Something malign dwells beneath, and it corrupts. Like a trapped animal, an Archon, an Outsider, thrashes against the walls of its cage in the Grave of Barker Meadow, trade hub of the Lorado region. While some view it as an enemy to be defeated or an opportunity for research and discovery, the other two Archons nearby perceive it as a captive in a cosmic conflict beyond comprehension. These two are determined to liberate their comrade, even if it means tearing Lorado apart.

For transparency, we present information about our August Premiere event, APOTHEOSIS, well in advance. This allows players to prepare and helps cultivate excitement for the event. Although characters in Lorado will not fully understand the Archonic presence until closer to the event, we offer you as a player a glimpse into some upcoming content. In this post, we focus on the Trapped Archon.

The setup for this narrative is that Archons took a long time to arrive in Lorado. The ubiquitous psionic background static of particular Overgrowth blanketing the region - the Pines and the Long Grass - created a sort of barrier layer that repels Archons’ ability to try to surface and Abyssally Rift into the region.

A crack in this foundation appeared with the detonation of the ancient bioweapon under Fort Pennrose (a.k.a. Dedstop II) and the polluting of the surrounding area with potent Morticide, a toxic dust that could drift on the air and seep into the soil, killing and dissolving Infection in living things and impacting the Mortis Amaranthine there. The center of the Pennrose QZ is isolated enough and altered enough now that Outsiders have the ability to surface there. This change in circumstance has led a trio of Archons to initiate an effort to invade the region.

Their first attempt to breach relied on a brute force attempt to penetrate the Overgrowth’s barrier layer, with a disastrous outcome: the Archons managed to force one of their trio far enough into the psionic miasma that it “closed” behind them, creating a bubble of sorts that the trapped Archon cannot escape; the two others aren’t powerful enough without the third to reach that far again and rescue their companion, so are putting other machinations in play to try to achieve this goal.

What does that mean for you? Imagine having a prized, caged tiger in your living room, and imagine that more are coming for it. The key to this part of our event narrative is that you will have choices and narrative agency of what to do with the Trapped Archon. The Trapped Archon will be accessible via Grave Dives, at tremendous risk to the mind, body, and very existence of Survivors who in-character brave their way into its ‘bubble’ and meant to provide engaging experiences for players who wish to opt-in to the Archon plot and its cosmic horror. Meanwhile, the two Archons who remain outside are working on other strategies to try to reach the trapped Archon, and the trapped Archon itself is causing issues, some ramifications of which are detailed in our blog post about the mechanics Abyssal Distortion, Corruption, and Marks here.

What would you do if you were in the position of being able to intervene in this battle and attempted rescue mission, in the position of being able to go and meet the force of an Archon in an environment unlike one it is usually encountered in, to interact with it in unexpected ways?

During the August event, we aim to especially encourage creativity and strong narrative initiative. We aim to reward players who lead the charge in shaping the event's narrative in their desired manner, as well as those who choose not to engage with the Trapped Archon plot.

With that said, we’ll be providing more details on this and other plot elements, mechanics and logistics of the event in the coming days and weeks, and look forward to sharing more with you soon.

In the weeks ahead, expect more information about this and other plot elements, mechanics, logistics, and further content previews. Meanwhile, tickets for July's POWDER KEG event are currently on sale.

Join us at both events for a thrilling experience in Dystopia Rising: Colorado!