"I grew up in the High Imperial capitol, in a city called 
Arrellis. I do not know what has become of it, but in my day, it 
was the bastion of the Empire, which stretched from the Eastern 
Seas to the Shadowed Mountains.

Arrellis was huge, immense, and inconquerable. In a day of petty 
warlords, and wars over nexi, not to mention the monsters, 
demons, weres, and other random creatures that roamed the lands, 
it stood alone, a bastion of civilization... if one could call 
it such.

The walls of Arrellis were revered in ballads. It was called 
Arrellis the Invincible, with walls scores of yards high, black, 
and lined with immense metal shields, upon which spell upon 
spell was cast to guard against magic, missiles, fire, and 
whatever else the enemies of Arrellis could come up with.

If the walls were revered, then the soldiers of Arrellis were to 
be feared. The army numbered in the thousands... foot, calvalry, 
knights, and mages all, not to mention the Changed, the inhumans 
altered by magic. Today you would call them Genomes.

Every year, we celebrated the birth of the First Emperor, who 
rose from the Eastern Seas to rule the tribes, and using his 
gifts to bring the magi together under his control. There were 
parades, and rituals, and the army marched through Arrelliss, 
down the Imperial Way to the palace, where they gave their oath 
to the Eternal Emperor, who had ruled for a thousand years, and 
who was to rule for centuries more. He who was the Master of 
Mages, the Lord of the City, the High General, and the Tamer of 
the Oceans.

He was nothing if not practical. The city of Arrellis was ruled 
with an iron fist, with his army as the enforcers. Anyone who 
wished to live relatively comfortably had 'arrangements' with 
the army. And all were known to the Emperor, through the Temple 
of Eternity. The worship of the Emperor, you see, was the 
religion of the city, and had been since ten years before my 
birth, when the Emperor brought down attacking dragons on his 
own.

I was born to a family of bodyguards, who had guarded a minor 
noble family called the Widows. With my bloodline, and my 
mage-talent, I needed to be raised by someone who could teach me 
the craft of the magi and instil in me a code of honor.

I was sent out of the city at the age of nine to the Temple of 
Serrasin in the sea-city of Atlantis. The Island City, it was 
called, the Shrine of Secrets, the Forgotten City. It was dying, 
its people slowly dying, for it was not a large city, and 
shrouded by magic as it was, the sole inhabitants were the 
worshippers of my Goddess. 

At the age of thirteen, I was brought under the wing of a 
Priestess of the Temple named Asseya. She had much influence 
with the High Priestess, being her own daughter. I studied under 
her, trained under her, and worshipped her. To all extents and 
purposes, she was my mother. At the age of sixteen, I was 
consecrated in the service of the Goddess of the Tides and 
Peace, Serrasin, the Lady of the Waves. 

That same year, six months after my initiation, a young 
Priestess committed suicide by leaping from the high cliffs of 
Atlantis into the sea. We never found the body, but we mourned, 
and meanwhile I was paired with bond-sister, a woman named 
Archon. 

Then another Priestess leapt from the high cliffs, and another, 
then an Acolyte. My mentor took it upon herself to investigate, 
and uncovered something she should not have. The city of 
Atlantis was of old a city of magi, a learning-place for 
would-be users of magic, and many wondrous and horrifying things 
were dreamed of in the Island City. One of these things was 
called the Lucifer Patterns, creations dreamt up by a nameless 
Archmage who nearly touched upon the power of Godhood. He drew 
up the patterns, then one night, simply vanished. His patterns 
were experimented on, with disastrous results, and once, after a 
magi attempted one, he claimed that he had seen a cataclysm that 
would sweep the world upon use of these patterns.

After that the Lucifer Patterns were hidden, until in my time, a 
Priestess came upon them, and was drawn into them. She performed 
a pattern, and it was far too much for her mind. She loosed 
something... a Lucifer-spawn, we called it, a creature of pure 
energy that could trick the mind, fool it. How do you fight 
something you cannot touch, cannot feel, taste, touch or smell, 
that seeps into your mind, and manipulates you like so much of a 
puppet? This Lucifer-spawn was terrifyingly strong... and alien. 
And angry.

It took to my mentor when she began to delve, and it drove her 
mad. When the High Priestess learned of what had happened, she 
sent all but eight mages off of Atlantis. I was one of the eight 
who remained. Archon tried to stay to guard my back; I had to 
stun her when she turned her back to get her off the island.

We waited in the Hall of the Citadel of Atlantis for the 
creature, and it came, riding the body of my mentor, feeding 
upon her very soul. We called on our powers... and it took all 
we had to banish it. The High Priestess died to force the gate 
open, five more exhausted themsleves keeping it open, and one 
more died to force the gate closed. And the last... the last 
died as the very ground of Atlantis gave way before us, and the 
island sank into the sea. I alone survived to tell the tale. 
When I awoke, it was in the bed of the House Widow, my sister by 
my side. Evidently I was found on a beach by my sisters.

And of course, a year later, the Gods smote down the God-Emperor 
of Arrellis for his arrogance, and I fled West with my Lord, 
across the Shadowed Mountains to the Wilds... but that is a far 
different story."