Ruin Sirelus, brother to Kain, father to Persia. Resides within the pillars of Nosgoth. The Serafan circle of Nine. In the land of Nosgoth, which resembles Medieval Europe, the health of the world is inextricably tied to the Pillars of Nosgoth, nine columns of "marble and other indescribable materials" which reach infinitely into the sky. Each Pillar is linked to a fundamental principle: Mind; Dimension, Conflict, Nature, Balance, Energy, Time, States and Death. Equally, each Pillar is represented by a Guardian, culled from Nosgoth's human population; together, the Guardians form the Circle of Nine, an oligarchy of immortal sorcerers dedicated to serve and protect the integrity of the land. When a Guardian dies, the Circle remains temporarily broken, until their successor is found. Since the times before Nosgoth's recorded history, it has been the responsibility of the active Guardians to locate, apprentice and induct new members. Nosgoth's vampire population increased. In response, the Circle of Nine formed and sponsored the crusades of a monastic brotherhood of fanatical, vampire-hunting warriors, known as the Sarafan. The Sarafan vampire purge devastated their enemies, prompting the vampire Vorador to retaliate. Vorador stormed the Circle's domain and slaughtered six of the Circle of Nine before defeating Malek, the leader of the Sarafan and appointed defender of the Circle. The Circle recovered, but one of its senior members - Mortanius the Necromancer - damned Malek for his failure, condemning him to serve the Circle for eternity as an unliving wraith. Since then, the Sarafan have long since been disbanded, and humans and vampires co-exist in a state of relative, if uneasy, truce. Humanity is pre-occupied with a new threat: the encroaching Legions of the Nemesis from the north. Decades ago, Ariel, the Balance Guardian, was murdered by an unknown traitor within the Circle. When her lover, Nupraptor (the Mind Guardian), found her corpse, his anguish was too much to bear; vowing vengeance, he turned his powers against his fellow Guardians, irrevocably poisoning their minds with relentless waves of hatred. The magical onslaught left the nine active Guardians insane: some rave like madmen, whereas others remain maliciously in control of their actions. Regardless, Nosgoth is at their mercy. Reflecting the mental state of their servants, the Pillars visibly darkened with corruption, fractures crawling across their surfaces.