Prologue: A Mysterious Portal
A long time ago, in a magical fantasy land far, far away, there existed a kingdom called Altaria. Altaria contained many of the features common to fantasy kingdoms of their time: primitive medieval technology, outdated monarchical imperialist dogma, ridiculously tall towers that serve no other purpose than to imprison captured princesses in the most conspicuous location possible, plenty of dragons to capture said princesses (you wonder why the dragons do that. They know they're just going to get killed by the hero), and magic, lots of magic. Despite all these apparently primitive traditions, Altaria managed to remain at peace, protected by a dedicated corps of adventuring heroes that fought evil relentlessly. These adventurers could always be recognized by their rallying cry: "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of loot and experience points."
That all changed one fateful day, when a magical teleportation portal appeared just outside the capital city. Ambassadors from the other side came through, and spread the word of great things that were on their side of the portal. They said that on their side was another great kingdom, called Carpathia, and that it was not only peaceful but also had even more opportunities to fight evil for fun and profit. The people were suspicious though, because if there really was that much evil to fight, then how could Carpathia remain peaceful for so long? Nevertheless, adventurers lined up to pass through what would soon become known to all as "The Gate to Carpathia".
Dozens of adventurers passed through the portal, but none ever returned. Each new adventurer who did not return increased the uncertainty about what lay beyond. If nobody was coming back, then something had to be trapping them or killing them. But what could be doing such a thing? Was there some evil demonic being looking to recruit unsuspecting people for a diabolical plan? Or could it be something even more sinister? Each person who went through merely increased the desire of other adventurers to go through the portal, for the adventurers craved risk and excitement. But it was not long before it was clear that something had to be done.
So many adventurers passed through the portal that, if something were not done soon, the entire kingdom would soon be depopulated. So the king gathered all the best wizards in the land to cast a gigantic, powerful spell that would close off the portal forever. However, the spell failed: it did not completely destroy the portal, but merely moved the entry point to a different location. This was considered a success, though, because nobody knew just where the new entry point was, so no more foolish adventurers could succumb to the Gate's temptations.
Nevertheless, the decision to close the portal was made too late, for too many adventurers had already passed through. There were no longer enough adventurers left in Altaria to defend the kingdom against the forces of evil. The forces of evil saw the weakness and exploited it, destroying outlying towns and even invading the cities. The people were angry at the king for dragging his feet on the whole portal issue, and so they stormed the palace and deposed the king. The old era of peace had been shattered, and the era of war quickly took its place.
For the next four hundred years the kingdom was beset by turmoil. Various factions fought for power, the evil forces continued attacking, and the severely weakened adventuring heroes could do little to stop it. But after these 400 years, a new ruler, Prince Arthanis, came to the throne. He ended the fighting, beat back the forces of evil, trained up a new corps of adventurers, and within a decade transformed Altaria from a perpetual war zone into the haven of peace that it once was.
Arthanis's reign has now lasted 10 years so far, a period that has become known as the "Decade of Peace." The peasants, beggars, and 1st-level civilians think Prince Arthanis is the greatest ruler that has ever lived, for they can now live without fear of bandits, robbers, or ugly nonhuman species. But the adventurers are unhappy with the prince, for with all the evil gone, many now find themselves out of a job. Desperate for some adventure, many adventurers are now attempting to rediscover the lost Gate to Carpathia.
But they are all of them deceived, for deep in the depths of Carpathia, the evil Dark Lord Kalmeth is plotting an evil plan to conquer Altaria. It is a plan so devious, so cunning, so ingenious, so original, so un-cliched, that even Altaria's greatest adventurers may find themselves powerless to stop it…