SPOILERS AHEAD IF PLAYER
Long ago, before the rise of the human kingdoms of today, the world was a much darker and more dangerous place. It was during this time that a charismatic leader named Aisûs Vielkiil emerged, leading a small group of warriors known as the Blackheart Knights. Their goal was to bring back Cairym, a corrupted version of Myrica the Sun Goddess.
Aisûs quickly gained power and followers as he swayed people to his cause of ruling the new land and taking it for mortal men. However, as battles grew countless, Aisûs realized that his men didn’t stand a fighting chance against the magic users of this new world. He sought for a way to gain more power and scoured the new land, making attempts at magic and exploring ruins.
As he searched, Aisûs started hearing persuasive voices offering him power at a heavy price: he must devote himself to Cairym, an Old God before the time when the sun shone bright over the realm. They told him to gather powerful souls to feed Cairym, so he could return to his former glory and envelope the sun. Aisûs used his original quest to rule the new land as a ruse to enslave and imprison the native elves of the land. Over time, the humans developed a bias against these "elven savages," and slowly Aisûs grew the members of his cult to Cairym.
However, not all of Aisûs's followers agreed with his methods. Alarian Lightguard, one of Aisûs's most trusted shield-brothers, began to question his leader's actions. Alarian branched off his own team of like-minded men and was determined to find a way to stop Aisûs.
Alarian contemplated for a long time and looked to the most powerful force he could think of: the sun. He prayed to the sun and heard an answer. Myrica bestowed upon Alarian the power of the light and granted him power as a Paladin. While not powerful enough to stop Aisûs completely, Alarian was able to slow his progress considerably by staying a constant thorn in his side.
Alarian passed down his power to the next generation, and the next, and the next. His family's fate forever entwined with Aisûs and the Blackheart Knights. But just when Aisûs was at the peak of his power and on the verge of fully resurrecting Cairym, he was finally stopped by Bothvar Lightguard, a legendary Paladin who founded the city of Lighthaven, as well as the Sunhallowed.
Bothvar was the first to be able to train others with this holy power bestowed on his family. And soon the class grew in number and power, becoming the Sunhallowed, an order of paladins who would stand against the darkness and protect the people of the realm. Meanwhile, the Blackheart Knights became a feared and reviled order, forever associated with the dark magic and corruption of Cairym.
