Ashes and Oaths

Before the fire, there was the Oath.
A promise sealed in blood. A curse hidden as law.

They say the gods abandoned the continent of Aramour centuries ago. But the truth is darker. The gods did not flee - they were silenced.

When the magic of the First Age threatened to unravel the world, the five High Kings forged a pact: to bind all power to the Crown. Magic could no longer be inherited. It could only be given - gifted by the state, marked by the rune, and shackled by the Oathstone.

Thus, the Oathbound were born.
Mages branded in the name of peace.
Weapons disguised as men.

The system was elegant, brutal, and absolute. Every magic-bearer was counted, trained, controlled. Any child who showed signs of unregistered power was taken. Those who resisted disappeared.

For over a hundred years, the kingdom called this balance.
The rebels called it slavery.

Now, whispers rise again.
Of a girl who burns without flame.
Of shadow magic moving beyond the Crown's grasp.
Of an ancient power waking - one older than the Oathstone, older even than the kings.

And as war simmers in the alleys and ruins of the realm, one truth remains:

The Oath was never meant to last.