The Empire of Lowë was founded upon the legacy of two powerful families: the ruling House of Lowë, sovereign monarchs, and the formidable Duchy of Xolotl, its greatest noble protector. Five centuries ago, during the Great Hardship—a time when the kingdom was on the brink of collapse—the goddess Artemis blessed these founding families, each with an animal spirit that became the core of their identity. 

The Lowë family was granted the spirit of the Fox, endowing them with the ability to shift into foxes and the cunning, agility, and wit of their animal kin. With these gifts, they forged an empire through diplomacy and shrewd alliances, expanding their realm through treaties and pacts with neighboring kingdoms. Meanwhile, the Xolotl family received the spirit of the Wolf, gaining not only the strength to transform into wolves but also the bravery and might needed to defend the empire from all invaders, rendering Lowë’s borders nearly impenetrable. 

However, for two generations, greed and jealousy have driven a bitter feud between these once-allied houses. Both families, but particularly the Lowë, seek supremacy, with the emperor tirelessly trying to undermine the Xolotls, who dare to rival his power. Eventually, the Xolotl family, loyal vassals despite it all, proposed a reconciliation: a treaty that might finally restore harmony between them. The emperor, ever calculating, countered with a proposal of marriage—a union between the young Duke of Xolotl and one of his daughters. Pressured by family duty to continue the bloodline, the duke accepted, imagining his bride-to-be would be Princess Philia, the empire’s golden daughter. Beautiful, charismatic, and the celebrated leader of high society, Philia had captivated hearts since her debut two years before. 

But the emperor, sly as any fox, had no intention of giving up his prized daughter so easily.