Background

  The wastes. It had been seven generations since the lands had been deserving of that title and yet it still persisted. Once ruled by a powerful devil of strength and guile- the wastes were the remnants of his 300 year rule. The church had sealed away the land around it with heavy fortifications, giving the devil king his space to do as he pleased within his borders while knowing full well what would happen should he extend past them. Exiles and criminals were constantly tossed over the border- Anyone and anything could cross into the wastes, but only with the signed documents of the clergy could you leave them- and then even t'was difficult to do so, as anyone who knew you had documents were keen to steal them and gut you like a fish.

  Seven generations do a lot though. The once feared wastes had been purged- not of life, but of corruption. The Devil king had wanted to push his boundaries and had invented an emissary through the consummation with his high priestess. This child was a being of malice and hate, but was capable of travelling the lands unhindered as his great father would be. He would spread his father's will far beyond the church's established borders.

  The human heart is a fatal flaw though. A paladin had come to not only befriend this man, but love him despite their distinct differences. She had every chance to kill or turn this man in, detecting the dark presences within him, but instead chose to help him. The two traveled to the Devil King's fortress. Slaying him and bringing peace to the lands unheard of in ages. Breaking her vows, she married this devil spawn, still refusing to turn him in and instead consummating her love with him. The townsfolk wished the two to become rulers of the new-found kingdom, but instead the couple pushed the church's influence, abandoning the heart of the wastes.

   With the purging of corruption, that affected all within its boundaries, the wastes slowly transformed into a proper civilization, trees and plants returning long dead. With seven generations, there's no sign that the devil king ever even existed.