When the Dark One threatened the existence of all life itself, the five greatest heroes from across the Empire banded together to vanquish him once and for all. Escorted by a unit of the Emperor's finest soldiers, they traveled to the Gates of Despair, beyond which lay the heart of the Dark One's realm. Leaving the soldiers to hold the Gates as best they could, the five heroes fought their way onward to the Tower of Damnation, there to make their final stand.
A mighty battle was fought, but the heroes triumphed, successfully conducting the ritual to banish the Dark One from the world. Unfortunately, in the process all of the heroes were slain. Knowing this was a possibility and sensing it would be bad for the morale of the citizens were they to learn of the deaths of the heroes, the Emperor and his advisors came up with a cunning plan. Lookalikes were hired to appear in a triumphant parade to reassure everyone that all was well. That's where you come in. After performing your part, you were given a truly staggering amount of money and told to disappear, never to speak of your role in the deception, under pain of death.
That was ten years ago, and there's a knock at the door...