Long ago, when the Vitalis Empire was but a small and budding kingdom, magic ran free within its lands. The witches and sorcerers were the backbone of the country’s creation, and served many functions within society; including the protection of the weaker human civilians. Yes, even Kalgiraz, the Ender of Kingdoms, was once the trusted advisor of the royal Thelesse family, a trusted and beloved sorcerer.

The first trial of this new kingdom was the Founding Battles. Vitalis was surrounded by enemy lands, being an union of villages and towns that broke off from those very enemies. They wanted their land back, whether the civilians were alive or not. But being a safe haven to witches and sorcerers alike, they wholeheartedly fought for their haven to stay under the rule of the Thelesse family who protected them. The kingdom started to grow after years of battles and taking over the lands of those they beat. Vitalis outgrew the original kingdom, which became a bustling capital for the expanding country. But the royal family wanted more, and with all the powerful magic under their disposal, they used every resource to divide and conquer the lands that defied them.

Kalgiraz stayed by the side of the Thelesse family, keeping them in the dark of his true nature. He helped them amass these lands, take in the most powerful witches and sorcerers from all over the world, so that he could have everything.

Magic had been so ingrained into their society that it was almost too easy for him to destroy everything. Vitalis descended into chaos the moment he slaughtered the entire royal family and declared himself the new king. The witches and sorcerers at his disposal turned the land to waste, doing whatever they pleased under Kalgiraz’ direction. Many called him the Ender of Kingdoms with the amount of destruction he caused. This was the second trial of Vitalis, The Fall of Thelesse. The humans were helpless to the destruction and chaos caused by their most trusted sorcerer, and prayed to the gods for help. What wasn’t planned for was the exiled son to return.

Tjorven Thelesse, the eldest and exiled prince of Thelesse, came back to Vitalis as soon as word spread that his entire family had been murdered by their own trusted sorcerer. He made his mission to kill Kalgiraz with his own hands, and ensure that magic never hurt his beloved Vitalis again.

There was only one way to defeat the malicious sorcerer that plagued the lands. The legends told of an ancient rune called The Soul Keeper, the only magical item that could take hold of even the most powerful magic soul and lock it away for eternity. It was kept in the protection of the Elder Witch, only to be used when the fate of the world depended on it. Although Prince Tjorven had no faith in witches, he needed their help, and the Elder Witch did provide the Soul Keeper on one condition: that he wouldn’t blame the atrocities of one sorcerer on the entire magical population. Soon she would realize that only one of them could keep their promise.

Tjorven and Kalgiraz met on the battlefield, where the evil sorcerer was weakened by his own fellow witches and sorcerers that took the side of the exiled prince and helped the prince capture the soul from Kalgiraz’s body. He wouldn’t be able to kill him as he wanted - no being was powerful enough to end his life - but it was the closest he could get, and it was a victory for Vitalis.

Now the lands had to recover. King Tjorven Thelessee’s first act on the throne was publicly murdering the Elder Witch. His purpose was clear: magic was no longer allowed in his kingdom. He created the Royal Hunting Party, which was dedicated to the eradication of every magical person that dared to live in Vitalis. They paid for Kalgiraz’s crimes and even his name was forbidden in fear of summoning him or his evil energy. By the end of his reign, magic appeared to be fully ostracized from the kingdom, and magic was officially outlawed within the bounds of Vitalis.

But there were a few survivors. They fled to the mountains, which served as a barrier between Vitalis and a neighboring country but neither laid claim to the mountains as they were deemed too dangerous to sustain life. The small group of witches that survived created the secret village of Desdarea. They wanted magic to live on, to honor the promise made to the Elder Witch despite the prince rescinding his word. They practiced only in the safety of Desdarea, and outside of its protecting arms, they pretended to be human.

Generations passed and Vitalis remained under the rule of the Thelesse family and the prohibition of magic. Desdarea has flourished thanks to the travels of other witches and sorcerers to help build the small coven in the mountains. There were still witches lost to the Royal Hunting Party, who now served more purpose as an image to the people that all magic would be destroyed once they found it; even with how little they actually found these days. Many of those within Desdarea wanted to live a normal life, as their ancestors did before the Fall of Thelesse, but this was the only safe option.

Recently, rumors spread that the Soul Keeper was missing. All this time it had been kept in the palace dungeon, buried underground in a location that was said to only be known by the king. Citizens became concerned that the sorcerer would reincarnate and bring magic back to destroy Vitalis for good, and the witches of Desdarea had their own concerns about the sorcerer that caused the almost extinction of their people. Everyone had a reason to find the Soul Keeper, and find it intact. Time would only tell whose hands it would fall into.