Dahan — The Island’s People

Dahan are the native humans of the island — not spirits, not invaders. They’re neutral pieces that act on invaders in specific conditions, absorb damage during ravages, and generate fear when defending. Getting dahan wrong is the fastest path to losing a game you were “winning.”

The three roles of a dahan

1. Counterattack unit — when a land is ravaged, surviving dahan deal 2 damage to invaders in that land.
2. Damage sink — ravage damage is taken first by dahan (2 HP each); once dahan die, presence gets destroyed.
3. Scoring asset — some scenarios + some powers reward dahan preservation.

Ignoring role 1 is the most common mistake. Ignoring role 2 is the most expensive mistake.

Dahan mechanics

• HP: 2 per dahan.
• Damage output (ravage retaliation): 2 per dahan.
• Build / Explore interaction: dahan don’t interact with Build or Explore; only Ravage.
• Movement: can be Pushed or Gathered by powers.
• Destruction: killed when they take 2+ damage. Destroyed dahan leave no token.

Dahan in the ravage sequence

During a Ravage:

1. Invaders and dahan calculate damage.
2. Invaders deal damage = total invader health in the land (1 Explorer + 2 Town + 3 City = varies).
3. Dahan deal damage = 2 × surviving dahan count (in retaliation).
4. Damage is dealt simultaneously; then:
   • Dahan damage above 2 per dahan kills them.
   • Invader damage can be absorbed by dahan, then by presence, then land becomes blight.

Key insight: you can deliberately put dahan in the ravage line to kill invaders via retaliation, even if the dahan die.

The “martyr” play

On a T2–T3 with 2 dahan in a ravage land containing 1 Town and 1 Explorer:

• Invaders deal 3 damage → kills 1 dahan (2 HP used) + 1 presence (1 HP used).
• Dahan deal 4 damage → kills the Town (2 HP) + the Explorer (1 HP). 1 damage overflow.
• Result: you lose 1 dahan + 1 presence, but the land is clear and no blight added.

Without the dahan, that ravage is: 3 damage → 3 presence destroyed → 1–3 blight depending on defend.

Trade evaluation: 1 dahan + 1 presence for a clear land + both invaders dead. Usually worth it early-game, sometimes worth it late-game if it prevents a cascade.

Dahan as fear

Several powers generate fear per dahan in a land. Thunderspeaker is the archetype:

• Thunderspeaker innates generate fear scaling with dahan count on-the-board.
• Dahan Insurrection scenario — dahan become the scoring asset.
• Bringer’s fear cards interact with dahan density.

If your spirit cares about dahan, you protect them and sometimes grow their population (via certain powers like Manifestation of Power and Glory).

Dahan in multiplayer

Dahan are shared across all spirits. Neither you nor your teammate “owns” them. This creates coordination questions:

• Who defends the dahan ravage? — ambiguous by default. Agree before Fast powers.
• Who buffs the dahan counterattack? — typically Thunderspeaker or a dahan-themed spirit.
• Can dahan be sacrificed across spirits’ plans? — yes; but surprise it-dies-anyway plays feel bad. Flag before playing.

Dahan by adversary

• Brandenburg-Prussia: dahan-friendly; no direct dahan punishment.
• England: neutral.
• Sweden: neutral.
• France: enslavement mechanics — dahan can be removed to the Plantation.
• Russia: Settler mechanics — dahan get pushed/killed by Settlers.
• Habsburg Mining: neutral.
• Scotland: dahan-friendly.
• Habsburg Livestock: dahan-friendly.

France and Russia flag dahan-centric spirits (Thunderspeaker, Dahan-Insurrection-scenario builds) as risky.

Dahan by spirit bias — all 39 spirits

Grouped by interaction intensity. Default for unlisted nuance: dahan are preserved as damage sinks, not multiplied.

Dahan-positive (dahan are the engine or a primary resource)

• Thunderspeaker: dahan as power multiplier. Grows dahan density; defends them aggressively; wins via dahan-fear-cards.
• Hearth-Vigil: Incarna protects dahan directly; dahan preservation = spirit engine.
• Ferocious Warrior of the Lost Lands: dahan as warrior units; positional + directly empowered.
• Sharp Fangs Behind the Leaves: dahan-adjacent — Ranging Hunt uses dahan + beasts together.

Dahan-interactive (cards or innates reference dahan)

• Bringer of Dreams and Nightmares: fear cards scale with dahan count in target land.
• Vital Strength of the Earth: some defend cards preserve dahan; dahan density supports late-game kills.
• A Spread of Rampant Green: dahan-friendly by ecology; some cards reference dahan population.
• Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds: sacred-site cards sometimes interact with dahan; generally dahan-preserving.
• River Surges in Sunlight: push/gather moves dahan as well as invaders.
• Lure of the Deep Wilderness: can pull dahan into wilderness lands for specific effects.
• Breath of Darkness Down Your Spine: fear cards scaling with dahan similar to Bringer.

Dahan-neutral (dahan are useful where present, not central)

• Lightning’s Swift Strike: dahan useful for retaliation damage; no specific scaling.
• Shadows Flicker Like Flame: dahan useful as fear-trigger; not multiplied.
• Ocean’s Hungry Grasp: dahan are fine but the drowning-coast engine is primary.
• Finder of Paths Unseen: mobility includes dahan; no specific scaling.
• Stone’s Unyielding Defiance: dahan defended via sacred-site coverage; not multiplied.
• Shifting Memory of Ages: dahan present at start; card effects vary.
• Shroud of Silent Mist: dahan useful but damaged-invader engine is primary.
• Many Minds Move as One: beasts are the focus; dahan present but secondary.
• Starlight Seeks Its Form: form-dependent; some forms care about dahan.
• Fractured Days Split the Sky: time-skip engine is primary; dahan incidental.
• Serpent Slumbering Beneath the Island: late-game focus; dahan neutral.
• Downpour Drenches the World: isolation engine; dahan neutral.
• Devouring Teeth Lurk Underfoot: simple damage; dahan neutral.
• Eyes Watch from the Trees: support; dahan neutral.
• Fathomless Mud of the Swamp: defend; dahan preserved.
• Rising Heat of Stone and Sand: direct damage; dahan incidental.
• Sun-Bright Whirlwind: mobility; dahan incidental.
• Ember-Eyed Behemoth: Incarna-damage-focused; dahan incidental.
• Towering Roots of the Jungle: defend-focused; dahan preserved.
• Relentless Gaze of the Sun: Sun-Incarna focus; dahan incidental.
• Wandering Voice Keens Delirium: strife-fear focus; dahan incidental.
• Wounded Waters Bleeding: water-Incarna; dahan incidental.
• Dances Up Earthquakes: earth-Incarna; dahan incidental.
• Covets Gleaming Shards of Earth: Major-hoarding; dahan neutral.

Dahan-negative (ignore or sacrifice dahan)

• Heart of the Wildfire: doesn’t care; will ravage them away as part of blight-positive play.
• Vengeance as a Burning Plague: dahan are secondary; disease concentration is primary; late-game ok sacrificing.
• Volcano Looming High: destruction is thematic; dahan in eruption lands die.
• Grinning Trickster: chaotic; dahan movement is incidental, sometimes harmful to them.

The spirit chapter’s At-a-Glance should flag “dahan-sensitive” as an archetype when it applies.

Stat insight

Heuristics

Common mistakes

Cross-references

• Thunderspeaker — the dahan-centric spirit.
• Fear Track — dahan-retaliation kills generate fear.
• Blight Track — dahan absorption delays blight.
• Dahan Insurrection — dahan-scoring scenario.

Last revised: 2026-04-19