A thousand years ago the forces of the Pallid King rode froth from the black tower in Kahrakha, crushing all that opposed them. When the last of his generals returned victorious, having united the realm, he went into seclusion.
Magic is all but outlawed, being practiced by a chosen few that succeed in the Trials of the Arcane, an ordeal only whispered about outside of the Guild of the Arcane. Those that dare to practice magic without the approval of the Guild are hunted relentlessly by the Archons, an order of brutal wizard slayers.
The gods of the area are known as the Gathii Trinity, being the Forge Father, the Maiden of Fate, and the Reaper. Each of them carries a hundred other names, yet all know of them. The Forge Father is worshiped by craftsmen and those that desire offspring, as he combines fire and clay to create children. The Maiden is venerated by those that seek fortune and luck. And the Reaper is honored by those that prepare the dead for the afterlife, as well as those that seek to send souls into the Darkness Beyond.
Despite the Oath and duty of the Most Revered Order of the Knights Errant, the realm is plagued by bandits and horrors that prey upon the unsuspecting. Villagers lock their doors and windows tight when the sun disappears beneath the horizon, and many pray to the Maiden to protect them from things which hunt in the darkened hours.
Numerous cities are scattered across the realm, vast sprawls of thousands of people, from the great citadel of Kahrakha where the Pallid King rests, to the halls of Oldraegar that stares out over the northern sea, from the grand port city of Caerythea in the far south, to the wicked city of Narchosia in the west.
The tale opens as the characters take refuge from the night in a small inn amid the village of Hallas Reach, half way between the ancient citadel of Kahrakha and the town of Braedenmere. The cold autumn winds blow down from the Fellspear Mountains, where dread things are said to lurk...
