Oct 6, 2024 9:26 pm
For centuries, the Valencrest dynasty ruled Allaria. Though not every monarch was noble and generous, for the most part Allaria was stable, and its people content...or at least, not keen on rebellion.
That changed when Malcolm III ascended to the throne roughly one hundred years ago. Aided by his twisted wife Cecilia, Malcolm descended to new lows of incompetence, greed, and depravity.
The people of Allaria could perhaps have borne this...but then, Malcolm somehow acquired the powers of vampirism. He also converted his wife and son (named Garrett) to full vampires, as well as select ministers and loyal aristocrats. Many more people were turned to vampire spawn, wretched thralls forced to do the bidding of whoever mastered them.
The people rose up and formed an alliance called the Union, determined to rid the realm of this darkness, and of the Valencrests' insanity and cruelty. But for many months they achieved little, the vampires' overwhelming power thwarting their every effort. Even though some aristocrats, horrified by the unleashing of dark forces, gave their aid, the power imbalance was still insurmountable.
That is, until a man named Seifer Faas appeared. Nobody has ever learned where he hailed from; his actual race is even the subject of intense debate. Some called him a mighty warrior, but that wasn't exactly the case; he was a killer, plain and simple, and uncommonly adept at destroying vampires. As he famously said: "Only a fool gives someone a fair fight."
With Seifer's cunning and vast knowledge, the Union was able to chip away at the vampires. The vampires, lost in their dark desires and contemptuous of the "rabble" opposing them, soon found themselves on the brink of annihilation.
A final showdown occurred at Castle Midnight, the renamed home of the Valencrest family. While the Union prevailed and the castle was razed, much of the battle details were lost in the chaos of the conflict...and thanks to (perhaps ill-advised) subsequent Union censorship. It's said that all the Valencrests perished, thus ending the vampiric scourge. It's also said that Seifer was killed in battle.
But legends and myths will always form, and many whisper that some, if not all, of the Valencrests survived, as well as Seifer Faas.
With the Kingdom of Allaria gone, the Union of Allaria rose from the ashes. No longer would overbearing rulers dictate how a diverse population should act. Now each town/region would have leeway to operate its own affairs, with the Union Council (the new ruling body, sorta), only existing to make sure a certain level of freedom and safety exists within the Union.
And of course, no vampires!
However, savvy aristos were able to survive and thrive in this new world order. Now there are rumors that they've formed a new rebel group (ironic!), and are angling to destroy the Union and restore the old Kingdom. And there are troubling signs that vampiric forces once again roam Allaria.
You've been tasked by Union officials with determining the extent of this conspiracy, and destroying it if possible.
Or perhaps your sympathies lie with the aristos? Or maybe you want to play both sides against each other? The choice is yours!
That changed when Malcolm III ascended to the throne roughly one hundred years ago. Aided by his twisted wife Cecilia, Malcolm descended to new lows of incompetence, greed, and depravity.
The people of Allaria could perhaps have borne this...but then, Malcolm somehow acquired the powers of vampirism. He also converted his wife and son (named Garrett) to full vampires, as well as select ministers and loyal aristocrats. Many more people were turned to vampire spawn, wretched thralls forced to do the bidding of whoever mastered them.
The people rose up and formed an alliance called the Union, determined to rid the realm of this darkness, and of the Valencrests' insanity and cruelty. But for many months they achieved little, the vampires' overwhelming power thwarting their every effort. Even though some aristocrats, horrified by the unleashing of dark forces, gave their aid, the power imbalance was still insurmountable.
That is, until a man named Seifer Faas appeared. Nobody has ever learned where he hailed from; his actual race is even the subject of intense debate. Some called him a mighty warrior, but that wasn't exactly the case; he was a killer, plain and simple, and uncommonly adept at destroying vampires. As he famously said: "Only a fool gives someone a fair fight."
With Seifer's cunning and vast knowledge, the Union was able to chip away at the vampires. The vampires, lost in their dark desires and contemptuous of the "rabble" opposing them, soon found themselves on the brink of annihilation.
A final showdown occurred at Castle Midnight, the renamed home of the Valencrest family. While the Union prevailed and the castle was razed, much of the battle details were lost in the chaos of the conflict...and thanks to (perhaps ill-advised) subsequent Union censorship. It's said that all the Valencrests perished, thus ending the vampiric scourge. It's also said that Seifer was killed in battle.
But legends and myths will always form, and many whisper that some, if not all, of the Valencrests survived, as well as Seifer Faas.
With the Kingdom of Allaria gone, the Union of Allaria rose from the ashes. No longer would overbearing rulers dictate how a diverse population should act. Now each town/region would have leeway to operate its own affairs, with the Union Council (the new ruling body, sorta), only existing to make sure a certain level of freedom and safety exists within the Union.
And of course, no vampires!
However, savvy aristos were able to survive and thrive in this new world order. Now there are rumors that they've formed a new rebel group (ironic!), and are angling to destroy the Union and restore the old Kingdom. And there are troubling signs that vampiric forces once again roam Allaria.
You've been tasked by Union officials with determining the extent of this conspiracy, and destroying it if possible.
Or perhaps your sympathies lie with the aristos? Or maybe you want to play both sides against each other? The choice is yours!
