Karish: The Thunder Before The Storm

The introduction of gods was an earth-shattering event, but the shockwaves were felt harder in some areas than others. The Ottoman Empire, which was once the greatest empire in the world, is now mockingly called "The Sick Man of Europe." Before the gods arrived, the Ottomans Empire was struggling, with nationalistic groups springing up all across the Empire, all vying for their people's freedom and independence. The Ottoman Caliph was able to maintain some semblance of stability through the unity of his empire's faith. But Islam is gone now, and the empire is on it's knees. The Caliph was overthrown in a military coup, and there is now a military junta ruling what little remains of the once grand empire.

The military junta lacks legitimacy. After reviewing their options, they decided that the best way to establish themselves and unite their people again is through a successful war. After drafting a series of possible conquests, they set their eyes on a prize that has eluded them for 100 years: the Balkans.

The Balkans is a geographic term, encompassing the area of land between the Black and Adriatic seas. This is an area that has never known peace, and has never known independence. The Balkans have been a part of empires for millennia. But, in recent times. the peoples of this area (Serbians, Bosnians, Croats, Albanians, Bulgarians, etc.) have been yearning to rule themselves, and have been slowly gaining autonomy, so much so that Serbia had declared itself an independent nation at the onset of the gods, sensing weakness in the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottomans are not the only dying empire whose set their sights on the Balkans. The Habsburg dynasty, ruling from The Twin Kingdom of Austria-Hungary, also have a need to reassert their rule over the Empire. Having once been the rulers of the Balkans, the Habsburgs have slowly been losing pieces of their once mighty empire, as they too struggle with the idea of nationalism that is spreading like wildfire throughout Europe.

These empires are now throwing themselves at each other, each too weak to fully defeat the other or control the territory they have conquered. The quick conquest that both empires were hoping for has turned into a war of attrition, as armies repatedly rape and raze every village they come across in an effort to deprive the other side of food and shelter.

Out of this great cargage comes rumours. Rumours of the other great powers intervening in the war. Of awesome creatures never before seen. Dark storm clouds swirl over Europe, and if peace is not achieved soon, then these small regional conflicts may escalate into a war which could kill people in numbers never before conceived.

You all find yourself in the city of Pirot, in south Serbia, for all of your own personal reasons. Your journey is your own: Do you attempt to bring peace to the region? Or profit from it's chaos. Will you investigate the rumours of the emergence of awesome creatures, and if so, why? Or do you simply try to escape from the area as quickly as possible. The choices are yours, but whether they're the right choices is for history to decide.