The Breaking

Within the last year, strange rifts started to open in the fabric of the world, allowing influences from outside to enter the material realm. Even the most accomplished magicians and scholars were caught unawares, and the spirits seemed equally surprised.

At first it was hoped that the phenomenon would end as quickly as it had begun. But days turned to weeks and then to months, and the chaos went on unabated. The people of Arginet have had to adapt quickly and defend themselves against this incomprehensible threat. The effects of the Breaking have been varied, but the most prominent ones are as follows:

• Honoured Ancestors and others who have died have returned as Wights. This is particularly a problem for Nobles due to inheritance issues and the magistrates who are uncertain where they fit into the legal system.
• Spirits are easier to contact and have physically manifested on Arginet. This is a problem for anyone who works with spirits, as breaking (or fulfilling) a contract can now have dire and immediate consequences.
• Rifts linking to other worlds have opened all over Arginet, bringing with them offworlders and monsters. The monsters have caused problems for everyone, but are stretching The Royal Armies particularly thinly after decades of only having to protect people from the wildlife regularly emerging from the untamed wilderness at the centre of Arginet.