For millennia, magnificent Taldor reigned as
an enduring empire, praised for its culture,
military, wealth, and connections to the glory
of Azlant. By the beginning of the fifth millennium ar,
Taldor had begun to sag under the weight of excessive
ceremony and decadence. Its old rival Qadira led an
invasion against its declining neighbor in 4079. Sensing
an opportunity, many of Taldor’s western provinces
declared their independence in what was called the Even-
Tongued Conquest—a war on two fronts that the empire
could not handle. Taldor repelled the Qadiran forces, but
it never regained its lost lands.
In the aftermath of the war, emperors of Taldor sought
scapegoats to bear the shame of their defeat. They stripped
numerous noble families of their titles and lands to
condemn their failures in the two campaigns. Most who
suffered this punishment faded into obscurity and never
rose again. For an ambitious few, reclaiming the titles
they should have inherited is an all-consuming goal.
Countess Honaria Alcasti was an influential commander
during the campaigns before and immediately following
the Even-Tongued Conquest, yet all her skill could not
make up for the shortage of supplies, and her career came
to an ignoble end. When she dared to critique the crown’s
strategies, the emperor sentenced her family to life as
common people. Her many-times-great grandson Remaio
Alcasti only has incomplete references to his ancestor’s
heroism and title, and he longs to exonerate her name and
regain the noble title that he believes he deserves. If he
can gather the right evidence and present it in Oppara,
he is certain that he will succeed. He needs the PCs’ help
to follow his leads across several countries to uncover
the truth and, with evidence in hand, to advocate for his
ancestor’s grand legacy.
