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10,000 years ago

There was a vast continent beyond the great sea where kingdoms arose that surpassed many empires, those names that were erased with the wind and that were the wonders of the ancient world that were plagued by a series of great wars. Once prosperous lands became fields of death and destruction. The continent, once home to powerful kingdoms, began to disappear, consumed by a calamity whose origin is still unknown. Kingdoms fell one after another, like sand castles swept away by a tidal wave, leaving only ruins and death in their wake.

From the ashes of that devastation, a figure rose, refusing to perish next to his home. Lysandra Ilmaen, a princess from the line of ancient kings, escaped to sea with the few survivors she was able to rescue. Together with them, she boarded a fleet of small ships, no more than a thousand, and began an odyssey across the immense ocean that would become her worst enemy. For months they sailed, dodging ruins, burned cities, and seas infested with death.

The journey was stormy, and the hope of finding a new home faded with each passing day. The first big storm they encountered destroyed many of the ships, dragging everything it could into the depths. Many others strayed from the group, getting lost, never to be seen again. The sea became a tomb, claiming the lives of many, but that did not stop Lysandra who continued forward despite the losses.

In their desperate search for land, they settled on various islands and coasts, but in each place they were received with hostility or faced death in different ways. Disease, bandits and pirates attacked mercilessly, reducing their numbers again and again. However, each time they were driven out or decimated, Lysandra would lead her people back to the sea, tirelessly searching for a safe place where they could rebuild their lives.

Tension grew among the survivors, and many began to question the princess's ability to lead them to a safe home. Some deserted, while others plotted against her, but Lysandra's vision of finding her place never faded. It was only after many moons that they finally sighted land again. But what they found was not a paradise, but a vast and inhospitable desert.

In front of them stretched a sea of ​​golden dunes, seemingly endless. The sun was hot in the sky, and the desert seemed as hostile as the sea they had left behind. However, the princess, refusing to return to the waters that had brought them so many tragedies, decided to enter the desert. For days they walked, enduring the scorching heat, the sand storms, and the beasts that lurked among the dunes. Every night, the infernal wind threatened to bury them alive under the sand, and many perished from exhaustion, lack of water, or attacks by wild creatures. But the princess never stopped. Her unbreakable spirit inspired the few who remained to keep going.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they found the impossible: a civilization in the middle of the desert. The Najarith, a people evolving and hardened by the sands, masters at surviving in such a hostile environment. The Najarith lived in cities hidden beneath the dunes, protected by a combination of advanced technology and ancient magic. At first, they greeted Lysandra and her people with hostility, viewing them as invaders or potential plunderers.

This is how the princess and her people were captured and made prisoners, but Lysandra was not a woman who gave up easily and instead of succumbing to the situation, she challenged the Najarith to a fight for her freedom and that of her family. town. Facing one of the desert warriors in a single combat that against all odds, she emerged victorious. This act of bravery and strength earned the respect of the Najarith.

Legends say that, impressed by her courage, the leader of one of the tribes, the warrior Kaelan Aranthor, was captivated by Lysandra. Thus the princess and Kaelan were united in marriage, and to celebrate her wedding, Lysandra ordered their ancient ships to be thrown into the shifting sands of the desert, proclaiming that they no longer needed to escape, since they had found a home where they could live and die. 

Over time, the Najarith tribe began to mix with the people who had arrived with Lysandra. Under her leadership, and with Kaelan at her side, the tribes united, and Lysandra's vision began to take shape. She wished to build a kingdom, one that would rise from the same sands they had braved. Her word spread across the desert, carried by the wind, and more and more tribes joined her cause, drawn by her charisma, her strength, and her promise of a better future.

Thus began the so-called Great Conquest, an effort to unify all the tribes under a single banner, the banner of Lysandra and Kaelan. This unification was known as The Rising of the Sun, and its success was largely due to Lysandra's alliance with the Velkyr, who were female guardians and priestesses of destiny who became advisors to the princess. With the power of the Velkyr and their prophecies announcing the arrival of a leader sent by the gods, Lysandra managed to subdue many tribes that, at first, fiercely resisted.

But there was still one last adversary of hers who stood in the way of her crusade, the one who refused to bend the knee. This was Zohar the Unbreakable, leader of the largest and most dominant tribe, whose warriors were known for their cruelty and endurance. The battle against Zohar was long and bloody, lasting nine years, becoming known as The War of the Two Suns. During this battle, Lysandra and her husband lost many people and loved ones, including her first son, killed by Zohar in an act of ruthless revenge.

Thus consumed by fury and determination, Lysandra gathered all the armies under her command to face Zohar in what would be the final confrontation, known as the Battle of the Blood Winds. In this confrontation Lysandra fought on the front line alongside her husband, inspiring her troops with her bravery and skill. The battle was fierce and chaotic, with sandstorms darkening the sky and the screams of the dying echoing through the desert.

One of the most pivotal moments was when Lysandra, riding her war steed, challenged Zohar directly in combat. The battle between the two was epic, and although Zohar was a formidable warrior, he was ultimately overcome by Lysandra's devastating fury. Zohar was captured and brought before Kaelan, who in a symbolic act publicly sacrificed him, making it clear that the era of the sand tyrants had come to an end.

With the death of Zohar, all the tribes were unified under the command of Lysandra and Kaelan. The vast desert, which had once been a place of conflict and death, became the heart of a new kingdom, a kingdom born of the sacrifice, blood, and indomitable will of its people. This kingdom was named Azragoth, the Empire of the Eternal Sands.

Lysandra was crowned the first Empress of Azragoth, and beside her, Kaelan as Emperor. Together, they reigned for 35 years, and under her rule, the kingdom prospered, growing in power and wealth until it became a great empire. Upon her death, the throne passed to her eldest son, Thalion Ilmaen, one of the five children Lysandra bore during her lifetime.

Thalion, along with his brothers, continued his parents' legacy, ensuring that the Empire of Azragoth endured throughout the centuries. Thus, through time, the descendants of Lysandra and Kaelan reigned with firmness and wisdom, always remembering the words that defined them.

As firm as the desert, and as strong as the storm.

Thus was born Azragoth, the empire that, forged in the sands of the desert, would become one of the most powerful and enduring civilizations the world has ever known. And the story of Lysandra Ilmaen, the princess who became empress, would be told and celebrated for generations, as an example of courage, leadership and determination in times of darkness and despair.

This story was told by the artists and courtesans to the young people of the empire. It was many years ago, long after the founding of the glorious empire of Azragoth, when its alabaster towers stood imposing in the heart of the desert and its power spread like a shadow. On the south, the throne was in the hands of a man who had been born and raised in the radiance of this greatness: Emperor Khaelus Ilmaen. He was an imposing man, with the bearing of a warrior hardened by the sands and the intellect honed by generations of Emperors. His gaze always seemed capable of piercing the souls of those who were in front of him, and his voice resonated with the authority of a man accustomed to commanding and being obeyed.

It was during his reign that a foreign visitor came to our lands, a foreign king, from distant lands. He had heard rumors of Azragoth's greatness, of our vast riches and our conquests. And, like all men who hear those stories, he wanted to see them with his own eyes and perhaps also in the hope of forming an alliance that could ease the burden of the endless wars that devastated his own kingdom.

The arrival of the king to our empire is still remembered. The doors of the great palace of Arak'Mal were thrown open to receive him, and great celebrations were organized in his honor. At first the king was received with honors, the best food was served, and the most exquisite dances and music resounded in the halls of the palace. However, things soon took an unexpected turn. It was during one of those nights of celebration, in the middle of a banquet full of splendor, that the first meeting occurred that would change the destiny of both kingdoms.

Among the shadows and the light of the torches, the king saw her for the first time: Princess Selena Ilmaen. Selena the jewel of the empire, the living embodiment of the power and beauty of our lineage. Her hair was as dark as the deepest night, and her eyes, which looked like molten gold, seemed to hold all the secrets of the desert. Her figure was slender, graceful, and each of her movements was imbued with a feline elegance, as if each step of hers was designed to attract the gaze of men. But the most fascinating thing about her was her aura: an irresistible mix of mystery and mischief, it was something that made the strongest men kneel at the mere presence of her.

The king was no exception, he was trapped in his spell from the first moment. And, although he had come to our empire for diplomatic purposes and with a wife awaiting his return in his own kingdom, it became evident to all that he could not resist the charm of Princess Selena who had also set his sights. hers over his. That same night, the two disappeared from the sight of the guests at the banquet, and it was not until dawn that it was known where they had been. Murmurs spread quickly: the foreign king had shared the bed with the princess.

The rumors, however, do not end there. They say that the intensity of their encounter was such that the sounds of their passion were heard throughout the palace. The servants and guards whispered about the screams of pleasure that echoed through the corridors, unmistakable, incessant, until the first ray of sunlight passed through the windows of the bedroom and that was when a maid entered the room finding them in the act. Some claimed that it was only that one time, but others, perhaps those closest to the palace, spoke of more shared nights, of laughter and passionate kisses in dark corners, of walks through the gardens, where the princess had no decorum in kissing him passionately.

The rumors did not stop. Some said that at one of those banquets, Princess Selena had taken the king to the limits of his desire, making him drink from a glass of wine with ingredients brought from the farthest reaches of the empire, capable of igniting passion in the coldest hearts. . Others said that on nights of celebration, it was common to see the princess sitting on the king's lap, laughing softly, while her hands ran over the monarch's chest with a familiarity that could not be ignored. And, more than one claimed that, in those moments of intimacy, the looks of desire between them were so intense that they seemed to set fire to anything around them.

Many witnessed those interpretations between the two but none spoke against it since in Azragoth, pleasure was a path to power, and power, a form of pleasure. The customs of the empire saw nothing wrong with a princess getting involved with a king, even if he was married. To them, it was simply part of the game, one that the princess played masterfully.

But, like everything in life, the king's time in Azragoth came to an end. With promises of alliances and future encounters, the King of Midland bade farewell to the emperor and his court, and returned to his homeland. But he left more than promises behind him. Princess Selena, with her enigmatic smile, stayed in Azragoth, keeping inside her a secret that only time would reveal: a fruit of that intense union, a seed of conflict that months later would end up unleashing a series of conflicts and tensions. that would shake both Midland and Azragoth.

This would leave a deep mark on the history of both kingdoms, uniting their destinies irreversibly.