Shadows

"The dark burden given. And a hidden force created. One that could step up should the mightiest Immortal fail. The Shadows. Constant challengers to the would-be defenders of Sanctuary. They would test the Immortals, looking for weakness. Apathy. Led by Akeba, the Shadows would overthrow the Immortals when the time was right. But even in victory, she knew her watch had just begun. For this is an eternal cycle."

- Faction description

The Shadows are a secret group, formed to keep the Immortals from going mad with power or becoming complacent.

Lore
The Shadows are overseers, saboteurs and spies who keep the Immortals in check. The Shadows constantly test the Immortals, including conducting numerous raids on their vault. If the Shadows declare that the Immortals have become too corrupt, they invoke the Rite of Exile. Before commencing the rite, the Shadows will initiate a congregation of war, before sending their strongest members into battle.

The Shadows admit new members only after strenuous evaluation, and meet in secret throughout Westmarch, though they are rumored to gather in a "Court of Whispers" below the city.

While created to keep the Immortals in check, the motivations of Shadows vary. Some Shadows nobly want to check the Immortals' tremendous power, and see their duty as a holy one. Others, however, are drawn to the violence and mayhem that ensues as they test Sanctuary's defenders. The Shadows' spies relish inflaming the Cycle of Strife. Competition within the order occurs as the Shadows fight amongst themselves to discover the strongest candidates to take on the Immortals before initiating the Rite of Exile. Groups of Shadows can rally under their own banner. To improve their standing within the group, Shadows undertake the Path of Blood, pitting them against demons and other creatures in order to improve their standing.

History
"I'm hunting Shadows! You're not a Shadow...are you?"

- Toby

The Shadows were formed by Akeba, who at Daedessa's request, formed a group that would constantly test the Immortals, to ensure that they were always capable of defending Sanctuary. Alternatively, if the Immortals ever fell against Hell, the Shadows were to step in and take their place.

Working in secret, Akeba found those brave enough to help her constantly test and challenge the Immortals. They would look for cracks and weaknesses and they would do everything they could to make sure the elite defenders of Sanctuary were always up to the task. She called this group the Shadows. It was agreed that if the Shadows ever overthrew the Immortals, they would take the Eternal Crown, and become the Immortals themselves. After the Immortals battled against a force of demons led by Rakanoth (a battle that apparently ended in their defeat), Akeba and her Shadows moved in, attacking the Immortals. The Shadows prevailed, with Akeba becoming the next Immortal. Knowing that she could not rest on her laurels however, Akeba created the Cycle of Strife, where the Shadows would continuously test the Immortals, culminating in the Rite of Exile. This remained true well into 1270, by which point the strife between the two factions was escalating.

In-game
The Shadows are a faction in Diablo Immortal that players can join (the system is entirely opt-in). There is no limit to the number of Shadows that can be on a server.

Shadows players can form "dark clans." After a player's clan is made, that clan's members will join the Shadows together. A clan can hold up to 100 players. A clan name can be 2-25 characters long including spaces.

If that player’s dark clan succeeds in besting the other dark clans and overthrowing the Immortals, then that winning Dark Clan will become the Immortal Clan. Players in an Immortal Clan will stay together as a unit and can invite up to two other Dark Clans to become Immortal Allied Clans. When the Immortals’ reign ends, as all reigns must, the Immortal Clan will return to being a normal Clan as the Cycle begins anew.

Once the Shadows reach a point in their overall progression, the Rite of Exile is triggered.

Shadows have exclusive access to Contracts.

Becoming a Shadow
A player can join the Shadows once they've reached level 43, and finished the Bilefen questline. Once they do, they can enter the Shadows Lottery. Every day at 12 pm, 6 pm, and 9 pm server time, Shadow hopefuls can talk to the Mysterious Patron at the Westmarch Tavern. If luck is on their side, he will invite them to a room behind him to fight three Ancient Champions. Players who come out victorious will be full-fledged Shadows.

If a Shadow aspirant isn’t invited to fight the Ancient Champions or cannot beat them, there’s an alternative solution. Existing Shadows can invite other players to become new Shadows. This requires an Akeba Signet, which is consumed upon inviting another player. The only way to get a new signet is by going through the Shadows Lottery as a member and defeating the three Ancient Champions again.

Events
Aside from the Rite of Exile, Shadows have access to the following events:


 * Akeba's Challenge
 * Path of Blood
 * Raid the Vault
 * Shadow War

Development
Shadows players could originally form and join Dark Houses. This was replaced by the "dark clan" system.

Trivia

 * In aesthetic, tactics, and even 'mission statement,' the ancient Shadows bear strong resemblance to the Demon Hunters.


 * Khazra appear in the Cycle of Strife trailer for Diablo Immortal, showing ancient nephalem Immortals battling khazra and other demons. This is either an error (as the khazra were formed after the Mage Clan Wars), or indicative that the original group of Immortals (and therefore, the Shadows) were formed and/or were active well after the Sin War.