Chapter 1: The conqueror kingdom.

First Chronicle: Manifesto.

Potentate Version: A kingdom born far from home.

I am Bismirk Greyskies, pontiff of the sole temple that stands in honour of our faith. Here, alongside my two trusted acolytes, Peter and Dio Amber, we find ourselves before the altar of our Lord in these dark times. The doors of the temple are besieged by the infernal army that seeks to profane our sacred sanctuary. In this uncertain hour I hasten to recount the sacred history, seeking to offer some solace, with my faith placed in our ability to overcome this misfortune.

They say that after the storm comes the calm, yet reality is fickle and not always lenient. The ancient tale speaks of a world that has no end, yet it seems to repeat itself like the waves that beat against the oceans and seas.

Our known world was dominated almost in its entirety by an empire called the Theocracy of the Priors of Vale, which was born in the distant north and spread across almost all the land.

In this world, some celebrate the fall of the Theocracy of the Priors of Vale, after a thousand years of rule. That great empire extended its power over every existing human and non-human race, proclaiming the primacy of its God-chosen people.

Every region under the Holy Empire inherited its faith and culture, even in the most remote places of the vast empire. The divine Holy Radiance spread to every corner of the world, shining strongly over darkness, good and evil, the perfect and the imperfect.

How can one deny the magnificence and glory of the Lord of the Omnipotent Radiance? He enlightened His people so that they might reign over the other nations of the world.

What distinguishes the people chosen by the Omnipotent Radiance? It is the divine election with the direct guidance of the Lord, placing us above the rest for His glory.

The sacred scriptures reveal the glorious victory of our single God over the false gods more than 1,200 years ago. Since then, the people of the Omnipotent Radiance have grown and multiplied in almost every corner of the known world, eradicating the barbarism and ignorance of the pagans:

In the year zero of our Lord, the red dragon, whose name was Redhorn, beat his wings in the air. A single stroke of his wings could destroy an entire city. Our Lord, the Omnipotent Radiance, descended from the sky in His golden chariot and exclaimed, "Still!" and then asked, making the heavens rumble, "Why do you attack My people?" The dragon, uncomprehending, continued attacking, "Do they even deserve to live?" said Redhorn. The omnipotent radiance looked upon him with selflessness and infinite mercy, "Oh, Redhorn, by disobeying My commands you shall burn with your own fire, and you shall dwell underground forever." And so it was.

The devotees, known as Potentates, explored the world for the sake of propagating the faith, reaching up to two hundred years ago a massive island located in the south of the known world and naming it Granheim.

Although the conquest is not yet finished, the devotees have been colonising it and erecting great fortified cities, among them Munfortwall (the capital), Bayport (an important port city near the capital), Holyfort (the fortress on the Holy River), Easthorn (on the Holy River), and Snow City (in the icy south of the island).

Furthermore, great temples in honour of God were raised there, especially those where nobles surrender their daughters to the service of the Lord, such as Templaria (the island's principal temple), the convent of Muralha (on the road to Bayport), and the Ice Temple (in the frozen south).

The few founding families that arrived in Granheim are the Porters (fairly widespread), the Stouts (of great military prowess), the Ambers (dedicated to business), the Greyskies (very devoted to the works of the faith), the Strongs (outstanding in many activities), the Storms (principally adventurers), and the Allianze (the royal family of the island), destined to govern the destinies of the Holy Kingdom of the South, one of the many successor realms to the faith and culture of the thousand-year Holy Empire.

"A thousand years, Your Holiness?" asked acolyte Peter Amber, who was listening to my story.

Indeed, the most powerful and magnificent Empire in the entire history of mankind lasted a thousand years. The founding families descend directly from the lineage of those chosen by the Omnipotent Radiance, who conquered the lands on the Great Southern Island 200 years ago.

The Potentate people were chosen by the Omnipotent Radiance Himself to rule over all of humanity and lead it to the eternal salvation of their souls. All of this appears in the sacred scriptures that were written by God Himself for the knowledge of all mortals. They were written on the day God banished the loathsome Dragon to the ends of the earth, where he would never again befuddle the minds of humanity.

But some human beings are stubborn, and despite the knowledge of eternal life being right there, they prefer to believe in false gods—those who were defeated by the Omnipotent Radiance.

"Grand Prior, if that is true, why do the so-called pagans often wield magical arts that sometimes rival the best of the Potentate warriors?" asked the acolyte.

Under other circumstances, that could be considered blasphemy. Look, this world was left filled with lesser demons that the Potentates must defeat: semi-humans (magical creatures descended from the fornication of demonic beasts with humans), semi-beasts (more demonic beasts than humans), and demonic beasts (which are demonic creatures raised on the flesh of the corpses of false gods).

God Himself, in His infinite wisdom, knew the wickedness of those species. Human beings who do not know the truth allowed themselves to be seduced by the demons, mingled with them, and learned the magic of wickedness. Even so, God, the beloved father of humanity, chose His people and, as a promise of His return, left the angels who can defeat any human or non-human entity in existence.

"Grand Prior, pray for us, Your Holiness," whispered the acolyte in a low voice.

That I do, for there is no flesh or spirit that can extinguish the divine Radiance of our Lord. Go with God.

The temples that have been raised for the glory of the Lord serve two purposes. The first is for the devotees of the faith to go and worship God. Their worship and praises reach up to Him, and from heaven He sends power to the altars so that the angels may take form. After a year, the angels are born and sent out under the orders of the priors and masters to defend the various settlements of the realm. The second, and for the greater glory of God, is that every 50 years an archangel is born. Archangels are 10 times more powerful than an ordinary angel and require a magnificent dedication.

·       Most Holy Grand Prior, we need you. Come with me, - Peter tells me.

·       Brothers, as priors, masters and soldiers of God here present, I ask you to keep resisting. Help is on the way.