FBF - Game Lore

[pred1980]

Forsaken Bastion's Fall
Game Lore & Story Document
Author: Dzerpic
v.1.2


Table of Contents

0. Changelog

V.1.0- Factions's descriptions and backstories created. V.1.1- Added names and corrections. Emailed. V.1.2- Changelog and Plot added. V.1.3- Added Heroes Section and Building Section (Towers, Shops)

1. The Plot

This is the official Forsaken Bastion's Fall prologue. It'll be used for the presentation on The Hive Workshop, Facebook and other possible sites. It roughly explains the setting and certain aspects of the game.

1.1 Forsaken Bastion's Fall (Unfinished)

More than a 100 years ago, there existed a kingdom; all the power concentrated in the one King. Although a totalitarian, despotic regime, the kingdom thrived thanks to its well organized economy and hard-working citizens. Under its control, were rich and unique resources and a particularly fertile land. In a short time after its foundation, the kingdom became almost independent; It generated most of what it needed on itself and the excessess were sold or traded. For as perfect as the kingdom seemed to the outside world, life on the inside was unbearable for everyone; the King included. His Majesty had everything he wanted, yet he always wanted more. His thirst was insatiable. His castle was two times as big as the second biggest one; his wives were many; his daughter were his brides-to-be; his people acted as mindless peons, doing everything he ordered; his armies were vast, outmatched and, most importantly, loyal to the end. In spite of all this, he wanted more. Before he even realized, he was old. Not long after, he found an answer in magic. “By chance”, a travelling Wizard met the King on the street and offered him the solution to his problem. Of course, looks are deceiving and the King was too blinded to see through the fraud, not even when his life force and was drained by his latest newborn. A side effect of the spell, the King was granted eternal youth but conditions were that, if he had a male child, his essence would be consumed and absorbed into his son's. The people were astonished at the King's sudden demise; not knowing if to laugh or cry. Swiftly, the Wizard took the child and the throne. The greatest kingdom ever known now at his vile hands. For a reason unascertained, the Wizard killed all of the King's wives, daughters and sons with one powerful spell, with the exception of the youngest of them all. The tamed people accepted their fate disgustingly easily, even for the Wizard. And the loyal army was made to believe the Wizard was the King with a simple illusionary spell. The Kingdom fell quickly into disgrace as the Wizard didn't care about politics and economy, only the consumption of souls. He had taken his first victim in the King and he had his future vessel ready, in the King's youngest son, Necro Necromansen [prototype name, of course]. The unlucky child had a golden heart, but his mind and soul were shaped at the Wizard's will. His sense of morals and ethics were distorted and, for his whole life he lived in a crafted world, twisted and corrupt. His appearance soon changed accordingly and he became a dull, pale, emotionless, almost lifeless child. Years went on. With each one, hundreds of souls were absorbed by Necro's. He was like a sponge: all he touched, he consumed. The inanimate corpses filled the streets and buildings of the Kingdom until nothing remained. Finally, a 100 years ago, the Wizard's and Necro's souls were fused into one. Only too late, the Wizard realized the flaw of his plan, Necro's golden Heart. Unpierced by the conjurer's malice, it alone interrupted the spell and as the Wizard pushed harder into Necro's soul, the young agonizing prince's body imploded. His heart surrounded by all the souls consumed, are all that remained. The Wizard and the Prince forever trapped in the Golden Heart. The Wizard's will still prevailed, easily overpowering Necro's, thus taking control. The Great Kingdom decayed rapidly and Necro's Heart, yet controlled by the Conjurer, became the center of his new Empire of Putrefaction. Soon after, thousands of citizens arose as Necro's undead minions. The excelently trained, battlehardened soldiers became easily distorted into his nefarious elite personal army. Ever since, the World's kingdoms and nations have been trying to hold the Heart's Disease: Necro's unbeatable, conquering army. One small groups of rebels from a different kingdom rose to the challenge and managed to stop the Heart's advancement with unorthodox tactics. This gave the rest of the World a chance to take a breath and assess the situation. After many years of fighting, the biggest nations and kingdoms, races and factions, set their differences aside and formed a Great Alliance to beat back the Heart's Disease. Finally, with much effort and after many sacrifices, they managed to beat Necro's army back to the Kingdom, now The Forsaken's Bastion. The Wizard finds himself cornered and, much to his surprise, he's fightin war on two fronts for Necro has unexplicably gained a will to fight and threatens his control over the Heart and his entire army. In this decisive battle, the Great Alliance puts everything and everyone on the line to defeat the greatest enemy they have ever known. Their task is hard. Lossing this bout means lossing their world to darkness...

2. The Factions – Basic Descriptions

2.1 The Second Regnum (Playable - Humans)

It's society is highly religious and conservative, defined by traditions and a feudal system. There's a big difference between the common people and the nobles, the ruled and the rulers. Members from one group can never change to the other, “he who is born poor, dies poor”. This die-hard traditions have remained intact for centuries, but the rise of new political powers and religious entities shake the Kingdom's foundations as it fights for survival against new forces, and of it's very existence against the changing tides of history. The Regnum's rulers are ussually very proud of their power and social standing. Religion is a very important matter for their society. They believe in the existence of a God and a Goddess -Father and Mother. Both are opposites that compliment each other: Fire and Water, Air and Earth, Sword and Shield, Wrath and Forgiveness. This religion's organization is called the Church of the Twin Suns; the bright Sun that comes at dawn and the Pale Sun that comes at Dusk. The Father and the Mother, respectively. It's a belief that firmly establishes the concept of unity within a family and thus, marriage is sacred; an unbreakable commitment. Adultery and Infidelity is heavilly punished by law. But law tends to fall harder on the poor. Social hierarchy can be defined as a pyramid. The Head of State has total control over the Regnum. Below him are the nobility, land-owners; wealthy merchants and common citizens. The ruling head is both judge and jury and has a personally appointed Royal Exsecutori. Seneca Castle is the Second Regnum's Capital city, older than the Kingdom itself. It was destroyed at the end of a civil war -1100 years before the events of FBF- after which the Second Regnum was born. A hundred years later, the castle was rebuilt into the great citadel it is today. That event marks the year zero in the Peninsula's timeline. Seneca Castle is admired by all for it's historical and cultural meaning as well as for it's size and commercial importance.

2.2 The Imperium Borealis (non-Playable)

A great empire now reduced to a small province in the northern mountains. Only recently, it was a great Empire conquering the Second Regnum's lands while fighting rebels inside it's borders. But the Forsaken became it's downfall. Distinctively opposite to the Second Regnum, the Imperium buids upon a series of myths and teachings. There's a great Pantheon of Gods, with hundreds of temples scattered through the Imperial lands. Despite the many different beliefs, respect is king. Society looks down upon disrespectful priest and believers. As free and democratic as the religion system is, the government is completely tyranical and authoritarian. The Emperor holds all power over the law and the land. Even so, he is close to common people as his agenda is heavilly invested in public events. In the Imperium's religious beliefs the Emperor stands as a prophet, a guardian.

2.3. The Forsaken Kingdom (Playable - Undead)

The Forsaken Kingdom, formerly the Kingdom d'Or, is the richest by far. Within it's borders it holds a seemingly infinite amount of resources and riches and the greatest castle ever built where upon sat the most vanidous of Kings, Marco Mithas. A kingdom barely two-hundred years old, It reeks of death. A Wizard from the South tricked the King and took over his throne. Known as 'Cáligo', he has poisoned the Kingdom with his powerful Black Magic and taken control of a vast undead army. He calls his new kingdom The Forsaken Kingdom. The Wizard succesfully waged war against it's unsuspecting neighbours at the peak of a long-going war. but a surprising invasion from a foreing nation crippled his army's advance. This turn of events turned the tides of the war as the Forsaken's enemies organized a counter-attack and pushed the undead back. At present time, A coalition of Cáligo's foes knock at his Bastion's gates. The result of the inveitable battle shall decide the fate of the Peninsula and the World.

2.4. The Bel'Trama, The 'Outlanders' (Playable - Orcs)

Men fear what is new and unknown, that which is foreign to their own personal worlds, they fear that which is bigger and stronger than them. When men feel threatened and cornered by this things they fear, they treat them with disdain and hostility. Men in the Peninsula fear the Bel'Trama for this reasons. A colossal mass of Green-skinned men and manlike animals. Foreign and unknown, they are different in every aspect to the common man. With the knowledge of their existence came the realization that the World stretches far beyond their lands, and their power over it may not be as great as they once thought. This outsiders known as the 'Outlanders' have set foot in the peninsula for the first time, intervening in the war against the Forsaken. Although they should be regarded as savior for pushing the Forsaken back, they are now feared even more.

2.5. Nova Republic (non-Playable)

A group of philosophers and scientist in the Imperium turned into enemies of the state, turned into a group of ragtag rebels, turned into a new social and political movement, turned into guardians of freedom and heroes of the common men, turned into a new nation. A chain reaction that began with the discovery of steam technology. The Imperium, at the time waging war against the Second Regnum, was unable to quell the revolts organized by the Septem, a small insurgent group led by seven intellectuals. In a matter of months, their small organization took towns over from the Imperium and won the hearts of it's people. Eventually, the long war against the Regnum and the sudden invasion from the East by the Forsaken Army destroyed the Empire's forces. The rebellion recovered the broken pieces to become the Respublica Nova Aurora, the Republic of the New Dawn. And, although they did have to fight the Forsaken, the war ended abruptly thanks to the surprising invasion launched by the 'Outlanders'. They've stayed away from the invasion against the Forsaken Bastion due to the hostile relations with the Second Regnum and the weight of having to reorganize their lands after the turmoil of the war against the Imperium. They want to be ready for the upcoming wars against the Second Regnum and possibly, the 'Outlanders'. They have an plan to free the world from corruption and slavery, and they're are ready to give their lives for it.

2.6. The Order of the Moon (Playable – Night Elves)

A cult of magic-wielders located in the 'Luna' island, south of the Peninsula, territory of the Second Regnum. Only recently they made their existence public by preaching the coming of The End and The Rebirth. They believe time is cyclical. The universe is created at the start of each cycle, by an all-seeing Goddess ,who watches the world through the Moon -the Pale Sun to the Church of the Twin Suns-, and ends with a cleansing of souls. At the end of each cycle, the souls that remained pure return to the Goddess, as they were once a part of her, while the rest are left to die as all existence returns to zero. This cycle repeats itself indefinitely. A fatalistic belief that has found an enemy in the Church of the Twin Suns. Their leader and self-proclaimed messiah, (the POTM hero), claims she's been sent by the Goddess to save as many as possible from the inevitable End, and guide them back home; back to her womb. Her right hand, most faithful servant and protector, (Cenarius) is a mute half-animal, three times as old as the oldest man. He's a man more mysterious than the Cult itself. They have perceived a threat to their Goddess's plans in the Wizard and his Forsaken, so the Order of the Moon has been rallied under the POTM's command to fight side-by-side with the human armies.

3. Factions Backstory

3.1. The Settlers and the Seneca Region

Before the construction of the Seneca Castle, of the wars for power and land, of the coming of the first settlers, this was a virgin land. Untouched, unmarked and unconquered. It was nature's paradise. The first settlers came down through the northern mountains, and in peace they built their homes freely throughout the land. Years, decades passed as they progressively expanded their domain and increased their numbers and, in time, they had full control over the peninsula. This was the first kingdom, the Seneca Region, ruled by Belliger Seneca and his family. About a hundred years before the creation of the Seneca Castle and the Second Regnum, King Seneca Mare ventured with his fleet into the western seas, looking to establish trade routes and new relations in undiscovered lands. He never came back. It is said his fleet was destroyed and he and his crew enslaved by Regira Sa'gara, the all-powerfull naga ruler of the western ocean. The King left behind a dying wife and six male sons. The relations between the heirs were very tense. The black sheep of the family was Seneca Primus, the eldest brother. Known for his lust, greed and intricate plans. Loyal to himself. Seneca Secundus lived overshadowed by his older brother. Since childhood he showed a great interest in religion and became a well-read faithful man. His lifestyle gave little room to concerns over land and money and this was a distressful matter for his father. The third and fourth sons were twins, Seneca Tertius and Quartus. They held Seneca Primus as their role model until they discovered his treacherous nature. A mix of their older brothers's traits, they had a strong sense of justice applied to politics and the aristocratic life. Seneca Quartus had mixed feelings towards religion and was an atheist in secret. The Fifth and Sixth sons, Seneca Quintus and Sextus were by far the youngest, teenagers at the the time of the King's dissappearance. As so, they were still seeking their place in the world. Both of them were reckless and naive. As the King had died, all the power was held by the Queen who fell ill with the flu. Her sons took the hard decision of setting aside their differences and formed a regent council of which only they were members. The Queen then gave control of the Kigndom to this Council of Six. No more than a month later, the Queen died in her sleep and her offspring's frail alliance was broken the day after. Chaos ensued aa brother fought brother in the first of the Peninsula's great wars. The conflict ended with a siege that completely destroyed the Seneca Castle and taook the life of the eldest of the heirs, Seneca Primus, who had taken the structure by force. Afterwards, the Seneca Region was broken into a smaller kingdom and four duchies. Seneca Secundus, inherited the royal crown and his brothers took control of a different duchy each. The Death of Seneca Primus, although tragic, brought peace to the land. He had done much harm to the family, turning one against the other and playing everyone for a fool, all in his search for power.

3.2. Rise of the Second Regnum

When the Seneca Region was broken, the Council of Six was temporarily summoned to choose and appoint the new King. Secundus was favored over Quartus, as the latter stormed out of the meeting, forever to be his rival. The Second Regnum began with the Second Son's rule, marked by his strong faith and the rise of the church's power. With the following generations came peace and the reunification of the kingdom. All of the peninsula lands were once again under the rule of one sole king and the reconstruction of the Seneca Castle -ravaged by the heritage war that split the royal family. Centuries later, the Kingdom would be divided yet again when a rebellious general created the Imperium Borealis and later, a nobleman called Marco Mithas would make a fast and vast fortune with which to raise his own kingdom, the Kingdom d'Or Known now as the Forsaken Kingdom.

3.3. A Land Divided: The Rise of the Imperium Borealis

In the year 555, General Patronus Aurel, rose up against the established rule of the Second Regnum. A figure of rebellion and anti-establishment, he was joined by other radical groups. The dissidents swiftly conquered most of the northern provinces with minimun armed conflicts as the general's image was more often than not, enough to rout the townsfolk in his favor. Yet, the dispute was short-lived. The King and the General arranged for a private meeting that lasted several hours. A peace had been arranged where the general's rebellious campaign of warmongering and conquest had to end in exchange of all the conquered lands. Rumor has it that the General received a hefty sum of money during the encounter. The King's treaty also established that the General's future castle was not to be bigger or larger in any extent and meaning to that of his kingdom. The General held all of the power as he was loved by his people and was considered a hero for decades and centuries even after his death. Patronus Aurel had no appointed heir and the three richest families of the region became bitter rivals in the struggle for power. The three families engaged in a silent conflict where hired killers, spies and thieves filled their pockets with gold and jewels. In the end two of the families gave up on their claims to the throne and, since then, the victorious family ruled unquestionably until the very end. The political scene in the Imperium is considerably different and so is it's religion. They believe in the existence of many gods. Each represents an element of nature: The sun, the earth, air, water, fire, lightning & thunder (said to be twin brothers), and so on. Each of the Gods are made known to the people by several myths and stories. Different temples can be found all throughout the Northern lands. Different Gods have different teachings and traditions but the diferent cults treat each other with utmost respect. Life for the common man tended to be more peaceful and less occupied in political affairs than in the Second Regnum. About ten to twenty years ago, the Secundian King declared war on the Imperium claiming a right to it's territories, and just like that, began the longest and most gruesome war that concludes with the Fall of the Forsaken Bastion. The Secundian King fell ill and died not long after the start of the war and since the Queen was unskilled in the art of warfare, her kingdom soon fell under the raw power of the Imperial Army. Yet, at the same time a small group off in the western territories of the Empire made a giant breakthrough with the creation of a fully functional steamboat. This technology was used by a group of dissident that managed to oppose the Empire's vast army. The Rebellion slowly pushed the Empire's forces back while at the same time, the Queen was forced out of Seneca Castle and into the southern provinces. Such continuous state of war drove the Empire to ruin and soon, the Regnum pushed them back. It was then that the Forsaken surprised all with a vast army of undead and put the final nail on the Imperium's coffin. The Emperor was executed and the Imperium Borealis was turned into a vassal state by the rebels. Fully organized they called their land and government the Nova Republic; the Dawning Republic.

3.4. The Nova Republic, the Rising New Dawn

In most of the Imperium, religion was a great part of every peasant's life but this was not the case in the westernmost towns. Many began looking for answers on the different sciences and through years of independent research and experimentation a group of engineers found a way to use the power of water and steam for the operation of mechanical contraptions. The revolution turned from scientific to political when seven intellectuals saw the rise of this new tech as the signs of change. The technology had been created by people in the farthest corners of the Imperium. It became easily accessible to all and potentially powerful. This meant that simple untrained peasants with access to it would be able to fight against the spears and swords of the Imperial Army and the Second Regnum, even if outnumbered. They called themelves Septem and thought it was time for the people to rule over themselves. All those tired of the Emperors' tyranical regime joined the ranks of the 'Steam Hunters', the armed group ruled by the Septem. The first weeks of the armed rebellion were peaceful. The neighbouring towns either surrendered or voluntarily joined them because of their technological prowess or their revolutinizing ideals. The Imperial Army underestimated the new rising powers and only sent a middle sized battallion to face them. Needless to say, the first battle was a sound victory for the inexperienced Hunters. The war turned out to be not as easy as the Septem had thought. The Empire had many more soldiers in reserve and the central cities and towns did not cede their control to the rebels so easilly. The Imperium Borealis was finally taken down as the war on three fronts was too much for it's army and it's economy. Feelings of peace and joy rose in the hearts of the rebels but not for long. The Imperium's retreat came at the cost of the Forsaken's advance. The rebels now had to defend the lands they just conquered. The Ultimate test, their technology was to face the most powerful Black Magic. With the help of the 'Outlanders', the Forsaken were driven back and a new government was settled. From the ashes of tirany and the rubble of war, the Nova Republic was built. Housing their capital in the city where it all began, the Septem formed a parliament. Each of them became a minister and, toghether, they rule the Republic. The power falls on the people and their task is to enforce it. New laws were passed, ones that would assure the peasant's rights and the nation's integrity. The various religions were left untouched as the intellectuals believed in the freedom of thought as Freedom was their motto and what they stood for. But their goals go far from freeing a few men on the north, far from control over a portion of land. Their goals are to bring down tiranny, to prove that there is no divine right to rule over someone else, to show people what true freedom is; To bring a new Dawn.

3.5. The Kingdom d'Or. The Forsaken Kingdom

What was Seneca Quintus's Duchy was eventually absorbed by the Second Regnum and turned into one of its provinces. Around the year 800 ASC (After Seneca Castle) a young and ambicious nobleman was tasked with ruling the province, his name was Marco Mithas. During his rule, a seemingly infinite amount of resources was uncovered in his land. Cunning Crassio decided to hide this knowledge from the King and all that were loyal to him by any means necessary. The King found out only too late. Marco Mithas crowned himself King Crassio of Regnum Marco and severed all connections to the Second Regnum. As his first royal comand, he ordered the creation of a small army of elite soldiers, the Knights d'Or; loyal to the end. The Secundian King wanted the lands that were his by right and, of course, the vast resources it held. But his army, although three times superior in number was obliterated and humilliated by the Chevaliers. The Second Regnum was forced to recognize the new King. King Crassio eventually acquired all he ever wanted, but as time past him by he lost his youth and beauty. Desperate, he fell right into a travelling wizard's scheme; his name unkown, people reffered to him as 'Cáligo'. 'Cáligo' became close to the King until he cast a spell that doubled as a curse. The spell made Crassio recover his youth, but his next male son would become an Eater of Souls and the first he would claim would be the King's. The Wizard's plan succeeded, but that was only the first phase. The Prince's body was just a new vessel to replace the wizard's; old and frail. Young, strong and with the power of all the enslaved souls, 'Cáligo' could become the greatest dark mage. Unfortunately for him, his plan failed. He did not know about the Prince's Inner Strenght, his essence, pure like a god; waiting silently for the right time to emerge and clash with the Wizard's blight. A battle takes place in a dimmension unperceivable by the human eye. The encounter is too great and the Prince's body implodes, leaving only Marco Vas's Golden Heart, the last remaining piece of the prince's body wherein resides his soul, his pure essence engulfed by all the souls absorbed, now under the Wizards' control. Still, one free soul fights the wizard besides that of the Prince: Marco Mithas's, selflessly battling for his son's freedom. The Wizard still had control over Black Magic and so, he made his foe suffer by cursing his kingdom with undeath. Proving he's still in control, he raised an army off the dead and used it to conquer the Peninsula. While the Imperium Borealis had pushed back the Secundian Army over and over again with impressive might and strength, it quickly fell to the Noir Knights, formerly Marco Mithas's elite army. The Chevaliers advanced relentlessly, taking and destroying all in it's way, but the rising rebellious group to the west that had fought off the Empire's army proved to be a challenge to the Wizard's. And just as the Forsaken had spread towards the west and the south, the 'Outlanders' invaded from the North, across the sea. The Invasion marked a new turnabout in the war. The 'Outlanders'' raw strength and great numbers broke the Forsaken army's might. The Chevaliers fell back to face this new enemy granting a moment of peace to the rising Republic and the Second Regnum. In just a few months, the Forsaken army was broken, and the Forsaken Bastion all that remained. Now, the tired champions of the Second Regnum, the eager 'Outlanders' and a mysterious new cult stand at the Bastion's Gates. The ultimate battle will begin. The Heart's control is at stake, but if it manages to fend off the attack it may just be enough to conquer the Peninsula once and for all.