Tower of Dread lore challenge: the Chapel

Introduction

The Gods Unchained team hosted a lore event in Discord, in the lead up to the release of the new expansion Tower of Dread. Every day they would present a map of a tower 'level' with challenges at certain locations. At the end of each day, the players were able to fight the Sovereigns (Legendary bosses) in a Direct Challenge against a dev, and finally against Thaeriel himself during the event finale!

I thoroughly enjoyed this event and I dove deep into the lore challenges, writing up a short solution for each challenge. I tried to connect the challenges, reference the card effects and make use of what we already know of the Band of the Wolf and the abilities of each member.

The narrative direction and the bulk of the text are all mine, but I did run it through ChatGPT at the end to check for composition mistakes, adjust the pacing and clarity of the descriptions with words better adjusted to what I was trying to convey. For this, ChatGPT is great, it really improves the quality of the text while retaining its original character and direction. Especially so for a non-native English writer like me.

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Pack of Wolves

"These animals are not tainted, they don’t deserve death." Divya says firmly, looking at Argus. "We need to send them away."

"And how do we do that?" Argus replies, glancing at the snarling wolves. "They are in our path. It's not like any of us can do portal magic and send them far away".

"Perhaps I can send them far away", Glinn interjects. "But we need to keep them from attacking us for just a moment." Without hesitation, he grabs his whelk shell and blows a long, clear note, summoning his pride of dragons once more.

The band shifts into defensive positions, weapons at the ready. The wolves hesitate, their growls mingling with the ominous clatter of armor and blades; perhaps they have seen humans yielding weapons before? An impasse settles in for a moment. The wolves stand at bay, weak but menacing, unsure how to attack.

Glinn's dragons arrive and the wolves recoil. Glinn places a fist against his chest, where the crystal embedded since birth is lodged. His eyes close as he begins to murmur softly, an ancient cadence that resonates with his pride. The dragons shriek and dive, swooping low over the wolves. Sensing danger, the wolves panic and break into a run, but they stand no chance against the dragons' speed. One by one, the dragons snatch them up in their powerful hind legs, lifting them effortlessly into the air.

"The wolves will be safe", Glinn assures the rest of the band. "My dragons will release them in a distant forest, unharmed. We can move on."

The bandmates look at each other, their path now clear. It's the second time Glinn's pride got them cleanly out of a sticky situation, but they all know that once they step inside the looming tower, they’ll have only themselves to rely on.

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Turned Servant

"We need to save her before she turns! But how?" Argus shouts, visibly alarmed.

"We don’t know how, and we don’t have time," Eiko responds coldly, unsheathing her katana. "We can only show her mercy. If we hesitate, we’ll all be in danger."

Eiko moves swiftly toward the writhing maiden, but the woman curls inward, her body convulsing in pain, making a clean strike impossible. Eiko knows she's in danger if the maiden is able to turn around and claw at her, but it's too late for hesitations now. The strike is awkward - she was poised for decapitation, but ended up impaling the maiden through the chest. Not wanting to take any chances, Eiko pulls out the katana and swiftly strikes again, this time severing the neck. The furry body goes limp and the head rolls away a short distance.

"It's done, let's not dwell on this any longer than necessary" Eiko concludes, as she somberly wipes a strange dark red blood off her blade. "Divya, can you sing her a song? Make sure the body can’t be used again."

Divya takes his flute and plays a tune of decay. As the body turns into dirt in front of their eyes while the song plays, the rest of the band watches in grim silence. Will this be their fate as well, if they lower their guard? Surely whatever did this is still around. What if there are more? How can they expect not only to survive a fight against these monsters, but also remain unscathed? They move on, troubled by this episode. Whatever lies ahead feels more dangerous now, waiting for them in the tower ahead.

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Full Moon Fervor

"We can't fight them all" Argus' voice is tense. "Even if we survive, we'll be injured. And you know what happens next - we’ll turn, just like that poor woman in the forest."

"I feel an urge to join them. You feel it too? I don't think we can keep our wits intact if we don't fight this urge!" Reios is visibly unsettled.

"I can protect us, Argus whispers reassuringly. Being Champion of Light has to count for something, right? Gather around me." Argus raises his shield above his head and concentrates in silence for a moment. The shield starts glowing faintly with golden light. A shower of particles of the same color appears from thin air above them and starts falling down slowly, like golden snowflakes. As the particles touch their skin they dissipate, as if being absorbed. The song starts sounding increasingly distant, and the urge subsides.

"We're not out of danger yet," Argus warns, lowering his shield. "But this will buy us time. Stay close, and we might just get through this."

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Pack Prayer

The proximity to the beasts clashes against Argus's protection spell. A hunger starts to dominate their thoughts, pushing away the calmness brought by the spell cast only a few moments before. Everyone looks hungry and confused. Without realizing it, everyone starts pointing their weapons at one another, their minds carving out where the juiciest cut would come from.

Argus looks around, scanning the room. Should they retreat? Chira could help... if the beasts were already dead. They don't seem to be a threat though, at least not yet. Perhaps the best course of action is to continue, trying not to appear as a threat to whoever is in charge? They are clearly outnumbered in what seems to be a chapel. A lone figure watches at them from a distance, at the front of the chapel. Argus clenches his shield subtly. He decided to reinforce his spell, but as quietly as possible. He doesn't want to give off his abilities to whoever is watching. The magic must be discreet - slower, weaker, but enough to stave off the rising madness.

His bandmates are almost as hypnotized as the beasts, the hunger still clawing at their minds. He starts working discretely, keeping a close eye on anyone who may suddenly lunge at another. As the moments pass, everyone slowly starts acting like themselves again. Reios then breaks the silence, "We should move". Argus agrees: "Yes, I think everyone is ready now. I suspect we'll find some answers ahead, over at the man at the front of the chapel. Let's go, there is no point in hiding anymore."

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Pack Priest

With no opportunity to consult with his companions in front of the priest without raising suspicion, Argus steps forward: "Reverend Father, we seek council with your leader, Levicus. We've heard of the strength of your faith and we wish to offer our abilities in service of his Church. The land suffers and cries out for salvation."

"Very well then!" the priest growls with a bigger smile. "Levicus will eagerly embrace you in the Dread, one way or the other... Since you appear to be the leader, I shall bestow my blessing upon you, before sending you to him. His Eminence will know you come from me". As the priest finished speaking, he raised his Crook of Shepherding towards Argus and muttered a brief incantation.

Argus felt his hair stand on end for a fleeting moment before it settled back in place. "I... feel less weary now, and strangely invigorated," he muttered, inspecting his arms, clearly surprised.

"Such is the power and the promise of the Dread. Go now through that archway, and meet your destiny. May our Dread Lord shed thy fears", concluded the priest, directing the band to an exit to his left.

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_{GU art for Levicus. All rights reserved, etc. source}