Alcirya

Alcriya, World of Sorrow.

"All those that have died shall live again, and rejoice in it."

Suffering is nothing new to the people of Alcirya. Across the continent normal lives have been torn asunder by the event foretold in this haunting prophecy. It was never forseen that the dead would rise from their tombs and inhale the breath of the living... devouring all the machinations of mankind as they consume the living world. Appollonia, the once proud empire of the mages, did not suspect that their long missing council member - the Necromancer - Karza - had spent lifetimes manipulating magical forces, harnessing the raw elemental powers of Fire, Earth, Water, Air, and finally, Death to put into action a plan to usurp Baatu, the God of Death, himself. Now, across the world Karza's dark legions, the Karzites, have risen from their graves and are on the march assailing every living creature without discrimination of man nor beast. As their success grows, so do their number, fueled by those magics which Karza has siphoned from mages and preists throughout the land and from the life essence of those they have slain.   Xanthios, while no ally of Appollonia, would have once mounted an offense to push back against the undead horde. Sadly, over a troubled century, their backbone, the Templar, has eroded to the point of ineffectiveness. Political ousting, vicious assaults, traitors in their midst, unrecoverable battlefield losses, and the loss of key leaders has left the Templars in disarray, unable to even defend their homeland. Those that remain pay with their lives or cower in fear and failure.   The ShaoYan, once the center of thought and culture, has dissolved into warring factions with various feudal warlords attempting to enact order through tyrannical rule.   Canem and Yusuf have long lived on the brink of extinction, trying to build in their hostile lands. When the scar erupted, they persevered, but this calamity may have ended their civilizations altogether as no news has escaped their lands. All are feared lost.   But a glimmer of hope remains... hidden in the vast forests of the Sebaste. Sebastites have known hardship and violence for the whole of their lives - the undead are simply a new target to play sword and arrow against. A strength abides in their dark domain... one that calls out to the hearts of man and demands they not yield, demands sacrifice of gristle and marrow upon the altar of resistance. Their courage and noble sacrifice saved the realm once... will you respond to their call?