The Empire of Nuovo Arkhosia was built upon the ashes of the Holy Pantheon, as the old Gods were obliterated by the might that is the White Star. The White Star ambushed the old Gods while they were busy defending against an invasion by the Devil's Legion, led by the Infernal King Artorial. The Infernal King and half of the Pantheon were utterly destroyed by a sudden indiscriminate attack by the White Star. This attack caused a devastatingly large magical tear in reality that can be seen hovering in the sky above Dragonspur City, and has been dubbed the Rip In the Sky by us mere mortals. The White Star's attack left both sides leaderless and in utter disarray, and the Rip In The Sky severely altered the climate on the mortal realm by partially blocking out the sun and significantly increasing temperature and humidity.
The dead Gods of the Pantheon were able to imbue the last of their essences into an amulet owned by the folk legend Grimbold. They were guided into the amulet by the surviving God of Time Cyndor, while Grimbold sacrificed their own clerical powers to keep the spark of the holy essences alive within the amulet. These essences in the amulet are only mere disjointed fragments of the former Gods, who are in turn only fragments of the Elder God known as The Sacrifice. In their current nascent state the fragmented Gods are easily swayed and susceptible to outside influences, and are also prone to merge together to create new deities. The fragments of Korellon and Melora have already merged together within the amulet to form Korellora the Goddess of Beauty, Freedom and Nature.
The surviving deities of the Pantheon fled before the rising power of the White Star, and are now fighting among themselves for the prayers of the few remaining faithful. Helyn, the Goddess of Dignity, has tried to keep peace and order between the remaining members of the Pantheon and has able assistance from the only remaining warrior God, Nazerness. But fear, greed and the primal instinct to survive has led some of the surviving Gods to plot against their fellow deities as a way to ascend or become allies with the White Star. The Halls of Heaven has become eerily silent, allowing the White Star to roam unhindered in the mortal realm.
Langfar has revealed to me that the White Star is as an Elder God known as 'The Mockery', who has suddenly returned after he was banished from the cosmos. Upon his return to our cosmos a century ago, the White Star recruited the Soulmancer Artor Keler-Vonstahp to be his Herald on the mortal realm. As a Soulmancer, the Herald Artor is gifted with a peculiar type of magic that allowed him to shape and control the souls of mortals, and it has been hypothesised by the eccentric dwarven mage Holmigar Sparkmetal that the Herald's magic is also powered by captured souls. This type of magic is strictly forbidden to study within the empire, as the Herald has decreed that the power gifted to him should not fall to the unworthy. Instead, the focus of all magic users within the empire has been turned towards reversing the magical side-effects of the Rip In The Sky, and great strides has been made in healing the damage caused by the random portals to hell.
The Herald was able to use his unique magical powers to quickly rebuild the old Kingdom of Kelerak after the widespread destruction caused by the Pantheon's demise, and from this base was able to conquer most of the known world. This new nation became what we know today as Nuovo Arkhosia, named in honour of the ancient Dragonborn empire of Arkhosia. The Herald formed the Senate to help him govern his new nation, and it is composed purely of magic users. Only those gifted with magic are able to elect new senators or hold administrative positions, leaving the merely mundane without a voice in the halls of government.
The only remaining independent human nations are the Kingdom of Farland to the east and the The Templars of the Wastelands to the west. Trade with the dwarven Kingdoms has slowed as the mountain-folk have become increasingly insular, fearful of the great changes that remind them of what had brought down the ancient Dragonborn empire. And the elvish forests have become fiercely protective of their lands, rejecting all outsiders while internally debating how to handle the sudden changes within their forests. Only the orchish tribes in the Northern Teeth thrive in the chaos, although they are still unable to drive out the Titan from their mountain home.
It was also whispered on the winds that a Tiefling wizard named Ceasus has discovered links between the Rip In The Sky and the random creation of portals to the Hells, which allow Devils and Demons to easily enter the mortal realm. This has made travelling extremely dangerous for us mortals, and we have all heard stories of isolated farms being taken over by Succubi in disguise. The magic of the portals is like nothing we have seen before, as it seems to be neither arcane or divine. But, with the aid of Holmigar, Ceasus has managed to create a spell that can temporarily counteract the magic of the portals. We can only hope that this wandering Tiefling will pay a visit to our humble homes and place wards to scare away the Succubi.
Another wizard we should watch out for is the human bard Joco, a mysterious figure that used to be part of the Templars. This bard seems to be able to use the same soul magic as the Herald Artor, able to bind the soul of the folk legend Grimbold's lover Twigs to a lectern in Knight's Hall so that they may continue to teach while they wait for Grimbold's return. Joco was also able to merge with the soul of his wife Taliadora when she fell defending mere villagers from the rage of a Demon, an act that made him a pariah among the Templars. Joco was last seen decades ago leaving Knight's Hall after visiting the crypt of Orvaxis, where he bonded with the soul of the Dragonborn Paladin of Bahumat. This powerful bard might be our salvation from the grip of the Empire, or he may be the harbinger of our doom.
The turmoil and troubles of the time has awakened the dragons from their centuries of slumber. A few, such as the green dragon Duskinicin, sees an opportunity in the misfortune of the old Pantheon. He remembers the times of old when his kind used to rule over the mortal realm, undisputed in their power before they lost the favor of the Gods. Duskinicin and others sees the sudden power vacuum as an opportunity to take back their rightful place as rulers of the mortal realm. To help him achieve his goals Duskinicin has recruited the young copper dragon named Arcanissdi, summoned an unusual infernal fiend that some claim sprung forth from a magical book, and has even laid claim to the elvish Wilder Woods.
Other dragons disagree with imposing their power over mortals, and the memories and rivalries of the ancient Dragon Wars are awakened. The mighty winged serpents debate each other over whether they should rule over mortals or simply guide them from afar. These serpentine plots are threaded far beyond us mere mortals, and we can only hope that the clash of these mighty dragons do not reach us while we cower in our taverns.
A little songbird has revealed to me that there is hope for us to return to the old ways, as during the civil war that divided Kelerak nearly 40 years ago there was a horse seen leaving the old castle in Dragonspur before it collapsed and allegedly killed the child Princess Sefora. Upon that horse were two cloaked figures, one an adult and the other a child, and an astute peasant noticed that the brooch of the child had the royal seal of Kelerak. The horse sped off to the north towards the fortress known as The Pass, where the loyal Baron Roper ruled until his death. The Baron controversially made his adopted daughter his heir, who had arrived at the The Pass some time after the Princess was thought to have died. Is the Baron's adopted daughter really our beloved Princess Sefora, and will she be able to take her rightful place upon the throne of Kelerak?
Regardless we still have hope in the form of Arkaxus the Headstrong, stalwart companion of Grimbold. Arkaxus is a Paladin who seeks revenge upon the White Star for the death of his God of Battle, Kord, and to this end he is rallying to his cause all those who suffer at the hands of the Empire. There are whispers that he seeks the creation of a League of Nations, a coalition that seeks to oppose the Empire and bring it down once and for all. To all those who suffer, to all those who despair, to all those who struggle, seek out the Resistance and help throw off the yoke of our oppressors!
And yet there is another hidden, secretive and mysterious faction that has designs upon the mortal realm. The only thing known about them is that they call themselves The Watchers, or at least that is what the God of Stories called them. The Watchers have revealed a prophecy to Grimbold, bearer of the Amulet of the Pantheon, but whether this is to guide Grimbold towards restoring the Pantheon or a nefarious method to further their own goals is unknown. All that we know is the prophecy, and the prophecy is thus:
Message from the new master, hidden five-fold!
Chosen are you travelers, virile and bold!
The first is concealed power, in plainest sight!
Second is the lost heiress, devoid of might!
Find third among mind seekers, not of this world!
Bargain secrets with the fourth, their wings unfurled!
The final piece we reveal, but bide our time!
Then final peace for all kind, yourself and mine!
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