Commanders (Codex)

From Wargroove Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The Commanders section of the Codex provides detailed information on the background and gameplay features of each playable Commander in the game, including historical backgrounds, simple bios, an explanation of their Groove, and how the Groove can be utilised.

Information about each Commander is often unlocked through completing missions in the Main Campaign and Co-op Campaign, and their entries can only be viewed if you have unlocked access to the character.

Codex Entries[edit]

Mercia[edit]

Mercia
Bio Unlocked at start Though Mercia must find her feet as the new ruler of Cherrystone, her inexperience is counteracted somewhat by her commitment, loyalty and compassion. She's a talented commander and a natural leader, though she still needs the guidance and support of her friend and tutor, Emeric.
Complete Mercia's Arcade run
Mercia
Age: 21.
Height: 171 cm.
Favourite thing: Summer.
Least favourite thing: Wasps.
Complete The Breach
Personal History & Ethos
Mercia and Emeric: Emeric has always been in Mercia's life, and she can't imagine a world without him, any more than she could a world without her father. After the death of Mercia's mother when she was just six, Emeric's steady, quietly loving presence kept her and her father going. Officially, Emeric is Mercia's tutor, but she has always considered him family - as did her father.
Groove Healing Aura
Mercia raises her sword to the sky and heals all surrounding allied units by 50%.

Groove Charge Speed: Fast

Groove Strategy Mercia's Healing Aura is at its most efficient when used to repair expensive and powerful units. This Groove also increases her sustainability, allowing her to take risks other commanders cannot.
Damage Matrix

Emeric[edit]

Emeric
Bio Unlocked at start Emeric is an immensely powerful mage, well versed in arcane lore. He is a scholar, and his knowledge, alongside his tactical know-how and compassionate wisdom, have made him an indispensable advisor to the Cherrystone throne. Beyond that, he is a kind (if reserved) individual, who cares fiercely for the late King Mercival and his daughter Mercia.
Complete Emeric's Arcade run
Emeric
Age: 57.
Height: 186 cm.
Favourite thing: The smell of old books.
Least favourite thing: An unfocused mind.
Complete The Beginning
Personal History & Ethos
Emeric is the youngest son of a noble Cherrystone family. His siblings, twins, were 15 years his senior, which meant that he had a somewhat solitary childhood. He took refuge in his studies, and devoured books voraciously. From a young age, he showed a deep interest in, and talent for, the arcane magical arts. He was a dedicated student, who soon outstripped his tutors to become the leading mage of his generation.
Groove Elder Shield
Emeric deploys a magical gem. Its aura provides a defensive bonus to all nearby friendly units.

Groove Charge Speed: Fast

Groove Strategy Emeric's Elder Shield can be used both defensively and offensively, as any Alchemists within its range will have their crits activated. The gem should be placed in a difficult to reach position.
Damage Matrix

Caesar[edit]

Caesar
Bio Unlocked at start A magnificent and majestic canine, Caesar leads armies with wordless dignity. His mere presence is enough to inspire and guide troops through battle.
Complete Caesar's Arcade run
Ceasar
Age: 4 (youngest ever Cherrystone commander).
Height: 109 cm.
Favourite thing: Cheese sandwiches.
Least favourite thing: Strawberry jam.
Complete Canine Justice
Personal History & Ethos
Caesar was born in a litter of three on the summer solstice. Each pup was promised to the youngest child of a noble family, and while his sisters were homed far across the seas, Caesar remained in Cherrystone, where he became Mercia's much beloved pet and best friend.

Caesar's closest companions outside the royal household are his crossbow-wielding personal guards, Horatio and Beatrice. As well as protecting Caesar on the battlefield, they also provide mid-combat belly rubs and ear scratches as required.

Groove Inspire
Caesar's majestic presence inspires all adjacent units to dig deep and have a second go.

Groove Charge Speed: Medium

Groove Strategy Caesar's Inspire is great for pushing an attack. The Groove works particularly well in conjunction with siege units, allowing them to move and attack in the same turn.
Damage Matrix

Valder[edit]

Valder
Bio Unlocked at start Valder is the ruler of Felheim, and wielder of the Fell Gauntlet. A combination of keen intellect, consummate martial skill and potent magics make him a singularly capable and intimidating foe.
Complete Valder's Arcade run
Valder
Age: 34.
Height: 168 cm.
Favourite thing: The Fell Gauntlet.
Least favourite thing: Oranges.
Complete Felheim
Personal History & Ethos
Valder grew up in a 'fallow era' - so named because the Gauntlet's whereabouts were unknown in this period. In fallow eras, Felheim always became turbulent. Pockets of civility remained, but were adrift on a sea of rampant savagery. The dead, unchecked and ungoverned, wreaked havoc, forcing the living into acts of desperation. Despite this, until the age of ten, he lived a relatively quiet life in a remote coastal township. Able to make what it needed and do without what it didn't, the settlement sustained itself in isolation, and managed to keep the chaos of the wider world at arm's length. However, one day in late autumn, the fragile tranquility of Valder's life was fractured. A lawless horde of freebooters, both living and dead, stormed the settlement. They pillaged the town, and in a final act of malice, razed it to the ground.

Valder escaped with a small group of other children. His next few years were spent wandering the land, initially with the other survivors, but eventually alone. Always a quiet boy, he became cold and aloof. He hardened his heart. He taught himself to fight.

Then, one night, when he was 18, a new chapter of his life began. He had settled for the night in a ruined cottage out in the wastes when he awoke from his restless slumber to an unearthly sight - a glowing purple orb hovered above him, its pearlescent core swathed in violet flame. Entranced, he reached out to touch it. The orb danced out of reach, and then flitted away, flying over the ruined walls and across the glinting snow outside. Valder tore after it. It darted into a wood, an eerie phantom throwing flickering shadows into the night. It shone more brightly as it penetrated the darkness, fleet and silent. Still Valder chased it.

All of a sudden, the wood ended, and the world opened instantly out into a wide, moonlit expanse. A vast frozen lake. Valder stood on the frosted shore and stared out across its icy surface. In the very centre, the orb hung, suspended in the chill of the night. It seemed expectant.

Hesitantly, tentatively, he stepped out onto the smooth ice. With relief, he found it bore his weight. He took a few steps and waited. Still not jarring, jagged creak, no sign the ice would fail. Out across the lake, the orb waited. It seemed a long way, but Valder made it. He crept across the mirror-bright surface, out to where the orb hung, still and quiet in the chill air. For a second time he reached out to touch it. and as his fingertips met the cold, violet flame, there was a sickening crack.

When he awoke, the last thing he remembered was the splintering ice giving way beneath his feet, and the freezing water closing over his head. He was grateful to find himself alive. Slowly, he opened his eyes and took his bearings. He was lying on his back on the surface of the frozen lake, and on his left hand he wore the Fell Gauntlet.

Groove Raise Dead
Valder raises a skeleton from the ground. The skeleton is immediately active.

Groove Charge Speed: Very Fast.

Groove Strategy Valder's Raise Dead charges very quickly, allowing him to rapidly increase the size of his army should he wish to take an aggressive approach. Raised skeletons are able to move and attack in the same turn they're summoned, enabling Valder to strike foes many tiles away.
Damage Matrix

Ragna[edit]

Ragna
Bio Unlocked at start Created by Valder to be the ultimate commander, Ragna is a patchwork assembly of the best parts of history's greatest warriors. She strives to be the baddest she can be. She is Queen Mercia's dedicated adversary.
Complete Ragna's Arcade run
Ragna
Age: 5, sort of.
Height: 183 cm.
Favourite thing: War.
Least favourite thing: You.
Complete Worst Enemies Forever
Personal History & Ethos
Never ask Ragna if she thinks of Valder as her dad, because she'll punch you. Nonetheless, she shows him filial devotion. While Ragna may not find it particularly easy to express her feelings, they are writ large by her actions. Beyond anything else, she longs to impress her creator and make him proud of her. Unfortunately, her ardent desire is frustrated by two considerations: first, while it's clear that Valder has a great deal of time for his young zombie commander, he's not the sort to outwardly express pride or affection, and second, despite her impressive progenitors and irrepressible zeal, Ragna often falls short of the victories she seeks.
In fairness to Ragna, it serves us well to remember that she is only five years old.
Groove Shield Jump
Ragna leaps into the air. Upon landing she deals 65% of the damage she would inflict at full health to surrounding units.

Groove Charge Speed: Slow.

Groove Strategy Ragna's Shield Jump can be used both offensively and defensively - when performed on a large group of enemies, it can rack up enormous damage, and when used in a dangerous situation, it can provide a means of escape.
Damage Matrix

Sigrid[edit]

Sigrid
Bio Unlocked at start Sigrid is a High Vampire, an ancient being of prodigious power. She serves Valder, Lord of Felheim, and he considers her his most reliable subordinate. Like the icy wastes of her homeland, Sigrid is cold and brutal.
Complete Sigrid's Arcade run
Sigrid
Age: 987.
Height: 167 cm.
Favourite thing: Herself.
Least favourite thing: The exasperating ubiquity of incompetents.
Complete High Vampire of the West
Personal History & Ethos
The longer a High Vampire lives, the stronger they become. However, over 900 years' worth of amassed might is still not enough for Sigrid - she lists for even more power. Her Master was 4000 years old when he turned her into a youngling vampire, and her earliest memories are of the savage acts inflicted by this powerful being on a trembling world. To Sigrid, it seemed that all possibilities lay at her Master's feet. The power over life and death was his, and he wielded fate like a silvered blade, cold and deadly in his intractable grip. Really, it was enough to turn anyone's head.

Sigrid took the West lands of Felheim from her Master when she was just 526 years old. She never could have defeated him in a direct confrontation, so she bided her time, knowing that he trusted her, and that his trust made him vulnerable. Then, one fateful evening, she stole into his room in the dead of night and killed him. It was as simple as that - he was dead before he had a chance to open his eyes.

Sigrid was too young to have experienced The Great Dissonance first-hand, but she grew up hearing tales of death and destruction, of bloodlust and savagery, of absolute power. And at the centre of these tales was a weapon called Requiem, and the Key that was said to unlock it. Sigrid travelled. She sought out further stories and hunted the descendants of the people spoken of in the legends. She found the graves of long-dead mages, and the scrolls detailing the design of Requiem's prison. She found out where the weapon was and how to reach it. She also found out that the Key was guarded by the monarchy that had built its kingdom upon the ashes left in Requiem's wake.

Groove Vampiric Touch
Sigrid drains all health from an enemy unit, and adds it to her own health.

Groove Charge Speed: Medium.

Groove Strategy Sigrid's Vampiric Touch makes her one of the most sustainable units in the game, and can also be used to eliminate problem units.
Damage Matrix

Greenfinger[edit]

Greenfinger
Bio Unlocked at start Greenfinger Zawan is brave and wise; an experienced elder who rules the Floran with strength and compassion. He has the ability to produce and manipulate plants at will by invoking the powers of nature - an ability uncommon even amont the Floran.
Complete Greenfinger's Arcade run
Greenfinger
Age: 118.
Height: 173 cm.
Favourite thing: Wild Boar Wednesdays.
Least favourite thing: Frosty weather.
Complete Shadows in the Mist
Personal History & Ethos
Not every Floran has the skills to be a Greenfinger. Though their abilities aren't necessarily inherited, they are innate. In every generation, a Floran with the potential to become a Greenfinger is born. Beyond their powers to manipulate plants, Greenfingers are also more level-headed and forward thinking than other Floran. It is these traits that are the most important when it comes to governing their kin. Floran are fun-loving, easy-going, and unremittingly violent, so it takes a Greenfinger's guiding hand to keep them in check.

Zawan trained to lead the Floran under the tutelage of Greenfinger Russom. Zawan was young when this training began; it doesn't take long for a sapling capable of becoming a Greenfinger to show themselves, being naturally attentive and studious in ways other Floran simply aren't. Zawan was taught all that Russom could impart: how to cajole wayward hunters into good behaviour; how to encourage a Floran's natural inquisitiveness towards informative learning; and how to channel the energy of their people into productive endeavours (rather than thoughtless violence). For 22 years Zawan was schooled in the way of the Greenfinger, but when Greenfinger Russom died at the age of 212, Zawan felt there was still much to learn. Despite these reservations, Greenfinger Zawan has excelled as a leader, and has fostered an era of safety and prosperity for the Floran of Aurania.

Groove Wild Growth
Greenfinger picks five tiles within a range of five on which to instantaneously grow vines, blocking enemy movement.

Groove Charge Speed: Medium.

Groove Strategy Greenfinger's Wild Growth is particularly useful in conjunction with ranged units that are able to use his vines for cover. During fog of war, the vines are also capable of Ambushing foes.
Damage Matrix

Nuru[edit]

Nuru
Bio Unlocked at start A young Floran, and a talented hunter and fighter, Nuru is a lively, intelligent and courageous commander whose skills are out of this world.
Complete Nuru's Arcade run
Nuru
Age: 17.
Height: 152 cm.
Favourite thing: Travel.
Least favourite thing: Kidney beans. They sound like meat, but they're NOT MEAT.
Complete Making Friends
Personal History & Ethos
If there's something in between a Greenfinger and a normal Floran, it's Nuru. A highly skilled and enthusiastic hunter, this feisty teenager is nonetheless significantly less destructive than your average Floran. Clever and quick-witted, Nuru excels as a commander, and is highly valued by Greenfinger Zawan. However, when they first met, Nuru let Zawan know that this wouldn't be a long visit. Greenfinger is still not exactly sure where the youngster travelled to Aurania from, only that it was on a ship that had, to quote, 'travelled a massively, ridiculously long way'. Wherever home is, the Floran leader will be sad to see Nuru go home when the time comes.
Groove Teleport Beam
Nuru beams down a friendly unit in the heat of battle. You pay for the unit.

Groove Charge Speed: Fast.

Groove Strategy Nuru's Teleport Beam allows an extra unit to be quickly called up when a map is short on recruitment structures, allowing enemies that might otherwise cause trouble to be swiftly countered.
Damage Matrix

Sedge[edit]

Sedge
Bio Unlocked at start This sinister Floran is a bloodthirsty and sadistic individual who thrives on the fear of others. A skilled hunter and practised killer, Sedge considers any creature that is not Floran to be prey.
Complete Sedge's Arcade run
Sedge
Age: Unknown.
Height: 168 cm.
Favourite thing: Fresh game.
Least favourite thing: Lectures about personal restraint.
Complete Banishment
Personal History & Ethos
Not much is known about Sedge's sapling years. The Floran population numbers above a hundred thousand, but not one of the tribes united under Greenfinger Zawan's rule has ever come forward to claim this vicious individual as one of their own. Many Floran respect Sedge, impressed by the hunting prowess and uncompromising nature this skilled warrior displays. However, a far greater number fear the unpredictability and sadism about which many tales are told. Unlike many others, Greenfinger Zawan has faith that Sedge's tactical skills and combative rapacity can be nurtured for the collective Floran good, and therefore made Sedge a commander, conferring encouragement, responsability and the opportunity to make a difference. A Greenfinger can't simply dismiss even the most violent individuals. It is their duty to nurture their followers and provide a way for each and ever Floran to live up to their potential. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
Groove Sadistic Rush
Sedge hits a target for 35% damage. If the target is killed, the Groove is not depleted, and the turn does not end.

Groove Charge Speed: Very Slow.

Groove Strategy Sedge's Sadistic Rush is one of the slowest charging Grooves in the game, but once it's charged, it need never run out. In a pinch, however, it can be expended in order to inflict 35% damage without suffering a counter-attack.
Damage Matrix

Tenri[edit]

Tenri
Bio Unlocked at start A noble and pragmatic ruler, Empress Tenri is internationally renowned and respected. She is a highly strategic commander and a graceful, skilled fighter. She has the ability to muster and manipulate the wind in her attacks.
Complete Tenri's Arcade run
Tenri
Age: 46.
Height: 177 cm.
Favourite thing: The sound of the wind across the desert dunes.
Least favourite thing: Slugs.
Complete Halcyon Days
Personal History & Ethos
Tenri became the Empress of Heavensong when she was just 15 years old, in the wake of an unprovoked war begun by the forces of Felheim. Heavensong emerged victorious, but it was a bitter victory - the Lord of Felheim and his armies were slain, but not before both of Tenri's parents had also fallen. Her mother was killed in battle. Her father, the Emperor, was assassinated in cold blood.

Tenri's heart was broken. It needed time to mend. Her aunt Mari (so much like Tenri's father in character and expression) helped the process of healing with her unfaltering love. Later, Tenri met and married Hiraku, whose unerring kindness and support softened her grief still further. Finally, Koji was born, and Tenri thought she could never love anything so much as she loved her son - her heart would burst before that could happen. The pragmatic Tenri would naturally have achieved much as Empress, come what may, but it was love that drove her to greatness.

Tenri's ability to muster and manipulate wind is a skill passed down to her by her mother. It is the ancient family secret of a noble Heavensong house. The fans she vields, too, are an heirloom of that ancestry. The secret of this skill is closely guarded, and none but its practitioners know whether it is born of magic or science.
Groove Rising Wind
Tenri uses a tornado to move any unit except an enemy commander.

Groove Charge Speed: Medium.

Groove Strategy Rising Wind allows Tenri to increase the effective movement range of any unit, including herself. Used tactically, it can also move enemies to locations that render them ineffective.
Damage Matrix

Ryota[edit]

Ryota
Bio Unlocked at start An unwaveringly loyal supporter of his empress and his nation, Ryota is committed to the protection and preservation of Heavensong. He is quick, both in body and mind, and a superb strategic thinker.
Complete Ryota's Arcade run
Ryota
Age: 27.
Height: 183 cm.
Favourite thing: People of honour, skill, duty... blue hair... green eyes...
Least favourite thing: Sedge.
Complete The Dashing General
Personal History & Ethos
Ryota is a man of honour, raised from a young age to value the qualities of integrity, virtue and loyalty above all else. At the age of four, he began his education at the Koganetake Academy, where he studied literature, arithmetic, engineering and the arts, alongside military strategy and martial arts. He graduated with the highest honours at the age of 16, two years ealier than most Koganetake alumni. He entered the army immediately upon graduating, and rose quickly through the ranks.

He lost his legs in a border skirmish when he was 22. While this might have led many to falter in their dedication, it only doubled Ryota's resolve. He sought out one of the finest swordsmiths in Heavensong, a man by the name of Takeshi, and asked him to design and forge his bladed legs. Once they were made and fitted, he spent thousands of hours training himself to walk, and then to fight, once more. It's been five years now since he lost his legs, and through his courage, hard work and tenacity, he has become the most esteemed and respected commander in the imperial court.
Groove Blade Dash
Ryota dashes through groups of enemies, dealing 45% of the damage he would inflict at full health as he goes.

Groove Charge Speed: Medium.

Groove Strategy Ryota's Blade Dash allows him to deal potentially enormous damage should the enemy's units be arranged correctly. He can use his own units to try and achieve the perfect arrangement before activating it.
Damage Matrix

Koji[edit]

Koji
Bio Unlocked at start The son of Empress Tenri, Koji is an enthusiastic and committed young commander. Although he is still developing his skills, he is nevertheless an impressive kid - especially when it comes to the weapons he creates. Koji's most remarkable creation to date is Tenko, the 12-foot tall fox puppet he pilots.
Complete Koji's Arcade run
Koji
Age: 11.
Height: 365 cm (147cm outside of Tenko).
Favourite thing: Inventing!
Least favourite thing: When it's "too late for inventing right now, Koji. Go to bed."
Complete Prince of the Empire
Personal History & Ethos
Koji's mother is the profoundly respected ruler of an expansive empire, and this young prince is next in line to the throne. He is a generally happy kid, even though he feels he has a lot to live up to, and manages to be a buoyant optimist who never lets the weight of expectation bring him down. Whatever he does, he does to the best of his ability. What more could anyone ask beyond that?

Koji's love of engineering was inherited from his great aunt Mari. With his grandparents gone, and Tenri and Hiraku so busy in their duties as empress and consort, Mari stepped in as an extra parental figure. She was a fine inventor who had helped develop many of Heavensong's machines of war, as well as much besides. It quickly became obvious to Mari that Koji, too, was capable of mastering mechanics and engineering given the right support, and when he was just two, she took him to see her workshop. She set him on the floor and turned away for a second, only to turn back and find him several feet from where she'd left him, wrench in hand, loosening the bolts on her latest creation. Perhaps counter-intuitively, she took him to the workshop every day she could after that.
Groove Sparrow Bombs
Koji spawns two flying bombs. Upon death, they deal 50% of Koji's maximum damage to nearby enemies.

Groove Charge Speed: Slow.

Groove Strategy Koji's Sparrow Bombs are capable of dealing huge damage to groups of units, or even to enemy commanders. However, care must be taken to ensure that they are not destroyed by ranged units before they reach their target.
Damage Matrix

Mercival[edit]

Mercival
Bio
Unlock Mercival
King Mercival II ruled Cherrystone for several decades, nurturing peace and prosperity in the kingdom. A wise and fair king, Mercival was much beloved by his people, and even more so by his daughter and only child, Mercia.

Mercival
Age: 59.
Height: 185 cm.
Favourite thing: His precious Bluebird.
Least favourite thing: Anobium punctatum, scourge of the book-lover!

Personal History & Ethos
Mercival and Emeric: Mercival and Emeric met when they were still just boys. Characteristically for both individuals, they were in a library when they first encountered each other. Mercival's childhood had been happy but lonely up to this point, so when the 10-year-old prince met the 8-year-old lordling, things changed for the better. The library they met in was that of Emeric's family's estate, and an invitation was quickly proffered and accepted for Emeric to visit the even more extensive library housed in the royal palace. After that, there was barely a moment when one boy was not staying at the other's house. When Mercival was just 19, his mother died, and the throne passed to him. By then, he had long considered Emeric a brother, and tentatively asked his friend if he would be happy living full-time at the palace, and becoming the young king's official advisor. Emeric agreed without hesitation.


While Emeric has always been a scholarly reader, Mercival tended more towards fantasy, myth and ancient history - interests encouraged in him from a young age by the bedtime stories his mother told him. Even more than reading books, Emeric and Mercival enjoyed sharing with each other what they'd read and learned. These engaging and enriching conversations would form Emeric's fondest memories of the time he spent with Mercival.

Groove Gone Fishing
Mercival raises his rod to the sky and casts his fishing line into an adjacent pool of water.

Groove Charge Speed: Medium.

Groove Strategy Sea and river each make for equally good fishing. Just remember, casting is all in the wrist and elbow!
Damage Matrix

Elodie[edit]

Elodie
Bio
Complete An Ancient Adversary
The phantom princess of the fallen nation of Cacophony, Elodie is bound to the ruinous weapon Requiem. To protect the world she died for, she will wield it against anyone she believes might covet the cataclysmic power it commands.
Elodie
Age: Dead.
Height: 198 cm.
Favourite thing: Music.
Least favourite thing: Requiem.
Groove Nocturne of Woe
Requiem entrances an enemy unit, bringing it under Elodie's control.

Groove Charge Speed: Slow.

Groove Strategy Elodie's Nocturne of Woe should be used on the enemy's most powerful and expensive units to gain the military and economic advantage.
Damage Matrix

Dark Mercia[edit]

Dark Mercia
Bio
Complete The Enemy Within
For some, the promise of power is enough. When that alone falls short, Requiem invokes those dark fears that harry the soul. Even the true-hearted falter.
Dark Mercia
Age: A philosophical question.
Height: 171 cm.
Favourite thing: Total destruction.
Least favourite thing: Naysayers and killjoys.
Groove Aura of Ruin
Dark Mercia raises her sword to the sky and drains all surrounding enemy units by 30%, healing herself.

Groove Charge Speed: Slow.

Groove Strategy Dark Mercia's Aura of Ruin ignores the defence and strength of an enemy unit. It is best used when targeting large numbers of powerful or expensive units.
Damage Matrix

Wulfar[edit]

Wulfar
Bio Unlocked at start Chief Wulfar is the leader of Aurania's largest and oldest outlaw clan. Standing more than 7 feet tall and wielding his great stone battle-hammer, he certainly cuts an imposing figure. But enemies should be wary of more than just his immense weapon and towering physique. It is Wulfar's patience, intelligence and immovable resolve that render him a truly fearsome adversary.
Complete Fledgling Thieves
Wulfar
Age: 36.
Height: 220 cm.
Favourite thing: Just parity.
Least favourite thing: Puns.
Personal History & Ethos
For as long as there have been laws, there have been outlaws. Nowhere is this fact better illustrated than in Wulfar's lineage. It was more than a century ago that Wulfar's great grandfather, Magnus "Bluetongue" Pasternak, an infamous pirate captain, left his life on the high seas to settle in The Lost Leagues. There, he married Wulfar's great grandmother, the sheperdess and renowned smuggler Mary Meyrick. These are but two individuals in the vast web of buccaneers and bootleggers, crooks, and cutpurses that constitute Wulfar's family tree.
Groove Tee Off
Summoning his latent golfing abilities, Wulfar launches his target across the map, damaging both the target and any units adjacent to their landing tile. Knocking ground units into the ocean instantly defeats them.

Groove Charge Speed: Fast.

Groove Strategy The strength of Wulfar's Groove lies in its flexibility, providing splash damage, along with the ability to reposition friendly units and potentially instantly defeat foes.
Damage Matrix

Errol & Orla[edit]

Errol & Orla
Bio Unlocked at start With feisty Orla on the attack and thoughtful Errol defending, these twins are a force to be reckoned with. Proof positive that good gear comes in small bulk.
Complete all 4 routes of the Co-op Campaign
Errol & Orla
Age: 10.
Height: Orla, 141 cm., Errol, 141.5 cm.
Orla's favourite thing: a wee brawl.
Orla's least favourite thing: Time out.
Errol's favourite thing: Pancakes.
Errol's least favourite thing: A brawl of any size.
Personal History & Ethos

All About Orla
Orla got her first slingshot at the age of three, and the first thing she did with it was throw it very hard at Errol. After telling her off, putting her in time out and making sure she apologised to her brother, Wulfar then carefully explained to her how to use it properly. Having done that, he gave her a bag of marshmallows to practise with.


The rest, as they say, is history.


All About Errol
It would be fair to say that Errol doesn't know his own strength - as the first mage in his family for several generations, he has little context for what his abilities mean. Having studied magic for only a little over a year, he is already capable of casting a multitude of elemental spells with unprecedented ease.


Thus far, all Errol's magic has been self-taught. He voraciously consumes any and every magic book that Wulfar can find for him, and practises his spell-casting constantly. While these are undeniably impressive feats of learning, sadly this shy and retiring boy has not yet plucked up the courage to turn to the other mages of his clan for guidance. Should he ever do so, he will find out very quickly that due to his multi-elementalism, he shares a kinship with the alchemists. Not only this, but he will also learn that (unlike the vast majority of his peers) he is equally capable in each and every variety of elemental spell-casting.

Groove Scorching Fire & Cooling Water
The twins have access to two Grooves: Scorching Fire and Cooling Water.
Scorcing Fire starts a fire on a single tile. For three turns the flaming area grows in size, and after four turns it disappears. Any unit caught in the flames will be instantly defeated.
Cooling Water covers an area with healing magic. Each turn, the area decreases in size, and after four turns it disappears. Any units left in the area at the start of the twins' turn are healed for 20% of their full health.

Groove Charge Speed: Medium.

Groove Strategy Errol and Orla have two Grooves between them, but share a single Groove Meter. Carefully choosing which Groove to unleash depending on the state of the battle is key to maximising the twin's potential.
Damage Matrix

Vesper[edit]

Vesper
Bio Unlocked at start Sly, deceitful and abrasive, Vesper certainly makes an impression - not least because this notorious criminal is capable of conjuring a demonic smoke beast with just a whip and a flourish. A real bête noire, n'est-ce pas?
Complete Rendevous
Vesper
Age: 36.
Height: 165 cm.
Favourite thing: Fumomancy.
Least favourite thing: Pop psychology.
Personal History & Ethos

Do we ever truly cast aside the dreams of our childhood? To consign something so powerful to the void of nothingness is surely beyond the might of common man. No, they are part of us, and cannot be so easily discarded. These dreams, we carry them always, to be buoyed or burdened by them as we may.
Algar Bode - writer, philosopher, cat enthusiast.


In a clearing, in a wood, in the Lost Leagues of Aurania, two small children are playing. One, a little boy with pale blue-green hair, is hunkered down watching a beetle climbing through the moss. Occasionally he tries to herd the beetle, prodding at it with the tip of a twig. The beetle entirely ignores his efforts. A few feet away, a white-haired little girl is clambering up a fallen tree trunk, ascending the gentle slope on hands and knees. When she reaches the highest point she can, she stands - proudly surveying the conquered clearing. It is only now she takes notice of the little boy. Quietly, with clumsy movements, she begins to conjure something - a shifting, dense ball of pitch-black smoke. She takes careful aim. She launches her missile. The smoke strikes the little boy squarely on the back of the head. Exploding on impact, it engulfs the child in a noxious cloud, instantaneously covering him head to toe in soot.


There is a brief moment of shocked silence, and then the girl bursts into a fit of laughter. The boy wheels round, a mossy clod of earth clutched in his hand. He sends the clod hurtling through the air, hitting the girl in the face and sending her, sputtering, backwards off of the tree trunk. In the ensuing chaos, amidst the hurled debris of dirt, dust and smoke, a friendship is born.


As children, Vesper and Wulfar shared a deep kinship. They were energetic, intelligent children who were deeply proud of their outlaw heritage. Both wanted to lead the clan one day, and they often spoke of taking turns - one year on, one year off - so that they could each do so without having to run against each other in the elections for chieftain. They were best friends, and always there for one another. It was Vesper who summoned a three-headed smoke dog to chase Ronny Hinchcliff up a tree after he had knocked Wulfar down over a game of marbles. And it was Wulfar who snuck into Old Man Kilgar's back yard to retrieve Vesper's kite when it fought free of her grip and sailed recklessly into the oak tree that graced the cantankerous old man's back garden. They were never stuck, or scared, or lost when the other was around.


Then, when they were 15, things changed. That year, a new family joined their clan. The family's youngest daughter was called Alia, and she was of an age with Vesper and Wulfar. Alia was smart, funny and kind, and could bury a spear five inches into a tree trunk from 20 paces. Vesper was smitten.


Then, as now, Vesper was almost obnoxiously forward. Yet somehow, when it came to Alia, she was unable to speak her mind. She became flushed, nervous and tongue-tied each time she tried to tell Alia how she felt. The longer they knew each other, the deeper Vesper's adoration grew, and the more difficult it became to admit to Alia how she truly felt.


One night, after more than a year of friendship, Vesper summoned all her courage, and made her way to Alia's house, treading the well-known path to her friend's front door as the evening shadows lengthened. She climbed the front step and raised her hand to knock, pausing abruptly when she heard voices from the back garden. The voices where soft and low, but instantly recognisable - it was Alia and Wulfar. Vesper crept around the side of the house, hugging the shadows. Reaching the back garden, she peered around the corner. From her dark vantage point she could see her two friends. They sat together, lit from behind by the sun's dying light, dark figures wreathed in gold. They were sitting so close to one another - heads together, holding hands, fingers intertwined, speaking softly. They looked like one being, whole and content. The excited nerves she'd felt in anticipation of speaking to Alia had dissipated, replaced by a leaden feeling in her stomach. Alia and Wulfar were in love.


Vesper lost control. Smoke began to flow from her fingertips. Tenuous wisps building to a roiling flood that drowned the golden light of dusk and swallowed her whole. The air turned to poison. The cloud enveloped Wulfar and Alia before they even knew it was upon them, putrid fumes burning their lungs. They stumbled blindly through the smoke, Wulfar dragging Alia, coughing and sobbing, out of the rancid cloud. He recognised the magic. He called for Vesper, but she didn't answer. He stumbled back into the toxic darkness, but stayed barely a moment before he was forced to lurch back out again, hacking and spluttering, gasping for breath. He need not have bothered with this rescue attempt - Vesper had fled.


She and Wulfar would not see each other again for another two decades.

Groove Smoke Shroud
Vesper shrouds an area of the map in thick, magical smoke for one turn. Units within this area cannot be targeted or counter-attacked.

Groove Charge Speed: Slow.

Groove Strategy Vesper's Smoke Shroud is immensely powerful if placed correctly. When using it in the thick of battle, players should seek to gain an additional first attack advantage.
Damage Matrix