Radiance
Radiance
"Light reveals. Light protects. Light endures."
Philosophy
"The candle does not ask if it deserves to burn. It simply burns, and in burning, drives back the darkness for all who shelter near."
— First Luminary Aurelius, founder of the Eternal Concordat
Radiance is the Essence of order, protection, and unity. It flows strongest in moments of selfless courage—when a soldier shields a fallen comrade, when a healer refuses to abandon a patient, when a leader chooses the good of many over personal gain.
Those who channel Radiance believe in principles greater than individual desire:
- Order over chaos — Structure creates safety; law enables civilization
- Community over self — The needs of many outweigh the wants of one
- Protection over conquest — Strength exists to defend, not dominate
- Truth over deception — Light reveals what shadow conceals
Radiance does not demand perfection. It demands intention—the genuine desire to illuminate rather than obscure, to protect rather than exploit, to build rather than destroy.
The Philosophy's Edge
Radiance's strength is also its limitation. Those who channel it may become:
- Rigid — So committed to law that they forget justice
- Blinded — So certain of their righteousness that they cannot see their errors
- Sacrificial — So focused on others that they destroy themselves
- Judgmental — So devoted to their truth that they condemn all who differ
The greatest Radiance channelers learn to balance conviction with compassion, law with mercy, protection with freedom.
Origin & Lore
The First Light
Before Aethoria took form, Radiance was the first Essence to achieve coherence. While other Essences swirled as raw potential, Radiance gathered itself into a single point of infinite brightness—the original dawn.
When that light touched the void, shadows gained definition. When it touched chaos, patterns emerged. When it touched the other Essences, it revealed their true natures, forcing them to become what they had only promised to be.
The ancient texts speak of this moment:
"And Light said: I am the boundary between what is and what is not. I am the line that separates order from chaos. Where I shine, truth cannot hide. Where I fade, all things become possible—for better and worse."
The First Practitioners
The earliest Radiance channelers were not warriors or priests but witnesses—individuals who survived catastrophe by refusing to look away. When the Age of Chaos threatened to unmake reality itself, these witnesses held fast to what they knew was true, anchoring existence through sheer conviction.
Their reward was illumination. Radiance flowed through them, granting power proportional to their certainty. The most steadfast became the First Luminaries—the philosopher-mages who would eventually found the Eternal Concordat.
Sacred Sites
Radiance concentrates in places where selfless acts occurred:
The Sanctuary of Dawn — A temple in Concordat territory where the sun never fully sets. Here, the First Luminaries made their founding oaths, and the accumulated Radiance of centuries maintains eternal golden light.
The Martyr's Bridge — A stone crossing where a nameless soldier held against a demon army for three days, buying time for refugees to escape. The bridge still glows faintly at night, and those who cross it feel a surge of protective resolve.
The Codex Halls — Libraries where knowledge is preserved for all, not hoarded for few. The act of freely sharing truth generates Radiance that protects these halls from fire, flood, and time itself.
Mechanical Identity
Radiance rewards defensive play and protective strategies. Its power grows when you shield allies, maintain formations, and outlast opponent aggression through superior resilience.
Core Playstyle
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Tempo | Slow and steady; build advantage over time |
| Win Condition | Attrition—outlast opponents through healing and protection |
| Resource Usage | Efficient defensive tools; expensive finishers |
| Board Presence | Resilient units that protect each other |
Signature Mechanics
Sanctuary — Units with Sanctuary cannot be targeted by enemy spells or abilities while positioned in your back row. This keyword embodies Radiance's protective philosophy, allowing vulnerable units to operate safely behind the front line.
Strategic note: Position high-value support units in the back row, then use front-row Guardians to prevent direct attacks. Sanctuary creates a fortress that opponents must dismantle piece by piece.
Ward — Units with Ward cannot be targeted by enemy effects at all, regardless of position. Ward represents Radiance's absolute protection, making these units ideal carriers for Equipment and Enchantments.
Strategic note: Ward units are premium targets for buffs since opponents cannot remove the buffs through targeted removal. Build tall on Ward carriers while spreading wide with protected Sanctuary units.
Guardian — Units with Guardian must block if able. This embodies Radiance's protective nature—these units literally throw themselves between enemies and their allies.
Strategic note: Guardians control combat math by forcing opponents to fight on your terms. Position them to protect specific back-row threats, and buff their Defense to make them immovable walls.
Strengths
- Unmatched survivability — Healing, protection, and damage prevention keep your board intact
- Formation mastery — Positioning synergies reward careful battlefield management
- Answer density — Removal and countermeasures for most strategies
- Late-game inevitability — If the game goes long, Radiance usually wins
Weaknesses
- Slow development — Vulnerable to aggressive starts before defenses stabilize
- Passive nature — Must react to opponents rather than dictate pace
- Resource intensive — Protection costs Essence that could pressure opponents
- Predictable — Opponents know you'll try to stall and can plan accordingly
Essence Combinations
Radiance + Tide (The Eternal Concordat)
"We see the threat before it manifests. We answer before the question is asked."
The combination of protection and foresight creates impenetrable control. Tide's card advantage ensures you always have answers, while Radiance's defensive tools buy time to find them. Together, they embody the Concordat's philosophy: wisdom guides, light protects.
Playstyle: Pure control. Use Tide's Foresight to see opponent threats coming, then deploy Radiance's protection at the perfect moment. Win through inevitability.
Key Synergy: Sanctuary units in the back row drawing extra cards through Tide effects, protected indefinitely while accumulating overwhelming advantage.
Radiance + Void (Light and Shadow)
"To protect something, you must understand what threatens it. I have looked into the darkness. I know its secrets."
An unusual pairing that creates tension between selfless protection and selfish ambition. Those who master this combination use Void's willingness to sacrifice for Radiance's protective ends—giving up their own life force to shield others.
Playstyle: Sacrifice-based protection. Pay life to fuel powerful defensive effects. Use Drain to recover what you've spent. A high-skill combination that rewards precise resource management.
Key Synergy: Void's Reanimate bringing back fallen Guardian units, creating a wall of protection that refuses to stay dead.
Radiance + Fury (Righteous Wrath)
"I do not hate my enemies. I simply burn away everything that threatens what I love."
The aggressive side of protection. Sometimes the best defense is overwhelming offense, and Radiance channelers who embrace Fury understand that evil must be actively destroyed, not merely contained.
Playstyle: Proactive protection. Use Fury's aggressive units to eliminate threats before they can endanger your forces. Strike first, strike hard, then shelter behind Radiance's defenses.
Key Synergy: Swift attackers backed by Guardian blockers—hit hard on your turn, then hide behind walls on theirs.
Radiance + Growth (The Verdant Host)
"The forest does not conquer—it simply grows until there is nothing that is not forest."
The most natural Radiance pairing. Both Essences value community, resilience, and the long view. Growth provides the raw strength that Radiance protects, while Radiance provides the structure that Growth needs to flourish.
Playstyle: Ramp into overwhelming presence. Use Growth's Cultivate to accelerate Essence production, then deploy massive protected boards that opponents cannot efficiently answer.
Key Synergy: Regenerate units protected by Guardian formations—healing each turn while enemies throw themselves futilely against the wall.
Notable Practitioners
High Arbiter Seraphine
The ancient leader of the Eternal Concordat has channeled Radiance for over three centuries. Her mastery manifests as temporal manipulation—she exists in eternal golden light, aging impossibly slowly, remembering the Sundering War as if it were yesterday.
"I have outlasted every opponent through patience alone. They burn bright and fade. I endure."
Lord Commander Celestine
The Concordat's military leader channels Radiance through martial discipline. Her soldiers form impenetrable formations, each protecting the others, their individual weakness becoming collective strength.
"One soldier falls. Another steps forward. The line holds. That is Radiance."
Saint Aurelius (Historical)
The First Luminary who codified Radiance channeling, transforming instinctive protection into teachable philosophy. His writings form the foundation of Concordat law and magical theory.
"Ask not what you can take from the light. Ask what darkness you can drive back."
The Dawn Martyrs
During the Sundering War, a company of Radiance channelers sacrificed themselves to hold the Sanctuary of Dawn against demonic invasion. Their final act of protection was so powerful that their light persists, maintaining the Sanctuary's eternal glow.
Essence Manifestation
Visual Appearance
Radiance manifests as warm golden light that seems to come from everywhere and nowhere. Unlike mundane light, it casts no harsh shadows—instead, it softens darkness gradually, creating an atmosphere of gentle illumination.
When channeled actively, Radiance appears as:
- Halos — Rings of light around protected individuals
- Rays — Beams that connect the channeler to those they shield
- Barriers — Translucent golden walls that absorb incoming attacks
- Coronas — Full-body auras surrounding powerful channelers
Sensory Experience
Those touched by Radiance describe:
- Warmth — Not burning heat, but the comfort of sunlight through glass
- Clarity — Thoughts become ordered; confusion fades
- Safety — A profound sense that harm cannot reach them
- Purpose — The feeling that they matter, that their existence serves something greater
Environmental Effects
Strong Radiance concentrations cause:
- Extended daylight — Dawn comes earlier, dusk arrives later
- Preserved structures — Buildings resist decay and damage
- Honest speech — Lies become difficult to voice, truth spills out
- Healing acceleration — Wounds close faster, illness retreats