History

### The First Demon War

Ages ago three great demon lords, Samiramis, Ciacco, and ‘Uwbitsu, appeared within the land of the giants. Aided by the chromatic dragons, they swept across the land. Near the end of the war, an epic battle between paladins and clerics of various races defeated the three demons, their remains cast into a great volcano. Their spirits shattered and spread though the mortal plane they had sought to conquer, the fragments becoming the source of vampirism, lycanthropy, and ghoul fever respectively. When a person contracts one of these diseases, their spirit merges with the fragment effectively poisoning their spirit. With the emergence of these new evils, a group called the Wardens of Twilight was created, acting as protectors of humanity and hunters of these new threats to civilization.

### The Rise of Vecna

Vecna, an ancient wizard looking to prolong his life beyond death, made an alliance with Chemosh, the god of the undead, and granted Vecna knowledge of lichdom as well as powers of control over the undead. Using this power, Vecna gathered an army lead by his vampiric Lieutenant Kas. Waging war across the land, it seemed Vecna’s army was unstoppable, however, the wizard's own hubris had him focusing on more lofty goals. Seeking to supplant Chemosh, Vecna fashioned an artifact, designed to wipe from people’s mind any concept of the god and funnel power from him.

Hearing of this betrayal, Chemosh approached Kas and gave him orders to stop and dispose of Vecna, but by the time Kas had arrived the artifact had been channeling power some time. During the battle, Kas cut out Vecna’s eye and removed his hand, and ultimately slayed Vecna, putting a stop to the ritual but was slain in the in the explosion of energy that came with the death of a quasi-deity. In the aftermath of Vecna’s death, Chemosh relished in the betrayal Vecna had shown and forgave him for the transgression. Chemosh then granted Vecna the remaining power he needed, allowing Vecna to become a god in his own right. With the death of Vecna, the Alliance of the Golden Dawn was formed to gather knowledge and share it universally in the attempts to prevent another wizard gaining too much power over others.

### Rise of Kurash

The Kingdom of Kurash was located in the Sozlama Hills, on the western edge of the continent. After the fall of Vecna, the people displaced by his undead hordes relocated to the old dwarven kingdom of Delzoun, as it had been abandoned.

### The Second Demon War

Coveting the material plane and thinking themselves able to do better than their forerunners, the demon lords Balutus, Phlegyas, and Namrud built a great portal connecting the two realms. Learning from the outcome of the First Demon War, The Wardens of Twilight trapped each of the demon lords within a mortal vessel before returning them to the Abyss and slaying them there, preventing the demonic souls from spreading across the mortal realm.

### Rise of the Imperium of Life

Before his death and rise to godhood, Vecna had also written of many dark and evil things within a tome now known as The Book of Vile Darkness. A young mage and member of the Alliance of the Golden Dawn by the name of Zeratoul stumbled across these writings while exploring the catacombs that Vecna once resided in. Thinking the world not ready for such knowledge, Zeratoul studied the book in seclusion, eventually succumbing to its inherent evil, and where Vecna failed, Zeratoul would succeed.

Creating a cult following called the Imperium of Life, Zeratoul practiced terrible magics and eventually ascended to Lichdom. His followers worshiped him, raised a ziggurat for him to reside within, and spread word of his deeds and power throughout the Kingdom of Kurash. The former leaders of Kurash were slain by fanatics roused by the promises of a pleasant afterlife.

Zeratoul took a hidden seat of power as Grand Imperator Zeratoul, where once a year, a child of age 10 is sacrificed to him to serve as The Host of the Grand Imperator, whom Zeratoul possesses. Ziggurats, places of worship, were constructed in every town and Zeratoul transformed his high priests into undead shades who feed off the criminals of the populace and keep strict order. Any fed upon is said to have their soul ascended to the heavens, while their body is placed upon a pike around the fringes of the kingdom. Those who live inside call their land The Imperium of Life, not knowing the horror that runs their lives, while outsiders call it the Husklands.