THE GODS DEMAND SACRIFICE Battle, intrigue, betrayal. The people of Mamora moved to the same passions as their gods. And as long as there was a history, the people had warred. Powerful families vied for control of Mamora, built and broke alliances, and swayed to the rythms of Voodoo.
War ruled. With every victory, captives were sacrificed to the god of triumph. In defeat, armies slew their own to appease the god of war, hoping to change their fate on the battlefield and punish those who had failed. From the maelstrom of warring tribes arose a single conqueror; Murat of the Selvia. Murat brokered his minor tribe into an empire. A mighty Voodoo priest, Murat's commanding presence and mystic powers prevailed. He cemented his power with a series of strategic marriages. With the marriage of his second son Akuji to Kesho, the eldest daughter of the Tanko tribe, the world would know a lasting peace. However, Murat's older son, Orad, was himself an ambitious Voodoo priest. He despised Akuji, and was disgusted at the prospect of peace. On his wedding day, Akuji was murdered by Orad in an attempt to thwart the "unnatural" peace. Orad's minions ripped Akuji's heart from his chest. The still beating heart was cursed, and Akuji's spirit was cast into Hell. Death was just the beginning to his struggle. Akuji's powerful desire to survive is fueled by his love for Kesho and a hunger for revenge against his murderers. Akuji is now in the realm of Baron Samedi, the Voodoo spirit of death. Akuji must pay tribute to the Baron to gain passage through the gates of perdition. To escape the underworld, Akuji must locate the spirits of his ancestors, and use their powers to break the barriers between Hell and Mamora. |