Round 19 — The Rule of Three — marked the beginning of the third alignment; the independent factions were not content with the Imperial iron fist nor the Commonwealth cacophony.
On the first day, the Empire looked weak. Only two icekins and a nomad had joined the battle. Calls for aid were heard and three Afflicted showed up.
Undeterred, the Commonwealth unleashed a burning Firewalker and burrowing Swarm to keep the Empire away.
A Kobold and a Merfolk stood bravely under their own, independent banner.
The battle was about to begin.
The initial fighting was between the Firewalker, Kobold, Swarm, and the Afflicted taking land from each other, keeping Barbarians away, and picking at the weaker, slower members of the Empire.
The first to fall were most of the Afflicted, with only one refusing to give up. And as the Firewalker’s Blades of Light shone ever less brightly, the Kobold army — with no one to outnumber them — firmly claimed the top spot and held it until the end.
The Imperial forces did well and in the final few days of the round, the Afflicted Auntie Noras, successfully invaded the Kobold but the Kobold came out ahead. Icekins, nomad, and dragon – no one could match the Kobold.