Codename: "The Black Pieces"
Classification: OMEGA-TERMINAL (Knowledge of this file is restricted to active Obelisk Leads and the Hollow-Watch)
Status: Active Tactical Threat / Existential Breach
The Great Game requires two sides to play. While Unit-77 moves the "White Pieces" in defense of reality, they have discovered a terrifying mirror across the board. The Discordant Court consists of former N77 operatives who survived Frequency Collapse not by muting themselves, but by fully harmonizing with the Hollowing.
They are not the mindless, screaming "Hollow-Walkers" found in the Shattered Expanse. They are the "Sane Hollow"—tactical geniuses who have traded their souls for an eternity of distorted resonance.
When an operative’s Whisper-Metal Graft red-lines, they are supposed to be "Checkmated" by the Hollow-Watch. However, some operatives possess a willpower so jagged that they survive the detonation of their own spinal charges. Instead of dying, they "flip" their internal frequency.
They no longer resist the Song of the Thing; they conduct it.
The Shadow-Graft: Their internal filaments have turned from refined silver to a pulsating, oily obsidian. They do not leak heat; they drink it.
Retained Cognition: They remember every N77 protocol, every encryption cipher, and every extraction route. To the Discordant Court, the Void-Base isn't a myth—it’s a target they once called home.
The Court organizes itself into twisted versions of the standard three-man squad. They use N77’s own geometric strategies to "Counter-Pin" reality, accelerating the Hollowing wherever they walk.
The Black Rook (The Void-Anchor): Unlike the N77 Rook who stabilizes the ground, the Black Rook acts as a "Sinkhole." They anchor the Hollowing into the physical plane, making the corruption permanent. Where they stand, the world doesn't just vibrate—it dissolves.
The Black Bishop (The Dirge-Singer): While a standard Bishop clears the air with silence, the Black Bishop amplifies the "Deep Chorus." They act as living broadcasters, spreading the Bliss to nearby soldiers and Knightly Orders, turning allies into mindless thralls in seconds.
The Black Knight (The Rift-Stalker): The most lethal of the Court. They don't just "leap" through the Void; they live within it. A Black Knight can remain "out-of-phase" indefinitely, striking from the shadows of a teammate’s own reflection.
The existence of the Discordant Court represents a Zero-Day Vulnerability for Unit-77.
Back-Door Access: Traitor Pieces possess the biometric "Handshakes" required to bypass the Void-Base’s sub-spatial wards. There is a standing "Silent Alarm" that if a Black Piece is detected near a rift, the entire base initiates a 60-second self-destruct countdown.
Frequency Jamming: They know the exact "Mute-Frequencies" used by the Hollow-Watch. A Black Bishop can broadcast a "Counter-Signal" that renders an N77 squad’s weapons inert, leaving them defenseless against the Hollowing.
The Recruitment of the Fallen: The Court doesn't just kill N77 operatives; they "Turn" them. They hunt squads that are low on "Stillness," whispering the Song into their comms until the operatives’ Grafts begin to harmonize with the darkness.
If an Obelisk squad encounters a member of the Discordant Court, all primary objectives are suspended.
Protocol: Sudden Death is engaged. The squad is authorized to use "Unrefined Resonance" weapons—dirty bombs of Whisper-metal—to ensure the Traitor Piece is erased. There is no recovery for a Black Piece. There is only the hope that you can kill them before they recognize the serial number on your armor and call you by your "dead-name."
"They aren't just the enemy. They are us, if we stop fighting the cold." — Bishop-7, Hollow-Watch Inquisitor