Fall Of Bastion
In 1225, a large explosion collapsed the exalted Grand Cathedral of the Masochist in the heart of the capital of the Eastern Kalassarian Empire. Immediately following the collapse, a mysterious black orb began to grow underneath the rubble, within a week, it enveloped the entirety of the cathedral's 15 acre complex with no sign of stopping. Soon the Black Orb would consume the entire city of Bastion, then half the lands of Kalassarian Burtz. Anyone and anything the Orb touched was absorbed into it and was never seen again. People were forced to leave their homes in fear of being swallowed up. Trade routes that wen through Bastion were disrupted since land routes and water ways practically no longer existed. Refugees poured out of Bastion and the surrounding areas within Burtz, and attempted to settle in adjacent regions, which caused a great deal of political and economic problems. Eventually opportunists capitalized on the deserted homes, and the remaining populace as law and order broke down.
The progression of the growth of the Orb became quite predictable after a couple of years, and so some people have decided that they did not need to uproot their family for something that would take years before it directly affected them, especially after the initial panic died down. The opportunists have then amalgamated into syndicates centered around a strong personality. These warlords then began raiding those that chose to remain, asking them to give a sizeable portion of their crops or bullying them to provide services in exchange for protection. The warlords then vied for territory which continually shifted because of the orb.
Eventually, these warlords were dominated by the Reformed Church of the Divine Masochist and their Dark Archons.