"There is a reason we saved you, Basileios," says Ziva, tossing her white hair over one shoulder. "A reason that we wanted you here. Zhan-Ukhel is not working alone to conquer the Great Steppe. He has a patron, who is the source of his magical abilities."
"Chernobog?" you ask.
"Chernobog is a powerful and ancient force," says Veles. "He has lain dormant for many years, but your ancestors knew him, in more violent times, as the god of darkness. Now he begins to rise again, to be reborn into a new and terrible age where the entirety of the Great Steppe falls under his control."