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It is the 81st year of the Dawn Era. At the far western frontier of the kingdom of Rasura, beyond the Mountains of Scordris, there lies the province of Sunmarch, ruled over by its royally-appointed Marquis - or Marquess - to watch over the people that live in the last lands the light touches before the sun sets beyond the sea. The old gods of the dark are dead; their fell armies scoured from the lands by the kingdoms of the world and their dark secrets put to the torch by their churches, ushering in a new Age of Light, with the shadows and their demons retreating far, far beneath the earth, hiding away until such a time that they can muster their strength and sink their claws once more into the lands that light touches... It was too optimistic, perhaps, to assume that peace would reign in Aeternus' Wake. The technologies formed from the fires of war were twisted and turned to civilian purpose, and more discoveries and miracles were yet found - though this technology went unchecked, uncontrolled, and unease of the power and authority wielded by Magi and Crafstolk; of black powder, weaponry, magic and alchemy tuned to war now settling in times of peace. Without a unified foe, the church turned its ire, its zeal, tempered by generations of vanquishing the dark, upon itself; new heresies were condemned, new schisms formed. It was not enough that a God be of the light, no; were the gods of Balance or Change, now, those who were more righteous? Who were those that should rule? Churches turned inwards, and against the magical orders who once freely practiced in the light, and who found themselves turning to dark secrets once better thought buried as old allies became foes. Perhaps, though, that is as it should be. Are you an adherent of Change and its gods, one that believes that change is necessary, inevitable, or prudent - that empires may fall, so long as life endures? Or are you an acolyte of Balance and its own, who believes that righteous rule and advancement must be made for the betterment of all, fortifying oneself against forces within and without? Perhaps both. Perhaps neither. Perhaps it's of no interest to you, and perhaps it's everything in the world. The Sunmarch is far enough away that the political squabbling of the Kingdom at large is lessened - but not absent. The Mage's University practices, and the local sect of the church attempts to reign its influence upon the realm, be that for better or worse. There are many opportunities here for the canny, and a stable life seems within reach still. Change comes regardless. Force is enacted upon the realm, and its effects are far-reaching. The Wheel turns the Axle. How will you change the world around you? And how will this age of new beginnings, of new unknowns, change you? In this place, so far away from the heart of civilization, distant eyes turn inwards, and the focus of powerful beings draws nearer; in this place, where circumstance has seen fit to leave you, you may soon find that yours is a fate few share. |