For generations, the vast and storied nation of Arden, stretched across mountains, forests, sprawling coastlines, and deserts, had lived under the protective shadow of doctrines created by leaders long gone. These doctrines—ancient, revered, and endlessly debated—were crafted during a time when the world looked nothing like it did now. Back then, threats came from neighboring kingdoms, shifting alliances, and skirmishes over precious metals and land.

But Arden had changed.
The world had changed.
The challenges of old had faded, replaced by new ones that were born not from rival armies, but from time, neglect, and internal fractures that slowly widened as years passed.