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The Crownfall event in Dota 2 also introduced Ascension Day, a comic crafted as a prelude to Act I in The Markets of Midgate. The story revolves around Vengeful Spirit's rebellion against her sister to claim the throne, with the help of Skywrath Mage and Scree'Auk, the Goddess of the Flightless.
Ascension Day retains the traditional Dota artwork style and reveals a great deal about Vengeful Spirit and Skywrath's lore. Readers are introduced to Queen Imperia and the goddess who saved Vengeful Spirit from death.
Disclaimer: This article contains significant spoilers for Dota 2 Ascension Day. The canons mentioned are mere lore speculation. Reader's discretion is advised.
Where to Read Dota 2 Ascension Day comic
The Dota 2 Ascension Day comic spans 118 pages and is available for reading on Valve's official Dota 2 Ascension Day page. To navigate through the comic, simply click on the image to turn to the next page, or press the spacebar on your keyboard.
Dota 2 Ascension Day lore explained
Ascension Day Prologue
The official prologue for the Ascension Day Dota 2 comic is as follows:
"A young princess, betrayed by her sister on the day of her ascension. Her wings torn from her body. Thrown from the highest tower of the Ghastly Eyrie. Left for dead. Found by a god. Turned into a spirit of vengeance."
It further goes on to say:
"A Skywrath Mage, sworn to serve the murderer of his beloved. His life and powers forfeit should he betray his captor. Waiting for his moment. To avenge the one he loves. A dying god. Starved of followers by an evil Queen. Wasting in the ruins of a condemned temple. The last of her powers leaving her. One last chance at revenge. Vengeance is coming. The Flightless will rise. A crown will fall."
Dota 2 Ascension Day overview
The comic unfolds during the 10th ceremony of Queen Imperia's ascension to the Ghastly Eyrie's throne, marking the day she deposed her sister Shen and cast her from the kingdom by ripping the latter's wings.
Dragonus, also known as Skywrath Mage, meets the queen, surprising her with his arrival, given his beloved's death a decade prior. They discuss a possible rebellion and the queen informs that a battalion is ready to investigate, which was supposed to be led by Dragonus.
However, Imperia allows him to take the day off, knowing that he will visit Shen's grave. Skywrath Mage then hurries off to the old ruins of a Scree'Auk temple, talking about the current situation of Eyrie and Imperia.
There, he encounters a priestess and performs a ritual with the Binding Sand to resurrect Vengeful Spirit, the deceased form of Shen. The priestess reveals herself as the goddess Scree'Auk and discloses that she is dying due to the lack of followers.
As a result, she grants Skywrath a portion of her final power. He uses his newfound power to restore Shen's wings, transforming her into a new form. Both these forms are the latest Dota 2 Arcanas for the respective heroes.
Immediately after this, the goddess berates Dragonus for his actions and advises that they must meet someone she knows in Midgate. The comic concludes before the events of Act I of the Dota 2 Crownfall overworld map.
What is Dota 2 Ascension Day lore about?
Imperia deposed her sister Shen from the Eyrie throne, stripped her of the highborn wings, and cast her out of the Eyrie. Dragonus, the significant other of Shen and commander of Imperia's queensguard, is on the way to a temple ruin after meeting Queen Imperia.
Once Dragonus visits the ruins of the flightless temple, he encounters a new face instead of Corvus. After a back-and-forth conversation, he finally performs the Rite of Eloquor to summon Shen's vengeful form. The duo shares a kiss, talks about the kingdom, and is interrupted by the mysterious priestess who reveals herself as Scree'Auk.
The interaction between the goddess also reveals how Shen's father supported the genocide of the flightless religion, and her sister took it to the extreme by murdering all the followers. Goddess Scree'Auk's reveal adds more complexity to the storyline, as the princess must not only fight for her throne, but also revive the almost extinct religion in the Crownfall event.
Dota 2 Ascension Day Canon
Skywrath Mage leading a rebellion in the Eyrie kingdom
When Dragonus is on his way to meet Imperia and is stopped by another guard, Rhaegus, the guard blatantly asks Skywrath about his loyalty to the queen. Dragonus gives a sarcastic answer of, "If I turn into a traitor Raegus... You'll be the first one to know." Additionally, his conversation with Imperia sheds light on his suspicious activity.
When the queen informs him about talks of revolts, he simply tells her to waive it off as they aren't a threat. Given his history with Shen, he is still part of the queensguard and might be an active member of the rebellions, waiting for the right time to place Shen on the throne.
It is later revealed that Dragonus has been promising Vengeful Spirit that the kingdom will be hers during their yearly meet. Hence, it's highly likely that he may also be part of the same revolt that Imperia is concerned about.
Flightless religion oppression and future resurgence in the Eyrie
When Skywrath talks to the goddess at the start, he openly remarks on the ban of the flightless religion due to its necromancy practices. Additionally, we see Highborns (race) pull down relics and statues of Scree'Auk as the comic progresses.
Furthermore, Scree'Auk also states that she is dying slowly as the religion is almost dead. She later reveals that Corvus, her last follower, is also dead. Once Vengeful Spirit reclaims her throne, the religion should be revived slowly, and Scree'Auk will become powerful again. This can happen as Scree'Auk was the one who saved Shen from death and gave her the vengeful form.
What does Vengeful Spirit's battle mean?
The first thing Scree'Auk mentions in her conversation with Shen is how the goddess expected the revived Vengeful Spirit to defeat Imperia and put an end to her tyranny. However, Shen left the goddess to fight her own battle.
Does the mentioned battle mean a Dota 2 match? Is Vengeful Spirit visiting Skywrath Mage every year from the Dota world? And after winning a Dota 2 game, and when the Ancient reborn cycle is broken, is Vengeful Spirit finally ready to claim her rightful throne once and for all?
