Game intro rough draft:
A hundred years ago, a secular Empire was facing destruction at the hands of angry gods who were no longer worshiped as such. Fire rained down from volcanic mountains burning forests and villages, while storms flooded farmland and sank ships into the sea, which then rose and swallowed the coastline. And then, from the north a frigid wind blew, freezing men where they stood. Gradually, the lands of the known world were overtaken and their populations annihilated.
With word of this elemental terror in the distance and unable to defend themselves from such a terrible assault, the wise King Exocet made a pact with a school of wizards. An underground city would be constructed where they could hide themselves away from a world turned against them. The main section completed in only a few short years, with the wrath of the gods on the horizon, the population of the capital city retreated to this underground fortress. Led by King Exocet, the wealthy nobles, followed by the freemen, and finally the commoners made their way into the newly built stone city below.
But before the people living in the surrounding lands could take refuge, the entrances to the city were sealed from within. Stranded in an abandoned city, the remaining people took refuge to hide from the impending doom.
For a decade, the people faced oblivion through starvation and the elements. Graveyards became burial pits and before long, the dead were simply left where they had fallen. Broken and beaten, the remaining survivors took shelter in what was left of the royal castle, barely surviving on long forgotten food stores. With the last supplies running out, it seemed that that gods had won. But, led by the once despised heretical Guild of Masked Sorcerers, through the strength of will (and a bit of arcane magic), they survived. The gods, scorned by the survivors, had finally faded away.
Aided by magic, the rugged survivors built a strong foundation in which to grow. The capital city was wholly reclaimed, towns and villages rebuilt, and farmland tilled. Within a few generations, the lands surrounding the city became civilized and a strong military presence was brought about to thwart what foreign invaders may still exist.
But, as in all things created by civilization, greed and lust for power took hold in one form or another. Corruption became common and a few of the ruling council became incredibly wealthy through questionable means. The desires of a few overtook the needs of many. Some neighborhoods became slums, while others were saturated by wealth. And, in spite of how far the land had come, some even faced starvation.
Acting of their own accord, the Masked Sorcerers intervened. With the full blessing of the vast majority of it's citizens, they overthrew the ruling council, exiling their noble supporters. Supporters of the ill-functioning rulership fled to parts unknown. And in their place, they assigned a single man from their ranks to take charge and restore order.
A dark robed sorcerer with a crown of blackened glass, the man known only by his title of Magistrate would rise to power a mere 30 years ago, all things under his rule. The unmasked sorcerer led with precision and tactics, ending the corruption, rebuilding the neighborhoods, and bringing economic prosperity to the city.
And to this day, the city is clean and efficient. Law-abiding and orderly. Citizens safe from the criminal element. But...at what cost?
Over the last decade, the Magistrate began to mark his rule with the establishment of petty laws and wildly varying punishments. With the guard sworn to his absolute command and the authority to create laws on a whim, he is undoubtedly the most powerful ruler in the land. Those who spoke out would unquestionably find themselves in violation of some decree and sentenced to a terrible fate. And those who did not lived in a safe, plentiful city with a subtle sense of menace. Why are these laws in effect? And what does the magistrate plan?
...
You are a wanderer.
You have spent most of your life traveling the world, braving the unknown in search of loot and lost arcana. From crowded cities, to deep jungles, to snowy mountains, you have wandered. Delving into deep caves and forgotten ruins, you defeat fierce monsters and escape deadly traps. You've crossed desert wastelands in search of ancient tombs buried in the sands. You've searched through dark forests for forbidden temples, guided only by whispered rumors. Following a unexplainable intuition, you've crossed continents, boarded ships, and never looked back.
You are a treasure hunter.
In your dreams, you see far off locations that you've never been to, though you feel a strange connection to them. In some, you are pulling chests overflowing with gold from the entrance of a hidden ruin. In others, you have stumbled into an ambush and been overwhelmed by foul creatures. You see yourself recovering a dusty magical tome from an ancient library and, in others, falling into seemingly bottomless pits. Pulling a jeweled scepter from the grasp of a skeletal wizard. Recoiling from the impact of an exploding fireball. Looking upon the remains of ancient civilizations
You are an adventurer.
Over the years, you've found yourself not entirely able to separate these dreams from your real life, waking adventures. You don't even remember how long you have been doing this. In fact, you don't even remember your own name, with no one to remind you, buried in an impossibly huge pile of memories. As if you've been adventuring longer than you have lived. Or, as if you have lived countless lives.
...
You have traveled from lands far outside the walls of the capital, in search of fame and fortune. Within a few days of your arrival, you have been arrested, charged with Urinating Into A Public Well and Coveting Thy Neighbors Cockatoo and Inherited Teacups. You do not recall committing such an act. You are sentenced to Execution by Being Thrown Into a Pit of Poisonous Snakes, Scorpions, and Boiling Oil Until Dead. However, after being brought before the Magistrate to declare your sentence, the Magistrate offers you deal.
You learn that numerous entrances to the lost city have been discovered over the years, unintentionally uncovered by miners or accidentally by sudden subsidence of the cobblestone streets. The typical commoner knows of at least a few locations that are suspected to have an entrance, but all of them are heavily guarded. Admitting to know of an entrance is a serious offense.
Some search parties entering the lost city have returned with reports of monsters wandering the empty halls. The restless dead haunt the darkened corners of what may have been their residences in life. Some of these evil creatures viciously guard treasure rooms and vaults. Secret passages and deadly traps are scattered about. However, none of the original occupants have been found alive, the source of the fate unknown.
Other search parties have not returned at all.
The terms of your deal are as such: You are to be lowered into one of the entrances of the Lost City, tasked with locating and recovering as much treasure and as many valuable artifacts as you are capable. Upon returning to one of the entrances, you will be lifted to the surface and your success will be evaluated, based on the value and quantity of treasure recovered. This evaluation, performed solely by the Magistrate, will determine the reduction in your sentence. A minimal amount of valuables will allow your to avoid the death sentence and merely be imprisoned for life. Higher value loot will reduce the sentence to 20, or perhaps even 10 years of hard labor.
However, should you recover the most valued of treasures or magical artifacts rumored to have been hidden away, you could be completely exonerated of guilt, the Magistrate says with a corrupt grin. The treasure would be confiscated, of course, but you would be released from custody.
Faced with a choice between certain death and possible death, you choose latter. You are sent to one of the hidden entrances to the lost city, given an ever-burning torch, and stepping onto a small wooden platform, lowered into the dark unknown...