Forum:Shadowkeepers (Reworked)

The Shadowkeepers (also known as the Shadow Army, and Winnower's Last Attempt) are a force of Fallen, Hive, Vex, Cabal, Taken, Scorn, and human antagonists from different alternate universes led by the Shadow Heralds, a group of elite and powerful enemies, selected by the Darkness. They were formed by the Darkness as a last attempt against the Light.

They are the main antagonists of the Paradox expansion, having slain Zavala, corrupted Mal with the Darkness, and caused the Shadowkeeper Apocalypse.

Overview
"The enemies of humanity are innumerable. We are surrounded by the Fallen, the Vex, the Hive, the Taken, the Scorn, and the Cabal. But never before have we faced an enemy as powerful as the Shadowkeepers – a villainous organization hellbent on overthrowing entire worlds."

- Official Description

Created alongside the Shadow Army (consisting of the Fallen House of Shadows, Hive Shadow Brood, Vex Shadow Divisive, Cabal Shadow Legion, Taken Reborn, and Scorn Cult of Shadows) and the Ghosts of Nagasaki, the Shadowkeepers seek to destroy the Traveler and terraform all worlds into their own. Led by Kazuto, Stacia, Totomaru, Eobard Thawne, and Malcolm Merlyn, the Shadowkeepers have brought forth waves of terrifying destruction upon countless representations of the Light in order to ensure a dark endgame and ultimately bring an end to the City Age.

Origins
"We have watched over majicks and worlds since the stars were young. But man has destroyed the balance. Just as they tried to destroy you." "But you brought us back. Why?" "Because you can right what the mortals made wrong." "How do you know that?" "You come from their world, but fight for ours. You will be the Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash, Overlords of Shadows. You will be the instruments of our reckoning... the heralds of our ascension. With your powers, we can finally destroy the Light once and for all."

- The Darkness, speaking to Kazuto and Stacia.

Some time after the Guardians' victory during the events of Lightfall, the Darkness, having found a still-open portal, used its dying breath to send the Black Fleet into the dimensional gateway to recruit its new allies: Kazuto and Stacia. Having known firsthand about how they had seen what it saw and mourned for the deaths of their friends and of innocence, the Darkness not only gave them back their powers from Sword Art Online, but also granted them permanent access to its Pyramids, knowing that they can succeed where its previous forces failed.

Upon accepting the Darkness's gift, after stepping out of their dimension and into the Guardian's universe, Kazuto and Stacia would go on to recruit various villains from numerous dimensions, including Totomaru, a former member of the Phantom Lord guild and the manipulator of the Solar element; Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash and a speedster who murdered Nora Allen, the mother of Barry Allen; Malcolm Merlyn, the Dark Archer and the man who orchestrated the destruction of the Queen's Gambit and played a role in Sara Lance's apparent death; Damien Darhk, the leader of HIVE and the man who murdered Laurel Lance; Tobias Whale, a crime lord and the man who murdered Jefferson Pierce's father; The Doctor, a Framework persona of Leopold Fitz and HYDRA's ruthless second-in-command; Anton Ivanov, the leader of the Watchdogs and a powerful mercenary known as Omega; Hiram Lodge, a powerful businessman and the leader of a notorious criminal empire responsible for the emergence of the Ghoulies; Morgana le Fay, the Mother of Monsters and a powerful wizard who was betrayed by Merlin and allied with Gunmar and his army in her quest for revenge on the Trollhunters; Uldren Sov, the Prince of the Reef who was presumed dead during the Battle of Saturn; Djin, the leader of the Numeros and a former member of M.A.T.A.; Sasuke Uchiha, the lone surviving member of the Uchiha clan who acquired the Sharingan and the Rinnegan; Phoenixaro Uchihamaki, the leader of the Akatsuki and Kakashi Hatake's estranged brother; and Ruby Hale, the Destroyer of Worlds and the daughter of General Hale, who had been genetically engineered by HYDRA's leader Daniel Whitehall, forming a notorious organization unlike anything the world had ever encountered known as the Shadowkeepers. They would also resurrect Sachi and Eugeo by implanting the respective memories of Reign and Fikrul, the Fanatic into their vessels' bodies.

At some point in time, Kazuto and Stacia would also rally numerous enemies of both the Traveler and its Guardians, instilling into them a profound sense of freedom and purpose, promising them that they would be the one to save them and those cast out and left for dead by their own people from the Traveler's lies. During the course of the impending war between the Guardians and their enemies' forces, many key leaders of various Fallen houses, Hive sects, Vex collectives, and other factions would pledge their allegiances to the Shadowkeepers.

Attack on Auradon
(TBA)

A New Aincrad
"My loyal and ambitious subjects, you are here today to finally end your troubles, finally end your griefs over your losses, finally to end your droughts against The Last City's forces...and to finally bring your people's salvation. The wait is finally over, for I, Kazuto, Chosen by the Winnower, Champion of the Black Fleet, Bringer to Light's End, will bring you the Salvation and justice that you crave so dearly..."

- Kazuto, addressing the Shadowkeepers and his elites.

Moments after taking over Auradon, Kazuto and Stacia set up countless programs and SIVA networks from his computer that the Black Fleet used to rebuild Aincrad as they saw fit and split up the Shadow Army into its six respective groups: the House of Shadows, led by Kotrik, Bloodcrafter of Kirito, the notorious Fallen Kell of Shadows who formerly worked with the House of Devils; the Shadow Swarm, led by Zharves, Shadowcaster of Kirito, a surviving Hive Deathsinger who formerly served Crota and his father; the Shadow Divisive, led by Hydrax, Mindkiller of Kirito, a massive Vex Axis Mind Hydra who possessed the ability to stop time; the Shadow Legion, led by Gha'arn, Crownforger of Kirito, a powerful Cabal warlord who helped restore the Cabal Empire to its full glory; the Reborn, led by Thu'urg, Blightmaker of Kirito, a Taken Cabal commander who sought to seize control of Oryx's army; and the Cult of Shadows, led by Vayeriks, Fatesmith of Kirito, Fikrul's right hand and a commander of the first Scorn.

Hoping to further weaken the Traveler, they sent their forces across the system to launch countless waves of devastating attacks against its forces.

Battle of Bannerfall
Some time during the Apocalypse, Kotrik and his House of Shadows and their operatives had managed to compromise the outer sensors, defenses, and outposts; as well as suppressing the Satellite's communication systems of the City and Reef and concealed their presence, stealing Guardian tech and the Last City's arsenal along the way. In anticipation of the heist on the City, Kirito directly sought to use Kotrik's attack to his advantage in the hopes of crippling the Last City's defenses. To achieve this, he even managed to blind the Guardians' precognition and prophetic abilities in order to enable Kotrik's surprise attack to be 100% effective.

Shadow Heralds

 * Kazuto, Blade of the Winnower: The doppelgänger of Kirito, the Legendary Black Swordsman of Aincrad, the boy who cleared the death game called "Sword Art Online," and the hero who saved Asuna. Kazuto is from an alternate Dimension where he conquered the game and instead of escaping it, he became the tyrant ruler over the game and enslaved everyone within it. After meeting with the Darkness, in their last call, Kazuto would answer them and help assist in the invasion into the Destiny Universe and murdered Zavala in the process. Kazuto Kirigaya, along with other notorious villains, leads a legion of Darkness-aligned enemies who call themselves the Shadowkeepers, and serves as one of the Shadow Heralds. His ascension over the Solar System could spell the destruction of the Light and everything we fought for.
 * Stacia, Kazuto's Betrothed: Kazuto's betrothed who helped murder Zavala and bring on the uprising of the Shadowkeeper Apocalypse, Stacia, alongside her husband and the other Shadow Heralds, has now become a threat even greater than the enemies we've faced in our past.
 * Yui Narusaka: A former AI turned human and the first daughter of Kazuto and Stacia.
 * Tatsuyi Kirigaya: The eldest son of Kazuto and Stacia who murdered Cisco Ramon by disembodying his hands and stealing his metahuman powers shortly before fusing them with both his Necrotic Grip gauntlets and Thorn. He leads a group known as the Shadow Collective.
 * Konno Yuuki: The second daughter of Kazuto and Stacia
 * Yuji Kirigaya: The second son of Kazuto and Stacia
 * Totomaru: The manipulator of the Solar element and a member of the Shadowkeepers, Totomaru wields a terrifying form of dark power that once destroyed an entire civilization within the margins of the Dreaming City.


 * Eobard Thawne: The infamous speedster known as the Reverse-Flash and one of the leading Shadow Heralds, Eobard Thawne wields an unfathomable ability to defy time and space through the Negative Speed Force, and his coming death by your hands will help avenge the Flash.
 * Malcolm Merlyn: The notorious Dark Archer and a member of the Shadowkeepers, Malcolm Merlyn has allied with Kazuto and Stacia to fracture reality beyond the heart of the Light. His demise is your key to avenging the Green Arrow's death.

Agents of the Heralds

 * Damien Darhk: A member of the Shadowkeepers and the man who murdered Laurel Lance, Damien Darhk has regained his means of immortality and now wields a dark power capable of destroying countless sources of Light.
 * Tobias Whale: The most notorious crime boss in Freeland and a member of the Shadowkeepers, Tobias Whale possesses brutal means of strength far more menacing than all Titans combined.
 * Reign: A member of the Shadowkeepers and a Kryptonian Worldkiller now reborn with Sachi's body, Reign now leads an army of Worldkillers and possesses great means of power rumored to have killed Supergirl and her friends.
 * Leopold Fitz: A member of the Shadowkeepers and the leader of HYDRA known to some few as Bostok, Leopold Fitz has replicated various technologies foreign to most Guardians. His death at the hands of Guardians like you will be the key to preventing the Vex from enacting a dark future.
 * Anton Ivanov: A member of the Shadowkeepers and the notorious syndicate leader known as Omega, Anton Ivanov leads an army of enhanced mercenaries with deadly powers that crippled waves of defenses within the frontiers of humanity.
 * Hiram Lodge: A member of the Shadowkeepers and the man who hired Penny Peabody and Malachai and their armies of Ghoulies to lay waste to Riverdale, Hiram Lodge now wields dark powers forged from the shadows of the Pyramids, each of which brought waves of destruction against those who stand between Kazuto and the Traveler.
 * Morgana le Fay: A member of the Shadowkeepers and the champion of darkness who slew countless Trollhunters, Morgana le Fay now leads a dark army of rogue powerbearers hellbent on exacting their revenge against the Traveler. Her demise at the hands of the Guardians will avenge Jim Lake's death.


 * Zevon: A member of the Shadowkeepers and the son of Yzma who has now been freed from the frozen prison within the Isle of the Lost, Zevon has brought with him a terrifying army of Fallen with plans to help enact a dark future by the Shadowkeepers. Defeat him to avenge the deaths of Evie Grimhilde and Benjamin Florian.
 * Fikrul: A member of the Shadowkeepers, the leader of the Barons and the dark, corrupted evolution of the Eliksni known as “The Scorn,” and second only to Prince Uldren Sov, Fikrul, now reborn with Eugeo's body, views his Scorn as an evolution of the Fallen and the final manifestation of what they were always meant to be – eternal.
 * Uldren Sov: A member of the Shadowkeepers, the brother of Mara Sov, and the man who helped kill Zavala, Uldren Sov now leads an army of Fallen and Scorn in a bid to cement Mal's darkness.
 * Djin: A member of the Shadowkeepers and the leader of the Numeros, Djin now leads a dark army of SIVA-enhanced Vex in a diabolical bid to bring on the end of the Golden Age.
 * Sasuke Uchiha: A member of the Shadowkeepers and the lone survivor of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke Uchiha now wields the powers of the Rinnegan and Sharingan with powerful surges that destroyed the Hidden Leaf Village. Hunt him down and avenge the deaths of Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno.
 * Phoenixaro Uchihamaki: The Taken Emperor and Threatmaster of the Akatsuki, a member of the Shadowkeepers, and the estranged brother of Kakashi Hatake, Phoenixaro Uchihamaki commands a dark army of Reborn soldiers from aboard the Shadowdrifter to carry about our eradication.
 * Ruby Hale: A member of the Shadowkeepers and the Destroyer of Worlds, Ruby Hale, now resurrected by the Darkness, leads dark armies of our worst nightmares in her goal of revenge against those who killed her.

Shadow Lieutenants

 * Kotrik: (TBA)
 * Zharves: (TBA)
 * Hydrax: (TBA)


 * Gha'arn: (TBA)
 * Thu'urg: (TBA)
 * Vayeriks: (TBA)

List of Appearances

 * Destiny 2: Paradox
 * Season of the Black Swordsman
 * Season of the Corruption
 * Shadows' Legacy
 * Season of the City
 * Fractured Worlds
 * The Void Within
 * Destiny 3