Shadowed Horizons – Act III Update

Hey everyone, we’ve reached the end of the Shadowed Horizons campaign. Act III has been agonisingly close all the way to the finish.

Firstly, thank you for the huge amount of participation in the campaign with 1,248 games played. Let's look at some stats!

• 1,175 Kings of War games played
• 144 Ambush games, 990 Regular games, 22 Siege games, 19 Legendary games

• 73 Armada games played
• 58 Regular games, 5 Seas Aflame games, 10 Seas of Dread games

Secondly, and before reading further, remember to catch up on the final short stories before we pick apart the results and share any spoilers!

EPILOGUE PART 1: ON COLD TIDES

EPILOGUE PART 2: LANDFALL

The War at Sea, Act III - Race for the Iceblood Fjord

It was a narrow victory for the forces of GOOD on Pannithor's oceans this week!

Stripped of their Abyssal Dwarf heavy escort at the Battle of Brokenwall (in Act II), who they neglected to go back and save, the Twilight Kin broke away into the endless sea. But as they head towards the Iceblood Fjord to complete their dastardly plan, they've been harassed all week by their pursuers with great effect!

The Twilight Kin fleet is sufficiently damaged now that they cannot reach the fjord, their target landing site. Are they now going to be pursued all the way into the coast?

At the end of Act II the EVIL generals voted (by a VERY narrow majority) to send war-machines to the Iceblood coast in support of the Twilight Kin fleet, rather than keep all of their troops in defence of the void-cages. This turns out to have been a pivotal decision, and drove off the pursuers chasing them in towards the Iceblood Coast.

The War on Land, Act III – The Ravenous Void

Having discovered the void-cage network in Act II, the forces of GOOD have been fighting through the Winterlands this week shutting down as many as they can. With just a narrow victory on land, but aided by fact that the EVIL generals had opted to send considerable resources to the coast, we have held that most of the Void-cages have been closed.

So what does this mean?

1. With less void-energy available to harness, and their landing site further south than planned, the Twilight Kin's portal in the North is only temporary, and not the permanent link between the Iceblood Fjord and the Mouth of Leith that they had sought.
2. They have been able to deploy their first wave of troops through a temporary tear in reality, but are cut off from the reinforcements, supplies, and building materials they need to create a permanent foothold in the North.

That's not to say that they won't be causing trouble, but it's a far cry from the fully-blown invasion that they had planned...

The Consequences Of Your Actions...

So...let's look at the outcomes of all the variables in the campaign! Anything in italics is the consequence of that outcome.

Prologue - The Battle of Ygrituul Valley

• EVIL WINS: The Frostclaw Riders are massacred. This means that they will not be available to reinforce Chill if required.
• EVIL WINS: The Nightstalker horde successfully crosses the Ygrituul River. This means that the Nightstalkers will continue up the Nordgared Pass.
• EVIL WINS: The city of Blackridge remains held by the orcs. This means that Blackridge does not become a Nightstalker city. The orcs will continue to harass the expeditionary forces in Act III.
• EVIL GENERAL'S CHOICE: 100% voted that the Nightstalkers will head West towards the mysterious energy source at the Iceblood Fjord. This means that Chill will be spared in Act II.

Act I (Land) - The Long March North

• GOOD WINS: The noble factions successfully fend off opportunistic attacks as they dispatch their expeditionary forces. GOOD factions do not lose territory in upper Mantica.
• GOOD GENERAL'S CHOICE: 62% voted that the expeditionary forces would decide to rest their troops at the northern border of the Mammoth Steppe. GOOD factions will be able to reach the high ground and discover the void-cage network at the end of Act II.
• GOOD GENERAL'S CHOICE: The expeditionary forces will therefore change their main objective from reinforcing Chill to destroying Void-cages at the end of Act II. GOOD factions will not be available to reinforce Chill if required.

Act I (Sea) - Hunting on the Infant Sea

• GOOD WINS: The noble factions managed to keep up with the Twilight Kin and Abyssal Dwarf fleets as they flee after their attack on the Golden Horn toll forts. This means that they will be able to reinforce the sea forts at the Battle of Broken wall in Act II.
• GOOD WINS: A large portion of the Basilean Navy remains in pursuit, rather than returning to the Golden Horn. This means that a lone Abyssal Dwarf surviving vessel will be able to return to the Low Sea of Suan at the end of Act III.

Act II (Land) - The Fight for the Ice Mountains

• EVIL WIN: The Northern Alliance patrols returning to Chill are slaughtered. They will not be available to reinforce Chill if required.
• EVIL WIN: The Nightstalkers continue unstoppably up the Nordgared Pass, smashing through the Chill Watch Line. Chill will be vulnerable to attacks from the South-East in the future.
• EVIL GENERAL'S CHOICE: 51% voted that they would send war-machines to the Iceblood Coast to support the Trident Kin fleet. The Twilight Kin fleet's pursuers will be driven off in Act III as they sail nearer to the coast.

Act II (Sea) - The Battle of Brokenwall

• GOOD WIN: The Abyssal Dwarf fleet is destroyed between the power of the elven sea forts and the Basilean fleet that is pursuing them. The Twilight Kin escape out into the endless sea, but are still pursued. The Twilight Kin fleet in Act III will be destroyed if EVIL lose again at sea AND they do not receive support from the land forces.

Act III (Land) - The Ravenous Void

• GOOD WIN: Having discovered the Void-cage network in Act II, and aided by the EVIL General's Choice to send aid to the coast rather than defending them, the allies have destroyed most of the Void-cages. The Twilight Kin's Void-gate, should they succeed in bringing the Shadowheart to the Winterlands, will only be temporary. They will be denied the reinforcements, supplies, and building materials that are waiting in the Pit of Despair to follow the initial troops.

Act III (Sea) - Race for the Iceblood Fjord

• GOOD WIN: The Twilight Kin fleet is damaged further, to the extent that it will not reach the Iceblood Fjord. They will be destroyed if they receive no support from the coast. If they do make landfall, it will not be at their target location. There will be no Nightstalkers waiting at this location for the Twilight Kin army, ready to be bound.
• GOOD WIN: The Nightstalker horde is not united with the Twilight Kin invading force. The enormous horde will become a new roaming threat in the Winterlands as they continue searching for the energy source, which has suddenly vanished between the Void energy streams being exhausted in opening the portal, and the Void-cages being closed by the GOOD allies in Act III.

Phew - so there we are! We'll be updating the campaign website very soon with the Act III results and content.

In the meantime, thank you for playing and contributing to what's been a wild ride. Let's do it all again next year!