Twilight Incursion

The Forces of Twilight are a playable faction in Hyrule: Total War. The Forces of Twilight are split into two smaller warring "splinter factions"- Midna's Forces and the Twili Remnants. They won't be initially available and must be unlocked, but the method of unlocking is unknown.

Description
During the time of Ganon, many flocked under his lordship. Gerudo, Hylians, and even the Sheikah would break their creeds in favor of promised power under a dominion ruled by Ganon. After his defeat, these Hylians, Gerudo and Sheikah were all sentenced to eternal imprisonment in the Mirror of Twilight, an ancient device of unknown origin that was believed to be the entrance to an endless void. Unknown to the Kingdom of Hyrule though, rather than sending these war criminals to a bottomless pit of no return, the Mirror of Twilight was in fact a portal to a new world. For thousands of years the Interlopers and their descendants evolved and changed in this new alien world. Milennia later they hardly resemble their ancestors, and are now a tall and slender race characterised by glowing white skin. Dubbed the Twili, they thirst to once again return to Hyrule and take revenge on the ones whom banished their ancestors. Eventually they discovered how to open the portals, and the Twili have begun to pour into Hyrule. Despite the fact that thousands of years have passed in their world, it has only been a lifetime in Hyrule since the Interlopers were banished. The Twili army is a terrifying one. With exotic armour, wicked looking weapons, and horrific beasts of burden, the alien force that is the Twili can easily scare off the unprepared. Despite their psychological edge over Hyrule's races, their evolution in the Realm of Twilight has changed them to the point where walking in Hyrule is uncomfortable in the extreme. Sunlight slowly burns the Twili unless properly protected by clothing or armour, and the air is thick for them to breath. As such they tire very quickly when forced to fight for extended periods of time. They may suffer in this alien environment, but even so one cannot help but cower in fear at the sight of a Twili army marching from the portals of another world.

Physiology
After thousands of years in the Realm of Twilight, the Twili are radically biologically different from their Sheikah and Gerudo ancestors, with pale skin and luminescent eyes adapted to low-light environment. Males and females have a high degree of sexual dimorphism, with Twili males having elongated index and ring fingers as well as glowing eyes with no pupils, while females retain an appearance more similar to their ancestors, complete with the crimson eyes of the Sheikah. Twili are variable in their skin tones, raging from almost white to jet black, and is often is often intricate patterned. Hair colors range from blond to red as well as those not seen among Hylians, such as blue and purple.

Society and Culture
The Twili are largely organized into an Imperial monarchy known as the Twili Empire. This state is highly divided by bloodline and class, with the Twili royalty often serving as little more than noble puppets of the powerful Great Fairies of Twilight. Marriages below one's station are looked down upon, and commoners have few rights compared to the nobility, as seen when Midna first meets Zant and his whim is the only thing that saves her from being devoured by his pet shadow bloat Olg. The Twili Empire is bordered by the hostile Tribes of the Nether Rift, and far beyond its isolated territory lies the Lost Kingdom of Oorgath.

Strengths, Weaknesses and Abilities

 * Alien Invaders: The monstrous and exotic soldiers employed by the Twili exploit primal fears in the races of Hyrule. Enemies are more likely to flee from a fight with the Forces of Twilight.
 * Unfamiliar Environment: The land of Hyrule is as alien to the Twili as they are to the races that inhabit the land. Troops are generally uncomfortable and tire very quickly when fighting during the daytime.
 * Airborne Assault: The Forces of Twilight have a large roster of flying units, giving them excellent line of sight and initial speed in battle.
 * Slow Logistics: Because their supplies must come from the Realm of Twilight, armies under their command move much slower on the campaign map.

Gameplay
The Twili begin play in the Realm of Twilight, which is initially contested between two Twili splinter groups, Midna Forces led by Midna and the Twili Remnants led by Zant. Each group must defeat the other in a civil war and take control of the whole Realm of Twilight before being able to invade Hyrule.

Midna's Forces
Midna's Forces advantages and disadvantages:
 * Faction Leader
 * Midna
 * Settlements: 4
 * Palace of Twilight (city, capital)
 * Elmenzhia (town)
 * Uzu (town)
 * Goals:
 * Short Campaign: hold 30 regions, including Valran
 * Long Campaign: hold 40 regions, including Valran
 * Queen Midna and Una serve as starting generals.
 * Can recruit new generals at the Palace of Twilight.
 * Cities captured have higher unrest and may try to rebel against you as long as Prince Zant lives.
 * Has line of sight to all of Zant's armies as long as every city in the Realm of Twilight is under your control.

To win the civil war as Queen Midna you must successfully kill Prince Zant and take over any cities that his forces control. At that point you can offer Zant's armies the chance to surrender. Doing so will let you gain access to his unique units, however you will have to deal with some harsh unrest in your cities and the possibility of future rebellions. Rejecting the surrender will deny you access to Zant's unique units and let you pick off whatever armies are left without any unrest penalty.

If you are playing as Queen Midna and lose, King Zant will give you the option to die or surrender. If you refuse to surrender, Midna will be killed but you will still retain control of her forces and have a chance to retake the Realm of Twilight from King Zant. If you succeed in retaking the throne you will not have access to Zant's unique units once he is defeated. If you choose to surrender, you will lose all of your forces as Midna is banished and begins the long quest of searching Hyrule for allies to strike back at Zant.

As Imp Midna, you will have to hire mercenaries and find a safe place to start rebuilding her forces. It's a very difficult task and a long process, but if you survive you will be able to strike back at King Zant and take over the Realm of Twilight. Killing King Zant and taking over all the cities in the Realm of Twilight will restore Midna to her true form, as well as immediately cause all of his forces to surrender and grant you access to all of Zant's unique units.

Twili Remnants (Zant)

 * Faction Leaders:
 * Zant
 * Settlements: 4
 * Valran (town, capital)
 * Goals:
 * Short Campaign: hold 30 regions, including Palace of Twilight
 * Long Campaign: hold 40 regions, including Palace of Twilight

Zant's Forces advantages and disadvantages:
 * Begins the campaign with a large army.
 * Prince Zant and Lady Middee are the only generals that the rebellion begins with, with General Onox joining upon capture of Uzu.
 * Cannot recruit new generals until the Palace of Twilight has been taken.
 * Suffers no unrest penalty when taking over cities from Queen Midna.
 * Can "hire" Twili units as if they were mercenaries if no city is under your control, though they are much more expensive then they would be to train them.

To win the civil war as Prince Zant, you must successfully kill Queen Midna and take over any cities that her forces control. At that point you will be given a prompt to either kill Midna or spare her. Killing Midna will cause whatever forces she has left to fight to the death and you will not have their surrender or access to Midna's unique units. Sparing Midna will cause all of her remaining forces to surrender to you, you will gain access to her unique units, and Midna will be banished from the royal palace. There is a risk in allowing Midna to live however...

Upon constructing a Mirror of Twilight as King Zant, Midna will escape into Hyrule and begin to rebuild her forces in secret and possibly turn the races of Hyrule against you. Unless you find her in time, she'll lead an all out invasion against King Zant in the years to come.

If you are playing as Prince Zant and lose, Queen Midna will offer you a chance to surrender to her rule. At this point you can either join her and try to repair all the damage you did and serve her, or you can reject and continue your mission to dethrone her. If you succeed in retaking the throne you will not have access to Midna's unique units once she is defeated.

Mirror of Twilight
After uniting, in order to invade Hyrule, the Twili must construct a Mirror of Twilight, which will appear near the settlement where it was constructed. Two of these structures are required to operate: one in the Realm of Twilight and one in Hyrule. One already exists at the Arbiter's Grounds, so when you have an army ready you'll need to build one on your end. When the gate is up and operational you'll need to move your armies into it.

At the end of the turn, they'll be instantly teleported to the other gate in Hyrule or vice versa. Unless you control both settlements that have the gates however, the trip is only one way. So you'll need to take control of the Arbiter's Grounds as soon possible to create a highway between the two worlds for your armies.

This gives the Twili a very nice defensible "home base" area which is really important since they cannot train or build anything in Hyrule other than resource generating structures like mines. You'll only be able to get new troops in your homeland. This also makes defending Mirror Gates very important as the inhabitants of Hyrule could decide to destroy all the gates and permanently seal you off from the world... or worse invade your homeland by storm and exterminate you.

Units - Midna's Forces
Standard
 * Twili Infantry
 * Twili Sorceresses (must control Elmenzhia)
 * Bonemold Monks (must control Valran)
 * Shadow Kargaroks
 * Sol Nurses
 * Repentants (must kill Prince Zant or have his forces surrender)
 * Twili Spider Swarm (must control Elmenzhia)

Siege Weaponry

 * Sol Cannon

Agents

 * Twili Ambassador
 * Priestess of Majora

Command

 * Master Sorceress
 * Arch Sorceress

Heroes

 * Queen Midna
 * Una

Hyrule Historia

 * Avatar of Majora

Standard

 * Twili Infantry
 * Twili Sorceresses (must control Elmenzhia)
 * Bonemold Monks (must control Valran)
 * Shadow Kargaroks
 * Shadow Messengers (must control Uzu)
 * Shadow Insects
 * Fused Shadows (must kill Queen Midna or have her forces surrender)

Siege Weaponry
Agents
 * Shadow Bloat
 * Twili Ambassador
 * Priestess of Majora

Command

 * Master Sorceress
 * Arch Sorceress

Heroes

 * Prince Zant
 * General Onox
 * Lady Middee

Hyrule Historia

 * Avatar of Majora

Tech Tree
The Forces of Twilight have a very streamlined techtree spread across population requirements with no prerequisites. During the Twili civil war it's somewhat shattered and broken however, as is to be expected when a nation tears itself apart.



Hamlet

 * Fungal Farms: Though there are flora that grow within the dim Realm of Twilight, the Twili prefer to grow fungus in large quantities to feed their people.
 * Gardens: A simple plot of land devoted to flora, Gardens increase the health of their host settlement as well as the happiness of those that live there.
 * Sol Nursery: Radial resting place from which Sols are placed to light up Twili cities, improving the quality of life.
 * Mask Crafters: Masks are a cultural icon of the Twili people, and this dedicated crafting team creates Masks for worship, celebration, and all sorts of activities.

Village

 * Fungal Colonies: Allowing Twili fungus to grow as it pleases rather than limiting its spread radius, allowing for more food production.
 * Imperial Barracks: Central training facility for the soldiers deployed by the Forces of Twilight.
 * Imperial Barracks - Shadow Morphing: By subjecting soldiers to the form warping Shadow masks the Forces of Twili can field powerful monstrosities in battle. Initially only available to Zant.
 * Imperial Barracks - Light World Training: Having soldiers train for periods of time in the world of light and simulated conditions hardens them for battle. Initially only available to Midna.
 * Market Plaza: A series of shops that sell various goods and services within its host settlement, increasing both its economy and the happiness of people within.
 * Kargarok Roost: Large spires and outcroppings make ideal nests for large flocks of Shadow Kargoroks.

Town

 * Fungal Ecosystem: With minor guidance and restrictions Fungal Colonies can become self sufficient ecosystems that provide replenishing food for the Twili people.
 * Insect Pits: The vicious Shadow Bloats and their young love to nest in these underground burrows. At a young age they can be trained and deployed from these hives for battle.
 * Mask Guild: Devotes an entire guild to the creation of Masks for the Twili people, greatly increasing the happiness of those that live in its host settlement.

Large Town

 * Fungal Invasion: Fungus begins to grow across entire Twili cities, allowing civilians to cultivate whatever they need to their heart's content.
 * Twili Prison: Secure and ominous Prison for containing Twili criminals. Greatly increases the Law and prevents unrest after the Twili Civil War has ended.
 * Twili Spider Nest: Structures created for Twili Spider Swarms to create their elaborate and glowing webs upon.

City

 * Bonemolding Shapery: The difficult art of bonemolding is practiced and performed here, allowing the Twili to sculpt everything from clothing to entire buildings. Decreases the cost of construction projects in host settlement.
 * Shadow Mask Market: The Masking guild empowers their masks with magical forces, allowing those that wear them to perform enhanced feats and tasks. Allows soldiers to train at their first Upgrade level.

Large City

 * Mark of Oorgath: Twili Masks are empowered by the dangerous magic of Oorgath, allowing the wearers to perform almost superhuman feats at the cost of great physical and emotional pain. Allows units to train at the second Upgrade level.