Though no other nation can come anywhere close to the power of the Soryan Order and (to a lesser extent) the Holy Order of Aeremon, they all employ their own fashion of sorcery, be it blood magic, clerical or other.

Not so with Kelland. That cold land utilizes a method of building various machines that work within the confines of nature. They call this "technology".

While somewhat laughable now (we do not laugh at them to their faces), there was a time when their flying boxes and projectile weapons were truly a devastating, superior force to our ancestors here in Il'Doran.

Why did they develop this way, when the rest of the world is more or less in step with one another?

Theories abound, but it may be difficult to fully and definitively answer this question.

For one, the Kelland are extremely guarded about their early history. The second and most telling factor is that the early Kelland were extremely aggressive (as the Il'Dorani people of the time discovered to their dismay), even with each other.

Repeated internal strife and civil wars wiped out much of the history of the time, so that apparently even they are unaware of the true facts of the founding of their nation.

The Holy Order does not deem this a subject worthy of time and effort. We of the Soryan Order disagree. The answers to the Kelland question seem tied inextricably, as with every matter of great importance, to the greatest mystery this world has ever known.

The mystery of the Elves.

A Litch is a very powerful creature, similar to a Vampire but with NONE of a Vampire's weaknesses.

These beings are immortal and almost entirely invulnerable to harm. Most Soryans will have difficulty besting a Litch by themselves. Upon encountering a Litch, protocol demands immediate retreat to alert the Order to the danger.

Litches generate powerful magical forces within their own bodies. Most, if not all of them are sorcerers capable of terrifying feats of sorcery.

Vampires are the Lieutenants to the Litches General. It is known that Vampires don't care for this arrangement but there is little to be done about it from their end.

Although they have no known weaknesses, the only fortunate circumstance is that they are few and far between. It is not known exactly what causes a Litch to be created. No amount of coercion will get a Litch to talk if it does not wish to.

It seems Litches are solitary beings. Not especially happy about the creation or existence of other Litches.

Usually a small squad of Soryans is dispatched to deal with any Litches that turn up, but until we discover the ultimate cause of their creation, and a way to prevent it, we will most likely never be rid of them.

~Master Soryan Archivist Arryl.

These creatures are blessed with a malevolent cunning and intelligence. They are almost always involved in some greater scheme than is readily apparent. It is best to uncover it sooner rather than later.

Where Zombies and Hellwights feed on human flesh, Vampires feed solely on human blood. They tend to have family alliances, and most remain loyal to the Vampire that sired them.

As with Hellwights, no mundane weaponry will harm them. Although there are a few curious weaknesses. Fatal weakness to sunlight is the most striking. Why this is so no one knows. A precise strike through the heart with a wooden weapon will destroy the vampire. Again it is not known why.

For some reason, a Vampire may not enter a personal home without being invited. They may enter any public building they wish. Very curious.

Some Vampires possess other abilities such as powerful hypnosis, abilities to control lesser lifeforms such as wolves, birds, bats and rats. Also the ability to transform into mist or animals. All very odd, but very dangerous abilities to have.

Finally, Vampires are essentially immortal, and will apparently live forever if not hunted down and killed. Some Vampires we destroyed have been over 600 years old!

Although most of the personality of the original human is retained when one is turned, for some reason the condition almost without fail causes the person to fall into evil. The Holy Order of Aeremon ascribes this to the lack of a human soul.

We of the Soryan Order do not believe this. We have seen more than enough evil from those who have full possession of their souls, assuming souls even exist.

It is a mark of shame for the Soryan Order that we have not rid humanity of this disease as of yet.

~Master Soryan Archivist Arryl.

Like Zombies, they operate only on instinct -although at a higher level than Zombies. Hellwights react to their environment and can even follow rudimentary orders, plus adapt tactics to attain their goal of feeding. Their desire for human flesh is what propels them. They are the foot soldiers of the greater undead.

Where they differ mostly from Zombies is not only their speed and brain function, but the magic that animates them protects them from mundane injury. Normal weapons will not harm a Hellwight. They can only be dispatched via magical means.

They also reproduce via bite, similar to a Zombie. If attacked and bitten by a Hellwight or Zombie, immediate magical healing is your only recourse, lest you spend eternity as a walking nightmare.

~Master Soryan Archivist Arryl.

Zombie - what we call a 'Zombie' is most often always a mistake, or an immortality spell gone awry. The formerly living creature possess no reason, cannot move at speeds greater than a lurch, and present almost no danger to a Soryan.

It is only the rapid contagion that causes problems for unsuspecting citizens.

The Zombies feed on the living, but even if left to their own devices the animated corpse will eventually deteriorate to nothing.

Such as these are nothing more than a nuisance threat to the Soryan Order or the Holy Order of Aeremon.

~Master Soryan Archivist Arryl.

At least, they are supposed to be.

The Order of Nine came to be centuries ago during the years of aggression this nation endured from our current ally Kelland. Each of the provinces were little more than vaguely defined territories then, but organization was necessary to repel the Kelland invaders. Some say this organization was imposed with force.

Each of the original members of the Order of Nine, while legends themselves, paled in comparison to the most honored figure in the history of Il'Doran - Tristain, the founder of the Holy Order of Aeremon.

He was the one who brought together adversarial, openly hostile magic users under the banner of Aeremon. It is told that he was responsible for creating the original Order of Nine and laying the foundation of our government today.

Unfortunately, the Order of Nine was little more than a puppet regime, appearing to be in control, but truly following strict orders from the Holy Order of Aeremon -allowing their religion to take hold as law in this country for hundreds of years.

It was only the rise of the Soryan Order that showed the people, and the Order of Nine, that true government by the people was possible. Today the Order of Nine is a much more autonomous body than ever before.

Yet they are not entirely free from the clutches of the Church. Much of the national budget is still funded by income from the Holy Church. Some of this financing is given publicly, while according to our sources, much is given behind closed doors and out of the public eye.

Not to mention that there are sitting members of the Order of Nine who would have it no other way. These members are strong believers in Aeremon and the Holy Order. They will not see those ties broken if they can prevent it.

None of the Order of Nine are truly sympathetic to the Soryan Order, but the will of the people is to avoid the terrible ravages of war. To appease them, they must treat with us fairly, at least in public.

Even though we are left with a possibly compromised ruling body, all Soryans must take solace in the fact that at least we now have some voice in this government, muted though it may be.

~Master Soryan Archivist Arryl.

I strongly believe that the momentum of favorable public opinion towards Soryans is unstoppable. It grows every day, though it may take years, generations likely, before we are fully accepted.

The true damage here is to the good citizens of Il'Doran. Many suffer from terrible afflictions or die from injuries sustained in accidents. These people suffer and die needlessly.

We have yet to find any disease or injury short of death that cannot be healed by the power of the Soryan Order. Alas, many citizens under the sway of the Holy Order of Aeremon are frightened of us, and refuse treatment even to save their lives, as they believe they will be consigned to one of Aeremon's many Hells should they be touched by Soryan Magic.

This, of course, is preposterous. Silly, and all the more tragic for being so.

The magic of the Holy Order, while powerful, apparently cannot heal to the degree that ours can. Even if they could, it is doubtful they would if the people were not large contributors to the church. Many have died because the Holy Order deemed them too lowly to heal.

The Soryan Order can do little in this situation except watch as good people suffer and die for no sane reason at all.

~Master Soryan Archivist Arryl.

Already we have heard of violent strikes from out of the desert into Wastel. People murdered and even attacks on Soryans.

There is at least some connection to the Holy Order of Aeremon. As is usually the case, our missives to the Holy Order go unanswered unless routed through the offices of the Order of Nine. That process can take weeks, if the messages are answered at all.

So it falls to the Soryan Order to find the truth of this situation and halt further aggression. It is my fervent hope that there is some explanation for these incidents that will not devolve into violence, but all my years of experience tell me to prepare for bloody years ahead.

~Master Soryan Archivist Arryl.

There are many Elven artifacts to be found in every land and every nation, proving if nothing else that the Elves at one time enjoyed dominion over this entire world.

Many of the Elven relics found are completely harmless, though there are a few well known objects that have proven to be lethal when tampered with.

What is clear is that the creatures were extraordinarily powerful.

What could have happened to them?

The only known place to find the answer to that question (possibly) is the small island to the southwest of our great nation of Il'Doran. Alas, the barricade that surrounds the island defies even the power of the Soryan Order to gain entry. Attempts to breach it are almost always fatal.

Evidence gleaned from the fragments of Elven society that remain outside of the island suggest that they either destroyed themselves, or they simply left.

The questions then remain - if they did not destroy themselves, why leave this world? Or if they did leave, where did they go? Finally, wherever they went, are they still there?

~Master Soryan Archivist Arryl.

Under normal circumstances, any envoy from Kelland or Il'Doran is met with the utmost respect, grudging though it may be.

King Bhyrain is foolish in many ways, but not fool enough to purposely bring down the wrath of our own nation or that of the Kelland.

Although inferior to us, the military might of Kelland far exceeds anything Wastel would be able to muster. Destroying Wastel utterly would be an effort of mere weeks on the part of Kelland.

Because of this, when Soryan Wanderer Devann reported the discovery of the body of a murdered Kelland Regulatory Agent, shock was the primary reaction.

This could not be the work of King Bhyrain, therefore he must be losing what little control of the country he had. It was already known that the lawless and villainous dregs of society naturally gravitated to this wild and loosely governed land.

What could be worth the guaranteed scrutiny invited by the murder of a Kelland Reg. Agent?

The Kelland, though allies, are refusing to divulge what their agent was involved in. That in itself must tell us that it is a situation bearing further investigation by the Soryan Order.

~Master Soryan Archivist Arryl.