The Shadow Carja, specifically the Eclipse, are antagonists in the main story of Horizon Zero Dawn. Though their numbers don’t come close to the primary Carja tribe, they have a strong military arm. Not to mention, they have machines on their side.
That said, to understand what the Shadow Carja stand for and their role in Horizon Zero Dawn, it’s necessary to look into their history. Before Aloy arrived in Meridian, the City of the Sun faced many internal conflicts under the reign of the Mad Sun-King Jiran, and it’s because of him and his son Avad that the tribe has been split.
The Carja and the Shadow Carja — A Tribe Divided
Under the 13th Sun-King, Jiran, as well as with many of his predecessors, the Carja tribesfolk lived in relative peace. There had been skirmishes with invading tribes but, aside from these, the City of the Sun was untouched. Neither were there any dire internal conflicts. However, things would change after the Derangement of machines. The machines’ growing hostility spurred Jiran to begin the Red Raids — a bloody campaign wherein Carja troops raided other tribes for human sacrifices. Jiran believed that these offerings were the only way to appease the sun and calm the machines again.
Not everyone was happy with Jiran’s brutality, including his own sons. Prince Kadaman and Prince Avad were against the Red Raids, and when Kadaman tried to reason with his father to stop them, Jiran had him sacrificed as well. Upon learning this, Avad fled from the Sundom to Oseram territory, where he began gathering allies. After some time, he marched back to Meridian with a band of Oseram warriors and Carja followers, then usurped the throne from his father, killing him in the process.
This is where cracks begin to form among the Carja tribesfolk. Some sided with Avad, while others remained loyal to Jiran. Avad and his followers resettled in Meridian, and he was ordained the 14th Sun-King. Meanwhile, those in the latter camp broke away from the Carja tribe, moving to Sunfall and calling themselves the Carja in Shadow or the Shadow Carja.
The Carja in Shadow and the Advent of Twilight
With the civil conflicts now somewhat settled, it was left to the Sun-Priests to interpret recent events based on the tenets of their Sun Faith. The Carja believed that Jiran and the Red Raids had brought a Shadow over Meridian, shielding it from the Sun — their god’s — grace. This brought about a time of twilight. As such, Avad’s act of usurpation drove the Shadow out. It is their belief that this Shadow remains in the west — the Shadow Carja.
In stark contrast, the Shadow Carja tribesfolk believe that Avad’s reign is what brought the Shadow upon their tribe, thus their name. They also believe that Itamen, Jiran’s youngest son, is the true heir to the throne as before his death, Jiran asked that his troops bring him to safety. Although it’s worth noting that young Itamen and his mother are treated like prisoners within Sunfall, and Horizon players can undertake a quest to escort them back to Meridian.
That aside, given the Shadow Carja’s beliefs, they seek to retake Meridian and crown the rightful Sun-King. However, with very little resources and a dwindling military force, they had little hope of doing so. Given that Avad refuses to lay siege to Sunfall for fear of harming civilians, the two factions had since been locked in a stalemate. Since then, the Shadow Carja have been biding their time, waiting for an opportunity to strike back against their former tribesfolk. All the while, Shadow Carja civilians, save for the elites, live in poverty as food and resources are hard to come by in the deserts of Sunfall. Soon, however, the tribe is introduced to the Buried Shadow.
The Eclipse in Horizon Zero Dawn
The fifth article of the Carja Sun Faith dictates that times of light and twilight are an inevitable cycle of humankind. So as the old world was once ravaged in a time of twilight, so will the current world. The text also speaks of a Buried Shadow, which will eclipse the sun and bring forth a significant change. However, the sun will always ensure that a new dawn follows such changes.
Knowing this, Sylens went to the Shadow Carja and introduced them to HADES, one of GAIA’s subfunctions. HADES spoke to the High Sun-Priest Bahavas, citing scripture of how the founders of the Carja once followed the shadow of the Spire to find Meridian. The machine then tells Bahavas that the Shadow Carja must follow the Shadow once more, and that doing so will give them what they rightfully deserve — the Sundom. To this Bahavas agrees, saying that there are times when the Shadow can accomplish what the sun cannot. And with that, the alliance between HADES and the Shadow Carja was forged.
Following their meeting with the supposed Buried Shadow, the Shadow Carja formed a cult-like combat group known as the Eclipse. With HADES’s help, the followers of the Eclipse acquired Corruptors, which could take over other machines, as well as the fearsome Deathbringers. And with Sylens’ skill, the cult was also able to make use of a connected network of Focus devices to communicate and spy on other tribes from afar.
Unsurprisingly, HADES had ulterior motives for striking a deal with the Shadow Carja. Making use of the Eclipse followers, HADES intended to help the Shadow Carja retake Meridian in order to reach the Spire. After which, HADES would use it to reactivate the dormant Faro machines — effectively bringing back the Faro Plague and, once again, putting an end to life on Earth. Though, of course, the Eclipse had no idea about this.
What follows are the events of Horizon Zero Dawn, wherein Aloy and her allies fight off the Eclipse forces and deactivate HADES. Though even with the threat contained, the fate of the rest of the Shadow Carja is unknown. Players will most likely see what’s become of the struggling tribe in Horizon Forbidden West.
Horizon Zero Dawn is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.
