Twisted Principle: Despairing passion; victory at any cost, even the self.
Ruling Archdemon(s): Baal.
The realm: the Ashen Fields of Regret
Aesthetics: A perversion of Netzach's Endless Dawn. This realm is a vast, grey wasteland of ash and dust under a sky of permanent, joyless twilight. The ash is the burnt-out residue of a billion failed passions and hollow victories. The air is cold and carries the scent of regret. There is no life here, only the memory of struggle that has ended in bitter emptiness.
Inhabitants: The realm is haunted by beings that feed on the concept of victory.
Ravens of Dispersion: The most common inhabitants. These are not true birds, but shadowy, raven-like constructs of solidified despair. They are drawn to any spark of hope, passion, or victory, which they consume, leaving behind only apathy and regret.
Ash-Wraiths: The spectral remnants of souls who burned themselves out in the pursuit of a hollow victory. They wander the Ashen Fields, endlessly re-enacting their final, meaningless triumph.
The Carrion King: A powerful, sentient despair that rules the fields. It takes the form of a scarecrow-like king sitting on a throne of broken trophies and rusted medals, embodying the hollowness of a victory with no purpose.
Manifestation: A'arab Zaraq's influence is a psychic poison that drains the meaning from struggle. Its Divers can project an Aura of Futility or summon a Swarm of Envy to turn an enemy's strengths into sources of despair. The final Avatar is the A'arab Zaraq Zealot. Its nature is allegorized in the proverb, "The raven of victory eats the eyes of the victor."
Strategic Profile
Playstyle: An anti-morale faction that weakens enemies over time by draining their will to fight. It excels at turning powerful enemy heroes or elite units into liabilities.
Key Units:Raven of Dispersion (Debuffer that applies a stacking "Apathy" debuff to a target, reducing its damage and speed), Ash-Wraith (Creates an aura that prevents enemy units from gaining veterancy or positive buffs).
Ultimate Ability: The Hollow Crown: Target an enemy hero. For a short duration, all of their kills heal the Zealot's forces instead of granting experience, and their passive auras are disabled.
Doctrinal counters
Adamant Concord: Unwavering discipline. A unit of Unawakened Cohorts or Logic-Engines who operate on orders, not passion, are highly resistant to the morale-draining effects.
Flowing Garden: Find joy in the process, not the outcome. A Fortune-Spun Weaver can counter the despair by creating an aura of pure, chaotic luck, where the joy of the unpredictable overwhelms the bitterness of the outcome.
Way of the Middle Pillar: A Hidden Dagger cell can re-introduce a true, meaningful purpose. A Tiferet Adept can use Beacon of Integrity to remind a demoralized army of why they are fighting, providing a spiritual anchor that is immune to the Zealot's despair.