An Empire of Darkness

As each of Bretyn’s descendants came to rule, and her vision became clouded by the misguided ambition of humanity, the Arcanis Empire began to succumb to greed and an obsession with arcane power. The evil that Tiamat had sowed into the world centuries before crept into the hearts of the Empire’s elite, and devils began to make pacts with naïve arcanists that sought nothing beyond power. Soon, the infernal powers became the true power within the empire, and Emperor Rickard, driven mad by the quest for arcane power, became a puppet for his infernal master, the Queen of Devils herself.
As the empire fell into darkness, Bretyn’s once-great vision corrupted by lesser humans, the other realms of the world took notice, and bolstered their defenses against a possible invasion from the arcane power. Their fears would soon be proven right, as Rickard transformed the empire into an imperialist, expansionist power, driven to bring all of Meranthis under its iron rule. War once more broke out, with every corner of the world under siege by imperial forces, but it was the people of the empire who suffered the most.
After years of war, it was the people of Bretyngaard who brought an end to the imperialist ambitions of the empire, striking down Rickard upon his throne and banishing the arcanist-lords to the far corners of the empire’s domain. Inspired by this heroic revolution, other cities throughout the empire rallied together and cast down the Arcanis banners. War came to an end, and humanity became divided into city-states and minor kingdoms spread throughout Meranthis. All that was left of the once-noble empire was a land far to the south, that soon became corrupted amidst the squabbling of the remaining arcanists, turning the land into a dark and barren land of cracked earth and sulfur. The Age of the First had ended, and the dark side of ambition would never be forgotten, as the world would soon come to realize.