The mist has just risen from the towering Mountains of Morning in the east of Mornea. Slowly, the blanket of fog crawls down the Delta of the Ciar River. It slowly drags its festering cloak of humidity over muddy swamps, vegetation and ancient blackened stone walls raised by men in these inhospitable lands.  The mist rolls over the peat-bogs and covers a sad city whose highest towers are all that dare rise above the veil.

The city is vast and sinister; and the wind wails across its desolate walls. The dark figure of Kerkastel, the capital city of the Kingdom of Avalon gradually emerges from the haze. From this fear-inspiring city, Lady Eleanor of the Thousand Masks rules with undisputed authority over her people and lords, the Seven Barons of Avalon.

But, while the bodies of the Avalonians belongs to their queen, their souls belong to the Avalonian church. In his role as supreme guide of the Avalonian faith, the Cardinal Augustus inspires respect and fear in the entire kingdom, from peasants to noblemen.

He is the guardian of a secret that links Avalon to a very special being: the Beathacrann. It is a unique tree of formidable size, imbued with a will of its own, whose branches and roots extend over impossible distances in every direction.
Following a dark pact that was made with the tree during the creation of Avalon, the Church of Avalon can now provide its followers with sinister gifts of incredible power.

But while the church can reward its most deserving followers, it can also punish those who stray from its teachings. For these madmen, the quick death offered by one of the three Templar orders is a godsend compared to the eternal torment that awaits them if they are offered to the tender care of the Beathacrann...