The Elden Imperium
In the Elden Days, far across the Sundering Sea to the west, there stood the Great Imperiumâan advanced civilization of marble cities, disciplined legions, and vast dominion. It was Atlantean in grandeur yet Roman in structure, a power unmatched in its age. At the height of its strength came the Great Sundering. The seas rose, the earth split, and the Imperium was shattered. Its survivors fled eastward across the ocean to a vast and untamed continent.
Among these refugees were two brothers of noble blood: Cassian and Vorenius. Upon reaching the new land, they founded two great cities. Cassian raised Castrum Solis, a fortressâcity of sunlit walls and martial pride. Vorenius built Preatoria, a city of stone, order, and discipline. From these two centers, the brothers forged a new realm from the ashes of the old Imperium.
The Conquests and the Raisings of the Wall
The continent was already home to human kingdoms and ancient dwarven holds. Cassian and Vorenius waged a relentless campaign to bring them under imperial rule. The human kingdoms fell one by one. The dwarven kingdoms resisted fiercely but were eventually forced into submission, bound by oath to the new Imperium.
From the frozen north came the orc clans and the dragonâwightsâancient, corpseâpale remnants of the great dragons that once ruled the skies. Though no true dragon had been seen in half a millennium, the wights still commanded fear and obedience. The orcs followed them as warâprophets and living totems.
The brothers drove the northern threat back in a brutal war, pushing the orcs and dragonâwights into the far reaches of the world. To secure the realm, they ordered the construction of a colossal northern fortification: the Wall. This was the First Raising, manned by the Last Legion, the final remnant of the western legions who had survived the Sundering.
As new orc wars erupted over the centuries, the Wall was expanded and reinforced. Each major conflict brought a new raisingâhigher battlements, deeper foundations, and stronger fortifications. The Wall became not just a barrier, but a symbol of the realmâs endurance.
The War of Brothers
With the north secured, the realm settled into a time of peace. The Imperium existed in two great halves: Cassianâs dominion centered on Castrum Solis, and Voreniusâs dominion centered on Preatoria. For a generation, the two halves ruled togetherâbrothers in blood, rivals in ambition.
Peace fractured. A conflict sparked between Cassian and Vorenius, and the War of Brothers began. It was long and bloody. Cities burned, legions shattered, and old alliances broke. In the end, Vorenius emerged victorious. Cassianâs line was broken, and Castrum Solis bent the knee. Vorenius became the sole ruler of the Imperium reborn.
In Preatoria, from the mountain that overshadowed the city, Vorenius ordered the carving of a throne directly from the living stone. It was called the High Stone. No jewels, no gold, no magicâjust raw mountain rock, a symbol of endurance and authority. Whoever sat upon the High Stone ruled the realm.
The Nine Kingdoms and the Succession Crisis
In the centuries that followed, the Imperium expanded. The southern kingdom of Moranor was conquered, followed by the eastern kingdom of Eastfold and the Lowlands. With these conquests, the realm became the Nine Kingdoms, united under the High Stone.
Several hundred years later, disaster struck. The reigning kingâlast of Voreniusâs direct lineâdied without a clear heir. His death was sudden and disputed, and the succession became uncertain. Distant branches of the imperial bloodline surfaced with competing claims. Old rivalries reignited. The Nine Kingdoms, once united, began to fracture.
As the realm turned inward, outside powers sensed opportunity. The Eastern Sea Lords, long independent and wealthy from maritime trade, began to maneuver politically, offering fleets and coin to favored claimants. The Free Cities of the south sought to profit from the instability, selling mercenaries, grain, and influence to both sides. The Slave Cities of the far east saw a chance to weaken the Imperium entirely, funneling arms and gold to factions that promised chaos.
Political maneuvering soon turned to open conflict. Border skirmishes erupted, legions declared for different claimants, and alliances shifted rapidly. The realm found itself divided, each kingdom vying for control of the High Stone. The throne carved from the mountain, once a symbol of unity, became the prize of a new struggle.
The Novus Imperium now stands on the brink of a new ageâdefined not by conquest, but by the battle for succession and the fate of the High Stone.
