Artifacts of Shadowbane

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There are a variety of weapons, armor, and items that can be found throughout the lands of Aerynth.But, there are some items that are rarely seen and some only heard of in legends such as the blade known as Shadowbane.

Elite Armor Sets

Wonderous items, called Elite Sets, recently found through the world have been linked to three Lost Orders, unseen in Aerynth since before the Age of Kings: it has been many centuries since the names of the Vorgrim Legion, Crimson Circle, and the Cult of Bellugh Nauthal have even been spoken, much less their panoply seen upon the face of Aerynth. All factions were believed to have been destroyed long ago, but I fear the truth of the matter may be quite different.
 

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The Cult of Bellugh Nauthal

After the Years of Sorrow, when all Humanity toiled under the dark oppression of the Deathless Empire, it was the Centaurs who taught escaped Human slaves the ways of the All-Father and the forgotten history of Ardan, reuniting the Sons of Men with their stolen destiny. Not all Humans embraced this new faith, however. There were some who cursed the All-Father for never saving Ardan, and renounced the Titans as well, for had their folly not doomed men of old? These Men spurned the counsel of the Horse Lords, and set out to find new Gods.

Led by the prophet Bellugh, these renegades were drawn to worship of the elements, of earth, wind, sea and fire. Fire they placed above all the other elements as creator and destroyer, the source and the bane of all that lives. Some scholars have identified some tenets of Bellugh's faith as a profound influence on the Art of Channeling, though now forgotten. Bellugh's followers worshipped the Sun, which they named Nuath, as the greatest force in the universe. Some suspect that Khalikryst may have dallied with this cult, and rumors of dark rites and human sacrifice led the Church of the All-Father to denounce the followers of Bellugh as heretics. Crusade and inquisition drove the cult of Bellugh Nauthal (Bellugh's cult of Nuath the Sun) into hiding, where they faded from all knowledge. The Bellugh Nuathal took haven among the Gwendannen, who for a time added Nuath to their pantheon of Gods, but over the centuries Bellugh's heresies were forgotten even to the Hillmen.

In recent days there have been rumors that the Bellugh Nuathal has reformed, or else emerged from hiding. Priests in the brazen vestments of the Sun God have wandered into deserts and swamps, seeking to gather creatures born of fire and Chaos. Some see the hand of the Phoenix at work, and the Temple of the Flame has been quick to hunt down the heretics.
 

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The Crimson Circle

An ancient order of powerful Elvish wizards, the Crimson Circle vehemently opposed the inclusion of "inferior" beings (that is to say, any that were not entirely of Elvish blood) in the Conclave of Wizardry, and broke away from the great order shortly after the Conclave's formation. Devoted to the pursuit of sorcerous power, the Circle became infamous for its ruthlessness, and its desire to exploit the powers of Chaos and Darkness to achieve its aims. Indeed, a hidden war raged for centuries between the Conclave and the Crimson Circle, and most sages believe that the Circle was wiped out early in the Age of Kings.

Or so the Wise had thought. Now, scattered reports are emerging of wizards wearing the vermillion and purple robes of the Circle working with Elves and fouler things, and the Conclave is uneasy. Though the Circle has been cut off from the Conclave's steady stream of magical innovations for thousands of years, who can say what secrets they may have devised in isolation, or with the help of infernal powers? Others wonder how many of the events of the last thousand years were subtly influenced or directly steered by the Circle working in secret. Why is the Crimson Circle emerging again? What are their goals? One thing seems certain: the Wizards of the Crimson Circle are powerful enchanters, their meekest vestments filled with spells of power and might.
 

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The Vorgrim Legion

In the days of the War of the Scourge all of the Children of Aerynth stood united against the hosts of Chaos. The mightiest warriors and cleverest generals of the armies of Elves and Humanity joined together to form the Vorgrim Legion, an elite army where the Firstborn and the Sons of Men would fight side by side, under joint command. The Legion won its greatest fame during the middle years of the conflict, when they managed to halt the advance of Chaos on many fronts. After the retrieval of Shadowbane and the turning of the tide, Malog the War God emerged from his long seclusion to answer the All-Father's call. Malog himself took command of the Vorgrim Legion and led it through a stunning series of victories. The Legion slowly renounced its ties with the lords of Elves or Men, following their divine general to death and glory.

The Legion's fate was sealed when Malog tried to betray the All-Father to His doom in the Pit of Chaos. The warriors of the Vorgrim were abandoned and trapped with their dark master, and their fate is lost to all the folk of Aerynth. In the wake of the final battle, Malog's treachery poisoned the name of the Vorgrim Legion forever: the tales and songs of its exploits were deliberately forgotten, and the few surviving members of the Legion renounced it. But recently, the new incursion of Chaos has brought the memory of the Legion back, as warriors and devotees of Chaos have appeared wearing the distinctive, ancient suits of armor used by the Legion of old. Indeed, rumor has it that Morloch himself is combing ruins and ancient places for enchanted relics of the Legion, and some fear that the Maimed God intends to reform the legion and use it to conquer all the fragments of Aerynth.

 

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The Vorgrim Legion

In the days of the War of the Scourge all of the Children of Aerynth stood united against the hosts of Chaos. The mightiest warriors and cleverest generals of the armies of Elves and Humanity joined together to form the Vorgrim Legion, an elite army where the Firstborn and the Sons of Men would fight side by side, under joint command. The Legion won its greatest fame during the middle years of the conflict, when they managed to halt the advance of Chaos on many fronts. After the retrieval of Shadowbane and the turning of the tide, Malog the War God emerged from his long seclusion to answer the All-Father's call. Malog himself took command of the Vorgrim Legion and led it through a stunning series of victories. The Legion slowly renounced its ties with the lords of Elves or Men, following their divine general to death and glory.

The Legion's fate was sealed when Malog tried to betray the All-Father to His doom in the Pit of Chaos. The warriors of the Vorgrim were abandoned and trapped with their dark master, and their fate is lost to all the folk of Aerynth. In the wake of the final battle, Malog's treachery poisoned the name of the Vorgrim Legion forever: the tales and songs of its exploits were deliberately forgotten, and the few surviving members of the Legion renounced it. But recently, the new incursion of Chaos has brought the memory of the Legion back, as warriors and devotees of Chaos have appeared wearing the distinctive, ancient suits of armor used by the Legion of old. Indeed, rumor has it that Morloch himself is combing ruins and ancient places for enchanted relics of the Legion, and some fear that the Maimed God intends to reform the legion and use it to conquer all the fragments of Aerynth.