Major Factions of the Withered Aegis

**Source:** [1]

## Undead Horde

The Undead Horde is the most well-known and largest of the factions of the Withered Aegis. It was originally led by Torrin Macalir himself, but since the Battle of Tazoon it has been led by a shadowy figure known as the Lich King. His origins are not known, though some claim that he is Torrin Macalir. Nevertheless, he is a powerful Necromancer and wields great power amongst the Cabal. The Lich King has ascended to become one of the leading members of the Cabal and has directed the war in the west for many years.

The armies of the Horde once numbered in the many hundreds of thousands prior to the Battle of Tazoon and Gifted victories in Aughundell, Feladan and along the Frontier. Before its downfall, the Horde was responsible for the breach of Hadan’s Wall, the Siege of Aughundell and the encirclement of Tazoon itself. If not for Ryson Stormbringer and his detonation of The Artifact, the Undead Horde would likely have overwhelmed the assembled armies of the Living Races.

Even now with such great losses the Horde is still a force to be reckoned with and numbers in the thousands. The Lich King’s armies consist heavily of Satyr, Dwarves and Dragons.

## Mourning Tide

The Mourning Tide is one of the original factions of the Withered Aegis. It was formed during the Age of Sorcery and is led by a powerful Necromancer who calls himself The Mourning Lord. His physical body has long since decayed and for more than a century he has existed as a Wraith. Like other members of the Cabal, The Mourning Lord’s original name has long been forgotten, though it is known that he was once an apprentice of Torrin Macalir himself.

The Mourning Lord was not present at the Battle of Tazoon, though his armies participated in the invasion of the West. As Torrin Macalir’s armies and the Undead Horde encircled Tazoon, the Mourning Lord led his armies north to battle an army of Half-Giants and Humans coming from Mahagra.

The battle proved to be a stalemate, though the Mourning Lord and his army fled as soon as word of Macalir’s defeat was received. Since that time, he has worked tirelessly to rebuild his armies from the fallen and has surrounded himself with zombies and ghosts drawn from Humans who fell in battles over the last two centuries.

## Fallen of Rachival

The Fallen of Rachival is a faction of the Withered Aegis formed less than thirty years ago after Rachival was captured by the Undead Horde. Many Gnomes were unable to escape the sack of the city and were slain or ensorcelled by the powers of the Cabal. These fallen Gnomes combined their technical and engineering knowledge with the power over the undead to create a new breed of enemy known as a Technomancer.

One of the younger members of the Cabal was left in charge of the city and has since risen to prominence. He calls himself the Lord of Gears and surrounds himself with fallen Gnomes as well as the twisted remnants of the very creations that led to the fall of Rachival in the first place. He has only recently ventured forth from the safety of the city’s demesne and unleashed his horrors upon the Living Races.

## Grim Plague

Almost a century ago the Elves led their armies east across the Great Barrier to help the Dryad and Satyr in their fight against the Withered Aegis. Their attempts failed and the armies fought their way back across the Eastern Continent before perishing to the last Elf.

One of Torrin Macalir’s apprentices rose above the rest to form the Grim Plague, a faction consisting of the remnants of the former Elven armies who fell in battle many years ago. Like his peer, The Mourning Lord, his true name has also been forgotten and now he simply calls himself Lord Grim.

Like other faction leaders, Lord Grim is a Wraith and Necromancer, but he surrounds himself with the skeletons and mummies of fallen Elves. His troops combine a mixture of Spellcasters and heavy infantry to accomplish his grim deeds.

## Ebon Guard

The Ebon Guard is a faction of the Withered Aegis that the Gifted are more familiar with, though it has not been seen in several years. The Guard led an assault on Aughundell nearly a decade ago, but they were thrown back by a combined force of Gifted and have not been seen in great numbers since.

The faction itself is an old one formed during the early years of the war on Eastern Aradoth. It is led by a Death Knight known as Lord Ebon and consists of Death Golems and Marrows, both warriors and spellcasters of much repute.

Scholars believe that Lord Ebon was summoned from one of the Outer Planes by Torrin Macalir himself, while others claim that he was a fallen warrior who was twisted by the Cabal into the form he now takes.

## Crimson Scourge

A mysterious faction that appeared in the west only a few years before, the Crimson Scourge led an invasion against the settlements of the Living Races but was thrown back with heavy losses. In recent years it has established itself on a plateau in the Eastern Deadlands and has been relatively quiet.

The Scourge is led by a powerful wraith known as the Crimson Lord, though few have seen this mysterious figure. It is said that once the Crimson Lord was a powerful necromancer and ancient ally of Torrin Macalir, but no true records remain of his earliest days or that of the Cabal itself and so his origins are shrouded in mystery.

The Scourge consists primarily of Blights and Lesser Wraiths, all heavily invested in the necromantic magic dealing with the soul.

## The Invae

One of the original factions of the Withered Aegis, The Invae are led by a powerful abomination from the Outer Realms known as the Lord of Flesh. It is one of the largest factions, splinters of which the Gifted have seen in the West for many years. Fragments of the faction can be found in the Eastern Deadlands and also on the Satyr islands for the Lord of Flesh sent his armies to secure both locations many years ago.

The Lord of Flesh surrounds himself with numerous Aegror and Blights, all powerful spellcasters, masters of the flesh and the corruption of life. Until recently he has taken little direct interest in the happenings of the west, though he did send armies there many years ago. These actions, however, were directed by Torrin Macalir himself.

An invasion into the west occurred less than a decade ago and contained many warriors of The Invae. However, it was led by splinter groups from within the faction itself, the leaders of whom the Lord of Flesh has vowed to execute.

## The Accursed

Another of the original factions of the Withered Aegis, the Accursed form one of the most powerful and outspoken of the factions. Led by Akkesh, Lord of Beasts, the Accursed have resided for many years in the wilds of the eastern continent and have had little interaction with the war in the west.

Akkesh’s army consist of many of the beasts that the Withered Aegis ensorcelled on the eastern continent including Werewolves and Kwellen.