Lore sandbox

Content found on this page will not be included in main background stories used to describe the factions but could serve to inspire new lore creation, be it interactive fiction, short stories or poems.

The Empire

Ages ago, before the enlightenment, most lands were struck by a mysterious curse. Thousands upon thousands of people died in the cities. Whole villages were abandoned due to their population dying and people scattered out everywhere in panic and a desperate attempt to protect themselves from the horrific spell that struck down thousands. Eventually, a band of men decided to scout out these quarantined villages for survivors. When they returned, they were practically insane with fright, screaming about seeing the dead walking with hellhounds and demons. This prompted many of the local clerics to denonce the sinful ways of their people, blaming the spread of the curse on adultrey, greed, murder and the supposed existance of underground cults among them, justifying a great inquisition of the people.

When the horrific monsters were discovered to have an aversion to holy relics, holly branches and blessed water, the clerics of Wesnoth gathered their greatest warriors and formed the first Imperial Guard, appointing the noble warrior Deros Revlyn as the Holy Emperor. Those that pledged their loyalty to him would receive the protection of the Royal Guard and Imperial Clerics, as well as a structured law enforcment system, a voice in a true court of law, and an overall better quality of life. To most people, this seemed like an end to a horrible nightmare, but their newfound masters soon showed their true colors. Under the authority of the Royal Guard and their sheriffs, the Empire robbed the poor and needy through taxation and public "tithing". Those with opposing or varying religious views were fined or even killed, the latter of which became a public event involving burnings, decapitation and drowning. Eventually, the religious paranoia reached its' zenith, prompting the Empire to form a branch of secret police who would search the houses of ordinary citizens of anything deemed "sinful".

The religious oppression of the Inperial Inquisitors led to the formation of many underground resistance movements, many of which found allies in the form of foreign financers. Princes, Pirates and Nobles outside of Wesnoth were all eager to see the now-mighty Imperial forces crumble from within, resulting in many spies even among the revered Inperial Clerics. As time went on, the influence of the Empire steadily eroded, a fact not helped by the rise of the *Shadow Guild.

In order to quell the allegations of corruption, bribery and graft spread by the resistance, the Royal Guard and Clerics declared another Inquisition, this time against the newly-formed Shadow Guild and the various races associated with it. The "Pagan" elves and "Bugs" (Lepimorphs) came under fire in particular, and even the resitance leaders and their followers joined the Clerics in voicing their dissaproval of them. Known Shadow Guild encampments were looted and razed, and no life was spared, not even the children or livestock. Retaliation by the SG fanatics known as the "Priesthood of Nightmares" only furthered the rift between the two factions, prompting the SG leader Jorrath Morneau and his people to flee.

While rounding up a small group of stragglers, the Royal Guard accidentally killed a Reaver Infiltrator, once again spreading the horrible curse that led to the creation of the Empire. Only this time, the potency of Holly and Seawater were long forgotten, as were the proper rites used to bless relics. The Reavers decimated the Empire, leaving only their capital and a few other heavily-guarded cities intact.

Though they lost a great deal of their power, the fires of their faith were once again kindled, and the desire to eradicate the blight of sin drove them onward. For in the end, kingdoms may fall, but the hand of God/Gods reigns forever surpreme.

Shadowguild

Every society has it's outcasts: Thieves, murderers and dark mages. And no one else will stand up, speaking in their defence. Life is cruel and dangerous. The only way to survive is to seek the camps of the Shadowguild. The guild itself intends to protect those who are willing to accept their rules. Even the greatest criminals are admitted if they swear the oath of the Shadowguild.

The most important principle of the Shadowguild is respect among it's members. There are no known reports of any traitor or breakers of the oath. The members are strictly loyal. This remains true despite several attempts to gain knowlegde of the secrets of the shadowguild by infiltration. Spies either failed to hide their real intentions or became loyal members of the Shadowguild. This is due to the way the society of the Shadowguild works. It is impossible to live between the Shadows (as the members are sometimes called) if you live a lie.

While dark magic and especially conjurations are frowned upon in most societies in WTactics, the Shadowguild has a long tradition of tolerating and using the dark powers for their own protection. Every camp has skeleton guards and in times or war great armies are conjured to serve in battle.

While the Shadows are very respectful to other members, they don't hesitate to take valuables and treasures away from other factions. They are feared and prosecuted by other factions as criminals. It should be noted that the ShadowGuild has no own territory. They travel across the lands and supply themselves from stolen goods of nearby cities.

Cruel executions of criminals had also led to open warfare in the past. In their anger the ShadowGuild brought terror upon cities as the skeletons and other summoned creatures fought their way through the streets avenging those members who had been killed.

The five circles

There are 5 circles that form the hierachy of the shadowguild:

The Lord of the Shadows

Usually the eldest member of the ShadowGuild and a master of necromancy. The shadowguild has studied the workings of life and death intensively enougth to prevent it's most valuable members from aging. However, this magic is too powerful for most humans. To obtain immortality, the subject is required to fight a great magical force and to subdue it by assimilation - an act that has ended deadly for many candidates. And while the Lord of the Shadows does not age, he is still vulnerable to ordinary weapons. His body may heal severe wounds but there are still ways to kill a Lord of the Shadows. As it had happend in the past.

The Lord of the Shadows is responsible making global decisions on the future of the Shadowguild. Because of his age he is well aware of the consequences that his decisions may result in. He has seen how Empires have risen and fallen and he has learned from their mistakes: One of them is creating an empire in the first place. The Shadowguild will therefore remain a faction of nomads until there is very good reason to change it.

The Keepers of Silence

A group of ancient and knowledgable mages that are immortal in the same way the Lord of the Shadows is. Together with him they form the Shadow Council to debate upon political questions of greater impact and the overal development of the world.

The Keepers of Silence are educated on the darkest of all secrets of the world. They consider themselves to be responsible for revealing and keeping those secrets when appropriate. This is the origin of their name. They pass on parts of their knowlegde to (normal) mages who travel with the Keepers for some time until they return to their tribes.

The Leaders of the Tribes

The Shadowguild is organized in tribes and they have tribes in most parts of the world. A tribe leader is responsible for choosing the travel routes and making minor political decisions.

The Shadowmages

The members that have studied the dark sciences and who are able to summon creatures for protection and direct warfare. They traveled several months togehter with the Keepers of the Silence to obtain their basic education. After that they are asked to serve and protect their tribe and to become more experienced.

The shadowmages use magic to call other shadowmages or even the Keepers of the Silence. Therefore it's possible for the Shadow Council to coordinate their tribes across the entire world, despite the global distribution of the Shadowguild.

Citizens

The normal members of the ShadowGuild. They are usually requested to provide the tribe with food and other goods by stealing from nearby cities. Despite the support of the Shadowguild, this is still a risky business and many citizens strive to become a Shadowmage. Yet it should be noted that normal citizens are not considered as less valuable than mages. They receive the same amount of respect for doing their part of the work to keep the Tribe alive.

Minions

They are not really part of the hierachy (or a circle) but are listed for completeness. Skeletons and other conjurations do not have an own personality. They follow the orders of their masters and do not fear death. They are usually used as cannon fodder to preserve human lives.