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From the guardhouses of the Great Wall to the ornate gardens of the Emperors palace, their names are whispered in terror. They prowl and hunt in the silence of the dark, they are the Shadows. As masters of deception and death, they do not follow the strict honor code held by many of the Emperors forces. Honor has its uses, but a wise general would rather win the battle, than die in glorious defeat. Even though some would call them dishonourable, their silent methods have been known to bring about the fall of nations and empires. They are the Emperor’s silent weapons. Whereas the Immortals bathe in the fires of war, these assassins and mercenaries promise a quick and painful death in the dark.
Not much is known about the ancient ‘Order of the Shadows’. Its roots can be traced back to the province of Iga where they established the village of shadows- Koga. Rumors and legends tell that the inhabitants of Koga were not always the assassins that came to be famed and feared, but were simple peasants, forced to adjust to marauding Ronins through the development of their own martial arts, Ninjutsu, which focused on allowing the peasants of Koga various pragmatic methods in quickly dispatching their enemies. Through trial and error and much blood and sacrifice, Koga’s farmers were able to master their martial arts. When their feats came to be known all around Japan, the peasants of Koga subsequently hired out their service to the highest bidder.
During the treacherous Sengoku period, these agents of death kept Japanese generals and rulers awake at night with their seemingly erratic and unexpected assassinations and major sabotage. While the Shadows were initially wild cards in the politics of Japan, they eventually came to ally themselves with the Tokugawa clan, assassinating any potential opposition to the Tokugawa family. This led to the Tokugawa to rise in power and eventually create the Shogun Empire that is known to the current world. For this rare case of strong loyalty, the Shadows were given the authority to become the great Emperor’s personal guards.
The Shadows maintain the martial tradition of their ancestors by wielding one of the finest blades to have ever been created. While this originally meant that these warriors were to use Wakizashis, the beginning of the Great War saw them change their original blades for the Katana, which they are still able to use with equal lethality and stealth. Being no strangers to explosives since the Sengoku period, the Shadows have made extensive use of explosives (or to be more specific, sticky bombs) against hostile tanks and artillery, thus paving the way for other imperial troops. Whether man or machine, nothing hides from the shadows, even if nothing sees them in return.
With 4 manpower and 1 command points to deploy, the Shadows are the cheapest "elite" infantry units in the game. They come with permanent stealth, thus allowing them 50% chance of dodging direct fire. Stealth is essential to the Shadows' survival, as they can only attack when adjacent to the target. That being said, do not depend upon stealth too extensively, as it is not an extensive 50% defines buff. It should also be noted that indirect weaponry and fire will completely bypass stealth.
With these precautions in mind, Shadows will prove to be an excellent unit on the battlefield, wiping out infantry units and severely damaging vehicles in a moment's notice. Use them to contest resource points, as they will prove to be a great annoyance to a Non-UR player.