Introduction

It is a time of war in the lands of the north. After many years of struggle, the Belomari barbarians have finally consolidated their power under one Warlord and have now set their sigths on their neighbors to the East, the Xinnians. The Xinnians were not prepared for battle, and were taken by surprise by the fact that the Belomari war machine managed to cross the Ring of Fire, a high mountain range of volcanic origin that was previously considered impassable. Several battles ensued, resulting in the destruction of two Xinnian Cities, before a unified response effort managed to be organized. Since then, several important battles as well as smaller skirmishes have been fought on the plains to the northeast of the great city of Xin.

In this time of crisis, the Xinnians looked to their old allies, the Fae, for assistance, but the Fae coldly refused to assist the humans, stating that they had brought the war on themselves and they would not interfere in the matters of man. They went further on to say that the Fae would never be moved from their sacred places and that as no human had been able to enter Faeland ever since the original exile. This said, the Fae closed their borders and suspended all relations with the Xinnian Empire “until human affairs came to order”.

Persephone, a noble-born petty officer in an intelligence, recognizance and communications battalion of the Xinnian Army, frustrated by her multiple failures to convince the Fae to help the Xinnians, and by the inability of the Xinnian command structure to provide appropriate response to what in her view is a full-scale invasion, resigns her post and gathers a group of close associates to protect the homeland in any way they can. This group consisted of three previous contacts and a few soldiers that followed her when she resigned.

Daktari,  a Mede that provided Persephone with information of the movements and plans of the Belomari, was one of the first to encourage Persephone to quit the military and create her own band of mercenaries. The population of Medes in Belomar is significant, and since the Barbarian tended to ignore the ‘little people’ as they called them, Daktari found his work easy to accomplish. Daktari crossed the mountain roads often to provide intelligence to Persephone riding on a Black Cat (Panthera nigra).

‘Black Mamba’ was a former gladiator in the Stolvorden Arena who became friends with Daktari when he assisted him in purchasing his freedom by sharing a portion of his gambling winnings with him. The true name of this famous former-star is not known to many but his arena nickname and his likeness, considered to be one of the most attractive to the ladies in recent arena history are known across the Kingdom of Oxford. Hate for the Belomari and thirst for revenge for some real or imagined wrongs motivated this retired gladiator to join his friend Daktari and travel to the Xinnian Empire to fight in a war that was not his own. Finding an outlet for his anger has given Mamba a new chance at life.

Kishara was a Fae that Persephone met while on an assignment to Faeland. Apparently they became friends and had some contact even after Kishara left the land of the Fae to learn Elemental Magic under the instruction of the Grey Magi in Altun’a. There are various versions of what happened between the Grey Magi and Kishara, but we know Kish had to leave Altun’a in a hurry and Persephone gave her temporary asylum at her home. By the time Persephone decided to quit the military and create her special forces team, Kish was already there, and she decided to recruit her for her talents in Elementalism.

Will the four friends be enough to stem the tide of barbarians that threaten to engulf the Xinnian Empire? How will they go about using their talents to help in this struggle? There are many questions, but so far, not too many answers. One thing, however, is known. Their actions will determine the FATE of Stolvorden.

Next: Develomental Notes

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