Forgotten Ones

The Forgotten Ones are a group of five ancient and immensely powerful men and women whose mastery of the ancient magical power source, the Eternal Tap, was second to none. Whether because they were cruel people to begin with or because their immense power and prolonged contact with the Eternal Tap drove them to it, the Forgotten Ones have been the ancient antagonists of the Althanian world, beleaguering its people from one country to the next with plagues, wars, and invasions beyond number. Each of the Forgotten Ones is believed to be immortal because of his or her connection to the infinite Tap, but some have been killed permanently--usually by involving the power of the Tap itself.

Aesphestos

Called the "Dark Lord" by some, Aesphestos is widely considered the most powerful of the Forgotten Ones, and their de facto leader, though they do not truly have a command structure. He was also the first Forgotten One, and responsible for instilling many of the rest with their powers; he is also the father of another, "Saint" Denebriel. An attractive and eloquent man, but intelligent, twisted and extremely dangerous. Believed to be dead.

Xem'Zund

Perhaps the most powerful sub-godly necromancer ever to have lived, Xem'Zund achieved the status of archlich, surrendering himself to powers that stripped away his humanity and left him little more than a monster left only with his vast intelligence and ruthless hatred of the elven people. He is known for his multiple attacks on Raiaera with his undead armies, the most successful of which culminated in the Corpse War. He has been killed many times, and has now died the final death at the hands of heroes wielding the Eternal Tap against him.

Podë

An ancient witch gifted with unparalleled ability with curses, Podë is responsible for the oldest and most powerful curse known on Althanas: the tainting of Lindequalmë, the Red Forest of Raiaera. Her curse twisted the forms of the trees and animals within, making them all more aggressive and dangerous, to the point of elves being unable to inhabit their "Greatest of the Great" forests. Little is actually known about Podë, as she has not been seen physically in many, many years, but her legacy nevertheless endures.

Denebriel

Powerful sorceress and enchantress and daughter of Aesphestos (and, it is rumoured, his forced lover), Denebriel is best known for her polarizing work within the Church of the Ethereal Sway. Extremely gifted with time magic, spirit manipulation, and mind control, Denebriel used her immense power over the souls of her followers to achieve dominion of Salvar for many years through the Church of the Ethereal Sway, a feat for which she became known as Saint Denebriel. It was nevertheless within her own church that the immortal Denebriel perished for good.

The Fifth Forgotten One

All the stories and histories agree on one thing: that there were five Forgotten Ones, not four. However, there are few alive today who can so much as remember the name of the fifth. Is this some device of the Forgotten One's own design? Did he or she perish so long ago that none still living remember? Did they ever exist in the first place? Nothing is certain, and with the Forgotten Ones, nothing ever truly is, except that this fifth member of their order is truly Forgotten.