Era of the Wraith

Prologue - A Brief History

There was a time when the world was at peace. Or so the stories tell... The elves to the south, the beast-kin to the east, and the humans spread across the rest had at long last ceased their ancient wars. A friendship had begun to form between these three great peoples, and possibly one that continues to hold to a lesser extent today. At the very least, the wars and turmoil of our current age is not brought about by a conflict between these three groups, but the emergence of a fourth.

Twelve hundred years ago, the very first known wraiths came into existence. Humans and elves all across the world began to change and lose themselves. The appearance of their skin and eyes, along with their sense of right and wrong. They began to prey upon the surface world, growing stronger with every added terror and despair they created in their Path of Fear. Under the guidance of the Wraith King and Queen, two powerful kingdoms emerged within the Shadow World. It was here that they declared war on all not their own, perhaps even each other.

But the humans, elves, and even beast-kin were not submissive peoples. They retaliated, and legions of wraith hunters rose to counter the greatest threat of the era. These hunters are known as Executioners, wielding martial arts, weaponry, magics, science, and even machines to eliminate their marks. Led by the kingdom rulers, they rose into three separate factions, each commanded by a separate marshal. This was the path of the world for the last millennia. But things took a surprising turn within the last several years.

Fifteen years ago, a young man, still a boy, split off from the executioners and claimed he had discovered another method to defeating the wraiths and actually freeing them from their curse. Using a special set of rare magics, he could remove their hate and hunger, ultimately returning them to their former sanity. It was a beautiful idea and many believing they carried the same set of magics began falling in with his cause, thus bringing about a fourth faction and the beginning of the Wardens. But due to differing philosophies, conflict quickly rose between the Wardens and Executioners.

Days grew darker when the human lords began to take advantage of this rift among the Hunters. Tyrants and despots began to rule with terror and the wraiths of these lands seemed to grow stronger. But they all met their end a few months ago. A mysterious man, calling himself Reign and backed by Houses Saphyyr and Airen, quickly disposed of the old corrupts and took complete control of the human kingdoms. Upon crowning himself Emperor, he made a bold claim to the world.

"The wraith menace is now on its final years."

This is the telling of the most destructive and startling years of the Wraith Era...