Warforged

During The War of Stolen Hearts, the Eliarku Empire came into possession of the research of The Mad Mage. This research gave explicit instructions on how to rip a soul from a flesh-and-blood body and transport it into a war machine. These unfortunate souls became the Warforged. They were created to be resilient soldiers who could stay alive longer and fight with less training than the average man. No thought was given as to what the long term effects would be or how the everyday people-turned-soldiers would cope with having the essence of their humanity forced into metal cages. A draft was taken up to decide who would take part in this effort. The people who were chosen were informed that the process would be permanant.

During the War

Warforged were meant to be subordinates. They were often sent to the frontlines and treated as weaponized sheilds, as opposed to living beings. Grunt work was their specialty, however, some of them developed valuable skills such as certain low-level spells or various healing methods. Others decided to specialize in one particular weapon of their choice. Overall, the Warforged were an invaluable resource in the war effort, inevitably contributing to the Eliarku Empire's victory.

The Aftermath

Despite their noble efforts, the conclusion of the war saw a sad end for the Warforged. Once the Empire realized that they had more mechanical monsters than they knew what to do with, the governing rulers decided the only thing to be done would be to send the Warforged back to their homes. With nothing more than an extra year's pay and a pat on the back, these soldiers trudged back to their hometowns.

Their reception back into their former lives was bittersweet. On one hand, their friends and family members were excited that they had returned with their lives after several years, but the adjustment of their physical appearances and attributes was a hard pill to swallow.

After the inital celebrations of their return, the people in their communities weren't sure how to treat them. The villagers tried their best to accept this new people into their lives, but nonetheless, predjuidice prevailed. While some communities were moderately successful, most communities couldn't put their differences aside. Warforged became outcats; the great unknowns of the world.

While the Warforged kept their original personalities and memories, their cold bodies made family life difficult for them. Some Warforged and their families tried to reverse the process, despite being told from the start that the procedure was irreversable. Some prayed to their deities and made sacrifices or paid tribute to them, begging for help returning to flesh and blood. Some spent years searching for any remedy they could find, going to extreme lengths in vain. Unfortunately, the majority of the Warforged acknowledged that it was a futile quest and accepted their fate as best they could.