The atmosphere that gripped the landscape of Ciardah seems to never change, a perpetual somberness that even the piercing rays of the sun could not penetrate, leaving the kingdom dark and cold beyond any conceivable imagination. The bravest of warriors quiver in absolute fear just from the sight of this haunting playground of death and despair, giving it the reputation as the last place any living soul would dare to venture into. Everything from the ground to even the sky had a sickly dark tone to its appearance, everything seeming to be rotting away while full of anger and hate, the very air being polluted with an illness that suffocates all but the strongest of individuals who are unfortunate enough to find themselves within the kingdom. If the very land is to be feared, the creatures that inhabited it are even worse.<br/><br/>These vile creatures, remnants of once living beings, stalk the landscapes with unmerciful scrutiny, attacking and devouring any intruder on sight. Wraiths, as they have become known as, are the foul beasts who wander in large numbers throughout Ciardah, and often times outside the kingdom, with the single task of claiming as many victims as possible in order to increase their own numbers. They do not rest, eat, drink, feel pain, or exhibit any kind of emotion or lively characteristics as they are nothing more than physical husks under the control of the darkness that fills their physical bodies. Yet, they are far from unintelligent slaves as their battle tactics are often times as efficient and precise as many of the other kingdoms' elite fighting forces, making them just as deadly as they are horrific, not to mention they are relentless given their ability to live through what would otherwise be fatal injuries as undead creatures they cannot be killed in any traditional way, requiring powerful magic to end them completely, though they can be immobilized which is just as good for anyone who hopes to survive a fight with them. Unfortunately, for the world, even these creatures, known to show no fear for anything, cannot help but tremble out of both fear and respect before their all-powerful master, Dardanos.<br/><br/>For many people throughout the kingdoms, the name Dardanos is lost in time, an old ghost story that many tell at campfires to scare others. For them, Dardanos was a terrible figure in history known as Dardanos the Devourer who ruled over the kingdom of Ciardah many years ago who lead his fighting forces into many battles against the former Argus, kingdom of light that was recorded as being destroyed by the overpowering darkness that was Dardanos and his undead army, though the last laugh was said to be made by Argus as while the dark army was advancing on the light kingdom's final city Ciardah was itself being sieged and eventually destroyed. As a result, both kingdoms fell and it was rumored that once Dardanos had returned to his kingdom in ruins that he lost control of his overwhelming power and destroyed the remainder of Argus forces, along with his own army and even himself, leading many to believe that Ciarduh has become nothing more than a ghost kingdom valued only for the horror stories that many create about it. However, for the few who know the truth about this desolate land, the stories and rumors that strike terror in the hearts of many listeners pale in comparison to what actually lies at the center of the undead kingdom. They know that Dardanos not only still lives within the confines of his territory but that he continues to plot his revenge and conquering of the world. To them, history is not merely a folk tale, it is in the making of repeating itself as Dardanos slowly regains the power he lost as the end of the Great War.<br/><br/>Even now the Dark Master patiently waits inside his castle, sitting upon his thrown at the center of the main chambers where dozens of his minions cower in fear as they bow to their lord, awaiting whatever order he may command next. One very brave minion decides to step forward and ask of his master, the deep voice stammering upon each word as the piercing eyes of Dardanos' meets his own, "Eh..excuse me, my lord?"<br/><br/>It was not as if the creature really needed to ask, thought the dark lord as he tilted his gaze towards the one who had spoken up. He pretended to not understand why his followers feared him so much, as if the pitiless temperament he had towards both ally and enemy alike meant nothing to him. It was apparent both in action and in general understanding that Dardanos commanded absolute respect and subordination, instantly disposing of anyone who faltered on either one. As cruel and viscous as they come, he was the epitome of fear in the eyes of even these undead servants.<br/><br/>"What is it," the calming voice of Dardanos filled the room with a sense of power that the minions could now help but tremble more from, despite no malice coming from him.<br/><br/>The solid black eyes of the wraith that had spoken were locked onto the eyes of its lord, unable to blink as he relayed the message, "I have returned from Eirwen, my lord..."<br/><br/>"And," the dark master could not help but toy with his servants in this way.<br/><br/>The low voice of Dardanos boomed inside the head of the wraith as he scrambled for the words, "My lord, a just a few short days from now the young princess of Eirwen is to be crowned and take her place as Queen of the kingdom. Meuric will surely lose his position of power and thus Eira will be a much stronger adversary."<br/><br/>Quickly the king had become bored of this servant's news and was losing his patience as he did not like his attention being wasted on useless information. "That was always bound to happen, slave. Meuric was only meant to be a temporary hold on the throne so that no one else would dare to try and take the power for themselves. Eira is supposed to take the throne, it is key to my success at conquering this pathetic world. Now..." his expression turning from humorous to agitation, "...is there anything else you must tell me?"<br/><br/>"Y...yes, your majesty. It was also noted that Meuric has been acting quite suspicious as of late. I have been watching him closely as you ordered and many times he disappears from where I can keep an eye on him and then returns some time later. No one else in the castle has seemed to notice this, else they are ignoring it. I have attempted to question a few of the servants and even some guards regarding his whereabouts during these times but receive no information. I thought this was something that you would prefer to know about, my lord." The rotten corpse of a servant was now ready to run for his life as he relayed this information, scared to the reaction that may come from his master.<br/><br/>Dardanos thought to himself for a moment before calmly rising from his seat and walking over to the servant who was trying desperately to hold itself up as the dark master places his hand on the creatures broken head. In an instant he was inside the empty mind of the wraith and able to see exactly what was witnessed by it. Looking through the distorted mess that was this creatures memories, he was able to see for himself that this was true. Meuric was sought out by this servant who was disguised as a servant for the ice kingdom and could not locate the intended target. A few minutes later, Dardanos lifted his hand and turned back towards his throne before waving a dismissive hand towards all of the servants that surrounded him, "Leave me at once," he ordered as he went back to his seat.