The Prophet of Thorns let out a gasp. “It cannot be!” Syndra also feeling a strange heaviness asked, “who..er… what is that?” The creature that stood before them looked like a Ytuma but somehow seemed larger. His size and bulk were intimidating and would most likely require multiple warriors to even stand a chance to take him down. In one hand he held an oversized Khopesh that illuminated purple with a chain on its hilt that wrapped and draped around his body and arms. The other end of the chain led to a large shuriken with blades that looked like claws protruding from its center. Even from this distance Syndra could see the purple glow of his eyes, that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

“That Syndra, is about the worst possible creature to be standing in our way.” You could hear the dread in the Prophet of Thorns voice. “I regret to inform you that if we fight here, you will not be able to rely on my powers and Syndra you will have to tread carefully. The creature that stands before us I always thought was a legend to scare the druids into submission, but clearly the legends are true.”

“The legend mentions two brothers of chaos, one goes by the name the King of Plagues and the other was called the Arcane Nullifier. Through the rift they came, wiping out village after village. You could always see the destruction that was left by the King of Plagues as crops would be dead with blight, herds and flocks would lie diseased and dead throughout the fields but no trace was ever left by the Arcane Nullifier. It is said all that drove him was the hunger hunt to magic users and the magic users seemed helpless against him. Some of the strongest mages across the Drakorean Empire were able to fight for a short time but the Arcane Nullifier seemed too strong”

“Then one day just before the curse fell across the land, Aezher the Immortal crossed paths with the brothers. The battle was not well documented and thus the legend of the Arcane Nullifier was born. It is said that Aezher fought the brothers for hours and after the battle started to turn in Aezher’s favor the King of Plagues left his brother for dead, in order to live another day. What happened after that nobody really knows. People say that because of the betrayal by his brother the Arcane Nullifier surrendered to Aezher, others think Aezher used some form of Drakh power to convince him to join the Empire but either way on that day the Arcane Nullifier was no more, the chaos now controlled as the ultimate weapon. Aezher bestowed upon him a new name, a name that when said would strike fear through the hearts of magic users and make their blood turn icy cold. On that day was the birth of The Mage Breaker, Aezher’s weapon for crushing any form of magic he did not approve of.”

You could see the concern in the Prophet’s face and Syndra seemed to be struggling with something internally. Ronja ask, “well how do you fight The Mage Breaker?”. The Prophet spoke softly as if not wanting the Mage Breaker to hear, but loud enough for Ronja, Baranth, Syndra, and Kha’al to hear. “With nothing but sheer strength, fortitude, and guile. Whatever you do, do not use magic against him, no matter how much you normally rely on it in combat, it could be the death of you.” Baranth took a half step forward standing next to Ronja almost as if he was stepping forward to shield the Prophet and Syndra. Suddenly Baranth felt another strong shoulder next to his. Kha’al stepped up beside him with a grin on his face looking at Ronja and Baranth, “guess the three of us have that covered”

The Emperor and the Empress. Two sides of the same, insane coin. But where The Emperor puts his faith in his magic and spellcraft, the Empress instead employs technology, or what little of it remains in this world. To stop the Prophet of Thorns, the Empress not only brought forth her own Legion to cut off escape to the south, but also her special reserve unit, the Ironclad Legion.

Seldom had this Legion left the confines of the Capitol, for mustering and moving it was no mean feat. Heavily armored front line troops like a field of silver-clad wheat. Marksmen who used weapons of iron and powder, killing at a distance with fire and thunder. Engines of death drawn by Warlizards that can launch balls of iron the size of a man’s head over vast distances. And finally, towering over all, a metal giant with black clouds belching from its back.

As Ronja and Syndra observed all this with sinking hearts the giant stopped it’s patrol and knelt before the Empress. As it came to a halt, its ‘chest’ opened and an armored woman climbed out, descending a ladder of chain which she tossed out before her. Stepping up to the Empress she knelt also, a miniature of the metal monster she just vacated. The two adventurers couldn’t hear what was said between the Empress and her Lieutenant, but it was clear that orders were being given. With a final bow the other woman rose and began to turn back towards her massive mount. A hand was placed on her shoulder and she turned back to the Empress. The two stood close, then both bowed touching foreheads. Who was this rider of metal giants? A sister? A daughter?

Ronja and Syndra wouldn’t have time to find out. The embrace was ended quickly and the woman climbed back into her machine. With a roar and blast of coal-black cloud the giant rose back to it’s feet. Then in a deafening voice uttered “ADVANCE!”. The Ironclad Legion was on the move, directly towards the rest of their party. And even though that march was slow, giving them plenty of time to return and warn the others, it was the march of an Unstoppable Force. And they were fresh out of Immovable Objects.

Characterized by their dark color banner and that they never speak, the Funereal are one of the Empress’s most feared legions. Deadly in daylight, but even more threatening at night in the cover of darkness, they have been known to ruthlessly and swiftly take out whole armies almost unscathed.

Leader: Lezara the Saturnine. Most believe that members of the Funereal must have their tongues removed as a demonstration of their loyalty but this is simply a myth. In truth, the Funereal are true believers of the Empire, and they choose themselves an act of silence as a symbol of their devotion. This silence is combined with persistent and daily meditation, and it goes heavily rewarded. Lezara became one of the Empress’s favorites when she watched Lezara in the combat pits defeat enemy after enemy quickly. No ego. No pride. Just a devotion to the task at hand. Lezara now defeats the Empress’s enemies the same way.

Almost none that Lezara has ever hunted have lived to describe her true power: that magic ceases to function when close to her presence except for those who have built up the mental fortitude to adapt to her power -namely the meditative practices of her legion. That the members of the Legion themselves each have unique magic abilities and are fierce combat fighters outright, the Funereal live up to their name in more than one way.

The Nameless are men and women who no longer remember their former selves. They have been perversely and brutally conditioned to only serve the one commanding them. Without any will of their own, they strike with absolute precision, not a trace of hesitation to be seen. 1 skull counts as 2.

Aconite the Cerebralist leads The Nameless. She has perfected the science of the mind and combined it with her expertise in magic. Absolutely loyal to the Empress, she does as the Empress commands and created The Nameless to keep her safe and strengthen her position. (The Empress has no clue as to who or what The Nameless are but willingly accepts Aconite’s loyalty and devotion because of their dire circumstances.)

The Shadow Sisters

They are (were?) the upmost devoted servants of the Emperor. At the begginging, the Emperor wanted to control Chaos and created this legion. Afterwards (since it was too dangerous) disbanded them. But since their devotion was unlimiteless, they secretly lived, always dedicated to the Emperor. Since they master the Chaos Magic, they were able to survive the Chaos wipe out across the land. They are the ones that approache the Inquisition about the secret project to bring the Emperor back.

The Build Keeper Guild

These fanatics are master engineers that reinforce the Empire. The Guild is the mastermind behind the conception of the Garrison. The created the Capital and its defense.