In the ancient forests of Central Italy, at the time of the late Roman Empire, bloody pagan rites took place, leaving the land imbued with dark omens; in the dark centuries that followed, sorcerers explored that past and built their knowledge on the most sinister legends, entrusting it to forbidden books banned by the Christian Church.
In 15th century Italy, in an era known as the Renaissance, lovers of esoteric knowledge studied those cursed volumes and disseminated their contents among scholars. One such cultist was the arcane Duke of Baal-Soran who practiced black magic in the dungeons of his ancient blackstone castle, to the most terrible consequences.