The Aeltharians flourished beneath the wisdom and tutelage of the elves, and even the hearts of men were stirred, growing tempered in patience, seeking harmony between their love of the world and the fire of their own dreams. Yet the hearts of demons remained unmoved. Bound by an ancient oath, they waged ceaseless war, bent upon the utter ruin of mankind. Their purpose is grim and resolute: to cleanse all of Aeltharia of all humanity.
Demonkind passed down their dark conviction from age to age, each generation sworn to the ancient charge of their forebears. Patience was ever their greatest strength, and thus they did not strike blindly when first the elves descended into the world. Instead, they lingered in shadow, watching in silence as humanity steadily flourished beneath elven grace. Only after The Final Farewell, in the year 999 A.E., did the demons stir once more. They laid their schemes for the renewal of their long and ruinous crusade.
In 1587 A.E., The Tethered Triumvirate rose as demonkind gathered under three dangerous demons in the hidden, forgotten corners of the North.
Sussuria, a priestess of ancient art, had mastered the sacred light so fully that she could send forth shards of her spirit to enthrall the bodies of others like a puppeteer, and at will, transfigure her form into a phantom of light.
Saengma, a commander of honor, holds truth and valor above all. Swift and deadly in battle through mastery of the electric flame, he is always cunning and resolute in war, ever seeking to outmaneuver those who oppose him.
Shikōmaru, a scientist in pursuit of truth, delves deep into the mysteries of the world. Not only through magic, but also through science and craft. With his bond to water’s source, he fashions terrible marvels to serve his designs.
Before the hidden gathering of demonkind may be told, one must first seek the root from which such darkness sprang. The root that gave rise to the Tethered Triumvirate. Thus, we turn our gaze to the early years of the Silver Age, when the seeds were sown that would one day bind the scattered hosts of shadow beneath a single banner in their crusade against all of mankind.
Though many now hold that the Tethered Triumvirate arose in the North, the truth lies deeper still. It began in the ancient city of Phaenopolis, within the realm of Thalethys. There, beneath Thalassarchion (Θαλασσαρχε?ον), Archmage Aeltharen gathered a host of demons under his banner. At the heart of the capital, he ruled the Nation of Magic as its Thalassarch. Hidden below lies Tartarus, a vast fortress entwined with secret tunnels, marvelous in craft yet dreadful in purpose, a place of wonder and unspeakable fear.
In the shadowed depths of Tartarus, Aeltharen founded a secret academy for demons of great potential, those destined to become strategists, warriors, and leaders of dark renown. Yet he was but one, unable to dwell in all places at once. To overcome this, he fashioned an illusion of his own dread form, tethered by thought to his true body, allowing him to rule Thalethys above while instructing his hidden disciples below. Thus did the founding of Tartarus in 1556 A.E., and the emergence of The Arachnid Academy in 1559 A.E., unfold in silence, secrecy, and succeed beyond measure.
The first of Aeltharen’s apprentices was Vladislav, a young demon of noble bearing, gifted with a brilliant mind and a natural command. Though but newly forged in the fires of his youth, he showed great promise in matters of statecraft, sorcery, science, and lore. Yet their bond grew beyond that of master and student, for in time they came to walk as equals, their minds united in countless studies of the arcane and the unknown. Among their discoveries was a dreadful truth: that certain souls could possess the bodies of others. Such a feat, however, required a subtle and perilous art known as The Acting Method. The invader must gently mirror the victim’s spirit by adopting their traits and nature until full dominion was slowly achieved.
Another key discovery is Convergent Evolution. Aeltharen describes it as the process where unrelated species evolve similar traits due to shared environments or selective pressures. His studies show that demonkind, once monstrous and beastlike, gradually evolved humanlike features to better hunt humans. Over time, they learned to blend in, adopting strategies of deception, manipulation, and destruction, making them nearly identical to those they sought to annihilate. Though humans and demons are different species, they now slowly look alike because one evolved to mimic the other.
Aeltharen perceived at last that demonkind was a race shaped in both mind and form to fulfill its dark designs. Yet not all took the guise of men, for many remained monstrous in shape, towering and terrible, even as their wit deepened with the passing of years. Still, the Archmage was ever enthralled, believing that his studies in possession and convergent evolution would one day serve him well in the war against mankind. For now, he governs the magical nation of Thalethys and guides the Arachnid Academy in secret.
Yet Aeltharen’s purpose is not the utter ruin of mankind, but rather the tempering of its restless spirit and boundless desire. He seeks to teach the Race of Men to cherish what is already granted, to look with reverence upon the gifts of the world, lest their unbridled ambition bring doom upon the magical realms. His war is not waged against their flesh, but against the very nature that drives them onward without pause. For men must learn, through fear if need be, that complacency, pride, and folly bear a price. In that task, terror may serve where gentler wisdom has long gone unheeded.
Such a purpose would long be etched into the hearts of Aeltharen’s demonic pupils, whose loyalty deepened with time into reverence and worship. To them he was neither mere mentor nor Thalassarch, but The Hierophant himself, a title he named and bore with solemn pride. In the ancient lore of the tarot, The Hierophant holds the fifth place among the Major Arcana, a figure of sacred teaching who guides by example, calling others to serve a higher good and to live by wise laws that truly bind a people in harmony.
Vladislav served The Hierophant as both counsellor and steward, bearing the Tarot name of The Fool, the first and unnumbered among the Major Arcana. The Fool signifies the dawn of a journey, the fire of unshaped promise, and the courage to tread paths unknown with hope unshaken. So it was with Vladislav, who ventured into peril without hesitation, that his master’s design might be fulfilled. Yet even he knew that Aeltharen’s vision could not be realized alone. Others of power and sway must be gathered, and Vladislav set forth to find them. The work of recruitment had begun.
Vladislav journeyed south to the luminous nation of Santora in the year 1565 A.E., descending into the catacombs beneath the city where stood a cathedral of bone and silence, known to few as The Sussurranotte. There he beheld a spectral figure, her black eyes veiled by flowing strands of white hair, her pale skin aglow beneath a high-collared cloak of intricate design. She was called Sussuria, and she would test him with trials of mind and song, cruel and strange, before lending her power to his master’s cause.
Thereafter, Sussuria led Vladislav into the East, a land where peace and quietude are pursued with devotion. There, harmony is attained through mastery of meditation and the disciplined art of war, strengthening mind, soul, and flesh alike. Such wisdom is preserved within the East’s many temples and cloisters. Among its disciples was Saengma, a warrior of great renown, both strategist and soldier, who wields blade and honor as one. Sussuria, having marked his worth, granted Vladislav leave to seek him out, that his strength might be shaped in service of Aeltharen’s great crusade.
The three demons passed through the lands of the East, wandering from temple to village, from farmstead to hidden vale, seeking those of their kind who had vanished from the eyes of the world. At length they turned northward, where Vladislav came upon Shikōmaru, a demon cast out by his own kin, branded heretic and exile. Desiring to pursue knowledge unbound by law or conscience, he willingly welcomed the path Vladislav offered and joined The Fool and his companions on their road to Thalethys.
The Fool brought the three demons before The Hierophant in the year 1568 A.E. There stood a towering shadow, clad in dark and tattered robes, his eyes aglow with white fire, crowned with jagged horns that spoke of ancient dread and silent dominion. Vladislav bowed low and named the three mighty demons he had found upon his perilous journey. Aeltharen beheld their promise and vowed to shape them through trials and teachings, that they might rise as strong and wise leaders in the days yet to come.
By the teaching and will of The Hierophant, Saengma, Shikōmaru, and Sussuria were shaped and tempered in strength and wisdom, their powers swelling until they matched the glory of The Stars of the Heavens. Thus prepared, they stood firm to meet the elves in battle as equals. Saengma became the mightiest warrior in all Aeltharia, fierce in combat yet cunning and vigilant from afar. Shikōmaru embraced gifts that wrought change upon flesh and mind, strange mutations heightening his craft and strength. And Sussuria, transformed into a phantom marionettist, can command the souls of nations, bending them beneath her haunting song and unyielding will.
In the end, they swore fealty to His Majesty, The Hierophant, known far and wide as The Orchestrator, The Omniscient One, and The Overseer. These names, wrought in shadow and dread, were meant to strike terror into the hearts of foes and command the reverence of demons who would gather beneath one unyielding and fearsome banner. Yet the war against mankind was not to be waged in haste or folly. Each triumph and fall must be shaped with care, a woven tapestry of guile and patience, that their enemies might be undone by cunning and caught unawares at the final turning of the tide.
The Hierophant dared not reveal his presence to the world, for the safety of a leader is the sure foundation upon which victory is built. From this great wisdom sprang a cunning design: to forge a hidden faction, led by trusted lieutenants, unknown to The Race of Men, who remain blind to the hand that moves all from shadow. Thus was born The Tethered Triumvirate.
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The Tethered Triumvirate was forged in the year 1587 A.E. by Saengma, Shikōmaru, and Sussuria as the veiled hand of The Hierophant. Their dark charge was to unleash calamities upon mankind so dire that men might truly grasp the heavy weight of suffering, oppression, and ruin. Though the Race of Men once knew such grievous truths ere the coming of the elves, this bitter lesson must be reforged anew, hammered upon their souls, that they may learn to cherish the fragile peace their fading memories still hold dear.
Yet the forging of such calamities is a dark and cruel deed, wrought with villainy. Many innocent souls shall perish, falling without knowledge of the cause or meaning. Aeltharen bears the full weight of this choice, embracing the mantle of villainy, that those who remain and their descendants might learn a lesson etched deep and lasting. The scars of sorrow shall never fade, nor was it meant they should. They shall endure until men accept the past and learn its bitter truths. These devastations shall rend the hearts of men yet spare the earth and all creatures that dwell beyond mankind’s reckoning.
The Tethered Triumvirate led a vast legion of demons northward to found a lasting stronghold. Yet Saengma counseled Vladislav that to craft a hidden refuge upon the surface was fraught with peril. The elves of the Heavens, ever watchful, might spy their every deed and warn the Race of Men of the coming shadow. The Fool carried these solemn words unto The Hierophant, who marked the counsel well and weighed it deep in his dreadful designs.
Aeltharen took the counsel to heart and began the forging of a city deep within the furthest reaches of Hollow Earth, a realm where demons had dwelt for untold centuries since their waking. The world came to know it as Hell, a vast metropolis of black obsidian set beneath a crimson crystal sky. Jagged spires pierced the choking gloom, while rivers of blood-red light flowed through towering shadowed halls. Bioluminescent blooms flared like forbidden embers in the darkness, and overhead the sky burned with a fractured, heart-like core of molten glass, suffusing all with lingering dread.
Across two centuries, countless winding subterranean labyrinths, called Dungeons, rose deep beneath the earth, vast cities and fortresses hewn within their dark embrace. Saengma’s armies secured all of Hollow Earth, forging these warrens into mighty strongholds. These twisting halls bind Hell to the farthest corners of the world, their hidden gates cloaked within secret caves and shadowed corridors. For no demon can watch all places at once, Shikōmaru crafted cunning traps and dread beasts, that no trespasser might cross these haunted halls unscathed or unaware of the peril within.
Saengma stood in awe before the vast and wondrous halls that rose within the Dungeons, knowing well their artifice and pondering the hand that shaped such marvels. Determined to unveil the master and chief architect, The Dungeon Master, he braved endless trials alone, enduring dangers that tested both body and spirit. At last he beheld the forging of a new vault, wrought by the dark sorcery of Nehebkau, a demon skilled in the ancient craft of earth and stone. The cunning architect marked Saengma’s approach, and thus began a fierce duel that lasted a full moon’s passing, the very dungeons around them transformed into a battlefield of shadow and flame.
Nehebkau yielded at last, defeated by Saengma, who leveled his blade, Starcleaver, before her. The commander of the Tethered Triumvirate was struck not only by her prowess in battle but also by her wondrous craft, for she had forged countless cities, fortresses, and traps in their contests. He asked why she wrought such dungeons, and she answered that she desired civilization to rise and rule. With solemn grace, she shared her deep wisdom on the nature of kingdoms and the art of guiding them to lasting glory.
The words of Nehebkau stirred great wonder in the heart of Saengma, who eagerly sought her alliance and spoke praises before Vladislav. At length, Vladislav came forth, gaining Nehebkau’s trust, yet asking in return the authority and title of Dungeon Master. This she granted; and in exchange, he pledged counsel, support, and means to establish her own nation to rule.
In the frozen North, Shikōmaru and Sussuria journeyed across the frozen wastelands, seeking to scout and gather more demons to their dark cause. The North, cradle of their kind, was a land well known to many, and thus they sought kin who had long dwelt there. Fortune smiled upon them when they encountered great demonic wolves, vast beasts fiercer than mortal hunters, their might surpassing that of common wolves. The Northerners called them werewolves, for these demons had taken the shape of wolves, born of shadow and fury, to stalk mankind and roam the bitter cold.
Yet these werewolves were scattered and divided, lacking any hand to bind them as one. Sussuria returned to lead the Tethered Triumvirate, seeking to forge a lasting presence in the North, while Shikōmaru journeyed onward. He hoped to find a soul of worth, as Saengma had done when he met Nehebkau deep within the dungeons months before. The mad scientist’s fortune turned when he came upon a humble hut, home to a native demon of Siyowaska named Wisakedjak, who tended an orphaned werewolf pup called Svaronova. Wisakedjak bore mistrust for Shikōmaru, deeming him a heretic among demons, though Svaronova welcomed him with eager heart.
At last, Wisakedjak yielded to Svaronova’s plea and welcomed Shikōmaru into his humble dwelling. Though time softens hearts between host and guest, no swift friendship blossomed here. The two demons clashed in word and will, their debates sharp yet restrained, for neither sought to kindle outright strife. Yet in the end, Shikōmaru’s counsel swayed Wisakedjak who pledged his mastery of shadow and druidry to The Hierophant’s righteous cause, one that moved in harmony with the deep purpose of all demonkind.
Wisakedjak accepted and followed Shikōmaru, with Svaranova close at hand, into the shadowed depths of Hell. The Hierophant welcomed the Siyowaskan demon as a master warmly greets a new disciple. Wisakedjak learned the ancient lore of druidry beneath The Hierophant’s keen gaze, while Svaranova grew to unite all werewolves as their fierce alpha wolf.
In 1603 A.E., The Hierophant resolved to move his throne to Hell, where he might personally oversee the forging of demonkind’s dark destiny. This meant he could no longer hold sway as Thalassarch of Thalethys, nor continue teaching in the Nation of Magic and Tartarus. Thus, Aeltharen prepared to yield his mantle to a worthy and steadfast successor, one who might guide Thalethys with both wisdom deep and strength unyielding.
To seek a worthy heir was no labour unto Aeltharen, for grace had long been bestowed upon one among his brightest, beloved of all Thalethys far and near. Professor Theoros of the Divination Department hailed from Manteion, where he mastered the secret crafts of a seer. There he deepened his gift of foresight, discerning past and present alike, that by wisdom he might behold what fate the veiled years of the distant future would reveal.
In time Theoros found love, and he took to wife Professor Astrea of the Astronomy Department, their bond first kindled in the halls of Manteion when both had attained their five and thirtieth year. To them was granted a daughter, Hecate by name, born in the year 1608 A.E. Yet Theoros knew not that Astrea bore a hidden lineage, for she was a demon of Tartarus, reared beneath the stern hand of Vladislav, and clad in mortal guise. The truth was unveiled in grievous hour, when her hold upon the form of flesh was broken, and she became a dread demon azure and fell. Then with heavy heart Theoros lay her to rest, and grief in uttermost despair consumed him.
Theoros bore ever a fierce hatred of demonkind, for in the days of his youth they had slain his kin; therefore was the wound of betrayal bitter indeed when Astrea’s true nature was unveiled. With heavy heart he carried his daughter, but two years in age, half-demon and marked with skin of azure, unto the high cliff, deeming her a creature of fell making. Yet the hand of a father could not bring so grievous a deed to pass. Tormented by guilt and sorrow, Theoros delivered the child unto Eirēnēion, the Sanctuary of Peace, an orphan-house of renown hidden deep within the capital of Phaenopolis.
Theoros’s heart was burdened with sorrow, yet he steeled his spirit to accept his fate as the honored heir of Aeltharen; and in the year 1616 A.E. he was exalted Thalassarch of Thalethys. His gift was foresight, to behold what futures might arise and by what choices they were shaped; thus he discerned the path he must walk to lead the realm through trial. And so, by wisdom and faithful counsel, the heavy mantle of rule was at last laid upon him.
Before he set forth upon the next journey of his long fate, Aeltharen bade farewell unto all Thalethys. And ere his parting he granted unto Thalassarch Theoros a single boon, to name one magical gift of the former master. With steadfast heart Theoros besought the grace of agelessness and immortality, yearning to behold the endless years as do the elves. Aeltharen, pondering, granted the wish, yet bound it with release, lest the burden grow too great.
The first Thalassarch departed from Thalethys, yet in truth he but moved his seat to the shadowed depths of Hell, that he might better guide demonkind. This momentous change was witnessed by many of Thalethys, among them young Hecate. At eight years, she bore a bitter heart toward her father, who left her to dwell in a remote orphanage where she felt ever an outcast and forgotten. This bitterness drove her to join a wandering troupe called The Kyanē Chímaira (Κυαν? Χ?μαιρα), the Blue Chimera, where she plied her craft as a magician. The troupe sojourned each year in one of five cities, granting Hecate the rare chance to study diverse magics from many schools.
Hecate’s blood, mingled of demon and human, and her gift in the mystic arts drew the keen gaze of The Hierophant. He dispatched Vladislav to aid her and to bid her forsake the wandering Kyanē Chímaira and take up the mantle of the Director of Eirēnēion. Though seeming a humble orphanage, the Sanctuary of Peace lies bound to Tartarus and shelters many young demons sent forth to dwell as spies among the Race of Men. In time, Vladislav shaped Hecate into a shrewd and mighty leader, entrusted with guiding the coming generations of demonkind in many fields of academics.
At length, Vladislav’s gathering of the seven great demons furnished The Hierophant with mighty lieutenants to wield his “divine” will and oversee their crafts. Each of these seven, Vladislav among them, grew in power and influence across Aeltharia. Their mastery of magic was such that many demons regarded them as primal forces, dread predators whose presence was like unto the fury of a mighty storm or the wrath of the world itself.
Sussuria, in the year 1618 A.E., boldly secured a mighty foothold for The Tethered Triumvirate in the frozen North, alongside Saengma and Shikōmaru. These three great demons would draw all eyes and blame for the disasters that would come, shielding The Hierophant, Vladislav, and the rest of the seven mighty lieutenants whose dread names shall one day be known throughout the wide world. For now, the Tethered Triumvirate moves as one, a shadowed host set to unleash ruin and calamity upon all.
Their first prey were the humans who dwelt in the frozen North, alongside the myriad creatures native to those bleak lands. Many were taken in the stillness of night by the werewolves, dragged deep into the shadowed labyrinths of the Northern dungeons. Within those vast subterranean castles and ancient tombs, the captives were laid to painless slumber in countless cocoons, their bodies subjected to Shikōmaru’s dark arts in magic, science, and technology. There, he sought through endless trial and varied design the surest means to bring ruin upon the many scattered tribes of mankind.
One design he deemed most fitting was to unleash a grievous plague upon all of Aeltharia, one that would touch only mankind and spare all others. This pestilence would carry a fell contagion, transforming the afflicted into beautiful, pale, and haunting beings, which Shikōmaru named the sanguine or vampires. Through overwhelming fury, despair, and sorrow, these cursed souls would slowly take monstrous shape, akin to demons themselves, beasts of great might, skilled in sorcery, cunning in craft, and wise to the ways of shadow, capable of stalking and slaying their former brethren.
