Welcome, one and all!
As the sun rises high over October, the month of the righteous Libra, the time is right to bring you some insight into the Zodiac Legion’s mortal enemy, and your primary opposing force in the game.
Centuries ago, during the previous awakening of magic, some sought to harness the power of the stars for evil. These wicked sorcerers forged an alliance known as the Dragon Covenant, and their sole desire in this world was to enslave all to their bidding.
Their plans were ultimately thwarted by the knightly brotherhood of the Zodiac, whose sacrifice severed the world’s connection to the flows of magic in a grand calamity that devastated the land. But the Covenant was a step ahead – its highest Archons realised that losing the source of their power could lead to a backlash that would annihilate their feeble, corrupted bodies. Thus they chose to postpone their schemes, and the Covenant’s greatest channelled all their magic into cheating death itself. They fell into a slumber in sanctuaries deep underground, their undying forms sustained forever by fiendish craft, until the tides of magic returned to once again let them claim their birthright.
Now the Archons awaken from their long sleep to resume their conquest. In their minds, the ancient war has never ended, and the memory of the Zodiac Legion’s interference is as fresh as yesterday’s troubles. They hate you with all their evil being, and they will stop at nothing to destroy you.
Still, what plays to your advantage is that the Covenant hasn’t regained even a quarter of its erstwhile power, and its meagre resources are not enough to declare open war upon you... yet. That is why the Archons operate from the shadows and focus on infiltration rather than warfare, and their goal for the time being is to subvert the nations of the realm against you.
As time goes on during your campaign in Zodiac Legion, the Covenant will establish secret bases in the world, which it will use to influence local factions. If left unchecked, the bases will grow, strengthening the entire Covenant, and making your war effort progressively difficult. Stronger bases mean stronger enemy units, harder missions with shorter timers or higher garrison readiness, and continuously spreading corruption changing your potential allies into adversaries.
Neutral factions have influence bars that denote their alignment between the Zodiac Legion and the Dragon Covenant. Losing a faction to the Covenant is a major blow that should be avoided at all cost – not only will this put you against a new enemy in the world, but it will also cut you off from all the benefits granted by an alliance with that faction.
Revealing a Covenant lair is not going to be easy, but there are several avenues you can pursue to fulfil this goal. First, of course, is to embark on missions directly against the Covenant to hinder its operations. Each successfully completed mission grants you intelligence that will help track the base’s location. Furthermore, it’s important to maintain good relations with the factions – friends are more likely to share their knowledge, or report enemy agents who try to sow discord between you. Finally, certain improvements and research in your Zodiac Citadel will expand your scrying potential to increase the odds of finding the Covenant’s base.
Nevertheless, even after they’re found, the bases will prove a major problem to dispose of. For starters, shutting one down will only be a temporary setback to the Covenant, and eventually a new base may be established elsewhere. Worse yet, even if you kill an Archon that may command a base, these foes are known as “deathless” for a reason. They will keep coming back to life unless the source of their power is destroyed, and these are safely hidden in the very same ancient sanctuaries where the Archons slept through the ages.
The Covenant’s bases may also vary among themselves, and compel you to approach them differently. That is because the Covenant consists of four Cabals, each of which has an affinity for a different dark art. Every base is controlled by a specific Cabal and its defences are a reflection of that Cabal’s speciality, primarily in the enemies you’ll face, but also the global effects that may enhance them.
The four Cabals are Fleshcrafters, Artificers, Necromancers and Arcanists. The Fleshcrafters rely on an army of vat-grown hybrid monstrosities, and their mad experiments on fusing different creatures know no bounds. The Artificers prefer to work in steel than flesh, and their domain is one of forges, fires, arms and armour – they will field enchanted golems and renegade knights in runic gear against you, balancing their low numbers with awesome equipment.
The Necromancers raise an endless tide of minions from the dead, and they rarely run out of recruits, as the cadavers on all sides of this conflict feed their vile war machine. Finally, the Arcanists don’t concern themselves with something as barbaric as martial prowess – they are the Covenant’s foremost spellcasters, and one of their grand wizards can turn an entire company of soldiers into ash with a flick of his hand.
The Zodiac Legion will need to adapt to vanquish its foe. You may want to bring your strongest knights to face the Artificers, or the most resistant to magic against the Arcanists. The beastmen of the Fleshcrafters are fast and cunning, while the Necromancers’ undead hordes shamble through the land like a reltentless plough.
Make your choices carefully and don’t let your guard down! Who knows what other horrors may lie in those ancient halls where the Covenant has built its dens? Trust in the stars, and carry their radiance underground!