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==The Great War==
''There was a way of things, a cycle. The men and women of the realms of humankind went about their way, learning, trading, building their great kingdoms and tall castles. Such grand things cast long shadows. In those shadows lived the other half of the cycle, the vampire. The puppeteers of humanity. In exchange for illusions of independence and unwitting protection from the many predators of the night, the vampires fed on mankind’s wealth and blood, living in delicate, decadent harmony with them.''
So it was for millennia.

'''''… But no such balance can last forever.'''''

''There is always ambition, and what is more natural to the vampire than hunger? To mankind today the truth has long since been forgotten, existing only in tales that have been twisted by memory and time. The truth, however, lives on in the memories of every vampire alive to remember the Great War. The creature that reached beyond the familiar bounds of blood magic, past our material realm, and into untouched worlds. The man who shattered order and brought chaos: [[Dracula the Immortal King|Dracula]].''

''Dracula was a pioneer, the first to pierce the planes and concord with the mysterious powers that inhabit those other worlds. A dark throne manifested in Dracula’s castle, a conduit between the planes. The seat of power, and with it, the key to world domination.''

''The other clans would not submit easily, and so came the Great War. Wielding blade, bow, and blood magic they fought to wrest control of Dracula’s newfound power. They expended every last resource they had in savage resistance to his control, their lust for power causing them to sacrifice everything in its pursuit. The cities of humankind were decimated in the struggle, drowning in rivers of blood for the sake of their hopeless ends.''
Dracula had become unstoppable.
Or so they thought.

''Born not of lust for power, but pure desperation, the last remnant vestiges of mankind prostrated themselves before all of creation. They begged to anything, anyone that might hear them for salvation from their impending extinction.''

'''''Something answered.'''''
[[File:Vardoran War.png|thumb|320x320px|The Church of Luminance battles the Legion of Noctum.]]
''Humankind was blessed with the power of holy light, and what few could wield it formed the vanguard for humanity, the Church of Luminance. Their order gathered under the united banner of the Paladins of Light, riding forth and casting the light into those long shadows to illuminate the dark. A surge of holy light obliterated Dracula and scattered the vampire legions. They pushed back the great clans and sent them into a full bore retreat. Soon, they knew, there would be no shadows left in which to hide. The age of the vampire had come to a close.''

''Now it was the vampires who knew desperation and called on the last of their power to form a Dark Barrier to protect them during their last stand. This Barrier left them alive but trapped in seclusion and cut off from their source of food and power. They began to waste away. In their time of need, just as their bodies began to fail them and they began to fall into their dreamless sleep, they called out to the void that had once aided Dracula in hopes that it could save them.''
No one answered, and so they slept.

''The world continued without the vampires, and like any world, it would not survive any time of victory or peace without succumbing to new troubles—an enemy born from within. The Church of Luminance and the power they had acquired would not fade as the threat passed. As it is with all power, it craved to be wielded, and without an enemy to turn it upon, they would instead turn it upon themselves. The hand of light became an iron gauntlet, and with it, they would wring their subjects of wealth and worth. Dracula’s throne was one of otherworldly power, but the church would forge their own throne of worldly greed in his absence.''

''Centuries would turn over one another, rolling onward. Hundreds of years of overgrowth would go on to swallow the last remnants of vampire civilization, their tombs far-flung and forgotten to the wilderness along with their legends. The Dark Barrier would come to fade with time, opening these forgotten lands up to human exploration. Campfire tales of the horrors that lay within would not be enough to deter outlaws and other hardened undesirables from delving in, unaware of what lurks beneath. A new beginning for them, they believe… and in a way, they are dreadfully correct.''

''A dark herald’s cry rings out from the depths of the abyss, reaching into the mortal world and bringing with it an answer to that now ancient plea for help. With the distant call of this unseen benefactor, the vampires begin to stir once more, awakening from their centuries-long slumber to a world that has all but forgotten them.''

'''''They are withered and weakened. Thirsty and cunning. Dangerous and furious.'''''

'''''They will build.'''''

'''''They will hunt.'''''

'''''… They will rise.'''''

==Dracula the Immortal King==
''Long ago, the realms of humankind stood proud in the light, a great civilization. In the long shadows of the mighty citadels of man, Vampires ruled through well-placed ploys and manipulations. That was an age of diplomacy, with many clans playing their courts against one another in games of blood and clever trickery. Families of Vampires fell in and out of power, trading places as easily as pieces on a chess board.''

''Then came Dracula. Wielding new magic from a realm beyond, the Shadow Realm, the self-declared Immortal King brought with him an era of domination and tyranny. Dracula was cunning and played his games well, and his malevolence was unmatched. He demanded nothing less than total submission, something that did not sit well with the proud Vampire courts of the day. In the following brutal civil war among Vampire-kind, unwavering loyalty bred servitude. Thus, his own army emerged, a militant cult known as the Legion of Noctum. Many clans attempted to resist his rule.''

''Dracula was hungry for battle, and though still embroiled in conflict with the many factions of the night, he turned his attention to his next target. Confident in his power and filled with a burning need to inflict his will on those below him, the conquerer would march on anyone who would raise a hand against him. A violent campaign carved a path across Vardoran, Vampire against Vampire, with humans caught in the middle and driven to the brink of extinction.''

''Resourceful as they are the humans tried everything they could to resist the Vampire onslaught. They developed Vampire hunting techniques, discovered various Vampire anathemas like silver and garlic, and even devised terrible biological experiments to find weapons against the nocturnal armies. Despite these small steps forward, nothing could stand against the might of the Legion of Noctum and Dracula’s powerful shadow magic.''

''In desperation, humankind called out for help and was answered with the powers of the Light. This new power was harnessed by those who gave themselves to this new mysterious force, and so the Church of Luminance was born. This shocking new power allowed mankind to push back against the Vampires, driving into the heart of the invading forces, where they were able to strike down Dracula himself.''

''The resulting fallout of the once Immortal King’s final act devastated the world, leaving a scar that would last to this very day. One massive crystallized blood monument is believed to be his final resting place. The other is a legacy. It rained seven days and seven nights with cursed blood, massacring many exposed and permanently twisting and changing others.''

''These changed creatures, human and beast alike, would unknowingly continue to carry on Dracula’s evil will throughout the centuries, carrying his essence in their bloodlines and enhancing their abilities. This allowed them to pursue their heightened, unlocked potential. These creatures became the “[[V Blood Carriers|V Bloods]]” that inhabit Vardoran today, often achieving positions of great importance due to their abilities and aspirational aims. These corrupted individuals even existed among the Church of Luminance themselves, heralding their strange power as further blessings of the Light.''

''Meanwhile, Dracula’s defeat, while true, was a ploy of its own. A great strategist always has a contingency plan, and his rain of blood planted the seeds of his inevitable revenge.''

==Megara the Serpent Queen==
''There once was a village of proud warriors. It was small, remote, and of little significance. To the world, they held no power, no wealth, and no reason to be remembered. A coastal jewel, polished and precious, they lived their days in a simple and practiced cadence. It is a cold truth that a fated day can begin like any other.''

'''''So it was on that day.'''''

''From the mist, the great witch [[Megara the Serpent Queen|Megara]] emerged, her origins unknown, her presence an omen. The villagers, wary but fearless, quickly rallied for battle. Megara answered their display with one of her own, one she knew they would understand. Drawing on unspeakable black magic, she performed a display of power so overwhelming that it crushed all hope of resistance, driving even the most stout-hearted champion to their knees.''

'''''To them, she spoke:'''''

'''''“I am your Queen! The greatest half of you will become my first subjects, and will walk by my side. Come dusk, each of you that are holding the heart of one of your neighbors will earn your place.”'''''

''The alternative, of course, required no explanation.''

''Those who obeyed became the first '''Venom Blades''', worthy of receiving the dark magical secrets of '''Venom Sap''' so that they may further empower the witch queen. With her new minions, she began her march across the world, laying waste to every land she touched. Every verdant landscape she reduced to shriveled ruin fed her strength, and with every conquest her great shadow grew longer, and her reach further.''

''Megara the Serpent Queen is ruin incarnate, ravaging everything in her path and feasting upon the natural life to satiate her hunger for power. A hunger that cannot be quelled, and a thirst that cannot be quenched. With every act of devastation, her desire only swells.''

==Adam the Firstborn==
''“[[Henry Blackbrew the Doctor|Dr. Henry Blackbrew]] was once heralded as a savior of man.''

''When the hungry fangs of the great conqueror Dracula hung over the throat of man, poised to sink in, the scientific luminary was celebrated. Beloved. The last hope for humankind.''

''Then came the Light.''

''Suddenly, Dr. Blackbrew was a heretic, a madman with… ‘twisted, abominable methods.’ Yet, what is petty morality in the pursuit of human perfection? Of evolution? Of knowledge? Even as they came for him, torch and pitchfork in hand, he stood by his philosophies. Even as he was exiled in disgrace to the dangerous and hellish lands of Gloomrot, he KNEW he was correct.''

''… hundreds of years of a prolonged, unnatural life led to this moment.''

''This birth of something perfect.''

''[[Adam the Firstborn|The Monster]].”''

''From the notes of Callista Alchemica, Senior Electrostatician of the Trancendum''

==Vardoran==
=== Farbane Woods===
[[File:Vardoran Map 1.1.png|thumb|300x300px|A map of Vardoran.]]
When the vampires of old were driven to near extinction by the Church of Luminance, the [[Farbane Woods]] was their final holdout. The land is littered with the ruins of vampire civilization, scattered with crumbling foundations of ancient strongholds from hundreds of years in the past. It’s here, in the sunken corners of southernmost Farbane, where our first vampires will awaken from their centuries-long slumber and begin to flex their claws.

Today Farbane is an untamed wilderness of towering trees and overgrowth, a rocky and unfriendly terrain unsuitable for proper farming. The woods are rife with hungry predators that stalk the bushes and ruins. The most stable structures are mausoleums of ancient vampire graveyards from the age of Dracula. The terrain is dotted with transient bandit camps and wooden strongholds that house the dregs of humankind.

Here, vampires will encounter their first proper human prey, the bandit faction. A loose collection of outlaws and outcasts from human society, the decay of the great barrier that once protected the vampiric crypts has allowed this band of murderous thieves to find a home here. These bandits survive almost exclusively on raiding, salvaging, and game hunting. As a result, their technology is relatively primitive compared to the constant advance of the great city of Brighthaven and its territories, making the bandits a fine first test for fledgling vampires to cut their teeth.

===Dunley Farmlands===
[[Dunley Farmlands|Dunley]] was once the shining crown of Dracula’s empire but has since crumbled to dust. The remnants made a fine place for human civilization to expand and settle. The ground was soaked in the blood of endless battles that drove humanity to the edge of extinction, soil fertilized with their brothers and sisters. The world bears fruit, vegetables and hosts the finest livestock on the continent.

For the people of Dunley, the church’s victory over the vampire threat allowed them to take back their fields once again. Instead of having their blood drained from their throats, they pour it into their work farming in service of themselves. They’re simple folk with simple desires, and the aristocrats and powers within the Church of Luminance ensure that they stay that way. An ideal, ignorant buffer to absorb the attention of the monsters of Vardoran.

The idyllic fields might fool you into thinking Dracula’s influence has faded entirely from the land. However, fragments of his dark power still linger over the land like the eerie, lonely stillness of a foggy morning. Strange sounds rattle seemingly abandoned fields at night. Defenseless townspeople avoid the desolate paths, as everyone seems to know someone that’s gone mysteriously missing. Rattled villagers tell tales of finding macabre leavings decorating the road like bloodied overalls or half a dozen snapped off human fingers. The church and militia have worked together to enclose the local iron mine with a full regiment of soldiers and wooden barricades and have refused to explain why.

The rugged militia awaits, more than willing to stand between any vampire and their towns’ tasty, defenseless villagers. The volunteers of the Militia are the bravest and most hearty common folk, ready to step up to defend their own. Led by the formidable [[Octavian the Militia Captain|Captain Octavian]] and under the watchful eye of the local monastery of the Church of Luminance, it will be no small feat to carve through their ranks and bend this to place to your will. It is, however, a necessary step on the road to ascension and a challenge worth undertaking.

===Cursed Forest===
There’s only one safe way to enter the wretched northern lands, and ‘safe’ is a relative term. To find your way here, follow the roads to the northernmost parts of Dunley, where the path begins to get muddy, and the scent of rotting corpses should get you the rest of the way. The road down is welcoming, just like a python welcomes a rodent into its gullet: a wet, winding path down into choking depths.

It is said that the last of Dracula’s loyalists, fanatical to the point of worship, attempted to revive their emperor through dangerous and wretched rituals in the aftermath of his death. Whatever happened, no intelligent being survives to tell the tale, and what’s left in the aftermath is the horrible curse that inhabits this place.

This is the [[Cursed Forest]]. Though once having the same spritely charm as the Farbane Woods, the once vibrant forest has long since been corrupted by forces so dire that the land itself has become malevolent.

In this desecrated place, the boundary between life and death is blurred. The shattered remains of civilization crawl with tortured spirits and walking, half-living corpses. Between the hooked and curling trees, wildlife sport glowing green eyes and wooden protrusions. Even the witches, ancient primal forces, have become darker, uglier reflections of themselves.

===Silverlight Hills===
The seat of human civilization’s power, unquestioningly, is the lands of [[Silverlight Hills]]. The leaves, grass, and fauna alike are all ablaze with the vivid sunset colors of autumn. Between the sparkling western shores of Vardoran and the winding valleys and paths of this mountainous terrain rests the highest order of human civilization in all the land, the sprawling port city of Brighthaven and the home of the Church of Luminance.

The shores of Silverlight are where man first landed in Vardoran, a rocky valley rich in mineral resources. It is then appropriate that this place would serve as both the birth of human society and their final holdout against vampires in the age of Dracula. Its veins of silver ore, a material of such purity that it is toxic to vampire kind, gave the final resistance the ability to narrowly fend off the looming reach of Dracula’s empire.

This port city, a hub of trade and stability in the region, is a living and breathing ecosystem. The rich and powerful, those most closely tied to the Church of Luminance, make their homes here in the wealthier parts of the city. With long docks, high walls, and waving blue banners hanging from between towering buildings, one might be too distracted to notice the slums. In the slums reside the lowest of the subjects, those less fortunate, and the bent and the strained backbone of Brighthaven society. These are the subjugated masses of humankind, pushed into servitude and squalor– desperate enough, now, to be brought to the brink of violence. It’s not uncommon for an uppity gang to try their hand at taking power within the city by force, only to be struck down and exiled to Farbane.

Just outside of Brighthaven, on the highest hill, sits a shining beacon of the Light’s influence. The Fortress of Light. This sacred site is guarded by the church’s greatest champion, [[Solarus the Immaculate|Solarus]], who stands as a symbol of hope and perseverance in the name of the Church of Luminance.

=== Gloomrot===
Gloomrot is a biome themed around science gone mad, the old and familiar ideas of unchecked ambition and arrogance in the face of the natural order. The group responsible for organizing these erudite efforts is called the Trancendum.

The area of Gloomrot is split in two. The [[Gloomrot North|northern section]] of the zone is darker and has a richer color than its lower counterpart, but it is also quite alive and malevolent. The sky pours down rain, the winds are strong, and lightning constantly slams into the ground all around you, leaving scorched obliteration in its wake. The trees and rocks are angular, pointed, and twisting with few if any rounded edges so that it evokes that perilous feeling.

The [[Gloomrot South|southern portion]] of the biome is where byproduct pollution from the experiments of the north wash down into the valleys, polluting its waterways with vibrant, toxic yellows and greens. This is a place soaked in poison and drained of all nutrients. This is where the more common citizenry resides, locked away in their hovels and pouring their days into their experiments. They live in the hope that a discovery of their own will catapult them to a higher status within the Trancendum and earn them a place of more comfort and status.

===Ruins of Mortium===
The world of Vardoran is littered with ancient memories of Vampire kind, forgotten symbols of their former greatness among the ruins of abandoned strongholds all throughout the world. None more so, however, than the cold wasteland to the east.

Dracula’s castle sits empty and decrepit in the depths of his ancestral home: [[Ruins of Mortium|Mortium]]. Far into the corrupted reaches, his forces flourished and built their civilization in this frozen land protected from the sun by a sky grown overcast around his seat of power. Once a land adorned with towering black spires and monuments to the night king, it has since been forsaken and forgotten following Dracula’s defeat and the banishment of vampires into hiding. Now inhospitable to most life, it remains a desolate, barren wasteland, untouched for centuries.

Hidden among cold peaks are the old relics of the world’s greatest civilization, fallen into disrepair as they slumbered. From the steps of Dracula’s courtyard, down his great garden, and off into the ruins of the sacrificial sites, battlements, towns, and graveyards that pepper the landscape, the one mighty bastion of Vardoran’s top predators now lay in frosted-over shards of its former majesty.

The frigid hills of Mortium lie in untouched ruins until only recently, where Dracula’s servants have come to life once again. From his throne in the Shadow Realm, Dracula has been biding his time, and now calls for his most dedicated acolytes to rise to a new challenge, the next step of his sinister plan: his return to Vardoran from the dark depths of another world.

===Oakveil Woodlands===
Far to the northwest of a continent in the constant throes of conflict, an idyllic woodland sits for centuries, undisturbed. The conflict between the Trancendum in Gloomrot and the Church of Luminance in Silverlight Hills would rarely, if ever, see the need to intrude on these verdant territories.

[[Oakveil Woodlands|Oakveil]] has long since been a place gripped by pristine and unbothered nature, with one exception: the Great War. Dracula’s thirst for power spread across the continent, and even here the land felt his greedy claws sink into its soil. Centuries have passed since then. Moss and roots have reclaimed the battle-scarred reaches, claiming blade, armor, and bones in the name of tranquility. A peaceful bastion, the half-forgotten memories of the conflict are remembered only in the crumbling ruins of Vampire castles, now home to discreet wildlife.

A rare haven, spared from the creeping horrors that plague every other inch of Vardoran, the struggling inhabitants of other lands have been content to leave this edge of the known world slumber.

==Factions==
===Cult of the Damned===
An obscure faction of necromancers mentioned in some V Blood Carriers descriptions, they are related to the undead that roam Vardoran. Acording to the description of [[Bane the Shadowblade]], they are the ones behind the corruption of the Iron Mine in Dunley Farmlands.

===Church of Luminance===
As stated previously, the Church of Luminence was founded by the humans after they discovered the power of the holy light that they used to repel the forces of Dracula, and after banishing all vampires they became the most powerful faction in Vardoran. They rule Silverlight Hills directly, where they hold an army, and Dunley Farmlands indirectly, where they cooperate with the local militia.

===Trancendum ===
A collection of psychopathically obsessive technologists on a mission to create the next stage of human evolution. This pathology dates back to the times of Dracula, when their still-living, seemingly ageless head-scientist Doctor Henry Blackbrew, originally founded this pursuit in an attempt to fight back against Dracula’s armies.

Over hundreds of years, the Trancendum has studied and advanced its studies through electrical and chemical engineering, inventing incredible technology and jealously hoarding their secrets for themselves. Their efforts are single-minded, sacrificing morality, their land, and even their very lives in an attempt to discover the next big breakthrough.

===Legion of Noctum===
The dead silence of the cold night is broken by the thrum of ancient chanting, the hum of long-forgotten prayers to a distant, horrid place scattering the resting quiet of the Ruins of Mortium. The Legion of Noctum rises more like a scattered cult of fanatical servants than the endless armored armies they once were.

Over time, the Legion has shifted its focus. Formerly conquerors on the battlefield, they now employ a different approach. The Legion has become practitioners of rituals as well as executioners, gathering blood crystals and sacrificial offerings to open rift portals to the Shadow Realm. Through these portals, they summon terrifying monsters from beyond. Dracula’s abominable new soldiers, the Draculin, are brought into our world to aid in collecting blood crystals and V Blood essence. Their goal is to bring Dracula back to the world of the living. Once that is complete, they will be unleashed across the rest of Vardoran to wreak havoc and reclaim the world in the dark dictator’s name.

===Venom Blades===
Though they began as little more than a handful of villagers, the Venom Blades have traveled far and wide, and consumed, integrated, and absorbed bits and pieces of the many cultures they’ve devastated. With each conquest comes a new legion of warriors willing to bow, scrape, and fight for their continued existence.
Megara welcomes them all who will dedicate themselves to her wholly, folding them into the ever-growing ranks of her army. As long as it serves Megara’s purpose, no treachery is forbidden. Infighting and cruelty are not merely tolerated but encouraged as instruments of her will. This ordained chaos, coupled with their reckless lust for battle, brings staggering losses. Yet to the Serpent Queen, such attrition is not simply accepted; it is invited. The unworthy are cast aside, and there are always more realms to conquer, more shattered souls to mold into faithful supplicants.

The Venom Blades sail from shore to shore, arriving with massive ships, which they tear apart on land to raise temporary camps, structures, and strongholds. When the land lies broken behind them, what remains is more than enough to forge new vessels and move on to their next raid. They do not look back. They do not stop until the work of ruin is done. Foremost among their duties is the ritual harvesting of Venom Sap, a magical resource drawn only through the corruption and ruthless bleeding of infected trees. The process is virulent, seeping into nearby plant and animal life like a sickness. The Venom Blades do not mind. In truth, they prefer it. Their purpose is not preservation, but absolute destruction.

Once the ritual is complete and the trees are fully corrupted, swollen with Venom Sap, they are felled, collected, and drained dry. The majority of Venom Sap is brought directly to Megara herself. Within a sanctum of her own making, the Serpent Queen conducts an unending ritual, bathing in the raw power, drawing it into her body with a hunger that knows no end. As long as the Venom Blades fulfill their purpose and do not disappoint her, they are permitted to live. And now, they do so gladly. So long have they been under her sway that most do not remember a life before. Theirs is the path of bloodthirsty raiders, harbingers of ruin, fanatics forged in venom and flame, bound to a singular, sacred purpose: Serve the Serpent Queen in life, or serve her in death.

==Sources==
1 [https://blog.stunlock.com/v-rising-dev-update-5-fall-of-the-dark-empire/ Dev Update 5: Fall of the Dark Empire] 
2 [https://blog.stunlock.com/v-rising-dev-update-11-the-world-of-vardoran/ Dev Update 11: The World of Vardoran] 
3 [https://blog.stunlock.com/dev-update-19-mood-of-gloomrot/ Dev Update 19: Mood of Gloomrot] 
4 [https://blog.stunlock.com/dev-update-26-the-ruins-of-mortium/ Dev Update 26: The Ruins of Mortium] 
5 [https://blog.stunlock.com/dev-update-30-into-oakveil/ Dev Update 30: The Heart of Oakveil] 
*See the dedicated pages for each [[Locations|region]] for additional lore information.

Lore - Revision history

imported>Skolander: /* Sources */