The action of the novels in the "Royal Quest" series takes place in the unique world of Aura. Facts from the history of Aura make it easier to understand the content of some places in the novels. History of the World of Aura. According to ancient legends, the world is ruled by two sister goddesses, Aura and Morra. They created the world and divided it among themselves. People named their world in honor of the eldest, the goddess of light Aura. She is loved and revered in all lands, but her younger sister, the goddess of darkness Morra, is also revered, not because of love, but because of fear. There are many races in the world of Aura people, orcs, elves, dwarves, wellings, ashkalots. People built cities and fought. Empires and kingdoms appeared and disappeared. The most powerful was the Seth empire, which was ruled by a community of powerful magicians and palladins. The magicians, led by the talented antiquity Eranas, strove for knowledge at any cost. Having exhausted natural sources, they turned to the call of the creatures of Hell in order to increase their strength and knowledge. This was opposed by the palladins, led by Eranas' brother Victus. The Paladins pointed out that the one who summons demons will sooner or later, unnoticed by himself, find himself under their power. Then Eranas began to gather his supporters to rule the empire alone. In response, Victus called upon his loyal palladins. Each side actively recruited supporters in the other camp. So the famous general Maximus took the side of Eranas, and a significant part of the antiquits, led by the magician Alben, went over to the side of Victus. During numerous skirmishes, both brothers were killed. Eranas was buried by his supporters in Teutone, and Victus rested in a tomb somewhere in the Mara desert. In the end the civil strife ended and part of the lands united into one kingdom of Elenia. As a symbol uniting the peoples of Elenia, a city was built, the capital of Elenia - Varlon, where the royal court was located. However, demonic creatures resurrected Eranas in the form of a lich. Having resurrected, he seized power in the Eastern Reaches and became known as the Bloody Warlord or the lord of the liches of Ngala. On a narrow isthmus in the province of Teuton, separating the kingdom from the Eastern Reaches, a wall with towers and bastions was built, which was called the Perimeter. From the very beginning of his reign, Eranas tried to capture Elenia and annex it to your possessions. However, young magicians, archers and warriors heroically repelled the attacks of numerous monsters and undead on the walls of the Perimeter and throughout the kingdom. But the monsters it got bigger and bigger. Eranas summoned the demons of the Nine Hells and stood at the head of their legions. It seemed that the fate of the defenders of Elenia was predetermined... When despair was ready to capture the hearts of the inhabitants of Elenia, a delegation of creatures appeared in the palace, who, according to them, arrived from another world. They were wrapped in all black and called themselves homunculi. Seeing no other way to stop the hordes of monsters and demons, people entered into a defensive alliance with the homunculi. Without hesitation, the homunculi immediately went to Teuton to the Perimeter. On the tormented walls they built incomprehensible installations, magical searchlights and arrow throwers. Literally a few weeks later, hordes of Eranas appeared at the walls of the Perimeter. In Elenia, a general mobilization was announced and a call was sent to everyone who wanted to join the battle. Representatives of all races of Aura fought side by side on the walls of the Perimeter, and dragons fought in the air against winged demons. A huge army of undead, Distorted, wights and skeletons was stopped and destroyed under the walls of immutable bastions. Only a small part of the monsters and undead managed to break through and scatter throughout the kingdom. The victory came at a high price. Many heroes laid down their heads at the Perimeter. Entire provinces were depopulated. Almost the entire population of free dragons perished in the skies of the Teuton. The dwarves and elves suffered irreparable losses. After the war, the homunculi, together with part of the Magic Brotherhood of Elenia, founded Technocom, where they began to teach people their strange art of working with matter and flesh, which was called alchemy. In connection with this, a split occurred among the magicians. Adherents of old methods and rituals began to be called antiquities, and supporters of the use of alchemy and technology in magic - technocrats. The scientific center of antiquities is located in Varlon at the Academy of Magic. The training center is in Maragorn. Many of their temples are located throughout the country. The technocrats, with the support of King Roland, created the Central Alchemical Laboratory in Varlon. Their research center is located in the province of the Great Rift and is colloquially called the “Iron Maiden”. The center was led by technocrats, but key areas were run by homunculi - the only bearers of alchemical knowledge. Homunculi, or whatever they were called because of their black clothes, Black Alchemists became advisors to the king, they helped triple the yield, taught people how to make artificial jewelry and gave them the formula of the philosopher's stone, discovered the basics of aeronautics, showed the possibility of using the energy of plasma and crystals, and transferred the technology of firearms. Their knowledge affected all spheres of life of the kingdom - it seemed that the knowledge of the homunculi was limitless! But everything has its price. What could people offer in return to their friends from another world? What did they have that the omnipotent alchemists did not have? It turned out to be elenium. An amazing mineral from the depths of the Aura, which in large quantities became lighter than air. Elenium could be liquid, solid, gaseous and was capable of lifting entire castles and islands into the air. The homunculi needed it. As the new allies explained, elenium is very rare on other worlds, and is widely used in some areas of alchemy. Homunculi suggested their knowledge and technology in exchange for the opportunity to mine elenium for their own purposes. Considering all the benefits of cooperation with the Black Alchemists, King Roland gave his consent to this. He allowed his new allies to develop elenium deposits. To extract the mineral, the homunculi built mines, which were popularly dubbed “Black Towers.” After some time, the Secret Chancellery and the Inquisition of His Holiness the Cardinal presented the king with a joint report on the blatant abuses of the homunculi. The monarch learned terrible facts about his so-called allies. Based on the results of the report, the king immediately visited the provinces of the Valley of the Winds, the Dancing Forest and the Great Rift. In them, contrary to the agreement, the homunculi, to reduce costs, simply blew up the ground to get to the deposits. Huge massifs rose into the air and turned into flying islands. The king saw with his own eyes that the homunculi brought only devastation, leaving behind lifeless stones. Yes, they needed elenium. But they needed everything, to the last grain. And they also needed raw materials for terrible experiments. Human material. The king became aware of the reasons for the mysterious disappearances that had become more frequent in recent years throughout the kingdom. According to the report of the Inquisition, people were kidnapped and terrible experiments were carried out on them in secret laboratories. They took the souls of people, and used the bodies as raw materials to create their obedient slaves - chimeras. Homunculi use Elenium and the souls of people to endlessly prolong their lives. Having gone through many rebirths, the homunculi have become inhuman, soulless and look at everyone as slaves and consumable material. The king addressed the entire population of the kingdom with a speech, which listed all the atrocities of the homunculi. He ordered the mining of elenium to be stopped, all Black Alchemists to be arrested and brought to trial. Thus began the war with the Black Alchemists. The homunculi barricaded themselves in the Elenium mines and released hordes of chimeras. The real massacre began. Magic was handled well by the shimera, but the best weapon was the fortitude of the people desperately fighting for their home against the invaders. Fortunately, there were very few homunculi in the world of Aura. The people were supported by the Velings, sending their best technicians, and the Ashkalot mercenaries not only helped, searching for and destroying alchemists who had taken refuge, but also began to teach people their deadly art. Having united, the inhabitants of Aura inflicted on the enemy devastating damage, but they themselves again suffered great losses. The Homunculi were driven out of Aura, but many of them hid in secret laboratories hidden in the Elenium caves, very deep underground. There is no exact information about their location. It is possible that they still continue to mine elenium there. In addition, they still kidnap people. Ferocious chimeras and the air poisoned by elenium vapors do not allow the caves to be completely cleared of hostile presence. Heated debates broke out over whether it was worth continuing alchemy. But the technocrats convinced the king and society that the benefits of it were obvious. However, Some branches of alchemy related to the transformation of living beings were prohibited. Despite the expulsion of the homunculi, King Roland remained true to his word and was determined to avenge damage caused by the homunculi to the kingdom. During the assault on the citadels of the Black Alchemists, documents were captured, thanks to which Technocom specialists and magicians assured the monarch that they could build a portal leading to the world of the homunculi. By order of the king, the construction of a techno-magical portal “Path of Retribution” of unprecedented power began in Endinopolis. So Edinopolis became the “iron city”. After its crushing defeat, taking advantage of the fact that Elenia was at war with the Black Alchemists, Eranas is again preparing for an attack. He is again trying to open a passage to the world of the Nine Hells and summon demons...