Centuries ago, when the world was still young and its peoples divided by petty borders and ancient rivalries, a great calamity befell the realms of the material plane. Without warning, a rift tore open in the fabric of reality itself—a yawning portal to the Abyss. From that dark and unholy chasm poured the Demons: twisted, malevolent beings of chaos and ruin, whose very presence poisoned the land and shattered the skies. Faced with annihilation, the denizens of the world—humans, elves, dwarves, and countless other races—set aside their differences and forged an uneasy alliance. United by desperation, they waged a brutal and unrelenting war against the infernal tide. Kingdoms burned, heroes fell, and entire civilizations were brought to the brink of extinction in the struggle to hold back the encroaching darkness. At last, when all hope seemed nearly lost, the greatest wizards and scholars of the age gathered to attempt what none had ever dared before: a spell of unimaginable power to seal the portal and cut off the Abyss from the world forever. The ritual succeeded—but not without cost. The backlash of such immense magic unleashed a devastating surge of energy that consumed the casters, slaying every one of those legendary mages in an instant. Their sacrifice sealed the portal, and the Demons were cast back into the void. In the centuries since, the truth of these events has faded into myth and half-remembered legend. Yet the danger has never truly passed. Hidden in the shadows of history, a secret order known as the Portal Guardians endures. Bound by ancient oaths, they vigilantly watch over the site of the sealed rift, ensuring that no force—mortal or otherwise—can reopen it. At the same time, they delve into forbidden research, seeking to understand the portal’s mysteries, lest the knowledge be needed again when darkness inevitably stirs. For they know one truth above all: what was once opened may one day open again.