Gravelands
Founded in the wake of the Shining Crusade, the land formerly known as Lastwall was a nation of knights who swore to watch over the Whispering Tyrant’s prison, the tower of Gallowspire. The crusaders established the mighty walled capital of Vigil and the gleaming white port city of Vellumis. Although the crusaders still found purpose in fighting to contain the orcs of Belkzen, many knights believed their organization’s glory days were behind them. Their vigilance and zeal gradually dwindled.
Meanwhile, the Whispering Tyrant plotted his escape and eventually developed the destructive weapon known as the Radiant Fire. In the devastating summer of 4719, Tar-Baphon obliterated the village of Roslar’s Coffer and the crusader capital of Vigil. At the same time, Whispering Way cells throughout Lastwall synchronized murders, arson, and undead uprisings that shattered the nation. In one season, Lastwall was broken. Lastwall’s ruler, Watcher-Lord Ulthun II, was forced to retreat to Absalom. Lastwall’s most influential priest, Aylunna Varvatos, leads recently arrived Magaambyan philanthropists and the stone-faced crusaders who organize daily evacuations aboard ships departing Vellumis.
The remnants of Lastwall are now known as the Gravelands. Hordes of undead roam the countryside, their movements coordinated by Tar-Baphon’s loyal officers. Goblin tribes and those few orcs who chose to ally themselves with the Whispering Tyrant now travel openly within the nation’s former borders. Most of Lastwall’s population has already fled, and only the truly desperate remain huddled in crumbling strongholds or on failing farms. To travel openly across the Gravelands is to court death, but the surviving Knights of Ozem—now called the Knights of Lastwall—seek to stem the tide of evil, even in the face of incredible odds. Legendary crusader fortresses such as Castle Everstand and Castle Firrine stand empty, abandoned when their defenders could no longer count on supplies or support. These castles still stand tall on rolling hills, each as empty and grim as a tomb.
Meanwhile, the Whispering Tyrant plotted his escape and eventually developed the destructive weapon known as the Radiant Fire. In the devastating summer of 4719, Tar-Baphon obliterated the village of Roslar’s Coffer and the crusader capital of Vigil. At the same time, Whispering Way cells throughout Lastwall synchronized murders, arson, and undead uprisings that shattered the nation. In one season, Lastwall was broken. Lastwall’s ruler, Watcher-Lord Ulthun II, was forced to retreat to Absalom. Lastwall’s most influential priest, Aylunna Varvatos, leads recently arrived Magaambyan philanthropists and the stone-faced crusaders who organize daily evacuations aboard ships departing Vellumis.
The remnants of Lastwall are now known as the Gravelands. Hordes of undead roam the countryside, their movements coordinated by Tar-Baphon’s loyal officers. Goblin tribes and those few orcs who chose to ally themselves with the Whispering Tyrant now travel openly within the nation’s former borders. Most of Lastwall’s population has already fled, and only the truly desperate remain huddled in crumbling strongholds or on failing farms. To travel openly across the Gravelands is to court death, but the surviving Knights of Ozem—now called the Knights of Lastwall—seek to stem the tide of evil, even in the face of incredible odds. Legendary crusader fortresses such as Castle Everstand and Castle Firrine stand empty, abandoned when their defenders could no longer count on supplies or support. These castles still stand tall on rolling hills, each as empty and grim as a tomb.
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