In the wake of the Covenant's ascendancy, a new and powerful force began to take shape—one that sought not just to control the world's physical forces, but to manipulate the hearts and minds of humanity itself. The Covenant's leader, Xerath, had discovered not only the power of the Heart of the Stone, but a terrifying and corrupting truth: the Stone was not merely an artifact of immense power—it was the key to enslaving the souls of all who sought to wield it.
It was through this revelation that the Covenant Church was born.
The Covenant Church was not just a political institution; it was a religious cult, a twisted faith built on the exploitation of the Stone's power. Xerath, in his dark pursuit of godhood, declared himself the One True Vessel, claiming to be the living embodiment of the Stone's divine will. He preached that only through absolute submission to the Stone could humanity transcend its mortal form. To his followers, Xerath was no longer a mere leader—he was a god incarnate, the Prophet of the Stone, a dark messiah whose every word and command were to be obeyed without question.
The Church's influence grew like a plague, spreading lies wrapped in promises of salvation. At first, its doctrines were subtle—a mere whisper in the ears of the weak and desperate. But as the Covenant's power expanded, so too did the Church's reach. Cities and villages were razed to the ground if their leaders refused to bow to Xerath's will, their populations either converted or wiped out. The Covenant Church offered no mercy to those who resisted.
The Doctrine of Ascension was the foundation of the Church's teachings. It claimed that humanity's true potential lay in the worship of the Stone, and through that worship, humans could evolve into beings of unimaginable power. But this "Ascension" came at a terrible price. Every follower was bound to the Stone, their souls tethered to it through rituals of blood and sacrifice. The Stone consumed them, piece by piece, until nothing remained of the individual—only a husk, a puppet for Xerath's will. To ascend was to become one with the Stone, to give up all autonomy and free will.
The Church demanded obedience, not devotion. Those who rejected Xerath's teachings were branded as heretics and hunted down by the Black Priests, a ruthless order of enforcers loyal only to Xerath. These priests were the enforcers of the Covenant's will, practitioners of forbidden magic and blood rituals that could extract life force from their victims, offering it to the Stone in a twisted form of worship.
The Covenant Church's temples were more like prisons, vast, looming structures that resembled towering Dungeon Pillars. These dark, organic sanctuaries pulsated with an eerie energy, their walls lined with strange runes that glowed in the unnatural light. Inside, the faithful were indoctrinated and tortured, their bodies and minds molded into perfect vessels for the Stone's power. The Church's hold on the population grew stronger as fear and manipulation took root.
The Shard of the Heart was the most sacred relic, a fragment of the Heart of the Stone itself, kept in the deepest sanctum of the Church's central temple. It was said that the Shard granted visions of divinity and immense power—but only to those who were willing to sacrifice everything. Each year, hundreds of new initiates would enter the Church, eager to gain a glimpse of this divine power. Few would ever return.
The people who were consumed by the Covenant's influence no longer had any trace of their former selves. They became part of the Stone—mindless drones serving Xerath's every command. The Church preached that only by giving up their humanity could the faithful become true servants of the Stone, forsaking their earthly lives for an eternity of power and servitude.
But not everyone was willing to accept the Covenant's twisted faith. Lady Kaela Damaris, once an ally of Xerath, now found herself at odds with the very faith she had helped bring into the world. Having seen the atrocities the Covenant had committed, she became one of its most vocal critics. She called for a rebellion, warning the world that the Stone was not a source of salvation, but a tool of destruction.
"The Stone does not elevate humanity," she cried in a fiery address, "It binds us, breaks us, and corrupts us! Xerath and his Church would have us become mere vessels for their dark godhood. We must stand against them, before we are all lost!"
Kaela's resistance grew, and small factions of rebels, warriors, and scholars began to rally behind her. The Order of the Old Ways, a secret organization dedicated to preserving ancient knowledge, became the last bastion of hope for those who sought to break free from the Covenant's grip. They fought in the shadows, sabotaging the Covenant's operations, rescuing the lost souls ensnared by the Church, and seeking a way to destroy the Heart of the Stone once and for all.
But the Covenant Church was not easily defeated. As the rebellion grew, Xerath's power became even more tyrannical. The Church expanded its control over the land, using its influence to manipulate kingdoms, force leaders to swear loyalty, and silence dissent with ruthless efficiency. Entire regions fell under the Church's control, with populations either converted or annihilated. The Covenant promised eternal life and power, but it was all a lie. Those who followed the Church's teachings would only become hollow shells, their souls consumed by the Heart, their wills no longer their own.
Xerath, now more god than man, prepared for the final stage of his plan—the Ascension Ritual. It would involve the complete merging of his essence with the full power of the Heart, allowing him to become a true god. But this transformation would require the ultimate sacrifice—the souls of every follower, every last living being connected to the Church. The Ascension would be his, and his alone. Humanity would be reduced to nothing more than a fuel source for his godhood.
As the Church's power reached its zenith, the world stood at a precipice. Would Lady Kaela's rebellion succeed in stopping the Covenant's rise, or would Xerath's twisted vision of divinity become the world's new reality? The fate of Terra lay in the balance, with the Stone as the key to either salvation or damnation.