Long before mortals carved their first kingdoms into the stone of the world, the heavens were ruled by a pantheon of gods — radiant, eternal, and merciless. Among them was Zerathion, once a guardian of the celestial vault, tasked with channeling storms to nourish the earth and keep the balance between fire and flood. He was revered as a bringer of rain, a divine protector draped in lightning’s crown.

But where his brethren sought order, Zerathion saw weakness. To him, mortals did not deserve balance — they deserved mastery, and he believed himself chosen to rule them. His storms grew cruel, not gentle; they drowned cities, shattered mountains, and burned armies to ash. Mortals began to worship him not as a protector, but as a tyrant of thunder.