Members' Lore
Druid
Druids have been the connection between humans and Forest Spirits since the beginning, for the advantage of both parties. They help to maintain the Balance of Nature and protect the members of the animal and the plant kingdom. Only those might become druids who can feel the call of the woods, which can take many forms. Nature grants all the wishes of a Druid, so kings have always respected them.
Niuve felt attracted by cats ever since her childhood, and she thought she can understand them; she even adopted some of their habits. People thought she was crazy, and made her an outcast, sending her to live her life in exile in the nearby Aeteris Woods, which was reputed to give home to dark demons. As she was wandering around in the woods, her company, Sior, has led her to an old, large dead tree that had a strange mark on its bark. Niuve touched the mark, and the tree was filled with life again and its branches sprout leaves and blooms. Niuve was frightened and picked up Sior, but Sior started to talk to her so clearly as never before. A huge light appeared from nowhere and in its midst, Sior revealed his real self: he was the Spirit of the dying Aeteris Woods. Sior taught Niuve all about how to be a druid, and at the end of her training, she returned to the kingdom and offered her alliance to the king. Aeteris Woods was once again filled with life and it helped the kingdom to bloom as well. Niuve, who before had lived in poverty and was labelled a fool, has become the king’s advisor. It was because of her that mining and access to the treasures of the woods were allowed. But a new king came, Dakrahkhan, and he respected neither tradition nor alliance, and he almost destroyed the woods. Sior and Niuve were unable to stop him. He blackmailed them, promising that he would destroy all other forests in the kingdom if all his wishes are not obeyed. Sior accepted his fate and obeyed, allowing the king to wreak havoc in his woods. But Niuve secretly was sharpening her claws and was waiting for the moment to take her place as leader of the Wood Folks and rise against the king, to restore balance.
Chimeran Skinwalker
In the early days, when people were living in caves, there were clans of Skinwalkers. However, humans were growing in numbers, and they soon needed more land to spread out. First, they fought the clans out of their ancient lands, and later, after they had realized that their blood gave them superhuman powers, they hunted them. Slowly the Skinwalker clans were all destroyed, and only smaller groups remained, hiding in the world. As’kha and his parents were such a small group. They used to live in the middle of the wilderness, far away from everything until humans had found them and killed them all. As’kha managed to escape in the middle of the massacre, and a nearby farmer and his family hid him from his pursuers. They took him in and raised him as one of their own. In time, he grew up and decided to put a stop to him skinwalking for good. He started to study science and made potions, but was unsuccessful in becoming human. When Dakrahkhan was put on the throne, young men like his stepbrothers were called in to fight in the royal army. They refused because they had to care for their ageing parents. The king did not like this disobedience, so he gave the order that if they don’t join the army, all members of their family will be killed. When the soldiers delivered the order, As’kha’s brothers resisted, but they were too few in number. The royal soldiers murdered the entire family. As’kha arrived home just in time to see the end of the massacre, and in his fury, she shifted into another shape, killed all the soldiers and swore revenge against Dakrahkhan.
She mingled with the other healers in the kingdom using disguise, and continued his experiments, but not to get rid of his skinwalking: just the opposite, to increase his power. He realized that he can do partial skinwalking as well, many at the same time, and worked out the Chimera Skinwalking. He started fulfilling his revenge using his special potions and killed many of the most loyal inside servants of the king. In time, he managed to become one of the royal healers, so he could be closer to Dakrahkhan. After a while, the king noticed that more and more of his most loyal servants get killed, or they simply disappear, and he personally started to investigate. He finally realized that one of his healers is the murderer, and he shortly learned that As’kha is also a Skinwalker, and a good one at that. Dakrahkhan put him in prison, and since he knew about the magic power of the skinwalker’s blood, he regularly took him blood to increase his power.
Blood-Bone Tamer
There is only one legend that tells us about the origins of Blood Magic. The story goes all the way back to the beginning of Humankind; there was a tribe whose members had strange powers. The chiefs of the tribe used Blood Magic rites when they were nearing their death of old age, and moved their spirit into a younger body, thus having eternal life. A lot of time has passed since then, empires rose and fell, and the old rites were lost. The Blood Mages of today can only occupy certain creatures and only for a certain time. It is not allowed to use Blood Magic on humans, since it carries the risk of destruction for one of the parties, so Blood Mages simply choose animals. The kind of animal to be used depends on the power and knowledge of the Blood Mage and the resistance of the animal.
In the upper circles of the Bloodtaming order, the magicians live in symbiosis with their blood animals, thus becoming Bloodlords. Bloodtamers have an annual „Sanga” game, where the Bloodlords fight against each other to increase their power, and to have even more respect and fame.
Æmon lives as a kind of outcast within the order, since he is different from the usual Bloodtamers. He has not much talent to use animals, but since he has a strong thirst to prove himself, he uses a different method to employ his skills. He combines Blood Magic with an ancient technique – golem building. By learning this unique technique, he can use golems. During the rites, he puts his own body inside the golem’s, thus protecting himself during the occupation; but when it comes to fights, he has to be careful. If the golem is destroyed, he would die as well. His talents were noted by Dakrahkhan, who attacked the Bloodtamer order first. Those who were able to escape did so; many have died or were taken prisoner. He forced Æmon to obey his terrible wishes. In order to protect his sisters and brothers, Æmon had to obey…
Thundersmith
There is a shamanistic tribe in the Afame mountains, who reputedly have allied with the Elementals living in the mountains at the beginning of time. In exchange for their eternal servitude, they were granted talents to focus natural phenomena into objects, thus creating the tribe of Elemental Blacksmiths.
The masters choose the apprentices who have talents for being a blacksmith in the ceremony of "Filiga Amuah" when the future blacksmiths turn six years old. The ceremony demands that the children meet the Elementals in the darkness of the forbidden caves if they are found to be worthy. The Elemental would test the child, and if he proves himself to be strong enough, he will be trained in the mysteries of Elemental Blacksmith’s work.
The story of Unaahi is also similar, but its beginning was different. He was a stillborn child. His father, Untaaro, the famous Thundersmith, couldn’t accept that his son was dead, and he did something that is strictly forbidden by their laws: he drove the powers of the Elementals into himself, a human, and thus attempted to bring his son back to life. But when using the elemental power, his dead body burnt to cinders. However, an unexpected thing happened: a child cried in the flames. The baby was alive and there were no wounds on him. Such a thing has never happened before, and the tribe didn’t know what to think, but according to the Elementals, this was a good omen. By the time the child turned six, it was clear that he had all the talent an Elemental Blacksmith needs. He became the most powerful Storm Blacksmith of his tribe, and at the same time, its most powerful Elemental Blacksmith.
However, he was saddened by the bloodthirsty and merciless wars that were fought using weapons he had made. So he retired, and he never again made any weapons for anyone anymore.
Shadow One
Shadow or Shade Magic is as old as Darkness itself. The legend says that back in the first great war, a large black sphere appeared out of nowhere, and hovered over the battlefield, waiting for the right moment to take a simple warrior for the Dark. The scrolls that were written about this occurrence talk about how the sphere engulfed the chosen warrior and how it then disappeared back into the Darkness. No one knows what happened there, but six days after their fusion, the warrior returned, possessing all the powers of Darkness and Shadows. His power was so great that he became eternal with the help of Shadows. He was requested to fight in all the wars of ancient times because no army could overpower him, since he was not able to keep his immense power in control. At the end of ancient times, he disappeared, taking his knowledge and power away. But something has awoken him and led him to the court of the King, and he chose to serve him. It is not known, why and for what intent he decided to serve the King, since he has never served anyone before by his own accord. In his long exile, the mage learned to control his magic and had been ready to have an apprentice, and pass on his knowledge to the next Shadow Mage when the king was overthrown by Dakrahkhan and a bloody era started.
Master of Shadows
Shadow or Shade Magic is as old as Darkness itself. The legend says that back in the first great war, a large black sphere appeared out of nowhere, and hovered over the battlefield, waiting for the right moment to take a simple warrior for the Dark. The scrolls that were written about this occurrence talk about how the sphere engulfed the chosen warrior and how it then disappeared back into the Darkness. No one knows what happened there, but six days after their fusion, the warrior returned, possessing all the powers of Darkness and Shadows. His power was so great that he became eternal with the help of Shadows. He was requested to fight in all the wars of ancient times because no army could overpower him, since he was not able to keep his immense power in control. At the end of ancient times, he disappeared, taking his knowledge and power away. But something has awoken him and led him to the court of the King, and he chose to serve him. It is not known, why and for what intent he decided to serve the King, since he has never served anyone before by his own accord. In his long exile, the mage learned to control his magic and had been ready to have an apprentice, and pass on his knowledge to the next Shadow Mage when the king was overthrown by Dakrahkhan and a bloody era started.
Mirror whisperer
In a small fishing village cloaked in mist, Oglenda was born and raised, where the undulating waves of the deep and the voices of ancestors converged. The sea's salty breath stirred the air every morning, and the villagers understood that the secrets hidden beneath the sea always carried forth change, wherein Oglenda played a pivotal role.
Endowed with a unique ability believed to be gifted by the First Ones, Oglenda could sense the impending storm even before the first dark cloud appeared on the horizon. However, fate's whimsy dictated that the more she comprehended the storm's omens, the more frequently the village fell victim to the forces of nature. Horrors tormented the villagers, and rumors began to circulate among them that the girl herself invoked these dreadful calamities. Yet, the truth delved far deeper than the villagers imagined. Oglenda's gift merely mirrored the disruption of balance between worlds.
On a somber day, when the village was on the verge of collapse from its trials, a mysterious wandering ship approached the shore. The arrival of the ship felt as though death itself disembarked, veiled in profound darkness. The man aboard emerged from obscurity, his visage concealed beneath his cloak. His voice resonated like the whispers of winds within a graveyard. He inquired about Oglenda from the village leaders, willing to pay any price for her. The weary villagers accepted the offer with a mixture of joy and trepidation, leading Oglenda toward the ship Though there were some who believed that perhaps this act had forever etched the village's fate into the obscure pages of time. Even after the ship disappeared beyond the horizon, the screams of the girl's agony could still be heard.
The ship sailed to a distant isle, where an ancient tower rose on the horizon. The tower hailed from uncharted eras, as though it hailed from an alternate realm. Here, they imprisoned Oglenda, designating her as the solitary guardian of the desolate tower. However, she was not the sole captive within its walls. Others were confined within its dim cells, each cell harboring a mirror that reflected not only the outer world but also the depths of the soul.
The tower's walls murmured secrets, while the sinister nightmares tormented the spirits of the captives. The so-called "chosen" endured countless trials, with many succumbing to the abyss. The unbearable weight of the burdens gradually pushed Oglenda to the brink of exhaustion. During nights, from the obscurity of the mirror realm, demonic entities endeavored to penetrate, inflicting torment upon the prisoners.
Oglenda's soul, akin to the others within the tower, became an alluring target due to her deeply-rooted capability. An archdemon, originating from the mirror realm, eventually found passage into reality. "The ancient prophecies proved true." Oglenda's soul aligned with the demon's essence, which carried her into his dominion, abandoning her lifeless vessel to the ravages of decay.
Within this shadowy dimension, the demon lord called, Aar’khaz, assembled the abducted souls, destined to be wielded in the forging of the key to the portal between worlds. Oglenda's fate was sealed. In the tower's depths, the walls began to whisper new melodies, proclaiming the destiny of realms.