Arno

''The wheel of destiny shall glow again, when the prophet returns. Only the heir shall know the time. Righteous descendant, save the prophet from scarlet demons and wings as black as night.'' --Vishaz Arno

Arno is an Ancient Sage. Long ago when the Ancients were in a civil war, he was the leader of the corrupted ones. The bloody war ended when he was captured. His brethren were torn between killing him for his crimes or trying to purify the corruption that caused them. The corruption ran deep in his body and for every ounce they purified, three more seemed to take its place. They were finally able to cleanse him with the combined power of the Mirror of Truth and his lover Nereid. The Mirror of Truth had captured the evil of Arno's soul so he hid it away in a temple far from civilization.

Later on, the Sage split his staff in two and shared them with his two apprentices. He gave the Vision Orb to Marion, founder of the Astral Coven, and the Sage's Cane to Jacob, founder of the Divine Order. He made it so that when the two came together again, they would reveal a prophecy. The prophecy advised his apprentices' descendants to keep the Prophet Rose safe, for in doing so they would save themselves.

The Dragon Raid
The whole mess started when the Ancients found a dragon lustre. One of their corrupted brethren stole it and used it to create the Black Dragon Karas. Arno and Nereid stepped up to fight when he began razing towns. Nereid had created a manticore guardian named Kirshlaval and she used him to fight Karas. Unfortunately, he was corrupted by the Dragon and also begun to wreak havoc. Since the creation of a manticore requires a piece of the summoner's soul, Nereid couldn't kill Kirshlaval any more than she could her own child. Instead she sealed him beneath what is now Port Hermalte in hope that her beloved would be able to purify him. However, Arno was wounded in the battle and later died from his injuries. Unable to take the loss of both her love and her manticore, Nereid simply stopped eating and followed Arno into the void.