The Seventh Reign

The Shadowclaw Cult

Garn currently resides in its Seventh Reign, known as the Era of Darkness.

## **The Gods of the Seventh Reign**

* Zharweige is the eagle god of light.
* Sokis is the salmon goddess of water.
* Egroth is the stag goddess of nature.
* Rovlan is the wolf god of fire.
* Nuare is the bear god of darkness.

## **History**

### ***The Shadow War, 7E-209***

Nuare felt betrayed that he had to rule the ruined tribe of Tenebris, so he set out to conquer the Green Woods instead. The tribes and Kingdoms quickly turned on each other, with Zharweige allying with Egroth, dedicated to stopping another tyrant from conquering Garn. Rovlan allied with Nuare, afraid of being on the losing side like his predecessor, Embragen. Sokis remained neutral for much of the war, but ultimately allied against Nuare. After a two hundred year war, know known as the Shadow War, the Shadowclaw Kingdom was destroyed and Nuare was banished to the Wastes.

### ***Nuare's Punishment, 7E-427***

To prevent Nuare from seeking the same knowledge that his predecessor had, the other four gods separated his Trinity of Life into its three fundamental pieces.  His Shell was buried deep beneath the Great Tree, in the Undercaverns, while his Soul was imprisoned at the bottom of the Blue Mist Lake to be guarded by the Tartans. His Shadow was kept by the Whitewing Tribe, in Hendrik's deepest vaults. These three pieces (the Black Casket beneath the Hollow King, the Banished Fang from the Forbidden Lover, and the Blighted Heart beneath Blooded Soils) were guarded by the Brotherhood of Trinity, now rededicated to the service of preventing Nuare's return.

### ***The Dunecrest Concord, 7E-430***

With the Shadowclaw Kingdom destroyed, the four Kingdoms created a new ruling body for the Wastes, known as the Dunecrest Concord. The Concord operated independently from any of the Four Kingdoms, but kept in frequent contact with them to ensure that corruption was kept at bay. The Dunecrest Armada was built as a naval presence for the Concord, in order for them to properly communicate with the four remaining Kingdoms.

### ***Holy Obscurity, 7E-439***

After the Shadow War, the remaining four gods were worried about another god turning corrupt. They agreed that having a great number of followers left too much potential for gods to abuse their power. To avoid this, they chose to cease direct communications with mortals, and created a system of Prophets. These Prophets would commune with the gods, and they in turn would relay orders to the leaders of the four remaining nations. Nobody but the chosen Prophets would ever hear the words of the gods.

### ***The Blue Mist Council, 7E-620***

The Blue Mist Lake, which had always been a very spiritual region, was left without leadership after the gods removed themselves from mortal affairs. The King of the Lakewalker Kingdom, Waldrick Lockheed, was left without a guide, and had no desire to become a uniquely powerful monarch. To unify the people, the three largest settlements of the region decided that they would rule the land in tandem, forming the Blue Mist Council. There would be three Governors, residing in Bendrikka, Antioth, and Ipsen. Together, they would make all major decisions for the people of the Blue Mist Lake, with the King guiding their decisions along the way.

### ***The Shadowclaw Cult, 7E-970***

Though their motives were enshrouded in mystery, people across Garn began reporting mysterious figures in black cloaks. Sightings persisted, and people began to associate these individuals with a series of kidnappings and murders. Believed to be remnants of the fallen Shadowclaw Kingdom, thy came to be known as the Shadowclaw Cult.

### ***The Emalin Rebellion, 7E-984***

In Zharweige's absence, the ruling men of the Whitewing Kingdom had grown increasingly corrupt. Martol Emalin, a member of the Whitewing Talons, rose up against this corrupt system along with his fellow soldiers. They deposed the current king, Silbrik Xandarin, and Martol became the first Emalin King of the Whitewing Kingdom.

### ***The Grey Gallows, 7E-995***

The folk heroes known as the Dire Wolves were involved in a prison break that resulted in the collapse of the Grey Gallows prison in Hendrik. Little is known as to the details of this occurrence, but it is believed that the Shadowclaw Cult may have been involved. The Dire Wolves have not been heard from since.