The Allods Era

The first recorded encounter with the Arisen Zem occurred on the allod of Igsh in the year 741 of the New Era.

One night, strange undead emerged from an ancient burial ground, which had long served as a testing site for necromantic experiments. The Hadagan necromancers and their guards eventually managed to destroy the intruders, but one necromancer took note of something unusual: these undead displayed a level of intelligence far beyond that of mindless zombies.

He sent a report to the Nezeb Committee.

Over the following years, similar cases of Risen Zem appearing were documented across multiple allods, including those of Kania and Hadagan. However, the responses were vastly different:

• In Kania, these "strangers from the past" were mercilessly exterminated.

• In Hadagan, however, necromancers took an immediate interest and quickly seized control of the investigation.

This marked the first recorded interaction between the Arisen and modern humans.

The Hadagan necromancers, already aware of the ancient Hikut civilization, which had perished 1,500 years before the Cataclysm, were quick to believe the Arisen when they claimed to be the lost people of Zem.

At first, Zem were few and scattered, making them easy prey. Their fate seemed sealed: to serve as a cheap and expendable labor force in the mines.