A Cinematic Soundtrack & Visual Art Journey Through Valeria’s Longest Night
“On the Solstice, we pray to Aquila. On the battlefield, we stand as one. Against the Shade, we become Darksworn.”
Some expansions add mechanics. Darksworn adds myth.
As the newest chapter in the Valeria: Card Kingdoms saga, it transforms the game into something greater: a story-driven journey of light versus darkness, faith versus despair, and the shared resolve of a people fighting back against the creeping Shade. This isn’t just about slaying monsters for points—it’s about defending the soul of Valeria itself.
That depth and drama demanded more than words. It called for sound and vision.
🎼 The Soundtrack: Six Movements of Hope and Defiance
To capture the story’s emotional core, I created a six-track cinematic soundtrack that moves like the saga itself—beginning in quiet faith, plunging into darkness, then rising in triumphant light.
- “Solstice Ascension” – A ceremonial dawn, harps and choirs rising with the first light.
- “Shadows in the Citadel” – Tense strings and low brass echoing in broken halls.
- “The Blessing of Aquila” – A meditative hymn of healing and divine grace.
- “Walls Shall Not Fall” – A unifying march, drums and voices lifting together in defiance.
- “Through Fire and Shade” – Chaos unleashed; dissonant choirs and war drums in relentless battle.
- “The Oracle’s Light” – A radiant finale; themes of the Solstice return, transformed by victory.
Each track is more than background—it embodies the narrative beats of the expansion, from the Oracle’s guidance to the harrowing tasks of the sacred Book.
🖼️ The Art: Symbols, Architecture, and the Sacred Battle
Music wasn’t enough. To make this journey tangible, I directed a series of high-fantasy artworks that visualize the expansion’s emotional landscape:
- A mist-wrapped shrine where the Solstice light falls upon carved stone runes.
- The jagged silhouette of a Shade-infested citadel, stretching toward a bruised sky.
- Ramparts lined with defenders, holding against an unseen enemy beneath stormlight.
- A horizon reborn, where gold and green spill across a healed Valeria.
These pieces use light as storytelling, pairing painterly detail with magical realism—worldbuilding on the edge of the divine.
🎲 Why Darksworn Inspires This Kind of Work
This expansion asks more of its players: pray to Aquila, fortify the walls, face the Shade, complete the Book’s sacred tasks—or fall. Victory isn’t a score. It’s a story you earn.
That’s why it deserved this treatment: music and art that reflect the tension, the faith, and the triumph of becoming truly Darksworn.
✨ For Those Who Dream in Board Games
If you love when games feel alive—when every choice hums with story—this project is for you.
Experience the music. Absorb the imagery. Then gather your allies and step into the Saga.
The Solstice dawns. The Shade rises. Will you stand?