Introduction of the Ascension War

Long ago the Realms were dominated by the Elnorians, a race of divine beings entrusted to watch over the fledgling peoples that the Demiurge had seeded the Realms with. But many Elnorians grew weary of servitude and sought instead to rule.

For innumerable years they ruled as God-Kings, using their knowledge to create glorious yet cruel and decadent kingdoms. They spawned a race of half-breed giants and abominations called the Shai'Nari and revelled in their power and the worship of those they ruled. This was the Age of Divine Rule, a time of great wonders and marvels, and as many horrors where the Elnorians reigned supreme, corrupting the great work of the long absent Demiurge.

Then came the Cataclysm and with it the Elnorians were decimated and the Realms were plunged into the Age of Nightmare, a millennia long period that saw widespread chaos and the descent of civilisation into barbarism. The Elnorians fell from their glory and the Shai'Nari scattered. Free of the cruel dominion of their divine oppressors, the disparate peoples of the Realms would endure the long Age of Nightmare and finally emerge to forge their own destinies amidst the ruins and remnants of a bygone era.

Now in the current era the Realms are divided, broken. The horrors of the past haunt the land still and countless terrors from the Age of Divine Rule and the Age of Nightmares endure. The knowledge that built great cities and works has been lost and relics from the earlier eras fetch a high price for those who can unlock their potential. The civilisations who arose from the chaos of the Age of Nightmares now vie for dominion over territory and resources, unleashing whatever weapons they can use to gain the upper hand.

Yet the greatest threat is a growing empire bound together by the terrible will of the Archon, a mysterious invidivual who has amassed a vast army of savage clans and Shai'Nari bolstered by long forgotten tech and dark magic. The Archon seeks the Great Throne in the city of Bel'Zanar, once the heart of Elnorian rule for legends say that whomever sits upon the Throne will command the Realms themselves and wield the might of the Elnorians. All that has stood in the Archon's path has been crushed and only through unity could the Realms withstand his might. Yet unity is absent and the various kingdoms prepare for the onslaught to come, hoping the Archon will be merciful and spare them his wrath, or that someone else takes care of the problem for them.

As kingdom after kingdom falls the Archon draws ever closer to Bel'Zanar and unless stopped, a new era of tyranny shall descend upon the Realms. Forces long dormant have begun to stir and powers that have lay hidden for millennia prepare to influence events from the shadows, seeking agents to further their own goals in preparation for the storm to come.