End world war

'The City, you ask “almighty”, how the City was created?'

'Yes, I want to Know', anger shaped your face to a mask of fury and terror.

'You know that for this knowledge one pays with his non-life.'

'Tell me, you fool, or you will loose your miserable human breath...'

'So listen and be damned.'

Towards the end of the great war one of lesser armed groups, you could even say “a pack of looters”, discovered an entrance to a tomb or maybe rather restroom of one of the Ancients. Inside they managed to open long ago closed gate. Barriers, which had been designed to hold back unwelcome guests, had been weakened as a result of earthquakes caused by nuclear explosions.

And thus for the first time in aeons a man faced creature called Za'gar, which was translated as One Who Can Change. However, in the sarcophagus there was something else apart from the skeleton...

Ha ha, I see you begin to understand. Yes, in the sarcophagus were the Stones. Not like these we can see today, but those pulsed slowly, but rhythmically with colours.

Those fools took them to their stronghold and told one of scientists to examine the findings. He hurt his hand during examination and drop of blood fell on the Stone and freed a particle of power. That, which was until that very moment a piece of crystal, became in a split second a fluid mass. Drop of that mass fell on a computer and thus nanites were created. Nanites, mix of human and machine driven by the will of the Ancient.

Directed by the will of the Ancient and powered by superhuman energy they began to change the environment into visions from undead vampire's worst nightmares.

And thus day by day the world was changed into wastelands ruled by bloodthirsty beasts, mythical creatures and monstrous nightmares.

And then one chosen from every eight races, yes lad – eight, set out on a journey to seek the Stones of Nightmares, as the crystals from the Ancient's body were called.

It would take too much time to describe the whole journey, but really significant is that when they returned there were sixteen of them, eight men and eight women, one from every bloodline. HE was accompanying and no one could tell from which race HE originated and when HE joined the journey. However, the powers HE possessed were incomparable to anything they had seen before.

At dark, moonless night the chosen sixteen under Nameless leadership were performing ritual during which The Well of Souls was created, whirling abyss surrounded by sixteen megaliths which trapped souls of the Chosen. It was the time when they, using a strange spell linking them with power of Za'gar, made possible creating artefacts needed to raise and hold the barriers protecting the city.

'Many vampires devoted their non-lives to searching for the artefacts needed to gain nanites and power which they store. Many died seeking items containing mana, a mysterious energy of the planet used by human wizards. Even more vampires lost their souls to gather that what you call the Stones and is a germ of the power of changing, strange cells allowing to link various magical energies. They are created where nanites and mana accumulate in one place in great amounts. By odd accident energy of the planet binds them together and frees from the power the Ancient. But I think it isn't what interest you the most. You want to know what happened to the remaining four races...'

When the barrier was being raised, an army of mutants led by a demonic will headed for the ritual circle. It had only one purpose – destroy everything on its way. The four most powerful bloodlines sent their offspring to prevent the obliteration. The remaining four races were too weak and were needed during the raising of the barrier. The ritual lasted for five dozen days and after that the barrier was raised to protect the city from beasts of the Wastelands.

However, those who returned from the Wastelands were mere shadow of the power they once had been. Clawed, wounded and starving for blood composed a really pitiful view. It was the moment when the remaining four clans decided to reassert their power. That who are called now Beastmasters, Thoughtcatchers, Absorbers and Cultists shoulder to shoulder slaughtered last members of the remaining four bloodlines of the proud Vampire race.

'And now flee “powerful one”. Hounds of the Council are on your trail', said the elder and vanished in a morning mist. Somewhere on the edges of consciousness facts began to be put in order, you nearly knew who was the elder... Sounds of pursuit brought you back to reality. 'Time to depart', you said and disappeared in the fog, the same in which the strange elder faded away. But why he seemed so familiar?