The Unholy Blight - Reavers (Rift Lore)  

In the final battle of the Mathosian civil war, the power of the Plane of Death was unleashed on Telara, causing a disaster that became known as the Shade. Many of those on the battlefield were suddenly overcome by madness, savagely and inexplicably turning on their own. A few warriors learned to control the madness, and returned to a land decimated and blighted by death. These men became known as the Reavers, who are both scarred and transformed by the horror they experienced that day.

Universally despised and feared, the Reavers rampaged across Telara, destroying communities, toppling kingdoms, and leaving a wide swath of destruction and death in their wake. Drawing on the very energies of the Plane of Death, and embracing the resulting madness, these warriors became masters of a terrifying and brutal fighting style.

Although the original Reavers have long since passed from the world of Telara, their combat skill and training lives on. Only the bravest and strongest of souls are allowed to attempt the Reaver training, as the Plane of Death's power is not easily mastered, nor resisted for long. Insanity is a constant risk, and it is also not uncommon to see a cruel smile or bloodlust in the eyes of a Reaver vanquishing an enemy. On the battlefield, Reavers are the most brutal of warriors, unleashing such fury as to terrify their allies almost as much as their enemies.