Starfall

Before Empire, your people were prey. You are part of a small human tribe clinging to life between jungle and cliffs. Every migration, the ground shakes with the steps of vast reptilian hunters—dinosaur-like world-beasts that snap bone and crush shelters as if they were reeds. Most nights are spent hiding, running, or counting who did not come back. Months ago, a star fell. In its crater your tribe found Keor: shards of cold, glassy “star-bone” that hum with impossible energy. With it, your artisans built tools that should not exist—sparking blades, burning lamps, and now a half-finished Thalan-frame: a towering, walking engine of wood, bone and metal wrapped around a glowing Keor heart. The tribe is led by twins: Kaeron, who believes this power must be shared with other peoples—elves, dwarves, beastfolk and more—so that all can stand together against the world-beasts. Nareya, who believes this power belongs to humans alone, that Keor proves your kind are “true minds”, and that the other races are meant to kneel or be swept aside. You grew up at their side. You helped shape the first tools of Keor. Now the first Thalan-frame is about to walk, the dinosaurs are drawing closer, and every choice you make will echo through ages—into legends, into empires, into the word “human” itself. (Prequel to Hubris) (Inner Self + Autocards)