So maybe we’ve been hyping action RPG Umbra a little too much. I’ll gladly take the heat for that if need be, but everything I see about the game in its frequent Kickstarter updates points to this being the next Sacred. So far we’ve learned about the engine, the player housing and the open world, but what about the story? Even Diablo had a deep lore (Mostly contained in the long-winded speeches delivered by Cain), so what about Umbra’s story?

In the latest post, developer SolarFall Games talks about the world they’ve built around Umbra and the events leading up to your character needing to cut a bloody swath through it. Get ready for a long read though, because they’ve actually put some thought behind this.

Since so many people died during the war, it became difficult for each army to retrieve the body of their killed soldiers. Entire cities were abandoned because of the slaughter, and those who survived the war abandoned the dead without burying or burning them. Raven started to feed on the corpses and the ground quickly filled with the black birds feasting on the remains. The sight of Raven all over the cities and hills devouring the dead lead humans to call the world they live in the Raven Realm. During the day, the Raven can be heard all over the realm, claiming their turf and warning all who might be fool enough to enter… but at night, it is said you can hear the cries and screams of people that seem to not be alive anymore, yet are able to walk or crawl through the plains as if something had taken over their bodies. People swear that corpses that used to be lying around on the streets would be found in the fields the next day, with a look on their face that was almost mocking the living.

But karma never forgives nor does it forget, and after many years of prosperity the Republic is now falling apart. Anyone who manifests magical powers is being hunted down because of their possible link to the past kings, as if their lives had no value or meaning in the greater scheme of things.

Their Kickstarter still needs a good 50K to meet it’s goal and the quick gains in money seem to have cooled off a bit, so if you’re anxious to play the game, now would be a good time to help them get over this last hump.