Nephilim Lore
As the first century of the Age of Strife draws to its close, another strange, new race has emerged onto the face of Aerynth. Often called the Tainted Ones, most who are learned call them Nephilim, the name they use among themselves. The ongoing strife and confusion of this new age has left even the wisest Sages and Wizards unsure of their origins, but one thing is certain: the Nephilim are here.
Tall and graceful, the Nephilim are obviously kin to Humanity. Their skin ranges from green to deep blue, and the Nephilim might be the most beautiful of all the Manlike races if not for some disturbing differences. Parts of their bodies are covered in serpent-like scales, and cruel horns sprout from their brows. Most shocking of all, batlike wings sprout from the shoulders of every Nephilim, letting the Tainted Ones fly like the Aracoix do. Nephilim are renowned for their strange beauty, their cruelty, and their aptitude with magic.
The most frightful of their powers is their ability to alter their appearance, donning a magical guise indistinguishable from an ordinary Human. Master spies and infiltrators, the Nephilim have spread throughout Aerynth in secret, and perhaps only the Dark Lords know precisely how many there are.
Some say that the Nephilim are the result of magical experiments, similar to the rites that created the Minotaurs in the Age of Days. Others believe that the Nephilim are the offspring of Humans and summoned Demons, hybrids who work to spread torment and Chaos through the ravaged lands of Aerynth. Still others claim that the Tainted Ones are not Human at all, but Demons born of Chaos, the first wave of a new invasion. Whatever the case, the Nephilim have emerged into the Age of Strife as staunch supporters of the Dark Lords of Chaos, devoted to the destruction of Aerynth as it once was.
