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.
You can find my solutions for all 6 challenges in this collection post.
Entrancing Melody
The salon is filled with people. The musicians look like automatons, as if playing on a program. As the band approaches them fixated on the music, Argus accidentally knocks over a metal vase from a nearby table. The vase crashes to the floor with a loud clatter. The musicians stop and turn to see what is causing the disturbance. The silence is a jolt, snapping the band out of the spell that had been slowly creeping over them.
Realization dawns: the music is a trap. If they don’t disrupt it completely, they’ll be ensnared again. Thinking quickly, Argus picks up the fallen vase and starts banging it loudly against his shield, creating a harsh, jarring noise. The others follow his lead, grabbing anything at hand and adding to the racket. Divya deliberately plays his flute out of tune, creating a cacophony that drowns out the haunting melody.
It is now one band of cacophony against another of melody, but the loud noises drown out the musicians' efforts to resume their eerie song. The band retreats to another room, bowing out as they close the door behind them. They know they have entered a realm of trickery and deception and steel themselves for what other tricks may be ahead.
Poisoned Gonchberries
Argus casts a cleansing spell on Gama to stop the burning, but the poison still festers in his stomach. Reios frantically rummages through Gama's bag for an antidote but finds nothing. "None of these vials are labeled! Unbelievable!" she exclaims, both alarmed and frustrated.
Gama keeps foaming at the mouth and starts convulsing. “We need to act fast, or he’s going to die!” Argus shouts, looking desperately to his companions, but they're all frozen, searching aimlessly for something - anything - that might help. Gama continues to convulse, spewing foam mixed with regurgitated Gonchberries together with what appears to be the short meal they had as they landed at the edge of the forest.
He continues coughing for a while, but then starts to sit down on his own. “Gama! Are you alright?” Argus asks, a mixture of relief and disbelief in his voice. "Cough cough... Yes," Gama manages between gasps. "I’ve built up resistance to Gonchberry poison. I don't call myself the Lord of Berries for nothing. But these... these were charmed. I didn’t even realize I’d eaten them until my throat started burning. Thank you, Argus."
Capture Hearts
"There is another nether here!" Gama shouts "We need to find them!" Glinn clutches his chest and freezes. Without warning, he grabs his double sword and turns on his companions, attacking with frenzied strikes. Argus quickly steps into a defensive stance, casting a shielding spell that not only protects the group but floods the room with light.
From the illuminated shadows emerges a Vulpine Shadowshifter!. She appears to be holding some kind of ethereal heart that she has stabbed with an engraved dark dagger. The heart bleeds Dread ooze, and she laughs with satisfaction. Eiko charges at her, but she's extremely agile. Gama tries to hit her with darts, but fails and nearly hits Eiko in the back.
Argus roars and the shielding spell bursts in every direction. The shockwave hits the Vulpine Shadowshifter, stunning her for a brief moment. But that’s all Gama needs. He fires another dart, this time hitting his mark. The Vulpine stands petrified, flames creeping out from the point of impact. "It's Stoneskin poison, it won't last long!" Gamma shouts at Eiko. Without hesitation, she closes the distance, grabs the dagger and stabs it into the Vulpine's own heart.
The heart she was holding melts away in Dread goo. The Vulpine lies lifeless on the ground. Dread tentacles writhe from the wound and begin enveloping her body, but they can’t save her from the fire that continues to consume her. Soon, the flames engulf her entirely, leaving only charred remains.
Glinn comes to his senses and slumps to the ground, visibly shaken. "I thought I was dying. And suddenly I felt my body moving as if it wasn't my own. I still feel... like there’s an open wound in my chest...” He's visibly shaken. The band gathers around him, giving him a moment to recover. Argus kneels beside him, helping to heal the unseen wounds. They breathe a collective sigh of relief, knowing how close they came to disaster, and prepare to continue on, grateful the encounter hadn’t taken a darker turn.
Imprisoned Heir
Glinn and Argus lift the painting from the wall, inspecting its back, only to find it as ordinary as any other painting. They set it upright on a table while the rest of the band gathers around, trying to make sense of the situation. As they turn the painting to face the group, the young woman depicted within suddenly freezes, her eyes widening in surprise before she vanishes entirely from the artwork. The band stares in disbelief, but none more than Glinn and Argus, who are still holding the frame: in a standing mirror that happens to be opposite to the painting, the young woman’s reflection appears — or what seems like a reflection, at first.
"Look!" Argus mutters, his mouth agape. The others turn toward the mirror just in time to see the woman reach toward the glass. To everyone’s astonishment, her arm breaks through the surface, followed by the rest of her body as she steps fully out of the mirror, stopping to examine her newly materialized form in front of them. A stunned silence lingers until Gama hesitates: "Er... who are you?" The young woman meets his eyes and replies, "I am Vanessa DeLapore. My aunt, the Countess DeLapore, controls this parlor." She pauses, her face twisted in sorrow. "She trapped me in that painting. She uses it to appear young, draining my life and youth to change her appearance. I’m forced to shift from painting to painting at her command. I -" "But you're free now, right?" Eiko interrupts, hope in her voice. "You escaped through the mirror."
Vanessa looks even sadder now. "No... that’s not how this cursed magic works. My spirit remains trapped in the painting. What you see now is only a temporary manifestation — a trick brought about by these enchanted mirrors she controls. The mirrors give her power. Her voice rises in desperation. "You must destroy her! It’s the only way I can be free. Please, you have to confront her and end this deception!" Her tone shifts from pleading to a grave warning. "But be cautious. She hides within her mirrors. You mustn’t let her slip away into them, or she’ll escape." Vanessa then stares at the empty canvas. Her material form begins to fade, her body turning translucent as the painting on the wall starts to fill with her likeness once again. She locks eyes with the group one final time. "For my sake and yours... good luck." With that, she disappears, fully restored to the canvas, her figure once more trapped behind the painted surface.
Shadow of Tower Dread
"This darkness has no power over the God of Light!" Argus shouts, casting once more a radiant shielding spell that illuminates their surroundings. The encroaching shadows recoil, coalescing until they take shape - there are two Uninvited Guests and a Scalecult Conscript in the room! The creatures skitter along the walls, seeking darker corners to hide in. The Conscript however, realizing escape is impossible, stops. He inhales deeply, absorbing the lingering Dread in the air, and charges straight at the band.
Argus's protection spell takes hold and blocks his attack; Eiko and Glinn get in position from either side of Argus’s shield, their weapons flashing as they pierce the Conscript through the chest. He collapses in an instant, dead before he hits the ground. At the rear, Gama and Divya make swift work of the Uninvited Guests, dispatching them with precise ranged attacks. Yet as the creatures die, they unleash a final, chilling screech that reverberates through the room, leaving the band shaken, both in spirit and body, bruised by the eerie resonance of the Dread in their cries.
GU art for Countess DeLapore. All rights reserved, etc. source
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From what I see you know a lot about the subject and good initiative in the discord, you won something?
best regards my friend
I follow Discord regularly, as many other players do.
For this particular case the dev team did gift me 4 ToD packs related to the Tower event.