Introduction
A Brief History of Euros and the Darklands
The second of the Four Kingdoms of the Wind, Euros achieved a level of splendor and magnificence that was unsurpassed by any other human nation, past or present. With its great wealth and advanced mastery of the magical arts, it was the envy of the world. However, this all came to an end when a succession crisis broke out into civil war.
The twin sons of the late king were meant to rule together, but neither was willing to cede a share of the kingdom to the other. The brother who was beloved by the common people had more than half the kingdom under his control in less than a year's time. He would have been the victor if his brother did not have a particularly brilliant knight in his service whose army never tasted defeat. Because of that knight, the brother favored by the nobles won the crown, but the people were not happy and stood on the verge of open revolt.
To improve his image, the new king disowned the knight who had done so much for his sake. Betrayed by his liege lord, his comrades in chains and desperate to regain his honor, the knight went on a suicidal mission to single-handedly defeat an ancient evil that took up residence in the land of his exile. He emerged triumphant, but that victory came at a price.
Twisted by the very evil he vanquished, the knight fell under a curse and he used that curse to seek revenge. With his loyal followers behind him, he marched from one corner of the kingdom to the next, despoiling every city along the way, slaughtering the countrymen who spurned him by the thousand. And for the coup de grâce, he struck down the very king who had thrown him to the wolves.
The years passed and the scattered survivors of the ruined kingdom faced their final destruction at the claws of the Black Dragon Xargos. The Dragon laid claim to the land, infusing it with dark energies and turning Euros into the accursed Darklands. The rich fields and meadows became lifeless stretches of cracked grey earth with naught but a few scattered scrubs and briars for vegetation. The lush forests became diseased shadows of their former selves. The water was corrupted into a poisonous brew—red as blood—that that spilled out into the sea and polluted the ocean over a hundred miles beyond the shore.
The Black Dragon's new kingdom was called the Chaos Dominion and it sought to sow the seeds of darkness and discord throughout the world. The Dominion struck westward, invading Notos and nearly overwhelming it, were it not for the timely intervention of the Kingdom of Zephyr. With its king slain in battle and its army broken, the Dominion crumbled and its power lay dormant until one came with the strength of will to challenge Zephyr once again.