Merenati

The Beginning

Like the darkness from which they were born, the Merenati are formless sentient shadows. Their name means “the Beloved Ones” in their tongue for such was the love of the Great Dark Mother for them. The Merenati are capable of flight and passing through solid objects. They can however interact with the material world by solidifying their forms. As befitting creatures of living darkness, they can shift their forms to be shadow approximations other creatures as well. It is also rumored that the Merenati can communicate telepathically.

During the Gods War, the Merenati were Samara Ateret’s vanguard. They struck swiftly and with great devastation from the flying cities that she created for her children. The Merenati wielded great and terrible magic against their enemies. For all their power and prowess, they did not foresee the Great Cataclysm and the Silence.

The Great Cataclysm

The Merenati’s last war brought them up against a foe that rivaled them in strength and determination. The two sides fought each other to a standstill. The emperor of the Merenati ordered all of the flying cities to attack this persistent foe in one last final attempt to destroy them. Greatest arch-magi of the Merenati channeled their power into a magical network between the floating cities. The destructive power unleashed would obliterate their enemy once and for all or so they thought. Calling upon the power of their goddess they unleashed the full fury of their magic laying waste to the empire of their enemies. At this moment, it is thought the enemies of the Mother struck at her. The resulting backlash caused all but one of the flying cities to crash and explode, nearly wiping out the Merenati.

Only one city was close to the ground at the time of the Great Cataclysm. It alone survived the aftermath of the attack. When the dust settled the full magnitude of what had happened was assessed, the Merenati realized their Mother was gone. They also realized that they were marooned in the middle of a great barren desert in which the sun seared their shadowy forms. So the children of Samara Ateret hide from the light of day leaving their once great city of Zarith Cor a haunted ruin that none dare approach.

Settlement

The Merenati's last flying city crashed into the middle of the Burning Wastes of Arkash (Area M on the map). From the city Zarith Cor, the survivors attempt to rebuild their nation.

Turn 2: Diaspora of the Merenati