759 EE

In 759 EE, on the same day as the bloody Battle of Rasatya, amid the chaos and destruction, a long lost AEF colony ship - the AES Untold Fathoms - previously presumed lost with all hands, re-emerged from the region of the Span near the ruins of the Foulheart.

The former crew of the vessel - and even the ship itself - were twisted and mutated in a manner seen only in the energy left behind in the scars of the Outburst, and the creatures they had become were both aggressive and unerring as they struck deep into Accord territory and attacked several private vessels. AEF Spanships quickly converged on the Untold Fathoms and, after a brief exchange of fire, were forced to destroy it.

The wreckage of the ship was found to have been saturated with intense Szekarin energy, fueling aggressive change and corruption in both the people and the ship's equipment. Most startling, however, was the sole survivor found among the remains.

While once a Berusian crewmate of the Untold Fathoms, the creature had been twisted beyond recognition, and filled with a scornful malice and loathsome disdain for the scholars and officers who attempted to interrogate it. It called itself a “Sorrow” and spoke only of trying to “save those who are lost”.

This event heralded intermittent emergences from the Sorrows, whose corrupted vessels and sometimes spanfaring creatures seem intent on assailing the people of the Shards and dragging them back into their domain. Dubbed ‘Sorrowspawn’, these creatures are feared and reviled by all in the Shards.