For years beyond reckoning, King Decimus ruled the Realm of Light from his golden throne. Peace and justice bathed this great kingdom in a benevolent light. The king ruled in accord with his subjects - with wisdom and compassion. Did this allow his subjects too greater freedom? Is it better to rule with fear rather than love, who can say? But peace does not last forever, in the end, everything must die and the harmony that once blessed this realm also died. Civil war broke out amongst the Kings great lords and captains - and the kingdom was plunged into chaos. Such shock and trauma was generated by this conflict that the very land itself was rent apart - as if grief and bitterness itself had the power to tear shorelines from the sea and farms from their farmland. What remains now? A multitude of unhappy wreckage, meagre slivers of land - fragments of the Realm of Light where peace and compassion are now distant and fading memories.
From the chaos and destruction of war emerges a new reality. No longer a peaceful and unified land but scattered fragments of land in constant and terrifying turmoil, preyed on by the forces of decay and destruction. Lands where the living are blind to the reality of their doom and only the chosen few have the sight and determination to resist.
The starting point of any army is the characters or heroes that lead and inspire the troops. Can a handful of brave heroes and their loyal followers be called an army? When the heroes wield great power, hold the fate thousands and the destiny of the realm in their hands - you can!
What makes a hero? Bravery, loyalty, phenomenal skill, luck? Yes, all of these things. In the world of Ruination it is the ability to perceive the terrible threat that surrounds them and the willingness to do something about it. Few are blessed (or cursed) with the ability to “see” but those that are describe a process of “awakening”. This usually occurs on the brink of adulthood and happens in small stages over time, the gradual realisation that something is not quite right with the world, the feeling that there must be something more to life than the grim and grinding humdrum routine. What follows is usually a growing sense of unease and menace which often results in bizarre and worrying behaviour. A period of increasing agitation and anxiety then culminates in “the Awakening” when the person finally begins to glimpse the true nature of their surroundings. On rare occasions “the Awakening” can occur much more rapidly, without any warning, especially after a sudden traumatic event.
In communities where other “awakened” live, this process will not go un-noticed and contact will quickly be established with others that have “the sight”. The bewildered and newly transformed character will be welcomed into the ranks of the knowing and quickly instructed in the dangers and opportunities that lie ahead.
As the destruction of the realm continues so the majority of its inhabitants turn their faces away from the danger and busy themselves with day to day concerns. For every mind that is now alert to the threat, a thousand cannot see it or refuse to acknowledge it. Confronted with this peril their eyes are cast down. If any of these ‘Downcast’ makes expression of their concerns they will always conclude that they are not the concern of the ‘common folk’. Memories of the once-great realm are for most an irrelevant myth, a suitable subject perhaps for children’s stories but of no relevance to people’s daily lives. Tales of great deeds, of heroes turning back the tide of destruction are dismissed as faintly embarrassing fantasies of little consequence to hard working people.
In happier times the realm was united by exchanges of trade, ideas and beliefs. Those times are long since gone and the realm has fractured into countless fragments, and yet many of these fragments still contain life.
The Downcast continue to live and labour at the daily tasks that have occupied them for generations, however now they operate in isolation from the remainder of their fragmented kind. Now the Downcast can only look inward. New ideas and beliefs are regarded with hostility and suspicion as unwelcome and un-trusted guests. For the Downcast the past and the future are viewed with increasing distaste, all that remains is a relentless and dreary now.
The Downcast may possess little knowledge of the peril that faces the world at large but they are certainly used to dealing with more tangible threats, such as raiding bands of Ors and Goblins or pillaging Ogres and ravenous Trolls. Consequently, many of the Downcast make excellent fighters.
One of the main concerns of the Downcast is the competition and conflicts that they have to endure with the Defiled. This is their name for the barely humanoid races of Orcs, Goblins, Ogres, Trolls, Giants and numerous other types of creatures that usually live on the fringes of Downcast communities. In a time when resources are extremely limited, the Downcast see no reason why they should be shared with the degenerate races of the Defiled. As a consequence distrust and violence are usually a feature of Downcast and Defiled relations.
In the swirling mists that surround each embattled fragment of the once great kingdom lurks the terror that is the Darkesh, the decaying un-quiet corpses of those who have already succumbed to death and corruption. Are these creatures that haunt this realm of decay responsible for the destruction of the living realms or are they just the last flickering of spirit in creatures untimely cut down? None know for sure, but what is certain is that they attack the living with relentless ferocity and when they make forays into the realm of the living; the swirling mists of decay are never far behind.
So what has become of the great captains and princes that served the high king and basked in his power? Surely the only hope for the realm is that these great lords should unite to rebuild this disjointed land. Sadly this has not occurred. As helpless as the most humble of the kings subjects, even the most noble have found their dominions fragmented and preyed on by the destructive forces of chaos. Now they shelter in the ruins of their once great cities, fearful of further attack and ferociously protecting what remains.
Lord Saitinax, formerly the kings Chamberlain and chief advisor, waits in his City of Curses, listening to the laments of the dead and searching the gloomy pathways between life and death for his lost love. Has his treachery destroyed all loyalty he once had to the king? Prince Pelatas, heir to the Golden Throne is fighting to protect what remains of his lands, does he have the strength to reunite the realm as the new king?
Lord Kokashara, the keeper of great treasures of wisdom and knowledge welcomes all who seek out the remedy that will heal the realm, but who will listen, who will answer his call? Lord Nenacus seeks to end this reign of chaos but will his fascination with decay and corruption hold back the tide of turmoil or speed up its approach?
Who dares to interrupt Lord Wyshek, the Keeper of the Land of Purgatory, where he battles the forces of corruption in his blasted and fiery domain? Or Muromos, Lord of the Northern Lands, who enlists the spirits of water and storm to stave off the onslaught of death. Perhaps Lord Urthus, who sits in his Iron Fortress can beg the spirits of the earth to draw together the fragmented realm. Or even Lord Gyndamal, who looks down from her City of Clouds, can she summon the spirits of the air that once breathed life across the realm. Can any of these great lords encourage the forces of nature to fight back against untimely decay, can they join forces and reunite the realm?
