This first part is just the background and the prologue, but it's needed to make sense of what follows. Enough waffling, here we go...
THULE IN FLAMES
The Prologue: WHAT HAD GONE BEFORE
It is the Year of Light 1139, and the Northern Kingdoms - Gedania, Arosia, and Highmarch - are at war with the recently established Principality of Margholia. The dark and inscrutable Prince - rumoured to be the disguise of Lord Gholan the Ungodly, the tyrant and warlock who ruled the North many centuries ago, and who had since been banished from this world but never quite died and now returned - has smashed the peaceful existence of the tiny kingdoms and threatens to devour them all.
The assault of the Prince came unexpectedly. When he first proclaimed his Principality of the formerly lordless land, two short years ago, he bore the guise of an enlightened despot, inviting the neighbouring kingdoms to trade and cooperation. The infamous Treaty of Strand, made later that year between the Principality, Gedania, Arosia and Highmarch, included great projects of learning and building and a common crusade over the Inland Sea to the heathen lands of Talvala in the East. For a year and a half trade and peace flourished. But it had all been a treacherous facade, meant to gain the Prince time to raise and equip his armies for his war of conquest.
Then first attack came with no warning at all. Tornholm, the strongest castle of northern Gedania and the main border post, was taken by surprise (or sorcery) and a strong Principalist army went pillaging into northern Gedania while another fell upon Arosia. The Principalist forces were made up in part of mercenaries and adventurers from all over the northern parts of the Known World, though now drilled and equipped to an unprecedented efficiency; in part of Orcs, Goblins and fierce Wild Men from the primitive Northlands.
The aging King Imrar of Gedania and the younger, chivalrous King Karl of Arosia hurriedly gathered their armies and faced the united Principalist army near the town of Moonhallow in western Gedania, and a great battle was fought there. The allies suffered a bitter defeat and were forced to retreat desperately off the battlefield, while a smaller force fell back to hold Castle Moonhallow. The Principalists immediately laid siege to the castle, a siege that was still going on.
Things were looking very bleak for the Northern Kingdoms. The forces of the Prince had proven far stronger than expected, and he evidently was a dark sorcerer of great power; during the battle he had summoned a terrifying dragon-like beast, clad in black iron, to the aid of his army. The Kings, who had both survived the battle, decided to gather their closest followers and hold a new war council at a safe distance from the rampaging enemy army.
The royal retinues and the war council
King Karl of Arosia chose the remote village of Whitesbarrow as the site of his war council. His reasons were twofold; it was at a safe distance from the Principalist armies, and more unfathomably, he had recently had persistent dreams of the Martyr Tree that grew on the site.
The mood in the retinues was gloomy. They had just suffered an unambiguous defeat in the open field, and the victorious enemy army was now besieging Castle Moonhallow after sacking and ravaging the town. The hosts of the kingdoms were scattered and demoralized, their noble knighthoods were badly decimated and the enemy obviously had magical resources far beyond those previously known. What could possibly resist the Principalists and stop their savage despoiling of the land?
One thing was clear: they needed every aid they could get. Messages had been sent to King Sigtrygg of Highmark in the north; to Sir Theoderic, Steward of the kingless Kingdom of Southmeadow; and to the Dwarf Kingdom of Rockhome in the far northwest. From Highmark they could count on aid – there had been a treaty of alliance in the event of war, years before – but the northern neighbour had been having their own problems: hordes of orcs and goblins plundering from the north, and a peasant rebellion averted at the very last hour. Besides, the Principalist diplomats that still dwelled openly in the country might have had ample time to drip their poison into too many ears. Even so, King Sigtrygg heeded the summons and turned up at the council with a small retinue, and even a small embassy from Southmeadow had joined at the start of the council.
The scene: Whitesbarrow and its surroundings
The closest settlement was the remote village of Whitesbarrow, a superstitious place whose history was mixed up with many legends. Here at the Martyr Tree it was said that the patron saint of Arosia, S:t Lupus, had been killed; and in the great barrows at the Long Lake the mythic King White, mentioned in the Lay of Imrar and namesake of the village, was believed to lie buried with his warriors. And not far from Whitesbarrow was the place where the Mountain-King was believed to gather his court in the summer nights.
The villagers had plenty of troubles of their own. The belief in sorcery and evil forces at play had surged in these evil days, and witches and other followers of Darkness were said to be at large. The learned Lady Greta, a local notable, had just died and left an inheritance coveted by several families in the village.
Outside the village itself much seemed to be going on. The country road west was brimming over with war refugees and various odd travellers, bringing rumours of war and of the ravages of the Principalists.
Among the odder visitors were the so called Bear Tribe, a group of a primitive human nomadic people from the deep forests of Thule. They regularly visited the western frontiers of Arosia in the summers, both for hunting and for mysterious purposes of their own. The strange, heathen savages were feared and distrusted by the peasants, and their arrival as always brought much worry. However, far from the whole truth about the Wild Folk was known.
The Woodland Court
Meanwhile, not far from Whitesbarrow, gathered the Woodland Court, where the lords and powers of the faeries met to discuss their business. This seemed more grave than it had for a long time: the magical lifeforce of the faeries, the Flow, had come into disorder, as if infected by a disease or curse. A new power seemed poised to threaten the Court, and its ruler, the Mountain-King, had gone off to face the threat alone. He had not returned, and the sick Flow had only grown worse. A new Ruler had to be chosen, and he or she had to rally the Court against the strong but unknown threat that seemed to be at their door.
Four powerful entities stood for election: The Lady of the Wood, protector of dryads and nymphs; the haughty and playful King of the Fey, who was represented by his Queen since he had also absconded, apparently to seek the lost Mountain-King; the ghastly Hag, leader of the creatures of the night; and finally the Mountain-Queen, the widow of the Mountain-King and the ruler of the gnomes. The most powerful of all, though he didn’t take part in the election, was the Hunter, the dreaded judge and executioner of the faerie. He was the keeper of the Law of the Court, and the merciless accuser and punisher of those who broke it.
The Principality and the Sources
Of course, the henchmen of the dark Prince had a finger in the proceedings. Nestor, Prince Gholan’s foremost sorcerer and right-hand man, was already in the vicinity in disguise on a sensitive mission. His task was to blacken the Source of magical power that lay in this place – in the Long Lake, in fact - and tie it to Gholan’s will, thus to create another link in the web of magic he was spinning.
The truth of the matter was that the massive magical power reserves of Gholan was built on the control of a number of such Sources. The Sources, neutral in themselves, were highly receptive to impulses of both good and evil, and they had now been discoloured by his evil will so they could more easily be used for dark, destructive magic. By the mediations of Nestor and other dark sorcerers, Source after Source had been woven into the web of Gholan. This one was a trickier case, however; for it was strongly marked by Light, a fact contributed to both by its saintly keeper, the mystic Lady Greta, and the yearly ceremonies of the Bear Tribe. These obstacles had to be removed.
To spoil the Source at Whitesbarrow, Nestor planned to corrupt the Bear Tribe and bring them to contribute to his control of the Source; and his plans for Lady Greta were even darker. He had wasted no time murdering her, but that was not the end of it; he would make his enemy the tool of himself and his lord Gholan, thus destroying the good of the Source beyond rescue.
Apart from Nestor, there were more of the Prince’s men afoot. Among the travellers were a few spies and informants, and a well-equipped party had recently been dispatched to find Nestor, who had not been heard from for months.
To be continued...
Long Lake - the Source of Whitesbarrow
No, my first language is Swedish. And I'm actually a bit worried that some bits of this translation are gonna come off stilted - but I think the introduction got off OK.
