For the past 1000 years the kingdoms of the Avriel have been in constant war only interrupted by momentary peace then soon after returning to the bloodshed. Religion was the only force that seemed to tie any of the kingdoms together and even then different orders formed under the devotion of one particular god or goddess. At the top of the religious hierarchy was the High Oracle who was a female of any race selected by the previous Oracle for her devotion to the gods and love of all living things. The kingdom of Altamea, a province known for its study and advancements in the magical arts, were in the process of developing a ritual that would turn their dying king, an powerful mage himself, immortal and enter a new golden age. The ritual was completed by combining the king's soul with a mana-infused necklace. Magic involving the soul was strictly forbidden by order of the Oracle herself yet they proceeded anyway. The king was found dead in his bed only a few days later ant the mages responsible for the ritual were tried and imprisoned. A week into the kingdom's mourning a servant found the king sitting on his throne and discovered the horrible truth behind the ritual. The process that bound the king's soul to the necklace was done through the hand of a powerful demon lord, creating the first Lich. Altamea was destroyed and consumed before the other kingdoms fully understood what was going on.




The High Oracle upon hearing the new quickly prayed to the gods for guidance yet was met with silence. She spent a week without eating a single morsel of food and taking the smallest sips of water, locked in a deep prayer until finally the gods answered. The Demonds of hell had declared war on Heaven to keep the gods from helping their charges. The countless wars had left plenty of bodies to add to the undead army growing under the king's dead hands. He quickly became referred to as the 'Lich King' and while the neighboring kingdoms of Altamea held off the horders for a time, they were soon overrun and devastated. The paladins of the various orders were the first to band together against the horde, buying time for the remaining kingdoms to rally together. The twisted un-dead were too much for the smaller number of paladins and a scarce few remained after a pyrrhic victory called the 'Battle of Cersei's Flower'. The name was derived from a small, beautiful flower a small girl gave to the paladin general whose sacrifice stemmed the tide. The flower was later retrieved and became a symbol all those who fought the un-dead to bear.



That first undead arose 300 years ago and now there were too many to count forcing a united front for some time. The real name of the Lich King was mostly forgotten by the common citizen, the monster replacing the man in history as the end seemed to be soon approaching. There was a small hope however, a mysterious military force arrived shortly after the first kingdoms fell and immediately engaged the un-dead during the most dire point in a important battle. The heroes were like demi-gods in the eyes of the soldiers fighting there, moving with such speed and strength it was almost hard to believe. Any kind of attempt to contact the strange heroes afterwards was found futile, until one day a scouting party discovered a lone, remaining city of untold size still under construction and they had found their mystery saviors. They have only identified themselves as the 'Architects' and claimed to have the weapons and tools to defeat the Lich-King but refused to share with the remaining kingdoms. Their only requests were that any outstanding warriors, mages, or intellectuals be sent to their city-fortress if they wished to save the world. Currently none other than Architects have been allowed inside the city, despite their numbers far below what the city could house.



After this encounter, the number of attacks were reduced to almost none and it was believed the Architects were the direct cause. The term 'The Silent War' that was initially used to refer to the absence of the gods was then changed to include the unknown war the Architects seemed to be fighting against the un-dead. The kingdoms were soon sending all potential candidates to the massive city in hopes of ending the madness they couldn't seem to stop. Eventually with the absence of the gods, the Architects seemed to take their place in the eyes of the people and it became tradition to have a ceremony before those sent off to the city left called 'Ascension Day'.
The streets of every capital city in Avriel would fill with street vendors, music, and people celebrating the idea that one day this nightmare would end. Every chosen would have the same kind of flower given to the paladin general donned on their chest as a symbol of their bravery. No one had any clue what even happened to those sent to the city until one day a warrior clad in an armor never seen before and a white scarf stained heavily with blood approached the border of one of the kingdoms a long, distant stare in his face.

Despite his age, the border city recognized him as one of those sent by the city nearly a decade ago. The majority of the kingdoms armies did not have a serious engagement with the un-dead for a hundred years, which led to a popular sentiment that the war was going well, so when they asked how the war was going against the dead the warrior looked at them with a chill gaze "Hell, its hell..." is all he spoke before collapsing. Once he woke, he would speak nothing of the Architects when questioned or what had brought him there. There were rumors circulating that he was a deserter but after it was made public the kind of injuries he sustained, they were quickly squashed. After he had recovered he immediately departed and when asked where he was going, he replied grimly "Back to my station. Pray to whatever god may be listening that you do not see one of us again.". The warning was not what the people wanted to hear nor the somberness of the man. Regardless, they were moved by his commitment to return to the front despite what horrors may wait.

You are one of the many citizens of Avriel living in the remaining kingdoms and you have been chosen to leave for the lone city to become part of the vanguard that protects the world from the Lich-King, the Architects. Little to nothing is known about them except they keep the un-dead horrors away from the kingdoms. There are a scarce number of veterans alive who remember what it was like before. Ascension Day is upon you, a joyous occasion, but nothing will prepare you for what lies ahead.