Long, long ago during the creation of this land, there was a time known as the Age of Red-Clay. For a long period, there was continuous battles between the elements of fire, rock, wind, and water. Once these elements quelled their chaos and began to rest, the seeds of life emerged from the cracks of creation. Along with it, so arose a new deity, The Queen of the Stone Age, the stewardess of nature and elements, the daughter of the ocean and the land. This Queen, though a singular entity, was also the collection of five different aspects of live and death, each of the five with its own avatar to steward its resembled aspect. Through the encouragement of song and tenderness did she help these seeds develop root and stem that would eventually grow and sprout and evolve into beings. With the passage of time there came massive elemental giants, a vast and diverse population of cunning and powerful dragons, as well as divine constructs, the likes of angels and devils, all of which roamed and shaped the world to their image. From the seeds of these powerful entities’ own doing came mortals; passionate and persuadable beings who were easily driven by creation, conflict, and appeal. In time, societies were formed and forgotten, boundaries drawn and erased, as an endless and terrible conflict ensued. There is little record nor preserved knowledge from the Age of Red Clay, but it is believed that in these ancient times the elemental giants, if not slain from the many battles, retreated far into the wilderness. What became of them is now myth or forgotten. The dragon-kind withstood the trials of conflict through their numbers, though now diminished, and have continued their individual pursuits for knowledge, power, or prosperity. Proving their practicality and resilience, mortals eventually began to form kingdoms, achieving technological gains, and through alliances with the gods and deities, began to harness divine and arcane crafts and practices. This in turn began the Age of Common.

The world’s kingdoms interacted with itself as it normally would in a mid-evil fantasy setting. Throughout hundreds of millennia, nations rose and fell, monsters came and went, and mortals continued to advance, expand and became the dominant life form across the world. Dragon populations began to lower and migrate to more ‘hospitable’ habitats. Some mortals lived in peace with dragons, while other mortals waged war on them. To some mortals, dragons were antagonized for various reasons, one such as the fear of the inherent and fantastic powers the dragon-kinds were born with. 

During the Age of Common, divine constructs and deities began to become more and more rare to interact with. Some deities were either destroyed during the wars of the previous age, others forever banished or imprisoned, and others simply withdrawing themselves from the material world, conducting small acts of interaction or influence. Perhaps lesser deities and their powers were forgotten through a loss of followers and influence, and now wonder in-between worlds. 

Change, being the most constant and unseen force in the universe, occurs in so many ways. Sometimes in small ripples, going largely unnoticed. Other times, as massive and as sweeping as a tidal wave, smashing upon the shore of time. Becoming the figure that would definitively declare an end to the Age of Common, somewhere on the continent of Rovaksole, a mortal man beheld mysterious yet tremendous power, transcending the limits of a mortal soul and mind, and thus becoming the arbiter of Enlightenment. 

It is said that for a short time, this arbiter walked amongst other mortals, traveling from nation to nation, seemingly unnoticed as they rediscovered the world through new eyes. Over time, this arbiter began involving themselves, at first through small acts that some would proclaim later as miracles. After gaining influence and positioning themselves in position of authority, this arbiter divulged onto others their wisdom. Seemingly quickly, this arbiter was able to elevate from one of the common mortals to the supreme figure of authority and power. Yet, they did not gain power or wield it through malice or conquest. Through the unification of all the kingdoms and nations within Rovaksole, this now High King sought to elevate all people and share with them profound knowledge so to advance technologies, philosophy, medicines, arcane practices, and civilization itself. Thus, the Empire of Mynd’aether arose, and with it the Age of Enlightenment. Arcana technological achievements abound, industrial and medical breakthroughs regularly, as well as far-reaching and engrossed contemplation of the cosmos and divine. Such were these achievements that the ability to send oneself to another plan of existence became possible, revealing unknown potential mysteries and boon from the beyond.

As a citizen of this rising empire, one lived comfortably and was no longer fearful of the evils that plagued history. Forming a symbolic union, the High King married a powerful sorceress from another kingdom across the sea, and from this union, the Royal Family was born. Members of the Royal Family, seemingly innate with grand arcane ability and stately knowledge, were all gifted with a mysterious increased lifespan and delay in natural aging for mortals. Alongside the High King, all other members of the Royal Family, even the children, held high stations in the rulership of the Empire

Though many other nations, kingdoms, and unaligned entities lived in alliance with the Empire of Mynd’aether, there were those who saw the Empire as a target, a threat, or a treasure to take. Vast and advanced was the arsenal of the Mynd’aether that repelled many a foe, but none more devastating and daunting the Plated Legion of Triturion knights. Under the most severe of secrecy and scrutiny did the Royal Family itself blend elements of the arcane and divine with the practice of contemporary medicine and engineering to produce in mass the perfect warrior. Standing well over the height of the tallest mortal man, broad of shoulder, and possessing great strength in both body and mind, a customary Triturion was a champion in the art of combat and proficient in the practices of the arcane. Donned with thick plates of state-of-the-art armor, and wielding spellbound armaments, a single Titurion warrior was imposing enough. Overwhelmed were enemies of the Empire as they were shattered against the Plated Legion. 

The wealth of Mynd’aether’s knowledge was shared with surrounding kingdoms, alliances were formed, trade increased, and the civilizations of Tuandra began to truly prosper. Though the nations were already developing and advancing on their own, an alliance with the Empire of Mynd’aether promoted greatness to all. Though abyssal influence or mysterious incursions, strife, conflicts, and terrible things from the shadows of mortal’s nature still occurred, life for mortals vastly improved, generation by generation. In this Age of Enlightenment that spanned across the seas and lands of Tuandra, at the center of it all was Mynd’aether, and at the center of the Empire, was the Royal Family. Though it was not to last, for the unknown forces of change maintain an unyielding persistence…

It started with what is now known as The Blast. A cataclysmic force that without warning, quickly erupted and swept over the entire continent of Rovaksole, resulting in the nearly ultimate destruction of the Empire of Mynd’aether. The Blast’s shock wave and thundering destructive potential vaporized entire cities, disintegrated forests, reshaped entire landscapes, and vanquished hundreds of thousands of lives. The Blast’s destruction reached over the length of the ocean and impacted neighboring allied kingdoms. From the ruinous eruption rocketed large, sharp, jagged obsidian looking rocks, some the size of castle towers, that would later come to be known as Orthordian structures, were jettisoned into the sky only fall back down onto Tuandra and impacted like meteors from on high across the continents. It was quickly realized that these glassy-black structures emitted a continuous spout of toxic Shadow into the surrounding atmosphere. Arcs of black-lightning would also lash out, disintegrating those who approached. 

Before the dust could settle, in the immediate wake of The Blast and as Orthordian structures rained down, an ebony colored cloud of toxic shadow taller than mountains rapidly unfurled, quickly covering nearly half the planet, consuming the ravaged lands. From the gloom of this shadow poured out its abhorrent and alien monsters of pallid flesh and twisted bone that began to terrorize and massacre the shocked and unprepared survivors of The Blast. Over Tuandra, millions of lives were lost within the first hour. Millions more by the end of the first day. And many more lives would be lost in the conflict and strife that would follow. Starting from the event of the Blast and the next 100 years of suffering and conflict to follow, this period was later deemed, The Fall. 

Though near the edge of oblivion, all hope was not lost. Shortly organizing after the initial events of The Fall, surviving kingdoms, tribes, and entities across the world joined forces to fight back against the Darkness and rid the world of this new and wretched evil. The Divine gods directly involved themselves in this reclamation and helped the survivors and victims of the world push back the Darkness while also destroying thousands of orthordian structures during the conquest. This conquest, which lasted 110 years became known as the Containment, a unifying cause with one goal: cleanse the world of the alien shadow. The Allied forces were successful in reclaiming much of the world but learned that they could not wipe this evil from the world. Due to its geographic isolation, the region of the world surrounding Rovaksole was so heavily covered in shadow that the Allies considered it too far gone. So instead, the Divine gods created a barrier around the Rovaksole, containing the evil within. If the Allies could not rid the world of this evil, at least they could contain it to only a smaller portion of the world. Locked behind the Divine powers, Rovaksole was then cut off from the rest of the world. 

Left for uncertainty, Rovaksole, once the beating heart of a developing world, was now left to fend for itself in darkness. For those who survived initial event of The Fall, life was now a living hell. For the next several hundred years, a period later known as The Strife, life for a survivor was a constant battle. Famine, disease, battling monsters the Shadow, avoidance of areas with orthordian structures, betrayal from fellow comrades, and a resurrection of the foul creatures and deities of a bygone time. It was during this time that the phenomenon known as a Snap, would begin. Occurring without warning, at anytime and anyplace, would there first be the sound of a ear shattering snap. A seemingly brief tear in reality, or the brief creation of a gate from which the pallid fleshed monsters of the Shadow would emerge and wreak havoc. A snap could occur anywhere without rhyme or reason, though it was observed that Snaps appeared to happen more frequently in areas that had large structure of or concentrate amounts of orthordian. For any survivor, it appeared as a time of desolation and abandonment of mercifulness. Though in the darkness of this time, one candle did shine. 

Much like how the cause of The Fall is shrouded in mystery, so is the cause of survival for the small port city of Stormsend on a western coast of Rovaksole. Record says that the as initial Blast reach and roiled through Stormsend, mere moments after, an unforeseen large arcane shield dome formed over the entirety of the city, preventing further destruction within and redirecting the blast as would river water flow around a boulder. In the days to follow, survivors within the now magically protected city of Stormsend provide much needed hospitality to wanders emerging from the chaos of the countryside. In addition to protecting the city from the initial destructive forces of the Blast, it appeared that this new arcane dome also warded off Snaps from occurring within. 

Once the monumental and commanding Mynd’aether military forces with its legions of Titurion warriors, were now mere fragments of what it once was. Rising from the ashes the knights, paladins, mages, and infantry of the Empire were able to muster what resources and courage they could to defend what was left. Of the remnants of the Empire’s military, not a single living Titurion was to be found. Empty shells of armor or torn apart corpses was all that remained of the mighty and unique warriors of Mynd’aether. The chaos of the Fall generate many questions, most of which were left unanswered. The once grand and monolithic temples built for many of the gods, now heaps of rubbles and tattered banners. Surviving the first moments of the blast before the arcane dome apparated, a small chapel of Belarose, the goddess of light, stood seemingly unscathed. For such a humble structure of granite slab and lumber, with a single lantern hanging above its door, to survive the forces that toppled cathedrals of steel and industrial masonry, many saw it as a miracle, and as a sign from the divine that in these dark times, those who were faithful to Belarose and the Path of Light would be able to gleam through and dispel the darkness. Thus, a new denomination of Belarose began, the Last Lantern. 

In quick time, Stormsend became a sanctuary, and a target. Though this arcane dome seemed to prevent maleficent arcane powers penetrate in, the dome did not stop creatures or beings of evil from entering. In addition to the horrors of the Shadow, ancient entities and re-awoken evils began to attack the city and its inhabitants. Unholy servants of the Five Hells, ravenous creatures and furious dragons brought about their own terror. 

The remnants of the Empire’s military and clerical forces strained to fend off the continued wicked waves. In one particular onslaught as hordes of enemies penetrate into the city and hope seemed nearly lost, walking out from the soil at the center of Stormsend emerged what could most closely be described as a man. A figure seemingly made of glimmering steel with three glowing eyes aided in the defense of Stormsend. With incredible arcane power and mythical speed did this being assist in fending of the enemies of Stormsend. At first astonished and uncertain of this new being, the survivors of Stormsend shortly welcomed their new savior. This mystical and metallic being helped the survivors in their efforts to rebuild the city and shore up its defenses. Capable of great strength, the ability to heal, and profound knowledge, the Steward of Steel was a pivotable force for empowering the people to do more than merely survive but begin to rebuild. When asked by the people what its name is, the being was unsure, so the people titled this metallic helper the Steward of Steel. 

As more survivors were able to make their perilous journey to this new beacon of hope, and the number of survivors continued to increase, a governing of resources and delegation of tasks was needed. In short time, this once small port city was rebuilt began to develop into something more. Dense walls were constructed at the very edge of the arcane dome, to stave off further ground attacks. Fields began to grow again and with it the development of farms and agriculture. Observing the seeds of hope begin to take root and grow, without a word or farewell, the Steward of Steel walked back into the same ground, as if walking into a pool of water, at the center of Stormsend and disappeared. 

Great concern washed over the people of Stormsend realizing that their de facto leader had seemingly abandoned them, the people collected themselves and began to debate the next path forward. Theorizing that the Fall was brought about due to the reign of an all-powerful monarch who disdainfully wielded the arcane and who had no system in place to counter-argue or check any policy or decision, with no delay a new form of government was formed, composed of an elected council of four members, each representing a different branch of government. Each council member carried the same authority and voice. This new high council would provide oversight to all major decisions, form new policy and law, all agreed upon as one mutual decision. Strictly enforced were the consequences of the High Council for those who transgressed the new laws. 

The first branch which oversaw the military and law enforcement became known as the Forta Milius. Living in these hellish times, any soldier of the Forta Milius was regarded as a well-seasoned and fearless veteran, willing to commit the ultimate sacrifice for their people. Speculating that certain deities or arcane practices gave rise to or even triggered the Fall, certain religions, rituals, and magical enactments were outlawed, being considered treasonous and heretical henceforth. All permitted religions and pantheon worship became regulated and facilitated through the holy and religious Amassous et ‘Eadrom, the second branch. Education, oversight, and practice of the arcane became carefully administered by the third branch known as the Librarium. Though practice of the arcane was not forbidden in the Oligarium, it became heavily regulated through the establishment of permitting for types of schools of magic and higher arcane practices. Additionally, the Librarium also became the accumulator and record keeper of historical artifacts and knowledge, every trying to “safely” replicate the lost and forgotten technologies from Mynd’aether. The fourth branch was the smallest, yet intentionally the most powerful. The branch known as the Sentivian became the ever-watchful guard for the inner-workings of the Oligarium. While the Forta Milius protected the Oligarium from the forces of evil on the outside and practiced enforcement of common law within the state, the Sentivian worked in the shadows, monitoring all branches and citizens of the Oligarium for signs of corruption or heretical doings. Whereas a “criminal” would be brought before a Justice of the Forta Milius for sentencing, a “heretic” would succumb to the unregulated devices of authority facilitated by the Sentivian, and likely never be seen again.  

And so began the rise of the Oligarium, the pivotal and soon powerful government that prompted and administered the age of Rebuilding. This new age began some roughly 400 hundred years before the modern day. Initially, much of the lands of Rovaksole were still considered too dangerous, as snaps would occur without warning, creatures of malice and Shadow roamed the wilds, unholy cults rose, and feral dragons fiercely guarded their territories. Stemmed from determination and holy purpose, the lands of surrounding Stormsend began to be reclaimed. Through great effort and sacrifice, which each Orthordian structure and pallid monster destroyed, the Shadow would disperse giving way to lands and resources previously lost.

The great effort of the Rebuilding required more than just the might of the four branches of the Oligarium, it demanded the devotion of all peoples within Stormsend. Everyone, every place, everything has purpose to serve the greater good. Farmers to grow, miners to extract, masons to build, all for the cause. Though formidable and valiant the Forta Milius was, the citizens of Stormsend never let down their guard since reclaiming the then small city, understanding what it took to just to get back to where they were. Citizens of Stormsend form what became known as “The People’s Militia”, a volunteer group of brave individuals who would stand with the defending forces of Stormsend when needed or otherwise contract themselves with the Oligarium to accomplish needed tasks or quests. The more Stormsend grew, the deeper and wider the mines developed underneath the city. In time, municipality and commerce founds itself spreading into the excavated mines, thus creating the famous undercity of Stormsend. 

Though it had been many years since the Steel Steward had walked back into the lands below the city, their influence and impact did not dispel to all. As the mines of the Stormsend grew deeper, certain miners, blacksmiths, and scholars formed a small underground society. A society dedicated to perfecting metallurgy, smithing, and technological arcane development. At first deemed a benign cult by the Oligarium, this society was soon sought after by the Oligarium for the fabrication of industrial and military goods made from metals. This cult whom worshipped the Steel Steward as their deity, became known as the Instromotus, and eventually became the fifth branch of the Oligarium. 

Through the conquest of Rebuilding, pockets and strongholds of other survivors were found and brought into the fold. Eventually, the forces of another surviving city to the east were found. The surviving city of Danheim, brought close to ruin from the Fall, formed a new monarchy and rebuilt itself, beginning its own conquest to stave off the darkness. Understanding the shared interest of freeing Rovaksole of shadow and monster, the State of the Oligarium and the Kingdom of Danhiem formed an alliance. Proceeding with this alliance, under the banner of Rebuilding, two mortal armies charged forth together into the forgotten lands of shadow. 

After the alliance was formed, four other bodies of mortals were found in only a few years, seemingly forming new societies in various locations throughout the lands. These four groups weren’t just surviving in the chaos of the wilds but were living and fending for themselves. The Alliance offered to bring these new societies into the effort of the Rebuilding and include them into their state or kingdom. Through discourse and at times negotiation, each of these societies agreed with the effort of the Rebuilding, to rid the land of evil and darkness, but to do it in the way these new societies saw appropriate. 

Not by wielding the power of holy purpose and conquest under the banner of specific deities such as Belarose, but through stewardship and reclamation, as is the way of the Queen of the Stone Age. All of them as well refused to join the Oligarium or Danhiem, and declared themselves four separate nations, the OniGale, the Shervyri, the Emiiwok, and the Eirrishad. The nations were by no means sworn enemies to the Alliance, rarely ever provoking small spouts of open combat, but rather the existence of a small at time mutualistic relationship that resulted in infrequent trades of resources and dialogues on national matters. For the most part, citizens of the Alliance bewildered by the nations willingness to remain in the wilderness, though both governing bodies of the Alliance were wary of the collective nation’s open and “unchecked” elemental, and or otherwise unknown, arcane practices. Through the brew of uncertainty, many of the Alliances citizens become suspicious of each of the nation’s way of life and practices, concerned that these nations may be conspiring with other ancient or forgotten deities. 

Though these four nations each had a unique society, mainly influenced by the different landscape of the regions they inhabited on Rovaksole, they were all devoted practitioners to the way of the Queen of the Stone Age, with certain nations that would laud one of the five aspects of the Queen. That specific aspect of the Queen would be that nation’s strongest avenue of appreciation and devotion the Queen, mother-land and father-ocean. 

Of the four nations, there is the proud people of the Emiiwok, the nomadic nation who call the Gila Mountain Range home. Many miles north of the Oligarium, this is a mountain range of dense coniferous forests, steep rocky canyons, and a few active volcanoes with ever-present smokestacks. To navigate the passes through this mountain range on foot is said to be difficult but made severely dangerous by the presence of the giant reptilian Gila Monsters and red dragons who also call this mountain range home. Perhaps it is the Emiiwok’s worship of the Great Reclaimer, one of the five aspects of the Queen of the Stone Age, the aspect of fire, strength, and renewal through flame, that draws this people to a land of fire breathing monsters and churning volcanoes. How they safely inhabit this land without fear of attack from the red dragons is a mystery. What is known of this people, some of which appear having the innate ability to wield and mend flame, is that they appear to exercise peaceful lives, traveling in communities with their herds of elk, living with the land, and commonly practicing burning the landscape, to rid the land of any shadowed evil and regenerate the natural habitat. What’s more, the warriors of the Emiiwok are famously known for three attributes: their ability to quickly maneuver through a forest’s canopy, their unique battle dress adorned with modified elk skull helmets and capes made from coniferous boughs and needles, and finally, their expertise and ferocity in close-range or hand-to-hand combat. Typically keeping to their own communities, the Emiiwok will dispute or at times lethally defend their claimed land from Oligarium, which is seemingly always trying to extend its own territory and claim of resources such as timber.  

Further north, concealed within the vast and treacherous deserts of the Shonto Badlands are the people of the Eirrishad. The Shonto Badlands, or the Northern desert, constitutes approximately one third of the continent of Rovaksole. An unforgiving hot, dry, and sun-baked landscape composed of arroyos, canyons, scattered buttes and dunes that offers scarce water or vegetation. The wildlife that inhabits these badlands are considered as lethal and unforgiving as the scorching sun that bakes the landscape. Any who would willingly choose to live in such a grating environment are themselves forged rigid from such an existence, and such is the way of the Eirrishad. Many credit this type of life as to why the Eirrishad have their distinctly colored eyes of either dark grey or bronze. Of the four nations, the Eirrishad are considered the most hostile. Highly territorial and seclusive, never interacting with the Alliance or much less the other Nations, members of the Eirrishad are rarely seen outside of the badlands. Due to their expertise in camouflage, they are as well just as hard to detect within the desert, further reinforcing their supreme lethality of archery. All people and creatures of Rovaksole understand one certainty, to traverse into the Shonto Badlands is certain death. Either from the stress of the heat and environment, being hunted down by the savage wildlife, or ending up with an arrow in your heart without warning from an unseen archer. There have been many attempts by skilled explorers, small armies, cunning diplomats to try and penetrate the desert, and all perished. Little is known of the Eirrishad or their desert, though there are numerous legends about both. Some of the oldest and most famous of which tell legend of a massive lone mountain that rises from the center of an ocean of dunes, obscured behind a tall maze made of stone. There are many mysteries still throughout all Rovaksole, but the mysteries that will likely remain unanswered lie within the vast Northern desert. 

South of Stormsend but west of Danheim rests the beautiful Jade Rain Forest. Often veiled in mist and soft rain, this lush forest grows so tall that the forest floor is an environment of perpetual shadow. The natural shadow that lives quietly behind or under most things, resting as the absense of light. Not the alien Shadow that has brough ruin to this land and time. Adapted to this darkness and living in harmony with the forest are the people of the Shervyri. Having lived in shadow for so long, most of the population’s skin pigment has changed to dark hues of blues or purples, while also their eyes have adapted to the darkness, allowing sight in otherwise blackness. Of the four nations, the Shervyri are inherently the most gifted and skilled in the ways of the arcane. Seemingly using their gifts in everyday practices of life, they also incorporate their arcane craft into their worship of Resh, the cosmic patterned lynx that represents the connection of the Queen of the Stone Age to the astral, so to be bestowed visions or glimpses of prophecy and foresight. Many say the Shervyri are blessed by starlight, and that is why all their people have a distinct light silver marking on their forehead. At the center of the Jade Forest exists one of the modern wonders of Rovaksole, Mathuisge Lake. Laying atop of a massive dark stoned butte that rises high above the forest canopy, the lake continuously spills gentle waterfalls over the butte’s edges, raining into the forest below. What springs feed this lake so high up has mystified scholars and theorists alike, but it is said that there is no purer water in all Rovaksole than that from the Mathuisge Lake. Long has the Oligarium been wary of the Shervyri, citing the nation’s congeniality and adaptation to a life in shadow along with their seemingly excessive and precarious use of the arcane. Though many others find the culture of the Shervyri enchanting, being a life full of artistic beauty, skilled musicians, and astral philosophy, perhaps the Oligarium has merit to their caution. As secret as the dark of the moon, there are whispers that within the Shervyri, even hidden from their own neighbors or family members, exist rings of worshippers, or cultists who toil for the Enchantress. An ancient, mischievous, and malevolent entity who is said to be unpredictable with her boons or her curses. 

South of the Jade Rain Forest, on the western coast of Rovaksole lies a peninsula, of which a majority is covered in a toxic and mysterious region called the Fungal Forest. There is little data preserved from before the Fall, but no records suggest this forest existed prior to the Fall. Booming in diversity, some fungal organisms reach higher than the tallest towers of the Oligarium, while other specimens could sit on the tip of a finger. A majority of the forest appears in shades of an off green, though due to the diversity of the fungi community, there is a range of colors abound. Beautiful and curious as it may appear on the outside, the fungal ecosystem is teeming with dangerous fauna, the likes of carnivorous insects and giant terrestrial crustaceans. In addition, lethal is the air one would breathe if they were to walk into this forest. Even with only a few breaths of the air filled with toxic spores, one would collapse and die in a matter of minutes. Over many years, scholars and herbalists have tried to collect samples, identifying potential uses for medicines or lethal poisons. The forest itself is and ever slowly growing community of fungi, sending up new stalks wherever a spore may land. Once a spore lands, it has been observed that the very soil becomes tainted, spreading an underground system of fungal roots, which has been deemed near impossible to control once established. Fortunately for the rest of the continent and its inhabitants, the Wind Stewards of the OniGale Nation dissuade the fungal forest from further encroachment. Through their worship of Quag, the Queen of the Stone Age’s aspect of wind and storm, the OniGale have mastered the harnessing of the wind and have thus generated a continual storm of wind that blows fierce winds through Gale Valley, preventing the spores from traveling further inland. Whereas the other three nations for the most part maintain solidarity from the Alliance, the OniGale openly trades and interacts with the Oligarium and Danhiem. 

After the nightmarish events of the Fall, not all people had the sense of hope and aspirations for rebuilding or remaking. From the horrors of near apocalypse, some survivors had something else awaken inside of them. Madness and a vacuum of stability brought rise to copious wicked cults and tyrants. Many rose and many fell, but by modern times, none else could claim the might or the sense of trepidation than the two prime cults, the Crimson Bone, and its archrival, Putra. 

Nestled deep with the treacherous Crocuta Mountain Range, the Crimson Bone have claimed the Ruins of Carthage, a shattered skeleton of ruins survived from the time of Mynd’aether, as their stronghold. From here, ravenous raiding parties torment the surrounding lands. Murdering, sacrificing, or enslaving all whom they cross, the Crimson Bone seeks to prey upon the weak and appease their goddess, Naja-ollis, the serpent like mutant goddess of Leviamoth, one of the five planes of hell. Typically adorned with skulls, bones, and the hides of their victims, their twisted flesh painted in tormenting patterns of red, warriors of the Crimson Bone howl and cackle as they rush into battle, their minds mad with bloodlust. Though all nations of people despise and oppose the Crimson Bone, none have a more deep seeded hatred for this cult than the Emiiwok. Long have these two forces clashed with seemingly with no relief in sight. 

Numerous in number and violent as the Crimson Bone are, a thick fog of mystery and fear envelopes the cult of Putra. A group whose numbers remain unknown and are seemingly leaderless, little is known of this cult, aside from their devoted worship to Yle, the goddess of the hell plane Hystos, who promises unbound knowledge to her followers. Putra does not wage their battles with swords or siege weapons, but instead with unseen devices. Lurking behind closed doors or in forgotten dungeons, the Putra are developers and alchemists of wicked potions and contagions. When there is an outbreak of a virus that turns its victim into cannibalistic and contagious mutants, Putra is only to blame. Accusations, conspiracy, and doubt seemingly allow the true cultists of Putra to slip between the fingers of those who wish to ensnare them.

It is theorized that the Crimson Bone and Putra were once one entity, but then fractured by an ideological rift, resulting in the violent feud that currently exists between the two cults. Clergy members of the Alliance claim that this schism was brought about by what would become the original founders of Putra desiring to include the worship of Yle into the Crimson Bone in addition to the continued worship of off Naja-ollis. There are few and heavily guarded surviving historical records regarding the pantheon of the Pentabyss, or the Five Hells, all of which suggest that the relationship between the different rulers of each plain of hell is despotic and merciless. Thus supporting the theory that Crimson Bone members loyal to Naja-Ollis viewed this introduction of another goddess of hell as an aggression against their benefactor, leading to conflict and resulting in a divergence. 

Contrarily, scholars and members of the Sentivian theorize that the schism between the cults was brought about due to the slow development of differing ideologies based off of means of survival. Through a long history of conflict and interrogation, it is known that the Crimson Bones motives are based off the ethos of: “destroy all to destroy the trap”. In translation, the Crimson Bone believes that Rovaksole is a trap, and that simply living on Rovaksole will slowly weaken and kill you, unless you become more powerful by destroying the weak which will eventually allow you to break free from the trap. 

On the other hand, Putra’s ethos of survival is “Compel adaptation or languish and fade”. In meaning, Putra believes in and practice extensive chemical, biological, and physiological augmentation to the body and mind in order to overcome the trap. Putra attempts to engineer a mutagen effect that will bring forth “the next phase of mortal being” (a transcendence). Instead of sacrificing their victims, they capture and subject their prisoners to new tests of the mutagen, variations of potions or experiments. The more lab rats, the better the chance of creating the successful mutagen. Most of their victims succumb to a ghastly death, thus deemed “unworthy of the change”. Those who are worthy of the change transform into mutants, zombies, abominations that are incredibly dangerous in a variety of ways.

Even so, from all these varying nations and tyrants, rumors and stories grow like weeds in a garden. The only story that falls shy the Shadow’s ability to instill fear is that of the giant cannibals who roam the Southern Hills. Not considered a cult, a formal army, or even a civilized people, the Barbarians of the Southern Hills hold domain to the gateway to the Frozen South. Often rumored to stand as twice as tall as a normal man, and be able to pull trees from the ground, the untamed Barbarians are perhaps considered to more dangerous and territorial than the Eirrishad. It is theorized that their large size is a result of the Shade’s corruption, or they are the inbred descendants of giants.

What is known of the southern barbarians is that there are numerous small tribes of unparalleled fierce and “cannibalistic” warriors who are constantly at war with one another. Many travelers, heroes, and soldiers have traveled into the southern hills, with only a few to return. The survivors tell tales of half-giant warriors, dressed in furs, or paints, or even naked, appearing out of the hillsides or rocks themselves. Howling and attacking relentlessly until victory is achieved. Prior to the modern times, numerous battalions of the Alliance tried to pierce into and seize these hills, only to be crushed time and time again by the savagery of the Barbarians. Stories of horses being thrown and the heads of men being crushed by giant hands, the ventures into the Southern Hills were too costly. In time the Alliance decided against trying to claim the southern hills, instead leaving those wind and storm blown tundra lands to the awful Barbarians. The clans stay in their hills, rarely traveling north for a raiding party. 

As does a smith try to mend a shield mangled from combat and tribulation, the many peoples and beings of Rovaksole strive to rectify their own world in their own ways. In this Age of Rebuilding, conquest, discovery, consternation, and hope are the day-to-day conflicting sentiments that stir in all hearts and minds. Some seek answers from the past, others strive for a greater future, while many focus on making it to the next day. As the hands of the many attempt to craft their fortunes, the ever present Shadow lurks, its tendrils slithering and striking unpredictably throughout all of Rovaksole. The potential for hope and calamity abound, only those intrepid enough have chance of swaying the fates in their favor, or perishing. Whom will sway the fates? Can conflicting ideals be settled so to unify the cause of the many, or shall conquest vanquish the frail? Will the Light shine over these lands again, or will Rovaksole fall further into the Darkness? 

Then let us begin…