Alexei

“The dark gods have blessed us, now is our time. We have made the sacrifices, the innocents have been offered to our great masters. The time is now, the Imperium will fall, and change will once more bless what is our lands. It will not end here, first we reclaim our home; then we bring the light of progress to the world. Death to the false god and his children! Death to the Kadians!” -Heresiarch Abd al Hakim, The Storm Chosen It is the First Corvinite Era, the Empire of Kadia has grown to be one of the most powerful and technologically advanced nations on Valucre. The God-Emperor, Corvinus Melisende; has announced that his six year old son--Connor--is to inherit the throne. This sudden announcement has made waves across the Imperium and its allies, and its enemies, all uncertain of the changes to come once the young prince comes of age. All expectant and fearful. In the shadows the major political movements and intrigue between Kadia, Renovatio, Kalopsia, and the Dastuzoku Empire; dark forces have been stirring within the Old World. Word of Desmond’s actions against his father’s plans, the incident involving Cornelius and Lyonene, and the rising tensions between Corvinus and Koji have given the Heathens renewed vigor. In the central desert the Heathens and the Heretics have founded their own Church, the Heresiarchy. The old religion of the people who called themselves the Ekimmu is founded upon the true nature of the gods that corrupted them. The have founded their own nation, calling it the Caliphate of Aravia, and themselves Aravians. A new culture has sprung up--a resistance against the power of the Corvinite Ecclesiarchy. They have operated in the shadows, many spies and secret cults now reside in the borders on the Imperium, drawing normal citizens and nobility into their thrall. The Inquisition works to root them out alongside the Church’s Venator Malificarum. Julius, the acting Ecclesiarch has taken a keen interest is these cults, and how they have come about, who they serve. It has not been an easy process, the results yielding little, save for more questions. From the secrecy of their cities the Heresiarchy conducted mass sacrificial rituals across Kadia the moment they received word that the God-Emperor and Goddess-Empress had left the island on business, leaving their young son in the care of his siblings and tutors. The blood and still beating hearts of many innocents were offered to the Ever-Thirsting Gods, their minds and spirits broken before their flesh was offered. The Dark Gods took notice as the veil between the Materium and Immaterium thinned to enact their dark works. A great storm, soon called the Harrowing would envelope all of Kadia, pulling it into the dark seas of Corruption. The only saving grace, keeping the cities and many towns from falling to daímones are the Obelisks--extension of the God-Emperor’s divine will. Kadia now drifts among the seas of change. New beings have appeared in the various regions. Many have fled their towns, traveling far to the north and falling to the powers that reside in the dark and icy regions. New races now walk the islands that surround Kadia, burrow in the mountains, or even thrive in the deserts. Not even Aravia is safe from the storm they have created. To enter it from the Materium is to dive into a fate unknown. This all falls on the shoulders of the young prince, Connor; an empire drifting in hellish seas that seek to corrupt or destroy his father’s--no--his empire. Kadia is now at war, and neither the Aravians or the Kadians know who will win. All the while the laughter of Dark Gods echo across the Sea of Corruption, mocking and hungering. The Harrowing has begun.