From the introduction: Over the course of the Twilight War, the Reis Confederacy committed many atrocities; chief among them was the employment of the necromancer Xon. His undead legions and horrific experiments served the Confederacy well, as he developed a powerful weapon for his reanimated troops. This weapon’s dark origins were steeped in blood; foul necromantic rituals gave it the power to tear forth the souls of men, turning them into ghostly specters that hungered for the living. Xon gifted these weapons to his most trusted servants and powerful creations so that they might spread his evil influence across the battlefield, drowning out the sound of clashing steel and cannon fire with a wailing choir of tortured souls.