As you walk the silent streets of the city of Yula, once the crown jewel of the kingdom of Astaria, you and your companions take in the forlorn sights. The city, once a bustling kingdom filled with people from every nation in the world, is now as cold and lifeless as a tombstone. The hanging lanterns lining the streets no longer glow with their comforting lights and the lovely buildings that once stood as wonders of classical architecture now molder and collapse.
Years ago, the exact number of which you have lost count, Yula flourished in the shadow of Castle Ember. The eccentric King Brennin and his wife, the lovely and kindhearted Queen Brigid, poured their heart and soul into the city and it showed. The two were loved by most of their citizens and statues to them were raised throughout the city. It seemed like the kingdom of Astaria was entering a new golden age, but fate had other plans.
After the queen gave birth for the first time, bringing her daughter Ceidwen into the world, she began to sicken. Hundreds upon hundreds of citizens in Yula sent Queen Brigid gifts in hopes of raising her spirits and the more pious packed the pews at the local cathedral, praying for their queen's recovery. It seemed for a time that she was recovering, but then news spread that she was with child again. She gave birth to her second child, a son named Caddell, and grew so infirm that she retreated from the public eye entirely, her endlessly devoted husband following suit. It wasn't too long after that when the hell that is the Endless Summer began.
In Astaria, there exists the great Cycle, wherein kings and queens die and are reborn, their energies helping to revitalize the land and the people within it. During the Summer, when the Liyume King reigns, the land is vibrant and full of life and light. During the Winter, when the Erya Queen reigns, the land is dark and the land decays. During the transitional periods, known as Spring and Autumn, the reigning regent would wither and fade before sacrificing themselves to the Hearth's Flame, the source of all life, letting their chosen heir rise as king or queen in service to the remaining monarch until their own sacrifice.
No one knows what caused the Endless Summer, although many suspect that it was caused by the Queen's tragic death, but regardless of cause, the Cycle has ground to a halt. A few weeks after the Queen's death, the dead began to rise and a wave of madness tore through the population of Astaria. Those who 'died' did not rest and instead rose as undead monsters. Only a few thousand managed to survive the initial devastation, but those that did have suffered over the intervening years. The light and life of the Endless Summer are warped things. When the sun is out, light seems to shine in ways that is slightly off, just enough to be disturbing. Life runs rampant and true death is impossible, as the dead rise through life energies that seem to be tainted by the touch of the Primordial Void.
The survivors of the wave of horror that was the beginning of the Endless Summer ended up gravitating to the farmlands around the Yula Lighthouse, where there is food and relative safety. The specters that wander the streets of Yula at night and the predatory undead alike all stay away from the light cast by Guiding Flame of the First King, nestled in the brazier atop the Lighthouse.
You have lived in the community surrounding the Lighthouse for years, clinging to what little remains of your former life or trying to carve out a new one in the little community known as Sanctuary. A few weeks ago, the Guiding Flame of the First King began to fade and the terrors of Yula began to close in. Day by day, the line between safety and agonizing 'death' drew closer and closer. All hope seemed lost until a mysterious undead appeared. He asked for you and a few others by name. He told you of the broken nature of the Cycle and asked for your help in fixing it. The threads of your destiny, he claimed, were not yet frayed beyond repair and you held the power to bring an end to the Endless Summer and correct the imbalance of nature. He was met by scoffs and jeers from some of the villagers, who asked him to prove that he was something more than a madman. When he ascended the Lighthouse and rekindled the Flame atop the Lighthouse, all remained silent. The undead, who refused to give his name, told you that you must journey to the Vitreous Wood and seek the Fey Queen Maeve in order to learn how this world may be saved. After he finished explaining, he bade the fires of the Guiding Flame to leap up and suffuse you, reversing any Corruption you may have gained and returning you to your mortal form, something he called a parting gift to you. He then left, slowly walking out of Sanctuary.
So now, a few days later, you and your comrades have begun your long journey through the Lower City of Yula. There is little doubt that your quest will take you all across the lands of Astaria and the dangers you face are myriad, but what choice do you have? In a world where even death does not offer any respite, the only option is to push forward and hope for the best.