The Umbraught Incursion

This flow follows the return of the Umbraught, their attack on Angkor Leng, and the policy conflict they create aboard the Endeavor.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

An Ancient Threat Returns

The Purple-Gray Light Antomine recognizes the Umbraught, creatures believed to have been destroyed or expelled by the Illuminated King. Attraction to Zint The Endeavor’s powerful illumination draws them to the ancient city. Political Meaning Their appearance proves that the Crown’s history is incomplete and that old enemies remain beyond Beacon’s reach.

The Hangar Assault

Attack in the Light Umbraught figures storm the hangar while the Endeavor receives protective radiance. Humanlike but Alien Their bodies resemble distorted people, yet their inverted light makes them incompatible with human illumination. Gold as Weapon Jonathan uses the salvaged gold as a club, while Eleanor and the airmen destroy the creatures’ lanterns.

The Broken Lux Guard

A Hidden Body Revealed One Lux Guard is damaged by the Umbraught, forcing Antomine to expose its wax-like construction and zint-fueled interior. Royal Secrecy The guard is not a human soldier but an artificial servant hidden under armor. Vulnerable Authority Its injury demonstrates that even the Illuminated King’s agents have limits in the east.

The Purge Debate

Extermination or Escape Antomine argues that the Umbraught must be purged before they learn to hunt human zint. Jonathan’s Reluctance Jonathan refuses to spend time and resources cleansing an entire city unless it threatens the expedition. Strategic Reversal The Umbraught’s potential to drain the Endeavor’s engines finally makes the threat relevant to Jonathan’s objective.

Erasure Beneath the Dream

The City’s Final Defense Jonathan deliberately breaks Angkor Leng’s machinery and releases the fevered god-dream beneath it. Reality as Weapon The dream cannot sustain the Umbraught, whose existence collapses inside its unstable imagination. Victory Without Purge Jonathan removes the threat by destroying the entire environment, choosing annihilation over a prolonged Inquisition campaign.

in Angkor Leng

during protective treatment

during the assault

after the first attack

departure from Angkor Leng