Prologue: The Fall

For almost 30 years, the hereditary kingdom of Azkoval lived in harmony. An agrarian society, the kingdom was ruled by Welton the Wise. Azkoval was not a utopia. Lives were difficult; life spans short. Men, women and children worked sunrise to sunset to bring in the crops, tend to the animals and maintain their homes.

People knew what to expect from life, though. What they had was theirs and they lived for their family and their kingdom.

Then life changed abruptly.

A cabal of greedy merchants, power-hungry aristocrats and religious zealots convinced Welton’s arrogant half-brother Wilhelm that he would make a better king. From this group of small-minded people, a plot was hatched.

At the time of The Fall, as it would come to be known in later years, there was a purge. Welton and his wife, Melina, were killed; the family of any landed gentry loyal to Welton was exiled or slain; and hundreds of citizens who had the temerity to express displeasure with the new regime were imprisoned or put to death.

The ensuing decade was one of turmoil for the citizenry of Azkoval. Most folk were removed from the intrigue of the capital, but their lives were affected in other ways.

The costs of goods rose steadily as many other kingdoms refused to trade with the Azkovalians; non-secular doctrine became a forced part of everyday life; taxes from the lords and the kingship increased steadily as farmers were required to provide more of their crops and the small amount of money they made to pay for the king’s increasingly lavish lifestyle.

There was little hope for the future. The neighboring countries turned a blind eye to the plight of the Azkoval citizens. Most were on a constant war footing to fend off raids into their lands by starving families in border areas. Others lacked the strength to provide any meaningful assistance. None were considered allies to the Azkoval king.

Unknown to everyone, there was a lone light in the distance.

Chapter 1 »