WORLD

The Ruins

On the site where the land of Banourd now stands, there once thrived a kingdom named Vittoria, ruled over by the ambitious Lord Bistalle. Too ambitious, it would seem, for he believed he could topple the country’s guardian dragon and steal its untold power to use for his own purposes. In this, his loyal citizens supported him, and for their transgressions they were awarded an eternity of misery and torment in the ruins of their once-mighty home. Even now, a thousand years hence, Vittoria lies buried and forgotten, inhabited by the demonic successors to its unfortunate people and a handful of poor Banourans who realized too late that admittance into this nightmare is a one-way ticket…

The Tower

Rising from the center of ancient Vittoria stood a massive tower, which legend has it served as home for the dragon who watched over the land. It has existed since time immemorial, and will continue to exist just as long – though rather than stretching up toward the heavens, it now exists underground and stretches up toward freedom, serving as a beacon of false hope for many an unfortunate adventurer seeking to escape the fate that inevitably must befall all who come to this cursed place.

The Cave

The tower’s apex, which once kissed the sky, now connects to a network of caverns and natural springs that’s become as corrupted as the ruined kingdom below. Patrolled by undead warriors, infested with bats and harboring traps both ancient and modern, the one saving grace of these dark, damp catacombs is the race of mermaid-like nymphs who sing beautiful music to cleanse their home of encroaching demons and protect its sanctity.

The Unknown

Above the ruined city, beyond the tower and past the catacombs there hangs a layer of the darkest blackness… and even beyond that, the surface is still far overhead, with obstacles and evils beyond all imagining preventing any lost souls from leaving the perpetual misery wrought by the hubris of some distant monarch. Some have managed to survive in this most treacherous of places, but most have either perished or given up long before reaching this point. As such, the road ahead may be a lonely one, with no one around to hear even the loudest and most desperate of screams…