Plot

Lyssara is a troubled city, though in better shape than much of the Empire. The Sea of Sand buffers her from the civil war which grips the rest of Azeryan, but the same isolation which protects her also prevents the Imperial Legions from extending their full protection. The D'Nost family still holds power and trade is as strong as ever. Foreign intrigues, real and imagined, are a constant reality. Nearly every citizen fears an enemy power trying to claim the city through a naval assault, or even a blockade, which would be nearly as good as a seige given that most foodstuffs are imported by sea. Organized crime has always found Lyssara to be a haven well away from Imperial oversight. As civil war has grown worse and the Legion's attentions pulled further away from the port, the crime lords have grown more overtly powerful, with rival "families" corrupted by the growing influence of suddenly revived religious cults, the aforementioned foreign tampering, and alien powers from the depths of the desert. Lyssara thrives, but her security balances on a razor's edge.

The player characters are members of one such family, a group which has recently discovered a power in the desert which should lift its fortunes and elevate it above it's rivals. While not related by blood, each of the characters' allegiance is sworn to the family for life. The character may actually be part of the Lord's family, may have sworn the oath by choice, may have done so to settle a debt to the family, or simply to avoid death at their hands.

More to come...