MURDER!

There has been an assault on the Celestial Magnate’s palace. Amidst the chaos several other prominent figures in the city were attacked including Ambassador Dardale, the Saril family, and the warden of Storm’s Nest. When the dust settled, the Sovereign ruler of Ardorserii, his high council, and two of his sons were found dead atop the palace. The youngest Prince was the sole survivor of the attack.

Meanwhile the Ascended goddess, Soyesa, command’s Ardorserii’s disarranged royal army on the border to prevent an encroaching Alilnegian army from piercing the heartland of the country. Dispatched from Somar Villa, Lady Neycart has sent several thousand soldiers to keep order in the capital.

It’s up to the Eyes of the Chantry to appoint a new High Council, and that council’s duty will be to select a new Magnate. The surviving young Prince Marcus is occupying the seat of the Celestial Magnate until another can be selected. As the frontrunners of High Council candidates scramble to win the chantries’ favor, Warden Oras Sundale of Storms Nest has declared martial law in the capital until a new Magnate is chosen, claiming the prince is incapable of properly governing. 

It is now the 10th of Priestess and the tensions on Ardorserii’s strained government threaten to throw the country into chaos. In an effort to restore people’s faith in the throne, Prince Marcus has decided to throw a ceremony honoring the brave citizens and heroes that rose to the task and rescued him, elevating them to the rank of knight. And that’s where their story begins.

The day is saved but the night is born new...

The Ascended god Galesong has returned to the eyes of history. His return was overshadowed by the Gatekeeper unleashing a swarm otherworldly spirits loose on the capital of Ardorserii. Brave heroes from all over the city rose to the occasion and fought back the servants of death. However, the victory was not without lost. Almost a third of the city lost their lives in the conflict and the spectral storm of souls still spirals above the city as an omen of Ardor’s impending doom.

The young Celestial Magnate, Airyana Bertholf, has been putting more stock in her court mages to find a solution to the storm overhead. Among these mages gaining increased political power is an enigma of a woman named Ailes. When questioned about her credentials no one in the castle seems to know where she came from or where she gained such an astute understanding of arcane magic from. One thing that is certain is that her increase pull with the Magnate is concerning the Head Diviner of the castle.

Ardorserii maintains the largest infantry force in the world, in the true spirit of the nation of heroes, excess bands of Ardorian soldiers volunteer to defend the borders of other nations. The Magnate has put out the order across the world calling home all the sons and daughters of Ardorserii to help rebuild their nation. While Ardorserii will survive the coming storm, this means the walls that shielded the rest of the world from the storm’s wind have fallen. The party’s story starts in the ruins of the castle that was once Zenith Rise, protecting a court mage that has made a curious discovery.

Knight and Pawns on a Silver Board

Broken, shattered, and war torn the capital city, Ardor, still stands. Plan after plan of different dark forces have left the city in critical condition. Now, with the Celestial Magnate’s primary enemies on the run or imprisoned the city will have a chance to recover. Magnate Airyana Bertholf has decided to focus her efforts on preparing Ardorserii for a final military push into Alilnegi to end the border war. After being rescued from the clutches of her fiend possessed mother, Airyana Bertholf has given her most loyal knights a few weeks off to rest and recover for when she will next need their services. Unfortunately, the calm waves are never eternal and the coming storm always rises.

Arcane Justicar Kytrina Elselore of the Kalkyn has summoned the party with a request for aid. A mysterious package containing weapons crafted from strange crystals showed up on their doorstep with an attached note that the weapons could damage Drelen Mattison of the Twilight Fang. After doing some investigations Jovano discovered that the package came from the Silver Sigil and all of the Kalkyn members unanimously agreed not to work with the Sigil even if against a common foe. Finally, after declining the Silver Sigil’s offer, the leader of Ardorserii’s Silver Sigil branch requested a private one on one meeting with Kytrina.

The other members of the Kalkyn would persecute Kytrina for even entertaining the idea of meeting with a leader of the faction, however, curiosity seems to be guiding the young Justicar’s actions. She has written the party with hopes they would accompany her to this secret meeting and hope to learn more about mysterious organization and its regional leader.