Recent History
Nations gathered in Alexandria, and peace was on the table. In front of them lay the tantalizing dream of world peace after an international war. The kings of Myrddion and Bludgun stood ready to shake hands as the world celebrated, despite the recent loss of the god Animus (by Taara's hand) and it seemed all would be well again.
However, as the kings met in Alexandria, the dark goddess Taara struck again and threw Alexandria into timeless Mists. Myrddion swiftly fell to cold civil war from the loss of its king. Its two heirs fight one another for the throne, each with a different set of ideals. Thanks to Taara's influence and Thul's agreements, Charn followed suit. Rune soon fell, and Dragonier--the powerful nation of dragon and mortalkind, was suddenly gone, crushed beneath the claws of then-unknown Heth. A mighty Void Dragon, Heth would slaughter man, woman, hatchling, and child and transform the once great nation into a nation of wights and undeath. Scholars would term these troubled years as the Rise of Shadows, after the dark goddess who had acted as such a powerful catalyst for mortal greed.
The worst was yet to come.
Alexandria returned five years later to Shadow's ruins...to Alexandrians, it had been a mere five weeks. With Alexandrian's "sudden" return, rumors and accusations began to fly. Worse, the kings were gone. Aged and respected monarchs, their absence is felt keenly and for a time, the world would blame Alexandria. Other forces would begin take advantage of this confusion...merchants, nations, and even cannibal spirits.
Our current arc begins with these echos of Taara's Rise of Shadows and their effects across the planes of the world. The greed of mortal and immortal alike has answered her thunderous call, and the world suffers. From his throne of bones, Heth flexes his wings and lies ready to lay waste to nations around him. A great Void Dragon of unknown power, the undead hordes at Dragonier's once-wonderous borders stir restlessly beneath his command. To the great north the Dranei warlord, Arendt, calls his fellows to raise their axes to reclaim Dran's honor. They cite the injustice of the fall of a Khan at Dragonier's hands...yet with that nation gone, there is no one else for them to turn their rage against. Now, Rune faces the bulk of the barbarian hordes, its barbarians, its witches, its giants, and mammoths. Both sides draw in alliances, draw on blood and steel, and other nations may look to join the conflict. Even Stormgarde sees visions of a great and unified North, independent of meddling southlands and wizards.
Until these acts, both Dran and Rune had been forces in containing Heth's expansion... Now Heth draws back his claws to strike, and yet other forces rise up, perhaps inspired by the goddess of avarice. A face not seen for ages, the Demon Binder Asumit, would use the chaos to become a god. He holds in one hand the Book of Darkness, and the other a vision of Hell.
Now more than ever, it is a time for heroes.
Smaller Arcs
About Arcs on Tenebrae
Arcs in Tenebrae are in in a way that makes them an open invitation to you as a player to become involved, whether it be running a scene, creating roleplay, or other means. Meta-arcs typically encompass the MU as a whole, but are structured loosely enough that you are able to fill in the blanks. For example, during the Cannibal Queen arc, players were enabled to invent their own tales of madness and tragedy, have heroes intervene in nearby towns, and run PrPs on the same. DMs sometimes will run small sections of these arcs on slightly different themes. In short, we keep the strokes broad and invite you to fill in the details.
For Arc Runners
Anyone can list their small arc! A special arcs page will let you add notes, story intros, and more for players. Here is a video showing you how to do that! If you need more help, just ping staff! Oh, and here is our Automagic Log-Cleaning Button!