This is the story of the eldest of our ancestors, pieced together from scraps and fragments found in the Great Library of Magnagora. He is the first of the House Feyranti bloodline we can determine. The scraps were written in an archaic form that was very difficult to translate, and I apologize for any roughness remaining. This is the best translation I could determine.

  

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I do not remember much of my life before the day that Ladantine touched the Astral spheres, sending the flood of Taint into the city of Magnagora. My true life began that day.                                 

 

My name? Oh. I am Dalthani Feyranti.

 

I remember that day so very clearly. Before the day of emergence, I was nothing more than a common Dracnari. I was a slightly unusual sight in Magnagora, as Dracnari tended to remain in the city of Gaudiguch. The Fates, however, had touched me in a small way, and as that was my main skill in life, I joined the House of Prophets. I was perhaps only a minor prophet, but one that found some small use for his talents.       

 

But then came Project Cosmic Hope, which altered our entire world and our existence. Altered for the better as far as I am concerned, and many in my home agree with that assessment.                                  

 

I had not joined the throngs near the Stone of Truth to watch it light up as our then Emperor began to send it energy, preferring instead to try to understand the odd auguries that the Fates had seen fit to give me. My first indication of trouble was the sound of the Stone cracking; a loud boom that echoed along the streets and byways of the city.       

 

 I ran out of the House of Prophets right into the huge cloud of dense, black smoke that was pouring out into the streets from the Center where the Stone resided, a thick smoke that sent me to my knees. The smoke caused my lungs to burn, my skin to crawl; it dropped me to the ground, writhing in pain as I felt my entire body begin to reshape itself with the influence of what we now call the Taint. Even my very mind began to change under the touch of the Taint, the lies I had told myself for my entire life being exposed for what they are, and the truth of what I really was forced into my conscious mind.                               

 

After what seemed to be an eternity, the pain that wracked my limbs stopped, and I was able to pay attention to more than my pain. My scales, the one thing I did carry some vanity over, were no longer the deep dark black that they once were, but had a crimson tinge along every edge. My talons had altered to claws, cruel barbed things that looked wonderful for rending flesh. Even the shape of my face had changed, though I did not realize how far until later. But my brief moment of clarity quickly vanished.                                               

 

 The first weeks I do not remember much of; lost in the grasp of our then-Master, His bidding my only thought. Only later did I discover some of what I had done at His command: it disturbed me at first how much I found it ... appealing. Snippets of images still linger in my mind, images of things I had done at His command. The body of a Merian woman lying at my feet, her gut ripped open, her blood splattered across the ground. The body of a child, Loboshigaru perhaps, her skin rent from her body, lying in a crumpled heap near her still-quivering form.           

 

For weeks after I awoke to myself, I vacillated between horror at what I had become, and delight in my new abilities. Slowly I grew to not only accept what I had become, but to revel in it, joining with my brethren of the new city of Magnagora. The heads of the Great Houses, recovering the quickest from the turmoil, placed a new leader at our head. Saverian I, our first ever Warlord, placed into power on the 23rd of Razielan. Quickly our Warlord put us back on our feet, aiding us in recovering our place in the world, and understanding who and what we were. It was the beginning of a golden season for the new Dominion.                      

 

The first act of our new Warlord was to consolidate the leadership, making the position of Warlord the premier power of the Dominion. His second and third acts, however, were the ones that had the most effect on me personally.                                                       

 

His second act was to abolish the house of prophecy, creating in its place the Nihilists guildhall. This reflected our changed abilities; no longer did I have even the most minor of visions of the future, but instead spoke with the voices of our now Demon Lords.                   

 

His third act was the one to have the most lasting effect. His proclamation named our new race - Viscanti - and named us honoured citizens in the Dominion. Suddenly, I went from a lower-class citizen to one treated with deference, with respect.                               

 

This, along with the fear our enemies viewed me with, became like a drug for me. I began to crave both, joining raids with my citymates, performing acts of rapine and torture against those who had assaulted our borders, leaving ripples of horror among our foes. This also gained me many accolades from within my city, my guild, even from the Great Houses themselves.                                                      

 

One offensive, so bloody and terrible it was still being whispered of as I lay on my deathbed many years past, gained me the attention of the Warlord himself. He honoured me for my deeds that day before the entire city, raising me from a lowly labourer to a Supervisor as reward. It was a sweet day for me.                                                     

 

It was upon one of these raids that I found my lovely Marianna. Such a delicate flower, her pure white skin setting off her amber eyes and hair to perfection. She was captured outside of the shanties the fish called their 'New Celest', an elfen woman of tender years visiting friends in the area.                                                               

 

At first, my glance passed her by, the weakness of her form disgusting me. Then she attempted to escape, showing a fiery defiance I could not help but want to shatter. Being the most senior member of the sortie party, I quickly claimed her as my share of the bounty, reserving her for my own amusements.                                                  

 

Over the next two decades, I systematically destroyed her spirit. Beginning with her self-esteem, rendering her exquisitely beautiful in my own eyes, but hideous in hers. Layer after layer, I patiently sculpted her soul, tearing apart one thing after another she leaned on, drew strength from, till she thought she was broken. Then I began to breed her. Twelve children I spawned in her flesh. Yet of these twelve, I permitted only four to survive. The other eight took after their dam, pure elfen in appearance. Nauseating really. Each one I let her  hold; to nurse. And then I forced her to watch as I slaughtered it before her eyes. Her cries were...sweet to my ears.                                

 

The four that survived...ah, these were quickly rent from her arms, a good viscanti wet-nurse hired to ensure their well-being. Beautiful children they were, each one clearly transformed into true viscanti, each one utterly unique.                                                

 

Three sons and a daughter, these I did claim as my blood. They bore the name Feyranti, and were raised as my own heirs. Two of my sons even chose to follow my footsteps, speaking for our Demon Lords, master of Their lesser servants. My daughter joined the Geomancers, taking control of the very earth with its core of the taint. My youngest son surprised me, taking the path of the Ur'Guard, rising to be a Staff Sergeant in our armies of darkness.                                                 

 

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As these final words are penned into the journal, dictated to the acolyte assigned to set watch at my deathbed, I look back upon my life. I look back, and can feel nothing but delight and pride in my accomplishments.                                                        

 

For I leave this world a far greater man that ever I thought I would be, a legacy of honour, pride, and accomplishment carried on in the acts of my children. I bless the impatience of our Emperor Ladantine, for without him, none of this would have come to pass.                      

 

Taint sustain and strengthen you my family. Grow strong, and may the Dominion one day rule the world.