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| The kingdom of Khandaras has
fallen into chaos. An unknown force of
evil has swept across the land, plunging
it into civil war and terrorizing the
populace. A mad king, his missing son,
and a mysterious Archbishop are all
pieces to the puzzle that faces you. You
have journeyed to the source of the evil,
the town of Tristram, now inhabited by
only a handful of survivors. The
cathedral there is built over the ruins
of an ancient monastary, and now eerie
lights and sounds are heard echoing
through its abandoned halls. Perhaps the
answer lies within the remains of a
forgotten past. |
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King Leorc's History
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Leoric was originally from
the northern kingdom of Westmarch. He
came into Khandaras as a holy warrior, a
follower of Zakarum, the religion of
Light. He declared himself king and chose
to build his castle not far from the town
of Tristram. His castle and the town were
built over the site of an ancient
monastary of mage-warriors, which was
rumoured to hold much power within its
halls.
The people of Khandaras quickly accepted
Leoric as their rightful king, for his
reign was just and they felt that he
could protect them from the forces of
Darkness. As time passed, however, a
change came over Leoric. He became
convinced that his closest advisors were
plotting against him, and that his court
was corrupt. He began to confide only in
the Archbishop Lazarus. Believing that
his own homeland, Westmarch, was planning
an invasion, he declared war against the
other nation and ordered his armies and
advisors north to their certain doom.
Not
long afterwards, Leoric's only
son, Albrecht, vanished. Leoric
was enraged, and what sanity he
had been holding onto was lost.
He believed that his son had been
kidnapped by the townspeople of
Tristram to protest the war
against Westmarch. He destroyed
much of the town in his search
for Albrecht and executed those
that he believed withheld
information from him.
Just as Leoric was about to order
the entire town put to the torch,
news of his army's defeat in
Westmarch reached him. Lachdanan,
a great hero of the Church and
Captain of the King's Army,
arrived in Tristram with the
remnants of his company.
Lachdanan saw that Leoric had
fallen completely into madness,
and begged the king to concede
his throne. Leoric refused. |
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He accused Lachdanan of
treason and ordered his personal guards
to execute Lachdanan. A great fight broke
out in the halls of the cathedral between
Lachdanan's soldiers and the King's
guard, and the battle carried down into
the labyrinth below.
Lachdanan himself delivered the killing
blow to Leoric, though his heart was
filled with sadness as he was forced to
betray the very king that he had sworn to
protect. With his dying breath, Leoric
cursed Lachdanan and his attackers to an
unlife of eternal damnation.
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