Ends of Empire

Ends of Empire is the final book written and published for Wraith: The Oblivion. It serves the same purpose as Gehenna, Apocolypse, and the other end-times books did for the other old World of Darkness lines, just five years earlier.

As a result of Wraith's poor sales, White Wolf decided to end the line early, and go out with a bang. Indeed, that was what happened, as the entire Underworld was essentially destroyed by the Sixth Great Maelstrom. In addition to the final scenerio, player characters were given an oppertunity to find out the real fate of Charon and who attempted to betray him and the wraiths of Stygia to Oblivion, the Dark Kingdom of Jade, and other adversaries. There were also answers to some of the great mysteries from the beginning, such as the identity of the Lady of Fate and the truth about the Mourners.

The events leading up to and following the Sixth Great Maelstrom is of particular interest as it had a great effect on all of the other game lines (most notably Hunter: The Reckoning and Demon: The Fallen) and played a role in the endings of many of the lines during the Time of Judgement.

However, this was not White Wolf's last foray into the world of the restless dead. Several of the events that take place in End of Empire ended up serving as a set up for the ghost-based Orpheus a few years later.

Chapters

 * The End of All Things: An Introduction tells of the book's purpose and summarises the contents.


 * Sprinkled throughout the book, in-between each chapter, is the story of how Erik attempts to survive the Maelstrom, finds the girl of his dreams, and gets offered a job by his old mentor.


 * The Last Hour of Jade fills in a few more details about the Yellow Springs and its government, and updates the story on what Yu Huang has been planning for the Dark Kingdom of Iron.


 * The Last Danse Macabre is the epic finale chronicle for Wraith that starts with the invasion of the Dark Kingdom of Jade and ends with the destruction of Stygia. It ties up many of the loose ends from previous Wraith mysteries and tales, but also leaves things nicely open-ended so the characters that will experience these things will be able to decide their fates.


 * By Charon's Oar: The History of the Ferrymen finally breaks the silence on the most mysterious and elusive beings in the Shadowlands, the Ferrymen. Along with the promised history, the chapter also details Ferryman culture, tools, specialty Arcanoi, and how to make a playable Ferryman character.


 * Prologue to Remembrance: Guildbook Mnemoi is not only the last Guildbook, but also the one that blows the lid off of the most Forbidden of Guilds. As it turns out, the Mnemoi's secret is bigger than anyone can imagine, and includes the surprising fact that many of them have been persecuted by choice.  It also includes the requisite alternate Arcanos abilities, artifacts, Merits and Flaws, and character templates.


 * Appendix: Epilogues and Final Fates tells the final tales of the individuals and places of the Shadowlands, as well as suggesting post-Maelstrom chronicles and a note of thanks from Wraith's creators.