Wildermen

Overview
The Wildermen are a race of savage monsters, beast and man merged into a single unholy form. They have the intelligence and cunning of men, and the savagery and mercilessness of beasts. The Wildermen have been the enemies of mankind since they first emerged, the darkest perversion of humanity imaginable. They know not of mercy, they know not of kindness, they know not of civility. All they know is a seething rage and hatred of all men, all they know is the hatred of civilization, all they know is the hatred of the weak and kind.

I fear, that it is not by the hand of Vampires, or Orcs, or any other race that mankind will know true defeat. For in the end, how far is man and Wilderman? How far are we from becoming beasts ourselves? For within the Wildermen, all I see are reminders of what we can become. They are everything wrong with mankind, and they will destroy us just as we destroy ourselves. For in the end, the only difference between Wilderman and regular man, is that they know nothing of what we, pure humans know. All they know is hatred and rage, and this will be the undoing of both of our races.

Society
The Wildermen have no known society, for they scorn such "weakness" as they call it. They are wild monsters, and though they have metal working, the only true leadership they seem to have are the strongest and smartest of their kind. They have no known rituals, no known plans, only a need to devour and slaughter all in their path. As of late, however, the Wildermen have left cryptic notes and legends in the aftermath of their bloody massacres, speaking of an end of the "false" Kingdoms of Men. Wildermen themselves infiltrate normal human societies, living lives much like regular men. Though at night, they become beasts, slaughtering and murdering all they can find. Entire towns can be wiped out in but a single night, having been infested by Wildermen for years, the townsfolk unknowing of the infestation until it is too late.

In the few texts and legends that have survived from ancient times, there has always been mention of a powerful mage leading the Wildermen, dominating the minds of beast and men alike, though his power is unknown, his name is known to all within the Imperium, it is a name spoken with fear. It is the name of the Sorcerer-King. Any society that the Wildermen have, always seems to be revolving around this single figure, statues carved out of stone or wood, paved with human blood and decorated with bone have sometimes been seen, situated at places where great slaughter has taken place, the Wildermen have been more active now than they ever have, even attacking entire military camps and wiping them out with beasts thought untameable.

Strengths and Weaknesses
The Wildermen have but one, single strength that makes them both superior, and inferior to mankind: They are man and beast combined. They can shapeshift into the forms of great beast creatures, from pseudo-reptiles to great wolf-monsters, these forms all are "blessed" with great strength and speed. The Wildermen have a great lust for battle and mindless slaughter, rivaling that of the Orcs, save for the fact that their hatred seems to be focusing around a single race: Mankind.

They are possessed of a human intellect, and are utterly fearless in battle, only rarely retreating. This is a double edged sword, or so it would seem, as they will willingly give up their lives in a futile attempt to slaughter large amounts of men. Though these attempts always incur a great loss in life. Recently, the Wildermen have been seen with beasts thought to be untameable, Anakores stand by their side, same with Owlbears. Goatmen and Lizardmen have been seen among their ranks, serving them in numerous ways, most notably that of mighty warriors and cannon fodder. Wildermen have been seen riding Griffons with glowing green eyes, accompanied by packs of unnatural beings, known only as Gargoyles. Their great affinity for beasts is their greatest strength, for it is from this they derive their true power.

The Wildermen however, have numerous weaknesses. They may be slain as normal men, and though they know not of fear, they also know not of restraint. Many a time has a Wilderman been drawn into a bloody slaughter, for even the most trivial of matters. But Wildermen have the cunning of man and beast, and it seems that with the coming of their new armies, they have become far more organized and smarter in their strategies. Wildermen share the weaknesses of men and beast alike, and both of their strengths.

Legends and Myths
There are many legends regarding the Wildermen, presumably because of their close connection with humanity, after all, they share much of our blood, save for their unnatural powers and hatred of mankind. Most of these legends revolve around their abilities to shapeshift, and though many of them have some pieces of truth to them, most of them are spawned from fear of the Wildermen, from the paranoia of man at work.

The Legend of The Beast
This is an uncommon legend, but it is among the most interesting legends. This legend ties in with that of the legends of the Sorcerer-King. It is said that the Sorcerer-King is merely a pawn of The Beast, a primordial beast of unimaginable power. It is said that The Beast is locked deep within the earth, the Rift caused by it breaking it's bonds made for it so long ago. It is said that the Sorcerer-King is controlled by The Beast, a mere man who tried obtaining godhood, and instead awakened a beast from the primordial times, when the Darkness threatened to devour our world. He obtained power beyond imagining, granted to him by The Beast, but lost his mind in the process, merely becoming a mortal extension of The Beast's will, granted an unnatural lifespan. It turned those that followed him into monstrous combinations of man and beast, tainted by the blood of The Beast.

The Beast set the Wildermen against creation itself, hating the world for changing so much, eventually the Wildermen were defeated, by the effort of man and elf, and the Sorcerer-King was captured. The Beast, empowered by the amount of deaths wrought in it's unholy name, tore a wound in the earth, shattering the bonds of the Sorcerer-King and destroying what was once a large part of the mighty Dwarf-Hold of the Mainland. It is said that after a great battle, The Beast was laid to rest, and the tower that the Wildermen used as their bastion of death had been turned into a prison for the Sorcerer-King, who lies in wait, while The Beast slumbers once more.

Though it is a fanciful tale, it is also an interesting one. It incorporates some other legends, and compiles it into a single, and relatively compact form. The truth of this legend is unknown, for the most part, though it seems to be more of a myth than possessing any real historical value.

Domains of the Wildermen
The Wildermen infest forests and dangerous areas where regular life dares not tread, they lurk in the dark places, waiting for their time to come, so that they may destroy the race of men forever. They infest towns, and rarely cities, pretending to be normal men until it is time to strike. There is no doubt that they may infiltrate the armies of mankind, but whether they have done so or not is unknown. They have one other domain, one place they seem to be slowly heading towards, their massacres becoming more and more brutal as they near it. The Rift, a place hostile to all life outside it, a place actively trying to kill intruders, is a place where the Wildermen thrive. The giant spiders fight alongside them, the Rift shifts and turns in ways that favor them, and their thralls thrive just as they do. In a place hostile to all life, it is here that the Wildermen thrive the most.

They have but one structure under their command, and that is the Black Tower, built in times beyond remembrance, it is their center of gathering. It is here that they muster, gathering around it for some dark purpose. Most of the recent legends, spawned from the minds of men broken by the horrors they have seen, speaks of the tower. Some say it is constantly watching them, constantly judging them. Others say that it speaks to them, showing them a future where mankind is all but destroyed, a so-called Age of the Beast. Others still speak in feared whispers that they have seen what lurks inside, that they have seen a horror that has been burnt into their minds. All of those that have been to the tower and survived, return with broken minds, and only the mad can say what lurks within that horrible place.

Religion
It is unknown what deity, or deities, the Wildermen worship, if they worship anything at all. They seem to show a great reverence and respect for the Sorcerer-King, but this is likely to inspire fear and terror in the hearts of men, either way, the Black Tower seems to be a point where many of them are gathering, and they have gathered there in untold numbers, amassing a great army for some unknowable purpose.

The Legend of the Sorcerer-King
Without failing, almost all legends involving the Wildermen, speak of the Sorcerer-King. Who or what he is, is unknown. It is said that he was the most powerful human mage to have existed, mastering his own mortality and dominating the minds of man and beast alike. It is also said that he was the first of the Wildermen, and the most powerful of them all. Whatever is the truth, the Sorcerer-King is no ordinary being, living longer than any man should. The fact that the Wildermen have become far more brutal, and far more organized now than they have ever been.

Though his name is spoken with fear, some believe, and many want to believe, that the legend of the Sorcerer-King is merely just that, a legend. A myth designed to scare children, a legend designed to give the Wildermen some semblance of civility and humanity that we, ourselves are used to. Whatever the truth is, the Wildermen have become more active than ever, they have become braver than ever before. And whether or not the Sorcerer-King is responsible, one thing is certain: Mankind must unite to face this new threat, before it is too late.

Excerpt from the Compendium of Monsters: A Study of the Beast Races, by Aernos of the South.