Earthdawn Rulebook, Second Edition

"Before science, before history, there was an Age of Legend - and Legends never truly die... For years, the Name-givers - those races gifted with the ability to Name, and shape the very magic of the world - were forced to live in underground citadels known as kaers, while malevolent creatures from astral space, so terrible they could only be called Horrors, ravaged their world. The time of hiding has passed. Now, the Name-givers have returned, and reclaimed their place in the world. The fight is not over. The Horrors still linger in this world - in the cities and ruins lost during the Scourge. A corrupt Empire seeks to reclaim its provinces, and Name-givers with dark ambitions seek to set themselves up as the new power in the absence of the Empire. In this Age of Legend, only heroes can stand against the soul-rending power of the Horrors, and the dark machinations of those corrupt with power. Become these brave souls, and roleplay in Earthdawn, the Age of Legends."