A Brief History of Komaru

The world of Mourn whirls through the void to the accompaniment of two moons, its white-gold sun, and a shower of twinkling stars. Every four hundred days, Mourn revolves around its sun, traversing four seasons of light and darkness against the background of the Galaxy of stars. Lucien, the light moon, shines at night like a silver mirror as it waxes and wanes to mark the passing of sixteen-day months. Damien, the dark moon, is only visible during the day as a splotch of shadow against the sky, and its period is slower than the passage of the year.

The current age began when the mystic Paraceln was born in the capital of Komaru, a Mournish coastal kingdom of some power. Paraceln was born into a world of broken vows. The Komaran nobility, once sworn to the care of their ancestral lands, had turned their back on their duty. They raised great cities from the earth, gathering Mourn's bones through black arts and the blood sacrifice of thousands of peasants. It was a dark time for Komaru.

Paraceln's vision changed the world. Out of nothingness, he discovered the principles of theurgical sacrament. Using the power of the sacrament, he shattered the power of the cities, casting down the walls of bones. Gathering a congregation of devoted followers around him, he taught that enlightenment came from within. His chief disciple Shiliya founded the Church of Inner Light when Paraceln achieved unity with the Cosmos, spreading his teachings across Komaru. She warned of the End Times that would come a hundred years from the day of Paraceln's death, and taught the faithful to transcend the boundaries of death by seeking personal enlightenment. When Shiliya passed away, her faith had spread across Komaru like wildfire.

Even from the grave, Shiliya's power remained. As years passed, the nobility once again grew decadent, abandoning their country manors to gather in intricate palaces on the outskirts of new cities. Shiliya's followers railed against the nobility, decrying their virtue and vowing that they would bring the End Times. In the 198th year of Paraceln's Age, Shiliya's followers seized Princess Mirabelle Komaru as she left a Sone family holding in the capital city. The Sone family was widely held to be among the most decadent of the noble families. The presence of Mirabelle, daughter of Crown Prince Valentin, Regent of Komaru, in such a place seemed to confirm every suspicion about the nobility's behavior. When Mirabelle died in the ensuing riot, Valentin, never the calmest of men, sent his House Guard against the Church of Inner Light. After Valentin's Guard crucified ten religious leaders, the Komaran Royal Council withdrew its support from him. Lacking the protection of his noble allies, Valentin found himself fighting for his very life.

The revolution ended with the public execution of Valentin, his wife Solenne, and three of their children. Reyhari, Principal Light of the Church of Inner Light, appointed Augustin Bellatrix Lord Protector of Komaru. A silence spread across Komaru as the Shiliyites waited for the hundredth anniversary of Paraceln's death, only two years hence.

Two years passed, and then two more, but the End did not come. Resentment against the Church built slowly, until Prince Alessandro Komaru, Valentin's only surviving son, revealed himself. Disaffected nobles and disillusioned peasants flocked to his banner. The Lord Protector's army fought against Alessandro's rebels for two years, and at first Alessandro's restoration seemed impossible. The tides of war began to turn when Lucien d'Aramis, a simple merchant's son, brought the secrets of the Twilight Crux to Alessandro's side. The Twilight Crux knew secrets forbidden since Paraceln's time, and turned them against Lord Bellatrix's armies. With guns and magic at his side, Alessandro forced Augustin into a decisive confrontation at Shiro Bridge. Tens of thousands of men died, their blood staining the river red, before Alessandro and Lucien reached Augustin's guard. In the climactic duel, Alessandro saved Lucien from Augustin's blade before dispatching the Lord Protector himself.

In Year 204, the Interregnum ended. The Principal Light sued for peace immediately, and offered the throne of Komaru to Alessandro. A year after Alessandro's coronation as Crown Prince, peace and light had again returned to the land. The nobles have gathered in Crown Prince Alessandro's new palace, and all of Komaru waits for news from their new lord's court. Together, they again begin the journey from light to darkness.

A Timeline of Recent Komaran History

Year 0	Paraceln's Vision, or Paraceln's Birth (accounts vary).
Year 100	Paraceln dies.
Year 198	Crown Prince Valentin Komaru killed; the Interregnum begins when the Church names Augustin Bellatrix Lord Protector of Komaru.
Year 200	The End Times fail to come.
Year 202	Alessandro Komaru reveals himself and leads an uprising against the Church.
Year 203	The Twilight Crux emerges into the public eye by siding with Alessandro against the Lord Protector.
Year 204	Alessandro kills Augustin Bellatrix at the Battle of Shiro Bridge. The Royal Council recognizes Alessandro as the Crown Prince.
Year 205	From Light to Darkness begins.