ARCHONS

The Archons are an ancient faction who by their own account were the first intelligent life to occupy the Archon System. They claim the inhospitable planet of Phyros as their home. Its close proximity to the System's star causes temperatures on its surface to reach extremes that make it impossible for any life to survive direct exposure. Due to this, the native flora and fauna are sparse. Survival for the Archons means dwelling within the mineral-rich mountains, sheltered from the star's heat but instead having to contend with deadly creatures from the depths and a sickness within themselves. A genetic defect called the "Withering" arose in an entire generation of Archons and put them on a path towards extinction. After millennia of lying dormant to preserve themselves, they now re-emerge from their mountain Delves with a cruel plan to save their species.

The Archons are led by a caste of royal elites who descend from the first Sovereigns. The power and authority granted to them by their royal bloodline is still respected by many. They decide on the path the faction will take and enforce their birthright to ensure it is followed, by any means necessary. They believe that once they overcome the Withering, they will lead the faction back to its former glory and rule over the Archon System.

There are those born of more humble blood that derive their status from mastery of their craft. The Order of Rune-Keepers have dedicated themselves to the forge. They work the harsh minerals of their home planet into wonderous weapons and armour. They have also devised a way to slow the progression of the Withering which has made them invaluable in keeping the Archons alive within their Delves over the millennia. The flames of their forges rage again as they prepare the Archon forces for conflict with the new sentient factions in the System.

There are some who adopted a more fatalistic outlook upon discovery of the Withering. These Archons believe that their time in the universe is coming to an end. They abandoned the safety of their Delves to instead live on the surface of Phyros. They chase the shadows to avoid incineration and pursue glory through feats of recklessness. They do not fear death; however, their pride prevents them from letting the Withering be the cause of their demise. They've resolved themselves to seek a greater, more glorious death and believe it awaits them beyond their homeworld.

Formations & Unique Feats

Ascendants

The ruling caste of the Archons pride themselves on their ability to channel soul energy into powerful manifestations. They confidently manipulate the soul energy in and around them to power their spells, and their hubris allows them to dominate the battlefield with their manifestations while risking the depletion of their own souls.

Rune-Keepers

These artisans have honed their skills over millennia to become the best craftsmen in the System. After the Withering became the faction's most urgent problem, the Rune-Keepers dedicated their focus to finding a way to slow the deterioration of their souls. They discovered certain properties of Aether dust that make it possible to contain soul energy and have incorporated it into their master-crafted armour. This armour also protects them from enemy interference while channelling their soul energy.

Shadow-Walkers

These nomadic warriors and hunters operate in the shadows. They train their senses to detect the soul energy of their targets even in pitch darkness. The most adept at this can use their own soul energy to dominate and weaken the souls of their enemies before closing the distance and dispatching them with their blades.

Faction Rule - Soul Siphon

Soul Glut

In the Action Phase, select an Elder or Initiate unit that has already performed the Channel Soul Action in the current Round. The selected unit gets to perform another Channel Soul Action.

Soul Mastery

In the Action Phase when an Elder or Initiate unit performs the Channel Soul Action, the spell cannot be Negated.

Dominate Soul

In the Action Phase when an enemy Elder or Initiate unit within 18" of an Archon Leader, Elder, or Alchemist successfully performs the Channel Soul Action, deal D3 Severe Damage to that enemy Elder or Initiate unit after resolving the spell effects.

Biology

Faction Overview

Psychology

Society

The Archons were the first to discover that the soul of an individual contained a latent form of energy. Over the millennia they studied this phenomenon and achieved a level of mastery over soul energy. This deep understanding of their own souls has now become a matter of life and death for the Archons, as the Withering threatens to slowly drain their soul energy until none remains. An Archon can feel its soul weaken as time passes and it can also sense the strength of other nearby souls. This ability becomes crucial in battle and Archon warriors train to use it to identify targets, recognize threats, and even siphon the soul energy out of a dying enemy to bolster their own.

The Soul Siphon rule is triggered whenever an enemy model, excluding Dregs, Abominations, and Transports, is destroyed. The Archon Commander will roll a D6, and on a result of 3+ the nearest Archon unit will Regenerate Health. If the Archon unit is an Elder or Initiate, it will also regain Soul Energy.

Download the Archons specs for the detailed rule description.

The harsh environment of Phyros has shaped the biology of the Archons. The powerful surface gravity of the planet causes their bodies to remain short, but grow thick and stocky with muscle. Their thick silver blood has an extremely high boiling point which gives them immense resistance to heat and allows them to live near the hot magma that flows across the planet. They can also comfortably operate their forges for extended periods of time because of this.

Archons have a humanoid figure, with two short legs, a stocky torso, two muscular arms, and a large head. However, the rest of their features set them apart as clearly being alien. Their faces have two small piercing blue eyes that glow and project a blue light when in darkness, this gives Archons the ability to see even in the darkest corners of their Delves. They have two nostril slits in the front of their face instead of a protruding nose and a small hole on each side of their head instead of protruding ears. Their jaws are thick and square with a wide mouth filled with crushing molars. Their domed heads cannot grow hair, but male Archons do grow thick grey facial hair along their jawline.

Archon skin is ashen grey, rough, and durable, likely due to their diet. They mainly eat the rock lichen that grows everywhere on Phyros except in the areas exposed to burning starlight. However, many of the Shadow-Walkers who hunt the great beasts of the planet have filed their teeth into sharp points and have taken a liking to eating the meat of their prey. To quench their thirst and maintain their circulatory system, Archons drink a liquid form of metal that flows from the heart of their planet.

The strong physical bodies of the Archons hide a deadly flaw within each and every one of them. The Withering is a genetic defect that manifested in every child of the last generation. Its cause is unknown, but Archon masters have been searching for an answer ever since it was first discovered. Some theorize it was an inevitable result from their planet's exposure to Archon's thermal radiation over the millennia. Some think it was a botched attempt to undermine and overthrow the royal bloodline. Others superstitiously believe it is a curse placed on them as punishment for the cruel manner in which their faction rose to power and continued to rule for so long.

The Withering causes the afflicted to be reproductively sterile, meaning no new Archons could be born after the last generation. Worse yet, the defect created a breach in the natural barrier between their souls and the physical world. As time passes, the soul energy of an Archon will leak out of them until eventually there is no energy left and the Archon's soul extinguishes. They weaken over time until their soulless bodies wither and die. The progression of the Withering is marked by cracks in an Archon's skin, radiating out from the center of their chest. Blue ghostly light escapes the cracks and is a clear reminder of their weakening soul.

Technology

Archon technology has progressed down two main paths. The older, more traditional path is centered around forging powerful metal alloys and using them to craft extraordinary weapons and armour. Phyros' mineral-rich environment provides a plethora of raw materials to work and experiment with. This technology has reached a pinnacle with the creation of a complex metal alloy called Starsteel. This metal is almost unbreakably strong, extremely heat resistant once tempered, and still light-weight enough for practical use in handheld weapons and personal body armour.

A relatively newer form of technology utilizes rare gemstones found on Phyros to store massive amounts of thermal starlight energy. This "astral technology" pushed the Archon civilization into a new age and eventually gave them the capability for space travel. This technology also made them far deadlier in combat with the development of thermal-powered energy weapons.

Another branch of science became relevant recently upon emergence of the Withering. As the Archons explored space, they discovered the natural presence of Aether dust. It appeared to be everywhere and in all things in varying concentrations. They also discovered that it could interact with soul energy in different ways depending on the circumstances. A common application of Aether dust now is to incorporate it into a silver ink and tattoo their skin with it to enhance their abilities to channel soul energy or slow the Withering of their souls. They also forge it into their suits of armour for an even greater enhancement of their abilities and protection for their souls.

Being the oldest known sentient species, the Archons have an air of superiority about them and believe themselves to be greater than all other species. By nature of their long history, they do have a great depth of knowledge and wisdom. However, this is tainted by a deep hubris that can often bias their decisions and actions.

The Ascendants are the most extreme case of arrogance among the faction. Their confidence and sense of entitlement comes from millennia of holding power and authority over others. They believe that it is their right to rule over the Archon System, and once they overcome the Withering, they intend to claim this right by any means necessary. This belief has imparted an unshakable confidence in themselves and a cruel determination that discourages anyone who might think of opposing them.

Rune-Keepers are also extremely confident in themselves, but it is justified through mastery of their work. They take immense pride in their creations and the collective achievements of their Order. This means that plagiarism, sabotage, and sacrificing quality in one's craft are completely unacceptable. They strive for perfection and will work to overcome anything that gets in the way of it. This long pursuit of perfection requires an immense amount of patience, as their most ambitious projects can sometimes last their entire lives.

Shadow-Walkers have chosen a life of isolation, freedom, and danger. They see the Withering as an unavoidable fate and that they should use the remainder of their lives in the pursuit of glory. Glory to them is something that can be recorded and remembered, long after their lives have ended. They chase exciting adventures and attempt to perform daring feats. Whether by hunting the largest and most dangerous creatures of Phyros, outrunning deadly rays of starlight, or challenging the strongest enemy combatants, these Archons walk a fine line between life and death.

The Archon civilization was built upon a strict caste system with the royal bloodline at the top of the hierarchy. This bloodline descends from the ancient kings and queens of past ages and all lesser bloodlines are bound to serve them. The major castes, in descending order of authority, are the ruling Sovereigns, the military Legions, the artisan Orders, and the labourer Strongbacks. There are also notable outcaste groups that do not fit into normal Archon society, mainly the reckless Shadow-Walkers and the weakened husks known as the Withered.

Archons keep records of their long history, carved into the walls of their Delves within the mountains. Their language is spoken in deep, gravelly voices with a slow cadence. Its runic characters are commonly etched into Archon tools, weapons, armour, architecture, and even the skin of their bodies. Runic tattoos are an important part of the faction's caste system, as the names and creeds of an Archon's bloodline are expected to be tattooed on their skin for all to see. After the discovery of the Withering and the properties of Aether dust that seem to slow the progression of it, they have incorporated the dust into their tattoo inks and runic etchings as well.

Faction Archive Interaction - Overexposure

Archon astral technology was developed to harness the thermal energy of starlight, but it was later discovered that an Archon using extreme focus could transfer their soul energy to power the technology as well. The Withering causes the souls of the afflicted to weaken over time; therefore, transferring one's soul energy like this is extremely dangerous and is forbidden except for in the most dire circumstances.

Archon units, excluding Abominations and Transports, can choose to overexpose themselves and pour an unsafe amount of soul energy into their weapons while on an Archive. Their overexposed weapons become more powerful and dangerous, to both the target and the wielder.

Download the Archons specs for the detailed rule description.