Warforged

"The so-called 'knights' of Osran are barely worthy of the name. It takes far more than a lance and a mount to be a knight. Should we call any fool riding a sheep with a repurposed pitchfork a knight? No. Knighthood is more than a style of fighting. It is a way of life, a code of honor, a burden to bear for the worthy few. It is chivalry, something I fear the men of the South will never understand."
- Sir Henri Beaufort of Noirev, a knight of Chevel and suspected Man of Iron. Circa 3850 2E.

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The word "Racken" means "skeleton" in Old Tongue and refers to machines made in the image of Humans during the Age of the Shadow. They were originally created as a way to conserve manpower during the fierce fighting of the War of Devouring and the War of the Shadow. Having a soul brought back from the dead, the Racken understand the most about the cycle of life and death. Many wish to return to the afterlife, as they were meant to following their death many millennia ago, those who still live do so because of their commitments in this life and are not yet ready to go. Many of the Racken were lost and forgotten following the war, and have reemerged or reawakened to act in the world once again. The ranks of the Racken have gradually decreased through the ages, and are rarely seen. Most people cannot identify a Racken when they see one, as their body looks similar enough to a Human in a suit of armor.

Man and Machine

The Racken were first created by Humanity and the Brevenni in an effort to reuse the souls of those who had fallen in battle. The exact method of doing so has been lost to history, although it sounds similar to how the Shadow's necromancers would put souls into unused bodies to use as soldiers. The difference between creating a Racken and necromancy is that the Racken has memories from its past life, although they tend to be fragmented. Additionally, the Racken has free will and full control over their body. Due to their machine nature, the Racken are functionally immortal, although the ravages of time force them to repair and fabricate new parts constantly. Though long-lived, the Racken only have limited memory and must delete parts of their memory to create more space. Racken can also lose all memory if they are heavily damaged.

The Racken were intended originally to serve as infantry during the War of Devouring. Following the end of the war, they were repurposed for civil purposes or deconstructed to allow their souls to rest. Racken were often used for jobs too dangerous for regular Humans to do, such as working in mines or among hazardous materials. This was little issue for the Racken, since their machine nature allows them to go without food or oxygen, and makes them immune to most unsafe environments. Despite this resistance, the death and revival of a Racken takes a heavy toll on the individual. More and more of a Racken's memories and personality is lost every time they are revived, until they become "Emptied." A being with no free will that only follows basic tasks it did during life. Racken who overload their memory also have a much higher risk of becoming Emptied upon death and revival.

Knights of Antiquity

During the War of the Shadow and following the Great Collapse, the Racken were used primarily as heavy infantry, able to withstand blows and fight in environments that would kill most mortals. Their machine nature also meant that killing blows would not necessarily kill them permanently if their body was still salvageable after the battle. This role of heavy infantry would begin the idea of the "Men of Iron," a knighthood order of Racken dedicated to defending against the Deceiver. Towards the end of the War of the Shadow, shortly before the Great Collapse, the Men of Iron stockpiled information and technology from the Age of the Shadow to make sure Mankind did not descend into barbarism. This plan failed, however, as they were sabotaged by agents of Malek, causing the Human and Shantil races to fall into savagery for centuries. Civilization did return eventually due to the efforts of the remaining Men of Iron and the discovery of some of these caches. While it has been four millennia since these caches were first made, many still lay unfound with information and technology from a better time. The Men of Iron influenced many nations, although their presence was strongest among Northlander civilizations. Chivalry became a cornerstone of Chevelian society, and the efforts of the Men of Iron helped create a stable, centralized state in the region while the rest of Humanity still squabbled in hundreds of different states.
The history of the Men of Iron is mirky after their involvement with the Chevelian state. This is intentional, since the Men of Iron secretly influence the world and don't want their own history to be known to the rest of the world. It is believed they helped Osran achieve his great victories in uniting Humanity and provided him with technology and insights from some of their vaults. Despite this, the knighthoods of Osran's empire show little to no resemblance to the Men of Iron. It is also believed that the Men of Iron helped fight off every Blight during the Age of Collapse. The recent actions of the Men of Iron have been to prepare Humanity for the coming end of the Second Era, when the Deceiver will escape from his prison once again and touch the world.

An Anachronism in the Modern Day

Much of the understanding of the natural, divine, and arcane world that the mortal races took for granted during the first days of the Racken has been lost. The very understanding of how the Racken body functions is barely understood by modern scholars. Despite the importance of the Racken to much of the modern world, their existence is often feared by mortals. The Racken rarely reveal their true nature, so that they will not be misunderstood and persecuted.

Soldiers of a Bygone War

"... and the Men of Iron wept for the end of the war. Both in joy and sorrow. Joy for the end of senseless bloodshed and the defeat of their enemy. Sorrow for their loss of purpose."
- "History from the Age of Shadow," original author unknown.

Following the end of the War of the Shadow, the Racken had completed their only task: to protect Humanity. After the completion of this task, many Racken took their own lives in order to let their souls return to the afterlife. Those who did not have strong commitments, although the meaning of this commitment is different for each individual. The most popular commitment is membership to the Men of Iron, a secret knighthood tasked with protecting and guiding Humanity and the Shantil into the Third Era. Many more Racken have been left in stasis for millennia and are only now beginning to reawake. Those who do are in for a massive culture shock.

Creating a Racken Character

• Your Desire: What has kept you going for millennia? Are you a member of the Men of Iron, or do you aspire to a different goal?
• Your Past Life: Do you remember bits of it at all, or did you clear it from your memory?
• Your Age: What role in the military did you serve during the Age of the Shadow? Are you a newer Racken, or were you there when the first Racken were created?

Racken Names

Racken tend to adopt pseudonyms from time to time, based on what culture and time they currently live in. Racken have a true name. True names are in Old Tongue, and are listed below.
Male Names: Amnon, Eigor, Dekar, Guo, Hao, Viktor
Female Names: Adara, Elinoa, Mei, Sofia, Tatiana, Yan
Making Your Own Name: Old Tongue is based on Hebrew, Han Chinese, and Russian.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Human

Origin/Ancestry

Isanian

Lifespan

Functionally Immortal

Average Height

5'9"

Average Weight

160 lbs