Magic always has a price to pay. Sorcerers give over a portion of their very life essence to channel their magic, becoming the funnel for immense power. Ajax made that sacrifice long ago and has never re- gretted a moment since. The spells, the supernatural senses, and the voices from beyond; he views them all as amazing gifts. In fact it was those sinister whispers that set Ajax on track to battle the Darkness. Whether it is his goal to keep the monsters at bay or replace the hor- rid thing as their master has yet toThe noble elf houses were a collec- tive stronghold against the damages done by the first Lightbringer War, but the renewed presence of the Darkness has invigorated the elves to act. Azrael won the right to be his house's champion against evil, and looks forward to carpeting the world with dead monster bodies. He was trained from a young, carefree elf boy frolicking in the alabaster halls of his family into an ironclad bastion of defense ready to take on the worst foes the world has to throw at him. With stalwart allies by his side, Azrael will defeat them all. WF IrAAXAA ON« Cowards! Come face a man who hides not behind bricks or stone! Face Bjorn and die! » Many wondrous cities and empires were built on the ruins the Light- bringers left in their wake. Bjorn has never lived in those places. He and his fellow Shadow Tribe members forwent the pleasantries of urban life and maintained the “old ways” of life. Living in the wil- derness made Bjorn into a hulk ofa man who has had to fight bitterly for survival, making his decision to stand against the Darkness an easy one. The monsters must be de- feated, or the tribes of men will suf- fer. This will not do, for there is no- thing more important to Bjorn than« Azuriman... napheas... zondrohah! Back! Back vile thing ‘Magic was key in the Lightbringers’ successful battle versus the Darkness, and it will be magic once more that puts it down again. This is why Elias has spent decades with his nose in tomes, practicing and learning the arcane ways. He saw the signs of the Darkness’ return years ago and began preparing for the dawning of new heroes ~ like him. Wielding raw elemental power and bending reality with a few ges- tures and incantations. To Elias it feels as if his whole life has been headed toward an ultimate goal, sealing the Darkness away. Perhaps this time, forever.K ined unhappy with Dar'ness. Lit'Ned smash! $oooe< Serving an all-powerful entity of anarchy and evil buys no loyalty in return. After the Darkness sent savage draconian beasts to feast upon his tribe, the ogre Lil’Ned rea- lized just how little he and his people meant to their “lord master.” Hefting his dead chieftain’s maul in his fists, he has decided to show the Darkness and everyone foolish enough to serve it the error of their ways. The Bonecrusher tribe is no more and Lil’Ned wears their prized trophies to remind him why he must work with tiny, tasty morsels like men and elves - violent revenge, plain and simple.« To the depths with you! Your sins will he your anchor! » La Hr It was widely thought that the gods left mortal men to fend for themsel- ves during the first battle against Darkness and its minions, but there some tireless beacons of hope that never gave up faith. Malleus is a prime example of what the power of unfaltering belief can do. Wielding weapons both physical and spiritual in the war against the Darkness, Malleus knows he follows the righteous path. When others ques- tion if his gods are real, his laughter is deep and booming. The scores of dead monsters at his feet are all the answer he ever cares to give!« By the blood of my kind and the fires of their hearths, the Darkness will fall. » Barbarian humans do all they can to survive in terribly dangerous en- vironments across the wilderness. In order to be as strong as possible, the Shadow Tribe has moved beyond patriarchy and supports brutal warrior women like Mila. With strong steel and fierce devo- tion to her people, Mila slaughters the minions of Darkness to keep her people safe. Fueled by her duty to her tribe and the losses she has suf- fered at the teeth and claws of monstrous things, she hurls herself into conflict with the enemy. It will be Mila’s victory, or it will be no- thing at all.« By the eyes of Alamon and the winds of Haedes, your death is now! » =oooe Moira has only recently started down the path of sorcery, feeling the power of otherworldly spirits flowing through the void in her soul left by the encroaching darkness. She is now as much a magical being as the spirits of the elfwoods and the phantoms from beyond the grave, granting her a fantastic ar- ray of powers with which she pro- tects her friends. Sometimes these powers are frightening and new, but she gains new control over them every day. Moira always knew there was a reason she allowed the magic into her, and battling against the Darkness is surely it. Tens DEINE eis 7 4 . FCCC OO COSTCO COP OO OOS @How ean you hope to succeed against the combined might of the universe in my hands? 9 POOH Sa Spells are commonly learned through a scholarly path, but magic is much older than books or scrolls. There are still those who teach arcane methods by spoken word, ancient rituals, and folklore. ‘Myriam is the seventh daughter ofa seventh daughter, traditionally handed the bones and the staff of her tribe's wizardry as soon as she became a woman. Since that fateful day she knew what she was sup- posed to do ~ she was to bring her magic into the struggle against a Darkness yet to rise. Now that time is upon her, Myriam will not turn away from her calling.Pawan of Fury « Against the Darkness the Light is the shield. Where danger threatened the inno- cent, paladins like Ostara come to the defense of those who could not defend themselves. The Darkness began to rise again and monsters be- came brazen, coming into populated areas more and more often. Good people were in greater danger than ever before, and Ostara answered the call. Inscribing her prayers of rage and righteous anger on the in- side of her shield, the Order of Fury blessed her, and she left the temple in search of allies. Finding others willing to stand against the Darkness, Ostara is ready to fight and prepared to die for the Light.Paap of Fury « Through me, the Light. Through the Light, vietory. » . a a ‘The original Lightbringers may have lost their way before their end, but there are students of their ori- ginal moralities that have never swayed or faltered. The Paladins of Fury. Owen was raised by the faith as the perfect mixture of the spiri- tual and the martial, battling the enemies of good people in the name of the Light. When the world began to look as though monsters and the Darkness were back, Owen donned his holy armor, ran the sacramental oils down his blades, and took to the road. His enemies would soon learn the undeniable might of the truly righteous.« Get behind me. In the king's name, I will protect yout \ @ ~@ 4-4-4 The arrogance of elves is hard to overcome by those trying to live out- side the elfwoods, especially those who hail from the elite noble houses that govern them. Sarah, always cu- rious about the outside world, saw the return of the Darkness as a way to build bridges with wary outsiders. Between her tireless shield arm, art- fal swordplay, and genuine care for other beings, Sarah hopes to lay the foundation of a better world. This ideal place she battles for is built on trust, goodness, and the eventual de- feat of the Darkness ~ a victory she believes will only be won together. >« Thave heen killing monsters since hefore your grandparents were children. Stand aside. » The return of the Goblins and other horrors to the dark places has caused no end of trouble for the El- ves, forcing them to resurrect a tra- dition long since buried. The Nightshades bend their bows and sharpen their swords to put monsters in the ground, and Sibyl is nothing but an exemplary member. The first time her arrow struck home and fell a foe, she knew her life as a hunter of horrors matched her spirit perfectly. Little did she know that her hunting would even- tually put her on track to stand against the minions of the very Darkness itself.=—FFSFSFe?ee Ce wy « You should be honored. This blade has tasted far hetter than you. » The Bloodmoon Society is home for those who need to ply their trade in the world’s dark places. Thieves, smugglers, and blackmailers fill its ranks. A few, like the enigmatic Sicarius, are devoted to the darkest of activities - murder. Sicarius does not ask about why he must do what he does, accepting that the Blood- moons have their reasons for ending a life. For him there is no moral high road, or low road for that matter, only success. If Sicarius could be the hand that sends the Darkness to oblivion, he will never go without 2 paying contract ever again!« If you are fooking for your death, fear not... for you have foune it! » ‘The fighting pits of Three Bones Hollow have entertained the masses for generations, and the blood of thousands have run the ground muddy in its arena. Siegfried is a product of this savagery, setting aside the normal staunch traditions of the Dwarves to instead feed his fiery thirst for violence. With a roa- ring challenge, Siegfried launches himself into battle fearlessly. His mi- ghty hammer is anointed in the blood of men, beasts and monsters alike, each new kill adding a glo- rious new Line to his epic ballad. One day he hopes to add the Darkness to his legendary list of victories.After a botched mission, Silence took the appropriate vows as his pe- nance and continued work as a Nightrunner. He became a selfim- posed mute, focusing all ofhis atten- tions to his duties in the shadowy places of the world. Not filling the empty spaces with needless words has given Silence the ability to truly listen to what happens around him. He learned of the Darkness’ return long before his Bloodmoon brothers and sisters, telling them - wordlessly ~ to prepare for the next rise of monsters in all of the dark places in which they work. Then he left to fight against them.« Be stiff damn you! Fun and you just ‘Trophy hunting is forbidden in the elfwoods, punishable by branding, a sentence carried out by the ran- gers of the Nightshade lodge. The only exceptions to hunting for sport are the monsters from the depths, whose heads, teeth, horns and such are found decorating the Nightshades’ halls. A leader amongst hunters, Sylvan's walls are a mosaic of his victories over the nasty things that go bump in the fo- rest night. Now that the Darkness is returning and its horrible monsters plague all the lands, there is no lack of foes to wet his blades. For Sylvan, his greatest hunt is on!< ! I got some of you ON me! Darkness’ resurgence has made room for villainous scum to try and take advantage of a bad situation. While the Bloodmoon Society fo- cused on its own profits, its leaders knew that they would make nothing in a world with monsters around every corner. The answer? Place a standing bounty for all Bloodmoon assassins to target the Darkness. Valerie loves the thrill of the hunt and the rush of a kill, grinning madly behind her mask of office. But lately she has felt something new as she wets her blades. Valerie is expe- riencing what it feels like to do something genuinely good. Ty» >A VS AY P ~~ fae WI Bw Lor Bo f.« I swore to give my life to the Light, but not yours. » The Lightbringers left a swathe of damage in their wake, and many societies never fully recovered. In humanity's darkest hours it was the few remaining faithful soldiers that helped keep everyone from falling apart. When crime and villainy was running rampant in the chaos, Vie~ toria and her sisters fought bravely to keep man’s spirit alive. Their prayers spared innocent lives while their swords ended unworthy ones. Now that the Darkness is back, Vie- toria knows that her people ~ and all other good people - need her protection once again. For her, it is time to wear the vestments of battle once more.Shhh... nO one ean hear you. Or cares. » Whisper, like all those who devote themselves to the Bloodmoon So- ciety, is a personification of stealth and cunning. Pledging originally to wield the night like a weapon along- side her deadly knives, she is a mas- ter of shadows and dark places. Where others duck into corners and merely hide, Whisper wraps herself in blackness and sinks away as if it were a pool of ink. It may seem odd for a student of the dark to fight against the Darkness, but Whisper knows the truth in the monsters’ return - there can only be room for her ilk in the shadows!Pir Ficnren, Bensennen, K inissus? missus! Til show you who's the missus here! » When her brother perished in the pits to pay off gambling debts, Zoe honorably took up his weapons to finish what he started. Initially un- derestimated, she found her calling in the violence and bloodshed. Years of being groomed for mar- riage into other clans for societal reasons pent up a great deal of fury in her stout form. She quickly learned how to tap into that rage and lay low enemies from across the known world. When she returned to pay off her debts and found her family slain by the Darkness, a whole new target for her rage was