"Drakar och Demoner"
Dragons and Demons.
That is the way it has always been on the continent of
Thontreas, its people caught between these two immortal forces. In the northeast, the kingdoms have established an uneasy peace with mighty dragons; the southern kingdoms endure the rule of demons.
The battle-scared kingdom of
Kore Wȳn separates the ancestral land of the dragons in the north from those of the demons in the south, and the two sides have forever vied for its ownership.
It is the year 836 and the
War of Fury is at the start of its sixth year--six long years of demons, orcs, goblins, and human thralls launching wave after wave of attack on the major settlements of Kore Wyn, with their largest army focused on the jewel of the realm:
Kore Wyn City.
At some point, you found your way into the Kore Wȳn military--some of you joined voluntarily, others were pressed into service--and your fate brought you and here, to the camp at the fields of
Rene Elloch just outside Kore Wyn City. With the rest of Basilisk Company, 150 hundred soldiers strong, you have been uneasily waiting for the order to charge in to help break the siege. As a mission, it seemed like certain death.
Then without warning, at dawn the day of your imminent attack, an echelon of a dozen dragons from the far north soared overhead and blasted the demonic armies with rivers of fire from their razor-jawed mouths. It was over in a matter of hours as the dragons dealt a fatal blow to the enemy. From your vantage point, beyond the smoke, ash, and destruction, you can see the metropolis stands proud, battered but unbroken.
Rumors swirl: this defeat surely marks the end of the war? The demonic armies would be too weak to conquer the city now; surely they would retreat back south? Your commanders wait impatiently for further orders, but it doesn't take long for soldiers to become restless. One morning, a dozen soldiers fail to report for roll call. A day later, two dozen more deserters have made off in the dark--including the night sentries.
Frustration mounts. Even the captains are at each other's throats. Two captains each order their platoons--50-odd soldiers--to storm into the city and clear out any remnants of the demonic army and march off without another word. The two remaining captains--Odwolf and Fischer--order your platoons to remain in camp and await further orders. That was yesterday.
Last night, someone cut Fischer's throat while she slept.
Captain Skalrik Odwolf calls you--the last 50 soldiers--around the great bonfire at the heart of the camp and speaks:
As the ranking commanding officer of Basilisk Company, and by this authority, I hereby discharge you from further service in this army. You may take with you any clothes and equipment provided to you by the army, along with the coin you are owed for your service. I am returning to my home village in the Drackondia Mountains and hope to live out my remaining years in peace, far away from the memories of this accursed war. To you I say: go where seems best to you, and good luck! It has been my honor serving with you.
What now? Travel through Kore Wȳn has never been exactly safe, and now you have the possibility of encountering retreating demonic armies? Perhaps encountering a detachment from the Kore Wyn army would be just as bad, as they would surely force you back into the ranks, whatever your captain has said. On the other hand, instability breeds opportunity. The elvish
Queen Ada Garnetleaf on her throne in
Baylan, higher ruler of Kore Wȳn, will need time to reestablish her authority over the land. Those who wish to move up in the world had better move fast.
Kore Wȳn has always been a melting pot for different species and its military is proof. Human and halfling, elf and dwarf, mallard and wolfkin fighting side by side. With the military disbanding, you see forming soldiers breaking into smaller groups, scheming about the future in furtive whispers. Though you ache to forge your own path, a small voice in your head says this is no time to go it alone.
What do you do? Do you join up with one of the paramilitary forces vowing to eradicate the last orcs and goblins from Kore Wȳn? Do you begin the journey home to see what's been left behind? Do you try to establish a life somewhere new, perhaps a place with more opportunity? Or do you push your luck and delve into the mountains while the dragons are distracted, hoping to find their abandoned lairs choked with riches?
You must decide and decide quickly. Who shall be your companions, and in what direction lies your future?
