More than six centuries have passed since the Fall changed Eä. Humanity stands on its own feet once more, not under the single banner of a god and his Dominion, but as multiple and varied civilizations. Much that was common knowledge has passed unto myth, tales and even new religions – but such things change quickly and the legends of yesterday become the enemies of tomorrow.
Despite its rise, humanity still struggles to rebuild after the cataclysm and the Long Winter that followed. With the Hollow Throne of the come and gone Telian empty, the Hundred Kingdoms remain embroiled in internecine warfare, as the Nobility covets the remnants of the Empire, while the Church grinds its teeth at the weakened Orders. The City States of the south struggle to recover from the collapse of their paradigms at the hands of demagogues and tyrants. To the north, the Nords have finally left behind the horrors of the Fimbulwinter and the rule of the Jotnar, and have started expanding from their shattered realms turning their covetous eyes to the rich lands of the south, lusting for revenge for their murdered gods.
With mankind far from the glory and might of its Old Dominion, the enigmatic Spires exert their power for the first time in eons. Shedding millennia of custom and practice, the Merchant Princes seek the wealth of the lesser races to break the stranglehold of power the Directorate and the Sovereign Lineages exert. As the vicious games of these elders spill into the mortal realms, misery and warfare spread like a disease from their domains.
While the clamor of war spreads, the wisest amongst those living fear the rising of the Dweghom. Deep in their Holds, they hear the clamor of battle approaching and feel the pulse quicken in their veins. They are the eldest disciples of War. The last time the entirety of their Hosts marched to battle, the eternal reign of Dragons came to an end in a conflict so violent, the land itself withdrew. Far to the east, darkness is gathering. The fearless Tribes of W’adrhŭn hurl themselves against the Claustrine Gates as their lands shrink. Their warbands are unable to contend with the ancient evil that stirs in what was once the heartland of the Old Dominion.
As legends walk upon the world once more, humanity’s own fables could not be missing. From a hidden continent of their own making, the deicidal elite of the Sorcerer Kings who brought down Hazlia return to the world, expecting to be worshipped as saviors, lest they install themselves as leaders at worst. Pushed by their political enemies, the Theist Church will bring their own temples to life, leading their Crusades and fueled by the power of angelic powers – or something of the sort. And as the excessive rituals weaken the borders between worlds, the Yoroni, reforged remnants of the Abyssal Host, will return to the world and teach mortals their paths of ascension…