Queen Eriba Abyad

Born the only daughter of the most formidable warlord the Surmad region had ever known, Queen Eriba inherited more than blood and steel—she inherited a vision. Following her father’s sudden and suspicious death, mere years after founding the first true city in the region, Eriba claimed his mantle and vowed to realize his dream: uniting all of Tel Zohar beneath a single banner.

Through diplomacy, conquest, and coin, she forged alliances and bent rival warbands to her will. Some swore fealty out of admiration; others were handsomely paid to stay loyal. Under her rule, the fractured Surmad lands coalesced into a singular force—the Astorian Empire—breathing life into the legacy her father began.

But power rarely comes without peril.

Once the revered chieftain of the Blood Tribe, Queen Eriba’s rule was shattered by an insurrection that ignited a savage civil war, leaving the once-proud city of Astoria in ruin. Amid the chaos, the Queen vanished—her fate unknown, her name whispered in both reverence and dread.

With the city’s walls crumbling and its people leaderless, the Orc warlord Gutworm seized the moment. He led a swift and brutal blockade, determined to prevent Eriba—should she still live—from completing the sacred rite that would have named her the undisputed ruler of Tel Zohar.