Act II: Shadow

Shadow is the second installment in the Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs campaign. It follows the story of Chayton Black, a descendant of Morgan Black from the previous game.

In 1866, Chayton Black, Amelia Black's half-Lakota son, is expanding the Falcon Railroad Company westward along the Bozeman Trail, but winds up in the middle of Red Cloud's War. Here he helps defend the wood trail from the Sioux and becomes friends with Sheriff Billy Holme, a Civil War veteran. Ten years later, in 1876, Chayton returns to the west and again meets up with Holme, now a sheriff, who informs him of a huge amount of gold in the Black Hills of Dakota. After defending many mining camps from Sioux attacks, Chayton goes to see the Sioux chief Crazy Horse and establish a peace treaty. However, Holme and some of the miners ambush the Sioux before Chayton can begin negotiations, wrecking any chance of peace. Despite his warmongering, Chayton still sides with Holme and defends his workers as they gather wood for a new fort. However, once the fort is complete, Holme orders Chayton to destroy a Sioux village without provocation. Chayton refuses and, turning against Holme, allies with the Sioux to destroy the fort, forcing Holme to flee into the hills. Chayton then convinces the newly-arrived General Custer, to give him one day to find Holme, who is the real cause of the unrest. Chayton puts on Sioux clothing and blood-red war paint and, joining with Crazy Horse, chases Holme down and confronts him in a mine. Chayton tries to resolve the situation peacefully, but Holme pulls a gun on Chayton. However Chayton is faster and shoots Holme, who falls to his death down a mine shaft. Chayton then tries to convince General Custer not to attack the Sioux but Custer refuses. Custer then says that Chayton can no longer sit on the fence, demanding that he decide whether he is White or Indian. Chayton agrees, then says good-bye to Custer and wheels his horse and rides off to join the Sioux. He helps gather the Sioux and Cheyenne nations and fights with them at Little Bighorn. After the battle, Amelia Black narrates that she never saw her son again, but that she had heard Chayton was either killed at Wounded Knee in 1890, taking a dozen cavalrymen with him, or lived out his days in the Black Hills with his wife and children.