Heelspike is a city shunned by the rest of the world.
It was cast into isolation by the other kingdoms many centuries ago, when, in order to save the city from an invading army, the most powerful families in Heelspike made a pact with the dark gods of the world.
They agreed, that from then on, each of the families would worship one of the seven dark gods and would take on their name as their family name. This new devotion to these evil and twisted deities changed the families and the city forever.
In return the dark gods taught those families the dark art over which they had mastery.
Worshipping the dark gods has transformed the city into a place of nightmares.
The arts studied by the occultists of Heelspike are banned, illegal on pain of death in the rest of the known world.
Today six aristocratic families hold power in the city:
Ren Family worship The Goddess Ren and are masters of the art of Necromancy.
Villous Family worship The God Villous and practice Blood Magic.
Whiptar Family worship The Goddess Whiptar and study Shadow Weaving.
Malheart Family worship The God Malheart and know the secrets of Dark Curses.
Invakus Family worship The God Invakus and he teaches them The Art of the Dreadcall (summoning terrible emotions and entities from the dark realm)
Rootus Family worship The God Rootus who gifts them the dark art of Flesh Melding.
All ultimately answer to the seventh, the Royal Grimmere Family who worship The God Grimmere and are masters of the least understood and most powerful of the magical arts Voidmancy.
But you have little to do with such rich and powerful people.
You begin life in the city slums.
You are however a person with natural aptitude for certain skills.
What those are is up to you...