The Edge: Dawnfall – Father of the Sun
The Edge: Dawnfall – Father of the Sun Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Father of the Sun Solo Mode
Father of the Sun is an addon for Darkness faction, introducing Father of the Sun, Sun Cultists and Abysslings models, their Squad cards and Action cards, as well as additional tokens.
During Game Setup player can choose these 3 Squads (all three have to be included) as 3 of 5 Darkness Squads.
Additional Explanation for Darkness Cards
Abyssling: Abyssling Squad card has no Dark Mode (their card can never be turned to the other side).
During Combat INI, ATT and DEF Attributes of Abysslings are equal to the number of Abyssling models [linked-rings icon] with enemy model in this Combat.
Outside of Combat, INI, ATT and DEF Attributes of Abysslings are equal to the number of Abyssling models in their group (every Abyssling model in the group must be [linked-rings icon] with at least one other Abyssling model). Note, that each Abyssling model can Move separately in any direction and belongs to any Abyssling group only when is [linked-rings icon] with any other Abyssling model.
Caution: Fury (Dvergar faction) - all Abyssling models during Combat are considered to be a single model for the resolution of Fury Action.
Chaos Wisdom adds +1 to Abysslings' Attribute value (+1 to the total value of Abysslings' Attribute, not +1 for each Abyssling model).
Kindling: Crystal is removed from the Abyssling model only after the Abyssling model is killed.
Eternal Embrace / Deadly Kiss - Activation of Father of the Sun / Sun Cultist means resolving Darkness Action card dedicated to Father of the Sun / Sun Cultist.
General Rules for Solo & Co-op Campaigns
Important! Please note that some of the campaign rules overwrite the standard guidelines for a Player vs Player game. Any exceptions are specified in the appropriate scenarios. If a scenario does not mention a certain aspect of the battle (such as a player order, unit deployment, or starting Crystal Pool), it always means this aspect remains unchanged and plays out according to the standard rules found in the Rulebook. The same goes for the "Setup" section of each scenario – it only contains unusual elements and non-standard placements that overwrite the regular battle setup procedure.
Playing the Campaigns
All campaigns in this booklet were created for solo or CO-OP play. You can attempt them with any faction, fighting the AI-controlled enemy in a series of branching battles, often including a territory control mini-game.
The enemy models fight according to the standard Darkness AI rules, explained in the previous sections of this booklet. Most often, the cards and algorithms only provide you with a general direction (e.g., "Activate all Shadow models, move them towards the closest enemy AND initiate Combat with every Shadow model"). This means, sometimes you may have several valid options on how to move the enemy models.
In such cases, simply pick an option that's least harmful or most beneficial to you, the human player. Trust us: beating the enemy will be a challenge regardless!
Starting Units and Decks
Unlike in standard games, players start these campaigns with a pre-determined force. The details can be found in introductions to specific campaigns. Additionally, the standard rule that restricts your deck to cards of Squads present in your army is lifted. Your deck carries over between the battles, and sometimes it may contain cards that don't refer to any Squad present in a particular engagement. Please remember that in this case the Top Action of the card is still available and may be used by any Squad!
Unlike in standard games, campaign battles do not end when human players run out of Action cards. If that happens, simply shuffle all your discarded cards and use them as your new deck.
Campaign Map & the Battle Map
The Darkness, Lord of Light and Last City campaigns play out on their own maps and include territory control aspects. Sometimes, a script will ask you to leave a sticker on a slot of the map. These stickers represent the decisions you've made that will influence future battles in many ways.
To keep the campaign map intact, you're never asked to remove any stickers from it. Instead, whenever a scenario requires you to disable any sticker (for example, when a buff runs out or a special unit dies), place a Cancelled sticker on top of it so that the number of the original sticker remains visible.
Some battles also use an alternative, Darkness-themed battlefield layout, printed on the back of the standard battle map. It has less available Spaces and more impassable obstacles. Please keep in mind that these obstacles DO NOT count as the edge of the map – only Spaces on the true border of the map do.
In the middle of this Darkness-themed map is the Red Zone – a cluster of four Spaces that's sometimes referenced in the setup rules of scenarios (see the diagram below).
[Diagram of the Darkness-themed map showing the Red Zone (four red Spaces in the centre) omitted.]
Time Track
Many battles of these campaigns use the Time Track instead of (or in addition to) the Victory Points track. Time Track usually shows the end of the battle and all special events that happen during the encounter. Before a scenario begins, place a Time Marker on slot 1 of the track, and then set up any Event Markers listed in the scenario on their corresponding slots. They will help you remember when the next event triggers.
Please note that you move the Time Track only after ALL human players and the AI have taken their turns. This means the game progresses according to this sequence:
- Set the Time Track to 1, check for any initial events
- Player A Turn
- Player B Turn (when in CO-OP mode)
- AI Turn
- Move the Time Track to 2, check for any events
- Player A turn
- Player B turn (when in CO-OP mode)
- AI Turn
- Move the Time Track to 3, check for any events
- (…)
Please note: any Actions that grant a specific player extra turns (such as the Time Jump) do not move the Time Track!
Cooperative Mode
Most campaigns in this booklet can optionally be played in a two-player CO-OP mode. In this case, simply split the starting force in half (e.g. instead of four Squads, each player controls two), and if the number is uneven, choose the player who receives a smaller force randomly.
These two forces may be of different factions. In this case, players need to choose which one receives the Shrine and which one gets the Banner card! There can never be two Shrines and Banner cards in the battles against AI.
Each player builds a separate deck of Action cards, picking five Action cards for each Squad they get to control (but no less than 10 cards).
Both players determine their player order and then take turns deploying their Squads. During the battle, they take turns one after the other, before the AI turn.
The Victory Points track (if a scenario uses it) is shared between the players. Any lost model or any killed enemy move the VP track exactly like in a single-player game.
The Crystal Pool is also shared. When Harvesting, both forces count as a part of the same army.
If a scenario grants a special buff, reward or a sticker that enables a special rule, apply it like you would when playing a single army. For example, if a debuff requires you to remove 1 Endurance token from any of your models at the start of each battle, you still remove only 1 Endurance token in the CO-OP play – and both players have to agree upon which model it affects.
Lord of the Light Campaign
Solo / Co-op vs AI Campaign. Father of the Sun expansion required!
Prologue
Who are you? How did you end up here? Were you a part of one of the many unfortunate armies that tried to invade the Darkness in a doomed attempt at saving their homeworlds? Were you an explorer that ventured too far? A mad scholar that went where no man should go? Or a simple, unfortunate soul who fell into a sphere of void and woke up on the other side? Perhaps you died here, only to be reborn as one of the twisted dark creatures, clinging to the sad remains of your former self?
Whatever is true, you're trapped in this land. You've roamed half-blind through the desolate fields, choking on the thick mist. You've crossed rivers of tar-like ooze. You've slid down the slopes of old, yellowed bone. It's been weeks since you last saw any light, bar the pale glow of energy vortices far above your head.
Yet, here it is. A small, bright point appears far in front of you. You're drawn to it, just like other poor souls who came from other parts of the land. There's more and more of you – including some lost warriors of your own race. This light compels you. You have no choice but to follow.
Campaign Rules & Setup
Apart from the standard rules found at the beginning of this booklet, the following rules also apply during the Lord of the Light campaign.
Forlorn Sparks & Despair
During the Lord of the Light campaign, the Darkness campaign track represents the amount of Forlorn Sparks your force has gathered (the explanation can be found within the campaign). This track starts at 0 - set a marker next to the first slot of the track.
The Forlorn Sparks may be used to save your force from Despair. As your weary, rag-tag group loses battles and becomes crestfallen, some of its Squads may leave. Whenever a scenario penalty mentions Despair, you may use 1 Forlorn Spark to light a campfire that will let your warriors regain their morale and cancel the results of this Despair.
Beware, though! If you use up too many Sparks, you may never finish this campaign!
Starting Units and Decks
Your force consists of any 4 of your faction's Squads, a Banner card, and a Shrine (unless stated otherwise by a specific scenario). Create a deck of up to 20 Action cards.
You are not allowed to add any Squads between battles. If you lose a Squad to Despair, you will only have 3 (or 2, or 1) Squads for the remainder of the campaign. You may also discard up to 5 Action cards from your deck.
In CO-OP mode, each player picks 2 Squads of any faction and creates a deck of 15 cards. The Forlorn Sparks track is shared between the players. When resolving Despair, treat both parts of the force as a single army, with one exception – a player who controls more Squads than the other is always the one to lose a Squad when Despair sets in.
Scenario 1: Lantern in the Night
You spend a long time walking towards the light, but it only grows dimmer. A wave of disappointment washes over you – was the hope false after all?
It takes you a moment to understand that the light is not dying. It's only moving away. You rally everyone around you and give chase, the porous, wet ground clinging to your feet like tar. Though it takes much effort, you and your followers start to close the distance. The glow splits into individual lights – you now see it comes from candles and censers carried by a silent procession of many hunched silhouettes. You scream, but they do not react.
You double the pace, drawing the last of your strength. Then, an inert Shadow Gate awakens before you. Dark creatures spill out, threatening to cut you off from the light. You charge at them in mad desperation. In the meantime, the light-carrying procession starts to disappear behind the brow of a nearby hill.
You have very little time to spare!
Setup:
- Use the alternate, Darkness-themed map.
- Select a Space on one of the shorter edges of the map. Place a Charge token in every hex of this Space (seven tokens in total). It represents the Dimming Glow of the procession (see: Special Rules).
- Place two Crystal Sources and the Shadow Gate in the Red Zone of the map.
- Place two Shadows [linked-rings icon] with each of the Crystal Sources and two Void Specters [linked-rings icon] with the Shadow Gate.
- Deploy your forces no more than two Spaces away from the edge of the map opposite to the Dimming Glow.
Your Forces & Deck: Select any 4 of your Squads and build a deck of 20 Action cards.
Your Objective: Kill all enemy models before the Dimming Glow disappears.
Your Special Objective: Follow the Dimming Glow with at least two of your models (see: Special Rules).
Enemy Forces: Shadow Squad, Void Specter Squad.
Enemy Deck: Select all Shadow and Void Specter cards. Shuffle them and then draw the top 14 cards.
Difficulty: Play 2 Darkness cards each turn, use the "Now or Never" difficulty card. Its effect is permanent!
Special Rules:
- At the beginning of your every turn, remove 1 Charge token from one Dimming Glow hex. When you remove the last, the light dies out in the distance and you - unable to follow it - lose the battle.
- Any time your model comes into [linked-rings icon] contact with the Space containing the Dimming Glow, it may Follow the Light. Remove this model from the map and set it aside.
Your Penalty: Despair (permanently lose 1 of your Squads). Restart this scenario.
Your Reward: Add 1 Forlorn Spark. Continue to Scenario 2.
Your Special Reward: The men you've sent to follow the procession tail it for several miles, picking up some peculiar sizzling candles and incenses. Add 2 Forlorn Sparks.
Scenario 2: The Glowing Procession
Unlike other scenarios, this one involves a larger number of consecutive battles fought against AI, as you follow the procession of the Second Sun worshippers deeper into their domain. In each of these battles, your objective is to win through Victory Points or survive until the opponent's deck runs out (unless stated otherwise). Enemy forces and special rules change depending on the location. Setup is standard, unless stated otherwise.
Start by placing your faction token on location (F01-A) of the Lord of the Light campaign map (found on the top-left part of the Darkness campaign map). Read the description of this location and fight the battle according to the listed rules. Then, if you win, apply the reward and proceed to one of the points listed in the "Going Further" section. If you lose, apply the penalty. It usually involves losing some Forlorn Sparks and moving your faction token back to the last conquered location. Finding a route that's most accessible to your army and your playstyle may take several attempts!
Unless stated otherwise, all encounters of this scenario use the alternate, Darkness-themed battle map.
(F01-A) A Cold Welcome
Finally! The silent column is right before you. You walk towards it, shielding your eyes from the blinding glow. Up close you can see more of the hooded, hunched figures – there's a hundred of them, if not more. Many have two or three arms, but their ornate, beaked masks have only one eye, sitting in a middle of a golden, gleaming sun. Most carry blazing censers and lanterns. Some have stacked candles on top of their shoulders.
You follow them for a while. Soon, the procession approaches a den of Darkness. Some Shadows spring forth, but they are quickly defeated. Then, several members of the procession approach their corpses with extinguished lanterns in their hands. They lean over. Suddenly, the bodies of the monsters shrivel and wither, and a fluorescent stream of essence leaves them only to be trapped within the lanterns. Sparks start to dance behind the stained glass.
The way they've managed to refine light from the purest darkness perplexes you. Still, if they are the enemy of Darkness, they might become your allies! Before the procession walks on, you decide to come closer and hail them. They turn towards you all at the same time, sending a chill down your spine.
They do not talk, but you see they're judging you. Then, a small group splits and walks towards you, while the rest continue on their way. You open your arms in greeting. They take out their knives.
Setup: Deploy all Sun Cultist models in any empty Spaces along the edge of the map.
Enemy Forces: Sun Cultist Squad, Abyssling Squad (starts off the map).
Enemy Deck: Take all Sun Cultists cards and Abyssling cards. Shuffle them.
Difficulty: The enemy plays 1 card per turn.
Special Rules: Whenever you need to spawn an Abyssling, put it in any empty Spaces along the edge of the map.
Penalty: -1 Forlorn Spark and Despair. Then, restart this scenario (F01-A).
Reward: +1 Forlorn Spark, place a "Conquest" sticker on this location and continue to location (F01-B).
(F01-B) Oozing Mounds
While you were busy with the cultists, the rest of their procession quietly walked away, as indifferent towards your victory as they'd be towards your defeat. You tried to stop them, shouting at the top of your voice. They ignored you and disappeared behind nearby hills.
Desperate, you take a look around the battlefield. The slain cultists have stopped twitching, but their censers and lanterns are still alight. You pick up one of them, look into its faint embers - and an idea rushes through your head. All these creatures seem to care about are these strange sparks of light. Maybe if you bring them a flame bright enough, they will help you in return?
This idea is clearly insane. But what else can you count on in a land of insanity?
You slowly walk up to the hills where the procession disappeared. They are crawling with the creatures of the Dark, roused from their sleep by the light.
Setup: Each Crystal Source additionally acts as a Shadow gate and Darkness models always choose the gate closest to your model when arriving on the map.
Enemy Forces: 1 Shadow Squad, 1 Impostor Squad, 1 Void Specter Squad (all start off the map).
Enemy Deck: Take all Shadow, Impostor, and Void Specter cards, shuffle them and draw the top 16.
Difficulty: Play 2 Darkness cards per turn, use the "Dark Mode" difficulty card.
Penalty: -1 Forlorn Spark and Despair. Then, restart this scenario.
Reward: +1 Forlorn Spark, place a "Conquest" sticker on this location and Go Further.
Going Further: You can no longer see the light, but there's a river of liquefied shadow nearby, with some barges resting on its bank (F01-C). The Darkness doesn't use boats, so maybe they belonged to the cultists? From the other side of the mound, you see some low structures in the distance (F01-D). Perhaps that's where they have gone?
(F01-C) Abandoned Barges
Long, ceremonial vessels rest quietly on the riverbank - their lights extinguished and their owners nowhere to be found, though some scattered cinders indicate someone was here recently. You gather the sparks carefully and then order everyone to board the vessels.
You hope this way of travel will be safer from the Darkness. It is not. Soon after departure, twisted shapes rise from the water itself and assault your craft.
Setup:
- Deploy your models first. They all need to fit within four Spaces of the central Red Zone that represents the deck of the Barge. All other Spaces represent the Liquid Shadow.
- Place a Shadow Gate in the Liquid Shadow, no more than 3 Spaces away from the deck. Do not place any Shrines or Crystal Sources.
- You receive additional 2 Crystals at the start of this scenario. None of your models may leave the deck.
Enemy Forces: 1 Shadow Squad, 1 Void Specter Squad (all start off the map).
Enemy Deck: Take all Shadow and Void Specter cards, shuffle them and draw the top 12.
Difficulty: Play 2 Darkness cards per turn, use the "Essence" difficulty card.
Special Rules: If any model is Pushed or Moved into the Liquid Shadow, it receives 1 Wound at the start of your every Active turn, until it returns to the deck.
Penalty: -1 Forlorn Spark and Despair. Then, retreat to the last conquered location.
Reward: +1 Forlorn Spark, place a "Conquest" sticker on this location and Go Further.
Going Further: You can continue down the river (F01-F) or abandon the barges and check the other bank where some faint lights seem to radiate in the distance (F01-E). You may also turn back towards the mounds (F01-B).
(F01-D) Underground Sanctuary
To your disappointment, the structures are old and abandoned. Made of large stones, their tunnels reach deep underground, into the dark. You see no signs of the procession, but you still decide to check what's inside.
You descend into a thick-walled maze, full of twists and turns. You pass through several rows of iron doors - all ajar. Beyond them, there are rooms and halls corrupted by the Darkness. The remains of household objects and mounds of dirt suggest someone lived here for a very long time. Was it a fortress? A shelter? The Darkness does not build places like this, so who did? The only clue you find is a small ornate disc, abandoned in the dust. It shows several strange, three-armed creatures.
Finally, you decide it's time to head back up. It won't be easy. Some creatures have cut you off from the surface. Down here in the dark, they are unusually aggressive.
Setup: Before setting up any models, Crystal Sources or tokens, place a Shadow Gate in the Red Zone of the map.
Enemy Forces: 1 Shadow Squad, 1 Slaughter Crow Squad, 1 Void Specter Squad (all start off the map).
Enemy Deck: Take all Shadow, Slaughter Crow, and Void Specter cards, shuffle them and draw the top 15.
Difficulty: Play 3 Darkness cards per turn.
Penalty: -1 Forlorn Spark and Despair. Then, retreat to the last conquered location.
Reward: +1 Forlorn Spark, place a "Conquest" sticker on this location and Go Further.
Going Further: In the distance, you see a wide marshland where some old spires and walls stick out of the tar-like surface (F01-F). There's also a tall gate at the very edge of the peninsula (F01-G). Turning back is always an option (F01-B).
(F01-E) Strained Filament
You walk for many miles before you reach the light. It was much further away than you initially thought. Sadly, it is not the procession. The glow seems to be coming from the spot where one of the giant tendons, dropping from the dark sky, attaches to the land you walk upon. You inspect the tendon. Then, you put your lanterns and censers next to it. The light leaves the inflamed tissue and slowly condenses inside your devices.
The sparks grow brighter, while the tendon grows thinner. Suddenly, it snaps with a loud crack. The ground under you slopes and hangs limp, though you remain attached to the surface, like a fly on the wall. Dark ooze seeps through the soil and trickles down into the abyss. With it, creatures of Darkness come.
Setup: All enemy models start the battle on the map. Deploy them no further than 2 Spaces away from any of your models.
Enemy Forces: 1 Impostor Squad, 1 Void Specter Squad, 1 Slaughter Crow Squad.
Enemy Deck: Take all Impostor, Void Specter and Slaughter Crow cards, shuffle them and draw the top 16.
Difficulty: Play 2 Darkness cards per turn.
Special Rules: The sudden shift of perspective makes many of your warriors dizzy, while others cling to the ground, afraid to fall. For the first three turns of the game, to Activate a Squad you must first pay 1 Crystal, 1 Victory Point or 1 Endurance token.
Penalty: +1 Forlorn Spark. Retreat to the last conquered location.
Reward: +3 Forlorn Sparks, place a "Conquest" sticker on this location and Go Further.
Going Further: In the distance, you can see a majestic cathedral, radiating with a warm glow (F02). If you don't feel ready to go there yet, you may return to the barges (F01-C).
(F01-F) Sunken Domain
You reach a broad estuary where the river of liquid shadow spreads into marshlands. Broken spires, half-sunken domes, and crumbled walls surround you. Once, it was a city. But who builds cities on the uneven, gelatinous surface of the Darkness?
You carefully inspect the ruins, discovering many statues and reliefs depicting strange, multi-armed humanoids who seemed to have worshipped the sun itself. A realization slowly sets in: this city was not built here. It must have been a part of some distant world that sunk into the Darkness or was conquered by it. With your attention occupied by the clues, you accidentally walk right into a Shadow Gate that immediately awakens.
Enemy Forces: 1 Shadow Squad, 1 Impostor Squad, 1 Void Specter Squad, 1 Slaughter Crow Squad.
Enemy Deck: Take all Shadow, Impostor, Void Specter and Slaughter Crow cards, shuffle them and draw the top 18.
Difficulty: Play 2 Darkness cards per turn and use the "Essence" difficulty card.
Special Rules: The city is still full of treasures - every time you Harvest a Controlled Crystal Source, you gain 1 additional Crystal.
Penalty: -1 Forlorn Spark and Despair. Then, retreat to the last conquered location.
Reward: +1 Forlorn Spark, place a "Conquest" sticker on this location and Go Further.
Going Further: In the distance, you can see a monumental cathedral, radiating a warm glow (F02). If you don't feel ready to go there yet, you may return to the barges (F01-C), or head towards some structures crouching in the middle of the nearby flats (F01-D).
(F01-G) Darksun Gate
A lone, iron-clad gate stands at the edge of the cliff, and a gold-plated visage watches you from its top.
You approach and discover that behind the gate there's a stairway leading down the cliffside. It disappears in the general direction of an enormous cathedral that looms at the tip of the peninsula. Some cultists are posted around the perimeter. You raise your lanterns and try to communicate with them, but some split off and attack, while the others look on from the sidelines, ready to jump in.
Setup: Place four Charge tokens on the Sun Cultist Squad card. Each of them represents another model waiting in reserve. Deploy all Sun Cultist models at least two Spaces away from any of your models.
Enemy Forces: Sun Cultist Squad (with additional reinforcements), Abyssling Squad (starts off the map).
Enemy Deck: Take all Sun Cultists cards and Abyssling cards. Shuffle them.
Difficulty: The enemy plays 1 card per turn.
Enemy Deck: Take all Sun Cultist cards and shuffle them. If the deck runs out, create a new one by shuffling the cards from the enemy discard pile.
Special Rules: Whenever a Sun Cultist model dies, remove one Charge from its Squad card and place the model back in any unoccupied Space along the edge of the map.
Penalty: -1 Forlorn Spark and Despair. Then, retreat to the last conquered location.
Reward: +1 Forlorn Spark, place a "Conquest" sticker on this location and Go Further.
Going Further: You may descend the steep stairway down the cliff (F01-H) or turn back towards the desolated flatlands (F01-D).
(F01-H) Reversed Stairway
The stairs keep sloping and quickly become almost vertical. You are surprised to discover that your footing is still sure, and even though you keep leaning further and further forwards, you don't lose your balance. Finally, the stairway twists at a strange angle - and suddenly you're walking head-down, like a fly on the ceiling. From here, you can see the bottom of the land of the Darkness you've roamed for so long.
There is an entire new upside-down continent here! And an another, albeit darker, cathedral! You feel sudden vertigo and sit on the stairs, trying to make sense of it all. Your rest is quickly interrupted by a chittering coming from up above the cliff (or down below, depending on the perspective). A herd of large spiders approaches your weary group. Many of your warriors are too tired or confused to fight.
Setup: Deploy all Abysslings on the Spaces along the edge of the map, no more than 1 per Space.
Your Forces & Deck: Do not deploy any models of your one chosen Squad. They remain on their Squad card for the duration of this battle and may not take part in any way. Remove up to five Action cards from the deck for the duration of this battle.
Enemy Forces: Abyssling Squad.
Enemy Deck: Take all Abyssling cards and shuffle them. If the deck runs out, create a new one by shuffling the cards from the enemy discard pile.
Difficulty: The Enemy plays 2 cards per turn.
Penalty: -1 Forlorn Spark and Despair. Then, retreat to the last conquered location.
Reward: +1 Forlorn Spark, place a "Conquest" sticker on this location and Go Further.
Going Further: The reversed stairway leads to the desolate underbelly of the cathedral that you can use to bypass the heavily guarded front entrance up top (continue to Scenario 3). You may also turn back towards the gate (F01-G).
(F02) Cathedral Entrance
The cathedral towers above you, as the entire firmament appears to rest on its buttress-supported walls. From this close, you see they were built from parts of other, older structures. Instead of wood, long pieces of bones were used as beams and poles. A blinding light comes out through the stained glass windows and shoots up through the open roof.
Several processions, similar to the one you met, walk past the heavily guarded gate. Maybe it is your chance? You slowly approach the entrance, presenting your light.
Check the value of your Forlorn Sparks track.
Fewer than 3 Forlorn Sparks – The guards are hostile. Not wanting to risk a large-scale battle, you have to withdraw. Move to the last conquered location.
More than 3 Forlorn Sparks – The guards step aside and gesture you in. The way to the temple of light is clear! Place sticker F02 on this location and continue to Scenario 3.
[Note: the printed leaflet gives the two outcomes as "Fewer than 3" and "More than 3". Exactly 3 Forlorn Sparks is not covered by either line as printed; it is transcribed as printed and not resolved here.]
Scenario 3: A New Sun Is Born
Blinded by the lights of the cathedral, and the enormous sun that floats under its rafters, you barely have time to notice that the guards push you forward to the first row of the congregation. There's a towering figure by the altar; a tall, slender creature that moves with grace and purpose, while others watch it in silent reverence.
The guards take you to the front row and force you to kneel on gold-embroidered cushions. You do not object. For the first time in days, you feel warmth. You forget your suspicions. All reservations are thrown aside. You bask in the glory of the sun.
The Father of the Sun slowly walks down to you, leaving a trail of incense smoke and twirling sparks. He takes your lanterns and censers. Their sparks fly up and join the ball of light above. Then, he lays one of his four hands on the head of the warrior to your right. He gasps. The color drains from his face. Above his head, small images start to appear and flicker – faster and faster, until they turn into a bright streak and disappear. Soon, the warrior collapses; a motionless, pale husk. The sun floating over the altar grows slightly brighter, as if fed by his plight.
You now understand. It is no real sun - only a phantom, made up of the memories of the light that all unfortunate survivors carry within them. And you're not ready to give your light away without a fight!
With enormous effort, you rise from your knees and draw your weapon. The Father looks at you perplexed. A loud groan echoes under the cathedral rafters. The cultists draw their weapons and start walking towards you, while the Father straightens himself and stretches his arms wide before you.
Setup:
- Use the regular battle map.
- Before you deploy any models or Crystal Sources, place a large token in any Space on the map. This token represents the Second Sun that will periodically blast your models (see Special Rules).
- Place four Crystal Sources at least five Spaces away from the Second Sun.
- Place four small tokens in four empty Spaces anywhere on the map, at least two Spaces from one another. These tokens represent impassable Pillars that occupy the entire Spaces. No model or token can Move (or be Moved) into the Pillar Spaces. They also block Line of Fire.
- Deploy Father of the Sun [linked-rings icon] with the Second Sun.
- Deploy all Sun Cultists [linked-rings icon] with the Crystal Sources.
- Finally, deploy all of your models according to the standard rules.
Your Forces & Deck: The same as at the end of Scenario 2.
Your Objective: Defeat the Father of the Sun and win through Victory Points before the battle ends.
Enemy Forces: Father of the Sun, Sun Cultist Squad (unlimited reinforcements), Abyssling Squad (summoned by Father of the Sun).
Enemy Deck: Select all Father of the Sun, Abyssling, and Sun Cultist cards. Shuffle them.
Difficulty: The enemy plays 2 cards per turn.
Special Rules:
- Before the start of the battle, exchange all your Forlorn Sparks for Crystals.
- At the end of your every turn, place a Charge token on the Second Sun. If there are two or more charges, remove them - the Second Sun blasts your force with infernal rays. Check every model within its Line of Fire for Hit. Effect: 1 Wound. If there are no valid targets, the light feeds the Father of the Sun instead - restore 1 of his Endurance tokens.
- Every time you Wound the Father of the Sun, remove 1 Charge from the Second Sun. If the Father of the Sun is killed, set his model aside. He won't return to the map even if a card calls for it.
- The Cultists are innumerable. Whenever one dies, place his model back in any empty Space along the edge of the map.
- Use the time track to count completed turns of the battle. Mark Turns V and X on the track.
Turn V: The Father of the Sun grows weary of your efforts. If he's still on the board, he draws the energy of the sun above him and hurls it at you. Choose a Space within his Line of Fire that contains the most of your models (or the model with the most of Endurance tokens). Check all models in this Space and all adjacent Spaces or Hit. Effect: 2 Wounds. If there's no valid target, the energy fizzles and the Father of the Sun receives 1 Wound instead.
[Note: the printed leaflet reads "all adjacent Spaces or Hit"; "or" is transcribed as printed, and it is likely meant as "for Hit", the same wording used in the Second Sun's Special Rules.]
Turn X: The battle ends. If you have not achieved your objective, the overwhelming number of Cultists floods you and you lose the battle.
Reward: Read Ending 1.
Penalty: You have failed this campaign! Read Ending 2.
Endings
Ending 1
You and some of your men barely escape the cathedral, chased by the wail of its wounded master. You run until the light of the Second Sun dims far behind you. You flee far from the glow, back into familiar Darkness, as any creature of this twisted plane would. Though you've survived, you almost feel guilty for having rejected the gift of the Father. Maybe one day he and his flock will rekindle their sun and send it soaring into the skies after all?
Though you've lost most of your warriors, and although the wounds you have suffered burn like white iron, you have managed to keep several intricate lanterns. With this stolen fire, you still have a faint hope. If the Father of the Sun and his followers were able to eke out some form of existence in this world, maybe you will be able to adapt as well?
On the other hand, seeing how years in this place transformed them, you shudder to think what the time and the Darkness will do to you…
Ending 2
The sun worshippers easily overpower you and throw you to the ground in front of the Father. He reaches straight for your head and cradles it in his slender, warm fingers. Images start to flash before your eyes – memories of home, of the sun, stars, campfires and blazing cities. Each of these memories quickly disappears, as if swallowed by some dark torrent. You try to struggle, but strength quickly leaves you, as you become more and more hollow.
Finally, all you can see is the dark. You can no longer recall how the light looked like and you have trouble believing that such a thing even existed. Hands lift you up and you are thrown out of the cathedral like a piece of waste.
But a part of you will live on, burning forever under the dark skies, awaiting the birth of the Second Sun.