introduction: Nobles. Hunters. Warlocks. Sorcerers. Monsters. Beasts. And Loch, an orphan with a tainted arm, is about to get a perilous crash course on how these mighty creatures weave their webs of power in a world where the supernatural goes hand in hand with science. The world of Aegis is filled with all manner of powerful beings, but these powerful beings didn''''t start strong; they grew, evolved, and ascended. By twisting the power of the Tainted Aether, the very lifeblood that runs through all things in the world of Aegis, humans have taken a step to rise above their original status as prey and have joined the ranks of the predators. After millennia of fortifying and no small number of sacrifices, Humans have cut a slice of the hazardous lands for themselves, with their ringed cities built on blessed soil and defended by magic and machines, each ruled over by a being so powerful they are title with the name of royalty, Monarch. Some Humans have begun to be born and die without seeing a shadow of the many monstrous existences that used to have a human or two for breakfast. It is in one of these ringed cities where an Orphan born with a common deformity due to Tainted blood is about to learn what it takes to rise above the masses and ascend to the almost mythical level of Monarch. A GRIMDARK story filled with classic sword and magic elements but also a very heavy sprinkling of guts, guns, and glory. Humans can only rise past their limits by hunting the many beasts and monsters that roam the lands of Aegis.