A land in turmoil

Abandoned by its king and despite the best efforts of his wife, the ferocious and awe-inspiring Queen Ashlelei, the Kingdom of Santville lies in pieces. The treacherous King Eldrake's forces have been slain and in their place a much darker force has emerged, "a storm of lightning to cleanse the land... the MALICIOUS".

Assembling a huge army, the queen sets off to confront this latest, unknown threat to her war-ravaged country. She finds a colossal beast and with the help of four brave warriors, each one endowed with superhuman power by the mysterious Elders, the MALICIOUS is vanquished.

Following that victory, Queen Ashlelei and her fellow victors refuse to hand back the special powers granted them by the Elders. Instead, she rules with an iron fist as the Kingdom of Santville becomes the most powerful land on the continent, awash with riches yet mired in corruption. Obsessed with destruction, the once proud monarch becomes known as the Mad Queen because of her fierce and brutal lust for war.

Many years passed and even though the queen was no more, her shadow continued to hang over the land. One night, a girl saw a shooting star. She prayed to it for deliverance and this time someone listened...