Riftspawn
The Riftspawn were not of Aetheria. They were the antithesis of life as it was known, creatures of nightmare and malice. At the head of this dark parade were the higher Riftspawn: entities such as the ancient vampires, whose intellects were as sharp as their fangs, and the archfey, beings of caprice and cruelty that twisted the land with their mere presence. They were sovereigns of horror, orchestrating the onslaught with a terrifying cunning and purpose.
These higher beings were not merely content with destruction; they sought to subjugate, to corrupt, and to dominate. They wove their influence into the very essence of Aetheria, twisting creatures into perversions of their former selves and claiming territories once vibrant with life.
In their wake came the lesser Riftspawn, a horde of mindless minions that acted as the hands and feet of their vile masters. These abominations—gibbering mouthers, slithering oozes, and skeletal undead—spread like a plague, overwhelming settlements not through strategy but sheer force and numbers. They were thralls to the higher Riftspawn, extensions of their will, driven only by the instinct to destroy and consume.
The lesser Riftspawn, though lacking the cunning and dark intellect of their superiors, were no less devastating. The skulking ghouls, born from the corpses of the fallen, hunted in packs, their hunger insatiable. Twisted hounds with maws of searing flame prowled the scorched earth, their howls a lament to a world lost. Shadowy wraiths slipped through the cracks of the crumbling cities, their touch sapping the warmth from both hearth and heart.
The Cataclysm was not a single event but the beginning of an age of suffering. The Riftspawn turned the land into a canvas of their aberrant desires. Forests became labyrinths of madness, mountains the spires of the damned, and the seas the inky depths of the unspoken. The Riftspawn were not just invaders; they were a corruption, a cancer that sought to remake Aetheria in the image of whatever twisted reality they had come from.
For millennia, these creatures held dominion in what would be known to history as the Age of Ash. Their reign was unopposed, a dark age where the Riftspawn thrived amidst the ashes of the old world. The higher beings enacted their vile plots and insidious politics, treating the ravaged Aetheria as their playground, while the lesser monsters enacted a ceaseless litany of terror and destruction.
The Riftspawn left a legacy of horror that would be etched into the memory of the world.
The Nightmares- A monstrous entity with countless eyes and tendrils of shadow, weaving nightmares into reality. It moves through the darkness like a whisper, leaving madness in its wake.
The Chimerae - Grotesque beasts with the heads of dragons, lions, and goats, bodies stitched from various creatures. They prowl the ruins with unnatural agility, breathing fire and venom.
The Voidwalker - A Riftspawn that appears humanoid but with skin like the night sky. It phases in and out of reality, leaving pockets of temporal distortion where time stands still or races forward uncontrollably.
Wraiths - Ghostly figures that float above the ground, their forms partially transparent and constantly shifting. Their presence saps the warmth from the air and fills the heart with dread.
Creatures of Horror
Few records survive which depict what these creatures looked like, how they behaved, what "civilizations" they may have formed. However, some descriptions and ideas have been pieced together by historians' efforts in Craghorn and other major cities.Higher Riftspawn
The Liches - An undead sorcerer whose ancient magic twists the air with a chill that seeps into the bone. It wears regal, tattered robes that flutter in an unfelt wind, and its eyes glow with necromantic power.Lesser Riftspawn
Ghouls - Emaciated creatures with a hunger for flesh. They move in packs, their jaws snapping with anticipation, their eyes glowing with a feral hunger. Flame Hounds - These hounds bear coats of smoldering embers and eyes like molten lava. They roam the scorched landscapes, their barks igniting fires.
Related Myths