Long ago, before he stars were born and the river still flowed, there was Cazia. Cazia shone like a great jewel in the cosmos, the rich mana oases fuelling a great society of plenty. The five pharaohs were generous and kind, sharing their wealth and wisdom freely. But something changed. One of the five pharaohs, greatest of their number, died leaving just a boy-king. This boy-king was not wise and not kind, but most importantly he was weak. He allowed evil to creep into his kingdom. Where once there was unity, there was now disunity.
The five kingdoms began to pull apart, and the five pharaohs’ generosity disappeared. It was at this time that the river flooded lower than before, and it rained less than it should. The harvest was much diminished and for the first time in a very long time people went hungry. While this drought was no true famine, it was a sign of things to come. Then the boy-king died leaving no true heir, only a sister. The kingdom was thrown into chaos. With no pharaoh there was no link to the gods. And with no link to the gods, there would be no rains. Sure enough the next year was the first dry year, not a drop of water fell on the dead boy-king’s kingdom.
Chaos! Hungry beyond belief, with no clear leadership, and believed abandoned by their gods the people of the dead boy-king’s kingdom went to war with the other kingdoms of the four remaining pharaohs. Where once there was disunity, now there was war. This war lasted for over a generation, ending when the last city of the dead boy-king’s former kingdom was destroyed and its people taken into slavery. The kingdom that won, the kingdom of the slavers, the kingdom of Keb, demanded more. They resumed the war and destroyed the other three kingdoms. Where once there were five kingdoms now there was only Keb. Where once there were five pharaohs, not there was only one. This god amongst men ruled over a whole world. But still the rains would not come.
The last pharaoh devoted his life to rstoring the rains and saving the world of Cazua. Fightig a world takes lifetimes and all men are mortal. Someday this pharaoh, god amongst men, knew he would die. He turned to dark magics in his desperation, to extend his life and allow his people to survive. But no matter how hard he tried the rains would not come. It wasn’t age, or war, or excess which killed Keb, it was drought. And it wasn’t age, or war, or excess which killed the last pharaoh, it was ambition.
Killed in the night by an assassin’s dagger, the last pharaoh of Keb was laid to rest as he should be, as befits a god amongst men. His tomb was the last great monument of Keb, a mighty pyramid of white stone that shone in the bright sun of Cazia. But even that great monument has been lost to the progress of time. All that remains of the once great kingdom of Keb, the kingdom which stretched across the world, is the cities of Acania and Kabah. If nothing else changes they too will be lost to dust and all that once was will be gone. Cazia will truly be the dead world.
It is into this world that two planeswalkers appear, Maers and Belthak. Maers and Belthak both come from the same world, and it was their meeting that ignited both their sparks and sent them to Cazia. Maers is a young bard, little more than a child, with a magical voice that can sooth any anger and melt any heart. Belthak is a dwarven cook, always on the hunt for the next great flavour. Their arrival has stirred something deep within Cazia. For the first time in a millennia the rains have come.
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