By Oberis Vasari

I was a student at the University of Iradem when the Curse washed over the Realm, it came upon us like a thick fog of roiling darkness that passed over us in a moment. There was a smell that had a fragrance not unlike old death mixed with soot that was carried with the fog. In a moment the fog dispersed, leaving us bewildered, but something deep within gave us a feeling that the world had changed, and a nagging unknown terror began to gnaw at the back of my mind. I witnessed others give into the fear, and they fled for their homes, cowered in alleys, or were transfixed where they stood. A few even gave way to madness and rage, lashing out at their fellows until they were subdued.

And then came the Darkborn. 

They emerged from the very air itself, rending the world open as if they were pulling themselves through an invisible canvas. They took barely a moment to gain their bearings before setting upon those nearest to them, having no regard for man, woman, child, or beast, everything seemed to be a target for their aggression and hunger.

The fortunate avoided such a cruel fate, and many of us hid or fled the horror that befell others. It wasn’t until much later that I was able to collect myself and pen an account of what I had seen.

As for the creatures themselves, an Ar-Nura once described them to me as “A shattered memory of something viewed through a dark mirror.”

From what I have seen as they stalked the streets of fallen Iradem, their physiology is radically varying. Jagged tearing claws, drooling gaping maws, unblinking eyes, and writhing tentacles, all combined to create some foul abominations that induce utter terror upon those that catch a glance of them before they are set upon.

Their random variety has no uniformity even to mark them as members of the same species. However, what is most aggravating, especially to a student of anatomy like myself, is that upon death the creatures begin immediately decaying into a foul ash-like substance that has so little weight it floats away in the slightest breeze. Within minutes the entire body is little more than a pile of soot, and within the hour all remains of the creatures have vanished, leaving behind only the terror and death they leave in their wake.

Regardless of what they appear as, they cannot be reasoned with. I saw some poor souls attempt to calm the beasts, only to be torn asunder by wicked claws and gnashing teeth. Death and destruction seem to be all they know. Religious texts speak of the “Outer Darkness”, which is a place where things of rage and hunger dwell. That would easily describe these creatures, and I can only assume that such horrors visited the ancient world, leading to their inclusion in mythology.

“Those things slaughtered everyone I know. The only way I survived was by hiding in a trunk and holding my breath until they passed. I stayed in there for two days fearing that they would hear me.”
-Anya Vestra

“They were a wave of howling teeth, and they cared little for our threats of steel. Their ferocity was no match for our sharpened blades, yet they still killed half my men.”
–Sergeant Korallis