The world and story of Cinderfall
A world disappearing beneath the ash
Cinderfall takes place one hundred and fifty years after the Great Cataclysm, in a world where the sky remains veiled and magic itself is losing stability.
Humans and Orcs have learned to survive in this hostile environment. But when the ash begins to fall more heavily and violent earthquakes travel across the land, both peoples realize that the event which broke their world may not be over.
Nareth-Kor, the forgotten sanctuary
Before the Cataclysm, Nareth-Kor was a sacred place connected to the balance of reality. Primal forces maintained harmony between the elements, magic and life.
A forbidden ritual was attempted at the heart of the sanctuary. Its exact purpose has been lost to time, but its failure released uncontrollable energy. Nareth-Kor was destroyed, the land split apart and vast amounts of ash were thrown into the sky.
That day marked the beginning of the Great Cataclysm and the Age of Cinderfall.
One hundred and fifty years of survival
The ashfall never truly stopped. Sunlight became scarce, the land harder to cultivate and magic more unpredictable.
The peoples adapted. Every harvest, new building and protected territory became a victory against a world that seemed to be slowly dying.
That fragile survival is now threatened by new events: earthquakes are intensifying, the ash is thickening in the sky and strange phenomena are appearing around the ancient ruins.
Gorthak the Ashen
Gorthak is a shaman of the Orc clans. Within the ash storms, he hears ancient whispers that seem to come from another age or another plane of existence.
The voices call him toward Nareth-Kor. Gorthak believes the interrupted ritual holds the key to a lost balance and that the Orcs must reach the sanctuary before the world is buried completely.
His journey forces the clans to confront a central question: should they complete what caused the disaster, or fear that another attempt will make it irreversible?
King Eldaran
Eldaran rules the Human kingdoms. He sees the earthquakes and rising instability as signs of a deeper collapse in magic itself.
To him, Nareth-Kor must be understood, controlled or sealed before the forces awakening there threaten the world forever. Human armies therefore march with a goal opposed to the Orcs, but driven by the same urgency.
The Cinderfiends
The Cinderfiends are demonic beings from another reality. Their blue magic is directly connected to the ash of the Cataclysm, which they can manipulate, absorb and wield as a weapon.
Their appearance reveals that the disaster at Nareth-Kor was more than a magical explosion. A breach now connects the world to a foreign force with a will of its own.
In the game, the Cinderfiends already appear under CPU control. They harvest wandering souls and use Ash to transform the battlefield.
The Ancients and the mystery of origins
The Ancients are the founding people of Nareth-Kor. Deeply connected to nature and the world’s primal balance, they may hold the truth about the ritual, the Cataclysm and the breach.
Their return is planned for a future evolution of the game. Traces of forgotten civilizations and a magical portal of uncertain origin already raise new questions for Humans and Orcs alike.
World guide
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Great Cataclysm | Disaster caused by the failed ritual at Nareth-Kor |
| Age of Cinderfall | One hundred and fifty years marked by the endless ashfall |
| Nareth-Kor | Ancient sanctuary tied to the balance of the world |
| Gorthak the Ashen | Orc shaman guided toward Nareth-Kor by whispers in the ash |
| Eldaran | Human king determined to contain the magical threat |
| Cinderfiends | Demonic faction from another world |
| Ancients | Founding people of Nareth-Kor, tied to primal forces |
Two campaigns, two sides of the conflict
Cinderfall’s campaign contains twenty Human missions and twenty Orc missions. The two paths show how each people understands the Cataclysm, what it seeks to protect and what it is willing to risk to reach Nareth-Kor.
This page establishes the foundations of the world without revealing the campaigns’ conclusion.