In the Cyran city of Metrol, within the halls of the royal palaces of Vermishard, a dark secret of House Vadalis thrives. Inspired and vexed by Cannith’s success with the warforged, the Cyran faction of Vadalis, led by the visionary Venarl d’Vadalis, began experimenting on humans and other sentient creatures to create superior versions of them. Years ago, north of Metrol, in a secret laboratory called Clifftop, the Vadalis researchers succeeded and began training their creations. Then came the Mourning.
That ill-fated day created chaos and killed many Vadalis scions. But Clifftop was right on the border of Cyre. Numerous house heirs survived, as did most of their creations. The magebred, led by the charismatic Donata, quickly took control of Clifftop and subdued their Vadalis keepers. They then made their way to the surface. What they found—a world unlike the one they had been taught about and had seen only briefly—astonished them.
Donata acted quickly to secure her status through guile and the elimination of her rivals. She organized her followers, and after leaving a token force in Clifftop, the magebred made their way out into the Mournland. Soon after, Donata and her party found Metrol and established themselves in the abandoned government buildings.
For the last several years, Donata and her followers have been secretly working along with the enslaved Vadalis heirs. They have connected Metrol to Clifftop through tunnels and taken control of important parts of the city. The magebred, using inborn powers, created and nurtured the rumors of Metrol as a haunted ruin. Donata has become empress of a tiny domain she aims to expand. All she needs is opportunity . . . and a bigger army.