica barely pass. 74 fire/86 bludgeoning; Darkjaw & Gaelica take 80 damage each, while Solya takes 160 damage and is immediately destroyed, leaving her essence floating in the region as the Scepter of Zalcophet falls to the ground.

Solya

• Action: Death Success (will allow her to resist Avernox's manipulations if she gets 3 successes)
• Bonus Action: revival Uses both Wild Shapes to transform into Flurry, her fallen drake companion.
• Avernox Legendary Action 3: Casts Dark Drain (1st level) on Solya's essence, who Nat20s her Charisma saving throw and reverses the flow of the spell, reforming her Dread Queen body with 1 HP. This allows her a Bonus Action

Avernox

• Action: Furious at the betrayal, the Shadow King seeks to end this fight as quickly as possible, using all the devastating, pseudo-divine dark power at his disposal. He casts Ravenous Void (9th level), catching everyone else in its field at the start of their turn.
• Bonus Action: Using his innate sorcery capabilities, Avernox channels a Quickened Spell to cast Finger of Death (7th level) at Gaelica, feeling extra emnity towards who he thought was his loyal soldier & dealing 30 necrotic damage.

Round 2

Darkjaw

• Action: Fails his save against Ravenous Void and takes 29 force damage. He unleashes three arrows at the Shadow King; one is dodged and one is Shielded (1st level), but the third nat20s, dealing 44 damage.
• Bonus Action: Dark Warps (2nd level) away from the Ravenous Void, preventing future damage.
• Avernox Legendary Action 1: Zaps Darkjaw with 20 lightning damage from Dark Lightning (4th level)

Gaelica

• Action: Fails her save against Ravenous Void and takes 29 force damage. Unleashes a full barrage of attacks from Aetherbane. Deals 17 damage on one strike & 43 damage (crit) on another (the third hits Avernox's shield)
• Bonus Action: Dark Warps (2nd level) away from the Ravenous Void, preventing future damage.
• Movement: Moves within striking distance of the Shadow King
• Avernox Legendary Action 2-3: Recognizing a grave threat from his former knight, Avernox uses a Shadow Tendril to attack Gaelica, hoping to paralyze her. However, his arrogance conflicted with his fear cause him to miscast the spell, dissipating his tendril upon a sword parry from Gaelica.

Solya

• Action: Casts Soul Removal (9th level) while touching him. Avernox fails, but the soul-ripping magic does not take full effect on his newly re-phylacteried body. Instead, he takes 80 necrotic damage from the attempt.
• Bonus Action: Dark Warps (2nd level) to the Shadow King

Avernox

• Action: Casts Death Volt (9th level) on Gaelica, killing her instantly as her essence begins flowing back into Aetherbane.
• Bonus Action: Using Quickened Spell, Avernox casts a modified Fractal Clamp (4th level) on Gaelica & Aetherbane as the beginnings to an imprisonment ritual, removing her from combat unless she can escape before his next turn.

Round 3

Darkjaw

• Action: Unleashes the last three Explosive Arrows at the Shadow King; one hits while the others are Shielded (1st level), dealing 22 damage.
• Avernox Legendary Action 1-2: Casts Gravity Hammer (5th level) on Darkjaw, dealing 36 force damage.

Gaelica

• Action: Nat 1s her Charisma save to escape Avernox's imprisonment, sealing her fate once he completes the ritual on his turn.

Solya

• Action: Casts a powerful Dark Lightning (8th level) at Avernox, dealing 35 lightning damage.
• Bonus Action: Casts Moon Heal (4th level) to heal her main form 20 HP, drawing upon 1 reserve of stored magic to do so.
• Avernox Legendary Action 3: Casts Aether Claw (3rd level), dealing 13 necrotic damage by adding an extra soul to the attack.

Avernox

• Action: Realizing that he is in trouble from the damage output, Avernox casts Shadow Beam (6th level) at the undead couple. Darkjaw takes 12 necrotic damage and is nearly destroyed, while Solya takes 46 from her Flurry form.
• Bonus Action: Completes his ritual on Aetherbane, permanently binding/trapping Gaelica's soul within the blade.

Round 4

Darkjaw

• Action: Unleashes a torrent of arrows; 23, 20, 38 (crit) for 81 total damage to the Shadow King
• Avernox Legendary Action 1: Casts Cold Blast on Darkjaw, destroying him while leaving his essence floating near his longbow.

Gaelica (defeated)

Solya

• Action: Casts Finger of Death from the Scepter of Zalcophet, dealing 28 necrotic damage.
• Bonus Action: Grieving Darkjaw & her new friend Gaelica while channeling the Legendary Actions she has not used, Solya conjures enough dark energy to cast Soul Removal again, hoping to end the Shadow King once and for all. Deals 64 necrotic damage, bringing him low but not out.
• Avernox Legendary Action 2-3: Casts Shadow Scorch (5th level) on Solya, knowing of her weakeness to fire. Deals 68 fire damage, destroying Solya's Wild Shape & burning through her humanoid form as well. All combatants are down, and it is up to Solya (in spirit form) to resist Avernox's final rites & defeat him.

Avernox

• Action: Encapsulates Darkjaw permanenlty into his bow.
• Bonus Action: Tries to encapsulate Solya within the Scepter of Zalcophet, leading to a contested Charisma check/saving throw. Solya resists, allowing her one more action as an incorporeal being before Avernox gets another chance to imprison her.

Round 5 (the finale)

Darkjaw (defeated)

Gaelica (defeated)

Solya

• Soul Action: calls upon the three remaining magic items of the Shadow Triad (Scepter of Zalcophet, Aetherbane & the Dragonspit Longbow) for one final attack against the Shadow King, casting the Rites of Astral Banishment upon his reduction to 0 HP. All her attacks hit with one crit (from the Scepter), dealing 21 (Bow), 20 (Aetherbane), 32 (Scepter of Zalcopher), or 73 damage total.
• Soul Bonus Action: Seeing that the Shadow King is near death but not out, Solya makes the ultimate sacrifice of her soul to cast the final push for the banishment ritual. This becomes a spellcasting attack roll/saving throw for them both, of which Avernox barely wins (24 Solya vs. 26 Avernox). As such, Solya's corrupted spirit is destroyed as a nearly destroyed Avernox embraces the remainder of his ritual. However, Solya's lingering essence plants a powerful curse in Avernox that will forever inhibit him in minor, yet noticeable ways.
• Avernox Legendary Actions 1-3: Crafts the Scepter of Zalcophet and corrupted fragments of Solya's body/soul into the Dreadroot Spyre, completing his defeat of the Neo-Shadow Triad.

Aftermath

Epilogue

In the fight between Gaelica’s Fist & Avernox’s lieutenants, the Shade Walker out maneuvers the Spoonmaster’s magitech blast & beheads him with a double-sickle slash. The Death Minister casts a deadly spells directly into the Demowitch’s crystalline third eye, reducing it to ash. With these kills, both lieutenants resist the Rites of Lichbane, proving their loyalty to the Shadow King & mastery over his power. Commander Kringle & Sister Glaecia kill Prince Amon & Princess Sevira, but sacrifice themselves as part of the incomplete Rites of Lichbane, leaving the magic in a chaotic stasis around the death sites. A weakened, but “alive” Avernox appears to them & melds the wild magicks together to create the Reaper’s Wand & imbued it with his mark, rewarding it to the Death Minister & naming him Grand Hierophant of the Avernal Church. Avernox names the Shade Walker as Commander of the Avernal Army, presenting him with Aetherbane as his new primary weapon. He dismisses his lieutenants to begin their duties while he leaves to complete his remaining work in the mortal realm.

Avernox appears in Necropolis & imbues every magical weapon/armor in Gaelica’s vault with his mark, then teleports the vault to Cyrofel for the Shade Walker’s use. When confronted by Wrazzloth, he who despises the Shadow King, he personally engages & defeats the mammodon, modifying the binds of his wightdom to become his new master. Avernox alters the Pentaphant’s Wrath into a Frostfire weapon (imbued with his mark), then appoints Wrazzloth as General of the Roving Shadows to turn his wrath onto the living. Wrazzloth would be known by most of the living as the Bleeding Tusk, developing gray/white hair to blend in with the snow.

Avernox presented the Cult of Shadows with their new choices for their future:

1. Die & be reborn as standard undead residents of Cyrofel, never again to rise in status but allowed a comfortable undead life at the mercy of the Shadow King
2. Become mummies of Zalcovia, tasked to manage the spread of Avernox’s mark on magic & utilize the Roving Shadows when necessary.
3. Remain as mortals to continue converting society’s mages into followers & secretly spreading the Shadow King’s mark on arcana. They were each granted a spellbook, magic item & enhanced warlock pact with the Shadow King , then dismissed to begin their work across Gaion. They would report their progress to Highmother Vor until death, upon which they will be rewarded with a high-ranking undead status in Cyrofel for their service. Alternatively, they could choose to become mummies for the Church upon their natural end.

Avernox personally recruited Nezzarae, a senior Cult of Shadows member & excommunicated Mystic of the Warian Collective, to be his new Necrodruid, bestowing her with the Dreadroot Spyre and instructing her to push the boundaries of necrodruidic magic across the world. Her magical contributions would be regularly transmitted to Avernox as part of their pact, answering directly to him as a specialized agent of the Cult of Shadows.

Avernox & The Shadow’s Fist

Avernox, the Shadow King

Magic Type: Archlich of Shadow

Lesser Deity of Magic & Mysteries, his existence tethered to the Domain of Shadow.

As an Archlich of Shadow, he no longer has a phylactery to destroy. Instead, his spirit must reform from the darkness itself, typically by inhabiting a mortal’s shadow & consuming their soul. The Avernal Banes are the only weapons that can permanently kill him; Aetherbane, the Dreadroot Staff & the Reaper’s Wand.

Avernox’s five lieutenants are known as the Shadow’s Fist, each serving an important function within Avernox’s master plans. Two of the Fist report to Avernox directly, while the other three report to other members of the Fist.

1. The Death Minister, Grand Hierophant of the Avernal Church. Eidolon of Arcane Magic (wizards, warlocks, sorcerers, bards)
2. The Shade Walker, Knight Commander of the Avernal Army. Eidolon of Shadow Magic
3. Duskmother Vor, Pharaoh of the Avernal Church. Eidolon of Holy Divinity (clerics & paladins)
4. Nezzarae, senior member of the Cult of Shadows. Eidolon of Natural Divinity (druids & rangers)
5. Wrazzloth, General of the Roving Shadows. Eidolon of Thugoran Magic (demons)

The Death Minister

• Magic Type: Wightlord (Archmage of Daidrin, Shadow & Arcane Magic)
• Grand Hierophant of the Avernal Church, Steward to the Shadow King. On behalf of his master, he explores the multiverse in search of powerful & long-lost magicks, either for his master’s collection or to imbue with his master’s mark.
• Avernal Bane: The Reaper’s Wand

The Shade Walker

• Magic Type: Death Knight (Paladin of Daidrin & Shadow Magic)
• First Knight & Commander of the Avernal Army. Reports directly to the Shadow King.
• Avernal Bane: Aetherbane
• Also wields the Claws of Entropy & Gaelica’s former arsenal (Blacksun Greataxe, Deathstorm Lance & Everstorm Longbow)

Duskmother Vor

• Magic Type: Mummy Lord (Cleric of Holy Divine, Daidrin & Shadow Magic)
• Pharaoh of the Avernal Church. Reports directly to the Death Minister on matters of the Church & the Cult of Shadows.
• Despite being of higher rank & having a longer tenure with the Cult of Shadows, Duskmother Vor was not presented with an Avernal Bane; this was instead granted to Nezzara, to Vor’s deep resentment Shadows. Avernox, not fully trusting of cleric-like beings after Zalcophet, instead rewarded her loyalty with the Blacksun Amulet (formerly Balcazar’s), modified to amplify Daidrin & divine magic while also granting 1/day access to Divine Interventions from the Shadow King. However, it also serves a secondary purpose; no matter what anti-divination spells Duskmother Vor casts or is presented with, Avernox can always see and sense her activities through the amulet.

Nezzarae

• Magic Type: Witch (Archdruid of Natural Divine Magic & Warlock of the Shadow King)
• Leader of the Cult of Shadows, the recruiting arm of the Avernal Church. Reports directly to the Death Minister. Also Kiara’s mother.
• Avernal Bane: The Dreadroot Crown

Wrazzloth, the Bleeding Tusk

• Magic Type: Wight, Demonic Barbarian
• General of the Roving Shadows, the mortal plane arm of the Avernal Army. Reports directly to the Shade Reaper.
• Wields the Pentaphant’s Wrath, a Frostfire greataxe imbued with Avernox & the Pentaphant’s combined magic.

The Avernal Banes

The Avernal Banes are three weapons/magic items created on the night of Avernox’s ascension, when Gaelica, Solya & Darkjaw attempted to disrupt his ritual with their own Rites of Lichbane. While they failed, their willful intent to defeat the Shadow King, combined with his magic & the incomplete magicks of their ritual, imbued the weapons with the ability to permanently kill the Shadow King if they were all used together in combat against him. As such, he gave the weapons to his most trusted lieutenants (Shade Walker & Death Minister) and the leader of the Cult of Shadows (Nezzarae) due to the weapon’s potential in the mortal realm & her lack of direct access to him.

Aetherbane

• a black longsword containing the trapped soul of Lady Gaelica, the War Reaper.
• It drains the lifeforce from any creature it cuts while adding to the wielder’s power. When it maxes out its power, it transfigures into a jagged greatsword seeping with shadow.
• Entrusted to the Shade Walker, who uses it with dark mastery as Commander of the Avernal Army.

Dreadroot Spyre

• a quarterstaff crafted from the Scepter of Zalcophet wrapped/infused with the imprisoned body & soul of Solya, the Caring Pharaoh/Dread Queen.
• It drains the lifeforce of organic beings to channel necro-Druidic power over nature.
• Entrusted to Nezzarae, who wields it for her dark Druidic experiments & for status as Darkmother of the Cult of Shadows.

Reaper’s Wand

• a black wand crafted from the combined remnants of Prince Amon, Princess Sevira, Commander Kringle, Sister Glaecia & the Rites of Lichbane magicks.
• It amplifies the power of the caster’s spells while feeding off the lifeforce of anyone it kills. The more life it takes, the more bloodthirsty & tempted by necromancy the wielder becomes.
• Entrusted to the Death Minister, who is now one of the most powerful wizards of the age due to this wand & Avernox’s teachings.

Those entrusted with one of these weapons are known as the Banekeepers. In Season 3, Viko, Kiara & Hana face off against the Banekeepers at some point in their stories & acquire these weapons:

• Viko faces the Shade Reaper to claim Aetherbane. The Shade Reaper leads the Avernal Army on a mission to secure the Rouzhai-Garonis Nexus for his master.
• Kiara faces Nezzarae (her mother) to claim the Dreadroot Staff. Nezzarae resurrects her daughter after the fight with Thatos, bringing her into the Cult of Shadows (without Kiara’s full knowledge) & telling her the forbidden truths about the Warian Collective.
• Hana faces the Death Minister to claim the Reaper’s Wand. The Death Minister crossed paths with her as part of his master’s mission to study the Blauri Gaioforce from the Gaiostone itself.

Other Avernal Artifacts created by the Shadow King

• The Avernomicon: a book written by Avernox filled with powerful dark magic, including forbidden/long-lost secrets of necromancy, the Daidrin Gaioforce & Divine Age arcana. He hid this book on Gaion, spreading rumors of its existence through the Cult of Shadows to tempt ambitious mages to spread its corruptive magic. Avernox then leaves the mortal realm, believing it was no longer a dimension worthy of his neo-divine presence & entrusting its operations to his followers while he pursued his extraplanar goals.
• Jaw’s Remorse: a longbow crafted from the Dragonspit Longbow infused with Darkjaw’s cursed, broken soul. The bow fires unlimited elemental arrows, allowing the user to shoot blasts of fire, lightning, cold, acid or poison. However, the bow drives anyone who wields it to kill as much as possible, becoming more powerful & feral with each kill. When the bow maxes out its power (10 kills), the wielder is forcibly transformed into a hybrid weredrake form (draconic wings, bite & claw attacks from werebear, pack tactics from werewolf, pounce abilities from weretiger), who spends 1d6 hours on a genocidal rampage of any creatures nearby. Any creature bitten by the Jaw’s Remorse weredrake must make a Constitution saving throw against lycanthropy or roll 1d4 to determine what kind of lycanthrope they become (werewolf, weretiger, werebat, or werebear). Avernox threw Jaw’s Remorse like an arcane meteor into the ruins of Gotharamor, since it does not hold the same magic of the Avernal Banes. Instead, Avernox left it in the mortal realm to corrupt anyone who tried to claim its power, embodying Darkjaw’s genocidal will & bloodthirsty hunger.

Other Notes (roll these into the rest of the file)

Avernox cannot die unless slain with the Avernal Banes. Otherwise, he will reform within the domain of Shadow, as his lichdom is permanently tied to it. As such, he has no phylactery to destroy.

The Dreadroot Crown goes to Nezzarae for magical research purposes. Having already been a trusted member of the Cult of Shadows prior to his ascension, the Shadow King entrusted Nezzarae with continuing the necrodruidic research & development that Solya started. He withheld Zalcophet’s notes & secret library, believing that the secrets of unraveling & replicating divinity should be his alone.

The Shadow’s Fist has the following reporting structure:

• The Shade Walker: Commander of the Avernal Army. Reports to the Shadow King. In the Shadow’s Fist, he represents War & Death.
• The Death Minister: Grand Hierophant of the Avernal Church. Reports to the Shadow King. In the Shadow’s Fist, he represents Arcana.
• Duskmother Vor: Pharaoh of the Avernal Church. Reports to the Death Minister. Formerly a senior member of the Cult of Shadows. In the Shadow’s Fist, she represents Holy Divinity.
• Nezzarae, the Warian Witch: senior member of the Cult of Shadows. Reports to the Death Minister on necrodruidic R&D. In the Shadow’s Fist, she represents Natural Divinity.
• Wrazzloth, The Bleeding Tusk: General of the Roving Shadows. Reports to the Shade Walker. In the Shadow’s Fist, he represents Thugoran Magic. He coordinates with Duskmother Vor when large-scale religious enforcement is required. Wrazzloth & the Roving Shadows also serve as a failsafe against Zalcovia, in case Duskmother Vor ever decides to betray the faith.

Season 3 Impact

During GaioCorps Season 3, the Shade Walker sends Wrazzloth & the Roving Shadows to the Rouzhanis Pillar, hoping to utilize his connection to Thugoran magic to conquer the demons & add them to his army. It is here where Viko encounters and kills Wrazzloth, marking the first of the Shadow’s Fist to fall to the GaioCorps. Upon this death, the Shade Walker himself leads his army to conquer the Pillar, leading to one of the three simultaneous climactic fights of the 3rd season:

• Viko vs. the Shade Walker, backed by their respective demonic & undead armies.
• Kiara vs. Nezzarae
• Hana vs. the Death Minister, who was attempting to claim the Blauri Gaiostone for his master.

These fights lead to the destruction of the Shadow’s Fist, leaving only Duskmother Vor & the Knights of Zalcovia to defend the mortal arm of the faith. It is here where the GaioCorps tearfully reunites, killing Duskmother Vor & utilizing the Darksun Amulet/Eye of Luxevor to teleport to the Shadow King’s domain. It is here, with all three Avernal Banes, that they fight and permanently kill the Shadow King, destroying his unholy & corrupted soul as it had been stretched beyond stability. They take over Cyrofel & Avernox’s magical knowledge/research, exorcising the city of its dark spirits and trapped souls. They use this city & the Daidrin Gaiostone to eventually defeat Thatos.

Season 4 Impact

Cyrofel becomes Kiara’s main base of operations as she works to create peace in the world & rebuild the remnants of the Warian Collective into a new, global peacekeeping organization. Cyrofel also became the site of internationally coordinated, secret development of the OmniGate, utilizing the recovered knowledge of Avernox & other powerful mages of the Divine Age to create a weapon capable of killing the gods.