The time of legends has come, the time of gods and demons, kings and heroes. The gods blessed the arid land of Nehekhara, and the first great human civilization arose on the banks of the winding River of Life. The Nehekharans lived in eight proud city-states, each of which had its own patron god, whose mercy determined the characters and destinies of the people. The greatest of the cities, located at the center of this ancient land, is Khemri, the legendary Living City of Settra the Magnificent. It was Settra, hundreds of years ago, who united the cities of Nehekhara into an empire and declared that he would rule it forever. He ordered his priests to reveal the secret of eternal life. And when the great emperor did die, his body was imprisoned inside a huge pyramid, awaiting the day when the liche priests would call his soul back. After Settra's death, his empire fell apart, and Khemri's power weakened. Today, among the ghostly shadows of the mortuary temple of Khemri, a powerful priest reflects on the cruelty of fate and longs to gain the crown that belonged to his younger brother. The name of this priest is Nagash.