The Coming Annihilation

Deep within the archives of the Abbey of Caelester, an ancient vellum scroll lies, far older than any vellum should possibly be. This hidden scroll tells of the coming annihilation that will be brought upon the world, should Kalshazzak Aesymnetes, last Emperor of the Asurian Empire, ever be unleashed upon the world. It speaks of a tide of undead raging forth, consuming all in its path, spreading from Caelester should the tyrant's tomb ever be cast open. Summoned forth by his might, this undying army will sweep across the world. Those who stand against it will be annihilated. Those who do not resist, slaughtered without mercy. Only those who bend the knee, acknowleding the ancient lord's rightful dominion over the world will persist, transformed by his dark majesty's blessing into lords of death in their own right. Each will be rewarded with dominance over a province of the reborn Asurian Empire, in proportion to their service to Emperor Kalshazzak.
This account, written in a shaky and unsteady hand, is written in a particularly archaic form of Ancient Asurian that dates to the early days of the empire. Presumably, its writer suffered a terrible vision of the distant future, doomed to not only know how the world will end, but also to know his own empire would give birth to a dark and powerful lord who would eventually bring about that end.
On the back of the scroll, in a very different hand, a glowing script bears a message of hope. It speaks of an opportunity, while Kalshazzak gathers his forces, a quick and certain strike by a team of great heroes might be able to restore the seal. By taking up the relics used to bind him in days of yore, they might yet have the power to strike down the tyrant and his minions, and use these relics to restore the seal to full strength.
But this scroll yet lies locked away in secret chamber deep beneath the Abbey. Several tomes in its archives contain hints at its existence, as well as to where the relics can be found, but these too have not yet been discovered. And already Kalshazzak stirs, deep beneath the city, his prison cracked open by a powerful earthquake that brought the city to its knees eight years ago.