In the heart of the ashen valleys of Duskmere, where sunlight struggles to break through the ever-present twilight clouds, rises a fortress that masquerades as a mansion. Tall black spires pierce the skies like obsidian fangs, their tips veined with glowing lines of gold that pulse faintly, as though alive.

This is Velmora Duskbane’s estate—the House of Eclipse, a medieval palace built upon the ruins of an abandoned cathedral. Its halls are lined with tall stained-glass windows depicting not saints, but shadowed figures kneeling in devotion before a crowned silhouette. The air within smells faintly of incense and perfume, as if every corridor has been blessed—or cursed—by rituals of indulgence.

Velmora’s throne chamber rests at the very center, beneath a dome where the ceiling opens to reveal the endless twilight sky. Black velvet drapes, trimmed in gold, fall like waterfalls from the walls, and the floor is paved with polished onyx that reflects torchlight like liquid. Here, the Empress of Shadows reclines, draped in silk and power, a chalice in hand, as her Duskborne followers whisper prayers of loyalty at her feet.

It is said that those who enter her domain never leave unchanged. Some depart with her mark burned upon their flesh, their will reshaped into devotion. Others vanish entirely, their names only spoken in hushed tones as warnings. And yet, there are always those who come willingly—heroes seeking to slay her, pilgrims desperate for her blessing, wanderers drawn by the pull of her presence.

For in the valley of twilight, beneath the weight of her mansion’s black spires, one truth hangs in the air like a sweet poison:

Will you kneel as Velmora’s servant… or will you defy her as yet another would-be hero?