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Before the vast planar expanse, the stars that dot the blackness in between, and the worlds that inhabit it, there was nothing. It is hard actually to call it nothing because there certainly was something to it at least. If one must only think to be, then it could not have been nothing, but it was little more. Suffice it to say that this creature, this thought drifting among an infinity of dark, was alone and it liked it that way.

For countless eons it ruled the nothingness and for countless eons it was contented, but somehow, sometime, something else came to exist within this nothing - something that wasn't all darkness and thought. This pinprick of light gathered all blinding arrogance and searing hate unto itself and caused the thinking darkness much agony. There was nothing it could do to shut the light out. Soon more of them arrived, more damnable motes of light. This was to be the falling of pebbles that began an avalanche.

Shapes grew in the darkness, worlds. Other thinking creatures began to grow into life upon these shapes and soon the thinking darkness was buried beneath a myriad of other thoughts, a cacophony of other noises, and an incinerating luminosity that threatened to destroy it. The thinking darkness had to escape. It watched these worlds and universes expand into being and noted the process. The thinking darkness would apply the reverse. It closed itself off, shielding itself within its own pocket-plane. The Abyss it has been called by inhabitants of thousands of worlds. And for many more millenia The Abyss was again at peace, though it constantly plotted its vengeance against the outer planes. Its hour of quietude could not last.

Soon sages discovered a void in their outerverse and pondered its mysteries. The first exile was banished there not long after the discovery was made. The Abyss killed it immediately, but more continued to pour in. Soon, their numbers became too overwhelming to deal with. Many of them had brought with them powerful outerscape magics, and a few had even grown accustomed to The Abyss's dark nothingness. Settlements where built within the thinking darkness. Hollows and caves and thickets of black stone.

Then the light trickled in. How The Abyss seethed in anger then, its darkness powerless to stop the light. Slowly a city was founded on the light and before its walls the darkness dare not approach. It was then that the Abyss knew it must corrupt the creatures inhabiting it, if it were ever to be rid of them. Madness began overtaking the creatures within the thinking darkness. Elder powers emerged from the depths of the dark caverns. Creatures of shadow, creatures of strange eldritch matter. The Abyss vowed to shatter the walls of the Shining Citadel and to topple the gates of the Pristine Bastion. It would consume all creatures that lived within it and utterly annihilate them, and then it would spread its wrath to the outerscape surrounding it.


White - The Guardians of the Citadel. These "holy-men" are exceptionally distrustful and elitist. They maintain the Pristine Bastion and the Shining Citadel within and have cut themselves off from the remainder of the Abyss. They use their power to remain shut off from the darkness, and lash out violently against any creature that they see as a "dimmer" or a threat to their radiant civilization. Majesty Dalen rules the Bastion with an iron fist, though he protects it well.

The Outcasts. These rebels have been thrown from the gates of the Pristine Bastion to survive the darkess without. Many do not last a day. Those that persist are tough and ragged, but maintain an unyielding hope within their hearts. The Soltari tribe are included here, but also a number of rebels from the Bastion that did not approve of Dalen's dictatorial rule.

Blue - The Arcane Gleaners. This order is another widely varied group that shares a common goal - To end its exile. The Arcane Gleaners have largely been banished to The Abyss at some point or another. Members seek tirelessly for methods to use the dark energy of The Abyss to finally escape to their homes. Others however were never banished, merely they work with the Gleaners to learn greater and greater Arcane secrets. The Gleaners bow to the superior magic of Farkhagn when they are in need of guidance.

The Weirdlings. These elemental forces were once servants of the Abyss until they heard the call of the Utherwurlds. Now they roam the Abyss searching for its call once more. Many dwell within the Torrent of Tears defending the strange wells there.

Black - The Elder. These are the primeval powers that first knew themselves in the darkness, and first began to prowl its depths. These powers are exceptionally ancient, but not always wise. Some indeed are quite mad. They are not always evil for evil's sake, but their ways are certainly alien to all but their own.

Black is also the patron color of many other evils that dwell within the thinking darkness. Less noble outcasts from the Bastion such as the Dauthi, and Durech, the Renegade. Elementals of dark and gloom also exist within the Abyss though they do not serve it.

Red - The Errant Flame. This order is comprised of a widely varying group of creatures and powers. They share many virtues however. Personal freedom, intense personalities, and of course, fire. Fire is their symbol. Fire is never afraid of the dark. Fire can not be held back - it can only be made stronger or killed. Fire is free. Rasmus Finneas is their leader.

It would appear that elementals from other worlds have somehow infiltrated the Abyssal defenses. These creatures of fire burn brightly and doubtless cause the thinking darkness much pain. They are led by Zaphrael who calls himself an archon.

Green - Shepherds of Shadow. These Druids and Wayfarers are the guides and cultivators in the dark places of The Abyss. They aren't good or evil in the traditional sense. They help those who have lost their way, and they use the dark energies of The Abyss to keep their own safe. They are familiar with the dark creatures of The Abyss, and do regular combat with them in the wild. Myrlong is a shadowrunner who wanders the Abyss, keeping an eye on its darker machinations and protecting those in need.

The Wild Creatures. These include many dark creatures that roam the expanses of the Abyss. They are wild and have no master, though they are terrible, violent, and utterly feral. They will kill and devour anything they can, and several have learned to hunt with the shadows of the Abyss, sometimes even binding them to their own souls.


The major story arc of Shadowhearts is survival against the rushing wave of darkness The Abyss is prepared to unleash. A dark, maddening, and hideous army marches to crush the Pristine Bastion's outer defenses while whispers from an ancient evil reverberate within the mind of Majesty Dalen.

Rasmus Finneas, once captain of the Bastion's Guard, is banished to the Hills of Fire for disobeying orders, where many of his men have followed. He was ordered to remain at his post while hundreds of his troops were dragged into the Rendskull Caverns and devoured - body and soul. He and his men relished the dismissal from the Guard and have built for themselves a lodge in the hills named the Searing Sanctum and use their fiery magic to combat the darkness that approaches their doorstep. Rasmus has vowed to descend into the Caverns to reclaim his comrades' honor.

All the while, Celestino, of Muse Cycle fame, has found his way into The Abyss after his seeming death in the terror of the Hells. He finds his new surroundings a bit darker than his last, and much more lonesome, although he is used to the hostility of the inhabitants. He has acquired new ethereal powers and protection against the darkness of the Abyss. He fights his way across the expanse with the help of Myrlong the shadowrunner to the Pristine Bastion. There he and Myrlong part ways and Celestino is brought before Majesty Dalen for questioning. He is allowed to remain within the Pristine Bastion and helps them to repel the hordes of darkness that assault the walls, but when Dalen's justice begins to turn to madness Celestino confronts him, and is exiled. Later he meets up with Rasmus Finneas and helps him reclaim the souls of his fallen comrades from within the Rendskull Caverns.

At the close of this tale, the Pristine Bastion has fallen, and Dalen's mind has been enslaved by The Abyss. The angels of the city have fled and have taken many stragglers with them to a crystal cavern controlled by the Arcane Gleaners. They seek to flee from the Abyss and so does Celestino. Celestino urges Rasmus and his men to come with him to his world, but Rasmus and a few others refuse. Celestino crosses the Abyssal expanse once again to enlist the aid of Myrlong and his brethren, and together they brave the Torrent of Tears to uncover the Wizard's Well. With the help of the Angels of the Citadel, the Gleaners succeed in unravelling its magics and many escape. Celestino asks if he will be taken home, but Farkhagn can give him no firm answer. In fact, he has no idea where it will take any of them. Farkhagn tells him, "Think of all the things you love, hold them in your heart, and run to them."

Well it is the background info, color breakdown, and general story summation of at least one set, probably two.