November 11, 2024

Shadows and Chaos

Chaos and Shadows - A Peek at Defeat

Hello all, it's Cylisse the writer again! Last year, you fought and crushed the Invaders looking to destroy Battleon. In doing so, Gravelyn was saved, and that steered the story towards a brighter route.

This year, Zhoom and the Sandsea's fate were on the line. The fight was a lot tougher, and a bunch of the devs expected a defeat. But, you beat the odds, and I won't lie - some of us threw our hats on the ground. It was so funny, and I hope that's fun for you to hear!   

What would have happened if you had lost the war against Apophis' forces? That's a little more complicated to explain than it was last time. You might need a little context from this post about the alternate route the Shadows of Doom story could have taken back in Camlan.

Be aware, big spoilers for the entire Shadows of Doom story as well as spoilers from the Rumbling of Cold Thunder's finale. 

Starting in /LotusTomb, the story would have been different if the war in /ShadowBattleon was lost. Gravelyn wouldn't be here. Instead, the comatose Empress of the Shadowscythe would be in the custody of the Lightguard. 

As a consequence, she would have never sent Queen Victoria a gift that saved her life in /ColdThunder. Taking down the Avatar of Cold Thunder without that special arrow from Gravelyn would have rendered Victoria blind, deaf, unable to speak or even move. She'd be trapped in her own body. In turn, Tara would be distraught, and far more aggressive. With Zhoom, she'd be bitter about him not giving Queen Victoria enough help, and she'd want to kill the "Regular Stranger" on the spot.

Berated and guilty, Zhoom would have made rash decisions to prove that he'd put his life on the line to save the world. That includes giving the Lightguard and Astero more power and influence. The "Regular Stranger" - as unbelievable as it sounds - would have had it way worse, and wouldn't be willing to help fight Apophis and Neith.

The moment you won the war in /ShadowDuat, the destiny of several characters were decided. You gave them hope, and a chance to grow.

One of those characters was Sigrid. If the war was lost, Astero would have stuck to Zhoom like glue. The Emissary of Light would turn Sigrid's attention away from the suffering of the Sandsea's people, and keep her from seeing Tara's camaraderie with Gravelyn.

A defeat would have also resulted in the "Regular Stranger" sneaking away, instead of being motivated to pit his Chaos against Neith's. Tired and weary, the Hero wouldn't have challenged him to prove that he's still Drakath, Champion of Chaos. There is more significance to this, but that would leak into spoiler territory for future stories.

The consequences Zhoom would face is wrapped in Astero's machinations. Faced with the fact that he was an incompetent leader who dragged his friends down with him, Zhoom is more open to Astero's offer. In the past, Apophis and Neith were defeated by Sek-Duat and the Light. That can happen again.

Rather than using a combination of Sek-Duat's power, Drakath's, and the Hero's - Zhoom would allow himself to be possessed by Astero. His consciousness is destroyed, the Emissary of Light gains a physical body. Astero's power becomes unmatched, forcing the Shadows to flee.

Horrified by what has happened to Zhoom, and seeing the Lightguard take full control of the Sandsea - the Hero, Tara, and Gravelyn take Sek-Duat's box and leave the deserts. None of them are confident that they can bring Zhoom back. Word spreads of the Lightguard's victory against the Shadows, and more flock to join them.

But remember, this future has not come to pass! Your victory empowered your friends, and your enemies are literally eating each other. Astero even had to change his dinner plans! The Sandsea will prosper, and Zhoom's going to have your back no matter where you go. Everyone who saw this victory stands strong, and it'll affect the main story just like it did last time.

And now, a certain hitch hiker isn't as slick as they think they are.

Congrats on winning the war, and thank you for playing this leg of the Shadows of Doom Main Story Interlude! I did plan to make a large post for the Rumbling of Cold Thunder, but progress is slow because I have a lot of new adventures to send you on. We're approaching our usual months of seasonal events. I'll aim to finish the RoCT post before we begin the next arc of Main Story - the Flame of the Beyond!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found this interesting! I've been asked if there could be releases themed around taking a peek at these 'defeat' outcomes, and no promises, but we'll definitely think about it!

Big thank you to Crulon for creating all the maps and designing the Apophis Chantress, Darkon for the cutscene animations (and designing the Doom Triad themselves), monster designs were put together by Aciel and Snow (who also designed Apophis' Umbral Chaos form), Despera for Neith's design (which was slightly adjusted by Darkon to be all ghosty), and our lovely testers!