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A tide of undead, led by Lords from beyond the grave, strewn about, alive through tainted spirits: such is the horde of Acheron in all its macabre glory. This army has two advantages: the fear of its adversaries caused by those who compose the bulk of its troops and the desire for power that motivates the Necromancer masters of Acheron.

Under the sign of the Ram, emblem of the immortal alliance forged with the horned Lords of the Abyss, Acheron has amassed its power… century after century. For the liches and necromancers who form the army’s elite fighters, only the accumulation of power and knowledge can satisfy their vices. Condemned to die, the living, friend and foe, serve only to strengthen the power of Acheron. Th e mana necessary resurrection of the dead never fails travel as masters throughout the realms of Darkness. They are patient, surviving intrigues forged in the shadows of the larger families, waiting for the right time to resurrect the most useful servants or the most ruthless adversaries.

== Chronology ==

*''666'' : Foundation of the order of the Black Togas, which will later become the order of the Ram.
*''672'' : Pacts are sealed between the Acheronians and the gods of Darkness.
*''675'' : The barony rebels and the war against the kingdom of Alahan begins. First battle of Kaïber.
*''1 001'' : Second battle of Kaïber.
*''1 003'' : Battle of the Ynkarô. Acheronians deploy troops on the Leâk-Shear
*''1 004'' : Battle of the flying fortresses.
*''1 005'' : Siege of Acheron.
*''1 006'' : The Gates of Hell. Third battle of Kaïber. End of the Siege of Acheron.

== The Barony of Acheron ==

During the secession from the kingdom of Alahan, the powerful families of Acheron divided themselves into two camps: those who remained loyal to the Lion and the renegades. The principal architects had been under the thumb of the Black Togas for a few years; the traitors had no diffi culty in crushing those faithful to the crown. Consequently, the deceitful Houses became known as the Dark Houses. Of these Houses, only four have survived: Brisis, Hestia, Vanth and Mantis. Although their founders had been part of the Black Togas, the Houses of Scourge, Lazarian, Sarlath and Tanit did not develop until after the secession of their barony. The majority of the Dark Houses do not consist of a single family. Over time, they have absorbed less powerful Houses
through weddings and intrigue. The progeny of a dominant House forms a dynasty, and a dynasty’s representative is known as a “dynast”. The subjected Houses are called lines, and the representatives of a line are known as “lieges”.

For example, within House Mantis, Nimrod Mantis is a dynast and Sophet Drahas is a liege. Within the hierarchy of the Ram, a
dynast has greater status than a liege. The dynast with the highest rank is called “Father” or “Mother”, by the whole family. It represents its House in the Eternal Circle, the supreme authority of the Order of the Ram. For this reason, the fathers and mothers of the Dark Houses are also known as the “Eternals”. The Dark Houses all have a gathering place, an ancestral ruin of their family, or a building constructed in the decades following the revolt. These places are collectively known as the Claws of Terror because they are symbolic of the cruel grip the Ram has on Acheron.

Once a fertile land, Acheron has neither seasons nor days, if a day is measured by the short period during which Lahn is at its zenith and struggles to transform the eternal night sky into a heavenly maelstrom. The fiefs of Acheron are black and nearly sterile. The unfortunate serfs, tied to their land and their Lords, spend their entire lives struggling to extract enough from the land to survive. Phantom villages and ruined buildings are pock marks on the landscape, evidence of a past life. Some buildings suffered the ravages of time quicker than others, as if the land itself chose what was allowed to remain.

Here and there, villages stubbornly cling to a land that regretfully yields benefits. The population of Acheron is mainly made up of the living though, over time, the dead inexorably undermine the supremacy of the living. The Darkness has created a flat and desolate landscape, eroding the hills that delineated the lands of the Dark Houses. Today there is hardly any distinction between the fields of a Brisis or of a Vanth. Their lands are wide, desolate stretches of blackness beaten by strong and icy winds or blistering hot blasts from the hells themselves. Even the mines that made the barony a commercial powerhouse have been abandoned: the weapons of Acheron are now forged from tortured souls and Darkness.

''''' “Then, the time of the Ram will come. Those who know death, who have embraced it as a loving and faithful slave, will surely see the signs. Salaüel, the Lord of Darkness, he who brings Evil and Knowledge, Sire of the Abysses, shall appoint his champion - the Incarnation of Vice. This individual will lead the faithful to victory through death. This individual will raise the banner of eternal war, the Rag’narok. This individual shall raise the army of the dead and will be served by only the mortals worthy of worshipping Darkness.'''''

'''''Salaüel will not step foot on Creation until the last days of the living: truly, the wheel of death has crushed half of them; it has already reduced the time of their reign, the reign of life and of the Light, by half. When the time comes, His beloved daughter, the Queen of Vice, whose face burns hearts and souls, will proclaim the end of the age of peace. A hundred generations of men will have passed; a hundred generations of men will not be seen again. When the faithful emissary of the Lord of Darkness, Belial, whose forgeries harvest life obscuring the Light, finally stands on mankind’s land, the last era will be ushered in!'''''

'''''And so shall the black harvest of the eternal war begin. When Lahn hides his face in the sky, it will be time to prepare to confront death and harness it.'''''

'''''Finally, to herald the beginning of the time of the dead, following the previous era, the first of three will come, an emissary of an even greater evil. Beyond Evil, in the heart of Darkness, is indeed the source of corruption: the master whose name cannot be written, seven sins and three crimes, the Vice multiplied by blood...” '''''

'''''- The Codex of Salaüel, Feyd Mantis '''''

== The Houses of Acheron ==

Only a handful of noble houses, which were once the pride of Acheron, have survived all the purges that shook the Black Togas and the Order of the Ram. Th ese families have, over generations, absorbed or destroyed the weaker houses. Each House is involved in border disputes. The conflicts between the Houses are numerous, and often bloody.

Following the example set by the baronies of Alahan, each House has a leader and a favored meeting place, typically where the family Citadel once stood. These strongholds are commonly referred to as the Claws of Terror. Each House of Acheron specializes in a form of power, marking its individuality and the depth of its knowledge.

*Unquestionably, the largest House of Acheron is '''the House of Brisis'''. Its Mother, Rhea, conducts the aff airs of her large family with tact and fi rmness. Brisis exploits its many contacts across the whole of Aarklash to increase its influence, conducting negotiations with the other peoples of Darkness. Generally, when the peoples of Aarklash think of a necromancer, they imagine a member of the House of Brisis.

*The few remaining original members of '''the House of Mantis''' can be counted on the fingers of one hand. The Divine Baron Feyd Mantis does not need the support of his family to exert his omnipotent authority from the top of his cathedral constructed with stones from his former palaces. He is the most powerful man in Acheron, and all Acheronians are worthy to be his slaves. The Divine Baron is arguably on equal footing with the gods!

*'''The House of Vanth''' is the oldest of the families of Acheron. They were fine politicians and preeminent merchants during their time answering to the Kingdom of Alahan. Now, the House of Vanth exercises its evil machinations from the crypt. Masters of demonology and guardians of numerous secrets, the necromancers of the Vanth family are able to call upon all of the horrors of the Abyss, and to unleash them on Aarklash.

*The Faithful and Magicians from '''the House of Hestia''' are as powerful as they are Machiavellian, like Ganzhyr, the most renowned of the family. Great rivals of the House of Brisis, Hestians are masters of the arts of infernal fi re, and their lessons are very popular. Making an enemy of Hestia promises suffering - taking it as an ally makes it an inexhaustible source
of concern.