Years ago, a fringe group of mages wanted to push the boundaries of their magical research beyond the moral constraints set by the Holy Empire. In a way, you could say they were the scientists of Ashan. Their first major creations were the orcs and the beastmen, who were quickly recruited to help fight the demons that had escaped Sheogh.

The war was won, but shortly afterwards the Orcs rebelled against their masters and broke away to form their own tribes. Undeterred, the mages merely turned their attention to new areas of research.