Auldhelm: In the Dark Star's Wake

The Holy Auldhelmian Empire has blossomed under Her Holiness, Andressa Cartesia Peilan. Thanks to her stewardship, the once-foundering nation has grown from a collection of bickering city-states, whose only commonality was the flying of the same banner, to the de-facto governing body of the Continent. From her throne atop Highwyrm Point, she bids nations fall with few words and fewer casualties. Her dominion, as the divine providence she wields judiciously, seems absolute.   Though the Banner of the Wyrm flies over more and more of the Known World, Empress Peilan does not yet know peace; for her Holy Light must stretch across the Continent, such that she may save it from a fate far, far worse than mere conquest.   You see, a month or so hence, scouts of the Empire returned with word that a dark star had fallen far to the north. Auldhelm's northernmost holdings were gravely impacted by the fallen star; harvests burned or were scattered with the ash of a ravenous star's flame; all that remains of the populace in the once-beautiful northlands is shadows of human-esque forms against walls and roads.   And so Her Holiness has dispatched soldiers to the south, to the savage, arctic wastes of Tyrfalgr, to take the equally savage, equally cold people of the Twelve Holds under the Wing of the Eagle, such that all may soar, and that all may survive the coming Darkness of a massive Cloud that blankets the Northlands, yet keeps drifting down.   It is autumn of the year 1104 PR. Whether by the providence of chance or your own design, you find yourself in the walled city of Garrowskeep, home to the The Empire's most prestigious college of war, the Garrow Academy. Perhaps you plan to study under the tutelage of luminary generals and men-at-arms, or are a native of the city; or you're a wanderer, looking for a bit of food and coin before taking the roads again.   Regardless, the Cloud comes, and with it, a looming darkness. The empire calls for heroes, and reluctantly or not, you may just have to answer the call.