Thommas BlackThorne is the last heir of the BlackThorne, a once noble family of the northernmost edges of the empire. When his family lands are given to a new noble, Thommas needs to travel south to find his older brother that decided to dedicate his life to the church - and deliver the news of the Fate of the BlackThorne.

The BlackThorne were once lords on the edges of the empire, ruling the region commonly known as BlackForest North. Their ancient castle, the BlackThorne Keep is now a ruin - a tale of pride and decadency. Originally built to dominate the region and keep the savage clans at bay, the keep was overrun by the Iron Helm clan, the very same savages it was supposed to master. Seeing no other solution, the BlackThorne Lord at the time sapped his own castle and destroyed it. Even though he rooted out the savages back to the mountains, it cost him his castle, his title and his family glory.

Decades later, the Northern BlackForest is a place almost forgotten by the empire. The only town there is in all aspects a frontier town and works as a commercial hub for the folks that live in the region.

The remaining BlackThorne live now in one of the remaining farms of the Castle era - the lands that were not taken from their ancestral that destroyed his own Keep. No longer nobles, not yet accepted by the common folk, the BlackThorne live at the shadow of their glorious past - often recalled of their fall by the shadow of the opulent ruined castle at the edge of their lands.