Forgotten Orael

A nation of undead, based on the leadership of the highest undead, the only ones left who were originally brought into this world naturally. The nation is led by a council of seven liches called the Forgotten and Foul, powerful necromancers who acquired their abilities through a sickening ritual performed on the civilian population, robbing them of their souls and turning them into mindless undead in a desperate bid to survive.

It is said that before the Storm, Orael was a glorious and opulent empire, at such an advanced level of magic that none could stand before them. Their might was unmatched and their wisdom was supreme. When the Storm crashed down upon glorious Orael, it did as all nations had to do, and changed. Turning inwards it brought up a powerful ward in the largest city to keep the Storm out while continuing to acquire new knowledge within, their nature isolating them from the world.

The Great Ward was a project undertaken by Seven Sacred Sons, the most powerful mages and leaders of exalted Orael, a barrier of unparalleled power that would, in function, seperate the last bastion of Orael, the city of Aeon, from the rest of the world, completely and utterly. So great was its power that the mere creation of it sapped nearly all of the mana from Aeon upon its erection.

As time went on illustrious Orael, the population split, two factions rising out of the woodworks. One which was disgusted at the actions of Orael and that as the leaders of magic they should be venturing out into the storm to save those who could not save themselves. The other said that the Storm is antithetical to everything that magnificent Orael stands for, and that venturing out into it is suicide. The conflict between the two continually escalated, going from simple debate and argument and ending in city-wide war.

After decades of fighting, the faction which advocated for majestic Orael to leave its self-imposed isolation won, though not without its cost. The population of Aeon had declined to a mere fraction of its previous count, and much of the knowledge that Orael had gathered had been lost to the ravages of fire and blood. Yet the faction was steeped in hubris after its victory, and in one of the worst mistakes since the Storm, they brought down the Great Ward.

In the following days, nearly all of the people living in Aeon were corrupted, malmutated and twisted, their magic turning on themselves. The only ones unaffected were the current Seven Sacred Sons, though they did not dare call themselves such a title after their isolation from the rest of Aeon in their ivory tower. Perhaps they were at fault for the fall of Aeon that was happening before their very eyes.

Nevertheless, they did not ponder such matters much, as it was their duty to save resplendent Orael from its own doings. However, they only found despair to meet them, as the knowledge that made the creation of the Great Ward possible had been lost to the war, and they were unable to protect their city by conventional means.

Only by traversing into the Forbidden Libraries did they find their answer, untouched only due to the fact that it is so vile, so horrific that it is ingrained into every Oraelite that such magic should never be attempted. And so it was that the Seven Sacred Sons were faced with a terrible choice. Embrace the apocryphal and save Orael, or retain their humanity and let Orael fall for its sins.

As the leaders of Orael, they chose to save it.

Council Members:

1: Orzak ‘First to Die’
The one who lead and performed the vile ritual that turned their empire into the abominations that we see today. Now he is the maintainer of the apocryphal state among the Forgotten and Foul, the lynchpin of undeath.

2: Hazlal ‘First to See’
Necromantic genius, previously the archivist of the Forbidden Lore, and the one who originally brought up the fact that the apocryphal knowledge should be used. Now he maintains the population, making sure that no problems arise with their undead states.

3: Ysirius ‘First to Speak’
Sole handler of diplomacy, if it ever should arise. The only one in the council who maintains a passable appearance, in contrast to the bleached bones of the rest. The only one who maintained any contact with the civilian populace before the fall, and the one who brought to attention the imminent destruction of Aeon.

4: Iroiz ‘First to Write’
The new archivist of the Forbidden Lore, now known as the Great Library simply. Previously the one who kept the lore of the Solemn Archives intact, but with the great war burning much of it, he was out of a job.

5: Kadir ‘First to Change’
De-facto leader of the Forgotten and Foul, as he was the only one who was alive when the creators of the Great Ward were still around. Additionally, he’s the strongest out of the Seven in normal, pure magic.

6: Vael ‘First to Heal’
One of the only two in the Council who opposed the ritual, though in the end he had no choice but to go along. Now he experiments with undeath, hoping for a way to reverse the ritual in some way. Main creator of sapient undead, though their costly nature makes them a minority by a huge margin.

7: Aurildr ‘First to Learn’
Previously the historian of Orael, he admits to his faults in the subject as just about everything known about Orael prior the Storm-induced isolation phase is no longer known. Now spends his time studying lost artefacts from the empire, learning from them, specializing in the field of Artifice.