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Before the veil was ever known, the world of Eldoria was torn apart by war. The once-united elves fractured into warring kingdoms, their pride and ambition driving them into endless conflict. The dwarves, masters of stone and steel, waged brutal wars beneath the mountains, their clans divided over ancient grudges. The giants, lords of the skies and peaks, clashed in a battle for dominion, while the orcs and trolls fought for survival in the unforgiving swamps and wastelands.

For centuries, blood stained the lands as each race sought power, vengeance, and survival. But as the fires of war raged, something far more sinister stirred in the shadows.

In the depths of forgotten tombs and cursed lands, the dead began to rise. Their hollow eyes glowed with an eerie light, their voices whispered of a long-lost king—and soon, all of Eldoria would tremble before the return of an ancient darkness.

Chronicles of Eldoria: Age of War

In the shadows of a ruined citadel, beyond the reach of mortal eyes, three figures gathered beneath an eternal night. The air was thick with the scent of decay, the wind whispering secrets long forgotten. Here, in the forsaken halls of the Hollow Keep, a dark council convened—a meeting that would set Eldoria on the path to war once more.

A Gathering of Darkness

A throne of blackened bone loomed at the heart of the chamber, draped in tattered banners of an empire long lost to time. Upon it sat a figure shrouded in shadow, his form barely distinguishable beneath an aura of death itself. A crown of jagged iron rested upon his brow, its edges rusted with the stains of countless ages. His voice was neither warm nor cold—it was hollow, like the whisper of a grave long undisturbed.

"The world stirs," the Unknown King murmured, his skeletal fingers tapping idly against the armrest. "Men seek peace. The Emperor of the Imperium calls upon the wretches of Eldoria to stand together. A fragile dream."

A deep chuckle echoed through the chamber, the sound laced with malice. From the shadows, a towering troll adorned in ritualistic scars and fetishes of bone stepped forward. His skin was dark as the swamps from which he hailed, and his eyes burned with the sickly green glow of necrotic power.

"Peace?" the Troll Warlock scoffed, his tusks gleaming in the dim light. "Men be fools. Peace is weakness. Blood and shadow—that be the true path to power."

Across from him, a slender figure moved gracefully through the dimly lit hall, her presence as chilling as the air itself. Clad in robes of twilight silk, her pale features were marked with the sigils of the forsaken, her once-proud lineage now reduced to whispers of betrayal. The Exiled Dark Elf Queen held herself with an air of quiet authority, her silver eyes gleaming with unreadable intent.

"I have seen this Emperor," she said softly, her voice laced with disdain. "Alric Vandarion… the mortal king who dares unite the world. He does not rule with fear, nor with magic, nor with blood. He rules with words. And words are the greatest weapon of all."

The Unknown King tilted his head, the movement slow, deliberate. "Then he is a greater threat than I anticipated."

The Elf Queen smirked. "All rulers fall, one way or another. The question is—how do we bring the Veil to ruin?"

A War Yet to Come

The Troll Warlock raised his staff, its tip wreathed in unnatural green flame. "Da Veil still be strong, but not unbreakable. Da dead be calling, whisperin'… they be restless. It be thinning, little by little. All we need is a crack… an openin'."

The Dark Elf Queen's gaze sharpened. "There are places in Eldoria where the Veil is weak. Forgotten ruins. Ancient battlefields. Even the blood of the living can tear it asunder if spilled in great sacrifice."

The Unknown King rose from his throne, his presence sending a chill through the chamber. "Then you will find the way. Both of you."

His voice deepened, carrying an authority that none could defy. "Seek the places where the Veil is frayed. Gather our agents. When the time is right, the living will know what it means to be truly conquered."

The troll warlock bowed, his twisted grin filled with anticipation. "Da dead be risin' again, my king. Soon, da living gonna wish they never walked this world."

The Exiled Queen merely inclined her head, her mind already weaving plans of deception and destruction.

The Beginning of the End

Beyond the ruined halls of the Hollow Keep, a storm brewed over Eldoria. The world, on the cusp of peace, was unknowingly teetering on the edge of ruin. For as the Emperor gathered the races under one banner, shadows moved in secret.

And when it finally shattered, all of Eldoria would drown in darkness.

Epilogue – The Thinning of the Veil