Gilead

The Gilead were a clan of Giants born during the time of the Titan War. When the war was done, these smiths and crafters abandoned the Material Plane in search of a new home.

**The Weapon Makers**

The Gilead were one of the last clans of Giants created, earning their name from the Ancestral word for *Armorer*. The Gilead were unique to their siblings, as Aurum (Eternal god of the Forge) had gifted them with the powers of invention and weapon crafting. The Gilead built the weapons wielded by their bigger and stronger siblings in the battles against the Titans. Like so many of the giants, the war had soured the Gilead's affection for the gods who had sent them to battle. The Gilead were also unique in that, their love for Aurum never faltered.

**Finding a New Home**

The Gilead would search for a new home, migrating away from the Material Plane (and without the protection of their elders) and venturing across the planes. Each place the Gilead went, they found strife and struggle. The Gilead were wise, but small, and the young planes were inherited only by the strong. Desperation for a place to call their own would bring the Gilead to the behest of a dark whisper. Drawn by false promises into the Black Plane, the Gilead seemed to finally find a resting place. This respite would not last long, as the patron to this dark land would reveal himself as the Moon Lord. He who had whispered to the Gilead had once been a god, but greed and malevolence had cast his existence into these depths.

**The Moon Lord**

Once called Revenyk, the "Moon Lord" had first held domain as a gate guardian between the Astral and Material planes. The god had a magnificent palace built upon the moon, a place from which he could witness all beings who sought to travel between the two planes. Revenyk had always seen himself as worthy of more, and grew eager to conquer the Material Plane away from Eberus.

A day would come when the First Lie was committed, and Yldir was exiled to the moon for her sins. Wryn (the God of Gods) gave strict orders to Revenyk not to interfere with Yldir's punishment. As part of all that had transpired, Yldir had taken a vow of silence. Upon learning this, Revenyk realized that she would be incapable of telling Wryn anything Revenyk did to her. Revenyk would invite Yldir to join him in his plot against Eberus, but when she denied him the god took her forcibly and Yldir grew within her a young god.

Revenyk sought to raise the godling as his heir, but when Wryn returned Yldir broke her silence. She was punished to remain upon the moon, but Wryn turned his attention to Revenyk and his machinations. Revenyk was banished to the Black Plane, and Wryn cut the child free from Yldir. The baby was born Uzume, and gifted to Mother Youkan in exchange for the imprisonment of Revenyk.

Within his new home, (now corrupted by his greed and only capable of calling himself the Moon Lord) Revenyk plotted his revenge and snatched at any souls who wandered to close to his borders. This is where the unfortunate meeting between the Gilead and the Moon Lord began.

**Lorren Soth's Fall**

At first the Gilead believed their work for the Moon Lord an even exchange. They had been given a home in which to continue the use of their talents, building palaces and kingdoms from the blackened earth. As the Gilead worked, the Moon Lord kept them separated and spoke to each of them individually, searching for the one who would become his thrall. This unknowing servant came in the form of Lorren Soth. Lorren was a king and thoughful Gilead, but also young and unaware of the calamity their weapons had wrought on the Material Plane.

The Moon Lord began to welcome Lorren into his palace and told him stories of the first days, and the tales of the wicked gods who had cast him into these dismal lands. Lorren (as any creature so good-natured as the Gilead would) felt great pity for the Moon Lord and wanted deeply to help him. From this point forth the Moon Lord had little trouble seducing Lorren to his call for revenge against the gods. Under his watchful eye, Lorren began to gather components to make a god-killing blade.

**The Trial of Lorren**

Crafted from Sylvarian metals, the teeth of a slain silver dragon, and one of the Moon Lord's own eyes, a blade called Silvereye was given life. While benevolent and trusting of one another, the other Gilead were not fools. When they discovered Lorren's work, they confronted the giant and put him on trial. For breaking their oath and creating such weapons of terror once more, the Gilead decided to cut Lorren's hands off so that he might never do so again.

The Moon Lord was enraged and attempted to take control of the blade. A few of the Gilead were slain, but the Moon Lord once again fell victim to his own pride. Lorren was the blade's true master, and called the weapon back to him. Lorren escaped with the blade in search of a place to hide it from the Moon Lord. The rest of the Gilead would flee, scattered to the winds to hide away forever from the Moon Lord's wrath.

**Aurum's Gift**

Lorren would eventually leave the blade in the hands of a woman who would grow to be the savior of the Gilead, the Empress of Embers. Upon returning to find his siblings, the Moon Lord captured Lorren and tortured him for the location of Silvereye. Seeing the pain inflicted upon his children, Aurum would cast down his power and grant Lorren a painless death. Aurum would make the blade a beacon to all the Gilead who remained, who crawled from their hiding places among the stars and flocked to the Brass Mountain. Here they were granted sanctuary by the Empress of Embers, who planted the blade into the earth. From it, a magnificent silver tree was born, which they named the Lorren Tree.

What became of the Moon Lord was unknown, but many believe he still lurks the Domains of Dread, seeking a way to steal back the god-killing blade.