Lords of RPG

At the end of the Age of Empires, and the beginning of the Age of Ravens, a great battle was fought between the combined might of the two Empires of Man and the Kingdoms that came to their aid against the Cold Sea powers of Swaldune and Norlund.  The blood of an estimated 50,000 dead soaked the battlefields of the Nameless War, and changed the face of Kempin forevermore.

As the prophesies predicted, the Boons were gathered, and the Fate of the Gods was nigh.  The unrelenting revenge of the Carrion King forced the hand of the Divine Powers.  The mad sword Savior brought Order from Chaos through the death of many, and magic, both divine and arcane was broken in the final extreme act by the Nameless Emperor.

Some say the Emperor died in the battle, and won the day as the last desperate act of a dying man.  Others say the Emperor ascended into the Heavens and took Kempin's throne for his own.  Some say, his final act of saving civilization completed, he stepped down from his throne and wanders the face of Kempin disguised as any stranger that comes to your door for help, or that you might meet on the road in the wildlands.

More certain facts exist about the consequences of the Nameless War.  The son of the former Emperor, Geldan, took the throne of might for his own.  The powerful mage Tenzo Malus survived, and became a mentor and advisor to the new Emperor.  So much so, that Emperor Geldan took no other man's advice.  The new Emperor set about quelling the undead armies that still plagued much of the Mainland, and he earned a reputation as a fearsome and powerful defender of his people.

Crighton, the Grey King survived, and returned to his castle in the Grey Kingdom.  After defeating the worst of the undead that roamed his kingdom, Crighton set his sights upon the Wilds in the South.  In a clever and organized way, he set about settling the Wilds and bringing civilization and commerce to the once untamed land.

Javair of the Lost and Vikos and Fierce survived the war, and returned to the Azure Kingdom.  It was said by many that Vikos was a changed man after the war, and passed Striker to an Orc Chieftain among his warband.  The worshipper of Tobin retired to a life of quiet contemplation in a Temple he had built at the foot of the Storm Gates near the Forge. 

The Red Jackal was grievously injured in direct battle with one of the Souless Ones' dragons, and was borne home by what remained of his troops.  Rumor swirled around his health and condition, and he was not seen outside the Mountain of Man for many years.

Marcus Strong of Whyx fought bravely alongside his longtime friend, Eggopolis, in the great battle.  It is said that when Savior unified through death all those in the battle, Marcus was the only one left standing among both armies.  Eggopolis was not so lucky, and was mourned greatly by all who knew him.  He had made it quite clear that he had lived long enough, and should he fall he did not want to be raised.  Marcus respected his friend's wishes, and brought his body back to Whyx for burial.

Legends and stories about the Council of 13 had always been unreliable.  But, it was said that many of the this Council of Powerful mages had fought in the great battle.  Some say that every one of the died at the moment of Fata Deum, such was their connection to the arcane powers that were broken that day.  Others told tales of the Council leaving the mortal plane voluntarily, driven away by the shame of not being able to avert the catastrophe.  Yet others say that the Council still operates in the shadows, affecting world affairs through their arcane machinations.  None may say which story is true. 

The White King of Swaldune died in the great battle.  The White Queen of Norlund survived, and returned to Norlund with her navy and warriors.  Now a widow, the Cold Sea Pact was shattered.  The White Chancellor, Lestat, made his play for the throne of Swaldune.

With both Marisoloshe and Phengarath sharing the thone of Hell, there were pragmatic and spiritual reasons for the Swaldune rebels, called "The Lost," to reintegrate into greater Swaldune society.  Lestat, always looking for an opportunity to improve his standing, took the leader of The Lost as his "Wife," and declared their return to favor.

The demonic seals were greatly weakened.  Swalduni access to demonic magic was much diminished.  And much of their dedicated spellcasters were killed upon the shores of the Empire.  So, Swaldune was a fallen kingdom.  A shadow of its former power.

A story circulated widely in Swaldune, that Lestat had tried to convince the White King to cancel his plans for the invasion, arguing that Savior was in play...and that until that threat was dealt with, any plan to invade was doomed to fail.  But Lestat's wisdom and foresight was ignored.  Lestat had taken personal charge of Swaldune's home-guard navy, and had fought bravely to repel the Eater of Worlds.

The second devastating loss at the hands of the Feron-Jacobe Empire, ended any possibility of re-establishing the Cold Sea pact for at least a few generations.  It is a natural alliance to for the two countries to form, but the tribes of Norlund had lost enough of their best men in foreign wars.

The Age of Ravens was a dark time...a time of struggle and conflict.  The Empires for which the Age of Empires was named, were greatly diminished and came to focus inward.  The violent competition between these once great powers in the former age were replaced with concerns of survival and simply maintaining internal stability.  The days of colonization and great navies and armies projecting power across the world was over.