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With only a few days before we’re ripping packs and crushing snacks together during the Aftermath sale, I’m proud to share the final character codex in this series for Prime.Wiki.
I’m also excited to share another Aftermath card reveal, Dark Warden!
To wrap things up, just a final reminder that the series “disclaimers” and the links to the other installments are below. My focus will now shift over to the Aftermath set and exploring the lore behind the 90 new cards entering the Parallel universe.
Yesterday I had the honor of unleashing a new Shroud card and character. Be sure to share the reveal post on X to earn your shot at a FREE Aftermath pack.
Introducing the Dark Warden!
No matter where you look when exploring the shadowy Shroud, every dimension of their lore points back to the Great One.
In short, the Great One is an unknown mystical entity. When the colonists aboard the New Dawn ship first punched through the Singularity, this omnipotent cosmic force somehow appeared.
Nobody knows how or what exactly happened, but the Great One is now in charge, and it has the power to consume, corrupt, and control minds.
Despite its unknown origins, as always, the best starting point is the official Parallel website.
“Now, serving a powerful entity from the Singularity known as The Great One, they operate in the shadows of space, preparing our solar system for the arrival of their enigmatic leader.”
To get a better grasp on this enigmatic leader, I searched for all references to it in the game. One word kept popping up, which I believe is a great summary of its controlling essence: “Master.”
For example, the Legendary relic Collapsing Star references “our master’s will” and the pesky Fanatical Crewman unit references “their unseen masters” in their respective flavor texts. The OG card Reality Manipulator, one of the more awe-provoking and daunting cards in the entire Parallel card collection, also mentions “The gifts of my master…” in the flavor text.
Not quite a “character” and not quite an inanimate being, the “Manipulator” is clearly a dark force of cosmic dust that is not to be trifled with. Shepherd of the Fallen also references the Great One as the “giver of life,” giving us a deeper sense of how some Shroud characters honor and tribute their leader.
The next thing that stands out in the Shroud character codex is the group of ‘gifted’ ones.
When exploring some of the Legendary Shroud characters, it is safe to assume that the Great One has bestowed gifts of immense cosmic power to be ‘wielded’ by his most loyal leaders: Bela, Bora, Leonid, and Malia.
These characters could possibly be the ones referred to as “The Gifted”, a supergroup found in cards like Beseech the Gifted.
The flavor text for Bora, Wielder of Rage refers directly to him being a ‘Gifted’ leader:
“To Bora, the Great One gifted his unbridled Rage. The old Bora was lost, and in his place stood a being of indomitable fury, capable & willing to destroy all those in his path.”
Similarly, a gift given to the creepy elder Shroud statesman Leonid, Wielder of Corruption.
“To Leonid, the Great One bestowed his ability to control & corrupt the minds of others. Entire forces have been lost to his poison-laced words, only to show up fighting under his banner the next day.”
Next up we have the flavor text for Malia, Voice of the Gifted:
“They speak for the Great One, and she speaks for them.”
While she may not have a gift of destruction or wield any type of mind control weapon, she is highly valued as a liaison and messenger between The Gifted and the Great One.
That leaves one last wielder in the Shroud codex…
When it comes to exploring Bela, start by watching this teaser, which is easily one of the sickest cinematics in the history of Parallel.
Bela has a really unique function in the game. Unlike the other ‘Wielders’ in her group, she’s not a Legendary unit. Instead, she’s a token that spawns from a common Effect card called Sacred Destruction. If you play it three or more times in a game, then you create the 9/9 Bela token.
Sure enough, Sacred Destruction’s flavor text is quite revealing. FYI: No flavor text exists for Bela’s actual token unit.
“To Bela, the Great One bestowed a mere echo of his vast ability to destroy & remake as he sees fit. Bela’s faith is matched by few, as she views her role as divine purpose, arriving to aid only those Shroud she deems worthy of witnessing a vessel of their Master.”
Not only do we get another reference to “Master” here, but a direct look at the spiritual reverence and sense of divinity the Great One has over the Shroud. As a “vessel” for the Great One, Bela sounds almost as valued as Niamh or Brand.
Also, how cool is this back/front facing series from Dhenzel Obeng. He even dropped a little alpha about it in a reply a few years back.
There are more easter eggs out there regarding the “Gifted” characters, but this is a good place to start. Again, every dimension of their lore keeps pointing back to the Great One, adding to the dark, corrupt, and insidious nature of the Shroud.
When the Planetfall drop took place in October 2023, Parallel introduced a new Shroud-exclusive card type known as “Corrupted” units.
Corrupted units work like token units. But on top of their normal Energy cost, they also require the same amount of Health points to be played.
For example, if you have a corrupted version of Stoic Sellsword, it will cost you 2 Health and 2 Energy to play.
There are some really good glimpses of “Corrupted” units in game already, like Brand’s Corrupted Vision token, and I’m sure we’ll see a lot more in Aftermath. But if you want a really good look at Corrupted characters, check out some of the Shroud Avatars.
From the Novice to the Adept to the Masters, there’s plenty of Corrupted characters and lore to dig through.
One final Shroud card I wanted to share actually holds a really juicy clue to the Corrupted lore: Call the Corrupted.
“Then, as if suddenly let loose from Death’s unyielding grip, they rose again. Eyes aglow in a hypnotizing magenta, faces contorted in abject horror. Thiesa knew then, that there was no escape. She would die here today.”
Like the other Parallels, the Shroud have a few unique mechanics and abilities that connect to their lore. To help break all of that down, check out this great Medium article from Dave the Beard!
Dave also pointed out some juicy lore related to one of the coolest relics in the game, Pocket Dimension. Check out the Life in Parallel Podcast, Episode 1. At about 45:00 minutes in, Merchant explains the origins of the card. Here’s a link to that as well.
To wrap up this codex, we’ve listed some more cards that reveal nuggets of Shroud lore, including some crossover with other Parallels.
Brand, Steward Eternal
The New Dawn
Niamh, Wielder of Faith
Argoel
Brand’s Honor Guard
Covert Assimilator
Cruel Controller
Engine Whisperer
Fanatical Crewman
Goran, Aspiring Steward
Honored Steward
Nullifier Acolyte
Power Instructor
Reality Manipulator [??]
Ruinous Exarch
Sacred Siphoner
Salvation Attendant
Shepherd of the Fallen
Singularity Steward
The Gifted
The Great One
Thiesa [??]
Unseen Allies
Venerated Raider
Void Trapper
Void-Touched Novice
Void-Touched Adept
Void-Touched Master
Voidrunner
For this Character Codex series, I’ve included some disclaimers to help clear up any ambiguities.
If you’d like to catch up on the other installments in this series, here are the links:
If you’re new to Parallel and haven’t explored the game’s basic lore, below is a series I wrote for Prime.Wiki a few years ago. Disclaimer: Always refer to Parallel’s official website for the latest version of the lore.
Inside the Lines is a program dedicated to Parallel lore. If you would like to contribute, please contact @Goldy_TGG. Don’t forget to follow @ParallelLore so you don’t miss future posts and giveaways from us. If you’d like to play Parallel, please use our referral link!