The Fall of Kaziel

   Three hundred years ago, Marrele, the God of Purity, had charged a dozen warriors with protecting the world from corruption. They were known as Paladins. The greatest of those Paladins was Kaziel, she was brave and swift, and her hammer was a beacon in the night against Evil.

   Lest they be dislodged from the world, Chazora, the Goddess of Unrest, and the Qi, the God of Death, formed an alliance. Their corruption spread, bringing abominations to the world once the sun had set.

   The Paladins were undaunted and pushed back against the dark forces. Equilibrium was struck and neither the light nor the dark gained ground.

   Day after day, Chazora whispered to the mortals, seeking to sap their strength and turn them to Unrest. Day after day, Kaziel battled on. Those days turned to weeks and then to months and to years. The Paladins were mortal and the battle showed no signs of resolution. No matter what casualties were inflicted upon the evil, new minions rose to Qi’s call. Kaziel’s faith began to falter. Would the Paladins ever prevail, or were their efforts futile?

   A great battle formed at the city of Fortinne. All of the Paladins except Kaziel were present. Despite many gifts of magic from Marrele, the eleven mortals were severely outnumbered and the chances of victory dim. Marrele consulted the Paladins and the mortals agreed to sacrifice themselves for victory. At the peak of the melee, Marrele brought down his entire wrath upon the battlefield. Nothing survived.

   Chazora and Qi had all but lost their foothold on the world. Kaziel, who had been locked in battle at the City of Alcoa, arrived late to find her Brothers and Sisters of the Order all perished. As she wept among the ruins of the city, Qi came to her. He offered to bring back her fallen comrades and give all twelve of the Paladins immortality in exchange for her fealty. In her deep sorrow, she agreed.

   The immortality was not without its drawbacks. She would hunger for the taste of human flesh for all time. The eleven other Paladins rose from the ashes of the city as spectral beings with no flesh – denied their Eternal Rest.

   Kaziel was never seen again.

   Three hundred years have passed and a great evil is waking, but so is a great good. The Temple of Marrele is recruiting a new breed of Paladins – warriors willing to sacrifice their lives for good. Their hammers are beacons in the night, but gone are the days of shining armor – which is ineffective at best against the terrors of the night. These warriors of the temple are focused on the end, not the means.