The Beginning

 

Long ago, warriors from the north, led by the great warrior king Vali, invaded the lands of Idunia. They came onboard a fleet of longships, and landed on the shores of the province of Aifor.

 

The original rulers of the lands of Idunia, the Mountain Barons, who hailed from the provinces of Sandfell and Ravendal, send great armies to repell the invaders, and a mighty battle ensued upon the beaches of Aifor.

 

But the people of Idunia had grown weary of the rule of the mountain barons, their cruelty, their maliciousness, and flocked to the banners of the invaders, and joined forces with the norsemen of king Vali.

 

The battle of Aifor raged for many days, and finally resulted in a resounding victory for the armies of king Vali. From Aifor, the combined armies of king Vali and the people of Idunia swept through the lands, freeing all of Idunia from the iron grasp of the mountain barons.

 

In a final effort, the mountain barons used dark magics to turn the tide of war, summoning strange and eldritch creatures. But many of the creatures could not be controlled, turning upon their summoners and wreaking havoc upon the lands.

 

When the last of the creatures finally fell to arrows and axes, the battle was over. The mountain barons had been defeated, and their centuries long rule had finally come to and end.

 

 

The First Era

 

The people of of Idunia rejoiced, and king Vali was proclaimed the new king of Idunia.

 

For many years there was peace.The lands and the people flourished under the just and noble rule of king Vali, and all seemed well in the lands of Idunia.
But the mountain barons, who had retreated to their strongholds in the provinces of Ravendal and Sandfell, remained restless. They had laid down their arms and sworn fealty to the new king of Idunia, but many had done so with hatred in their hearts, and rebellion on their minds.

 

They felt a great unjustice had been done upon them, and their birthright been taken from them, by the invaders from the north.

 

Then, from the lands of Ravendal emerged a single figure, a new leader, the wizard Branimir. Branimir promised the mountain barons that he would make right what was wrong, that he would reclaim what was stolen, restore what was lost. The honor and dignity of their families, the lands that belonged rightfully to them, the respect that the people of Idunia owed them.

 

 

The Rebellion

 

And so, the lands of Ravendal and Sandfell rose up in rebellion. Using dark sorcery and expert tactics, Branimir managed to secure great victories over the forces of Idunia, and eventually managed to besiege the royal city itself.

 

The city was betrayed from within, it's gates opened, and king Vali was slain by the dark magics of Branimir himself. All seemed lost for the forces of Idunia. Their armies where battered and diminished, their morale broken, the only course of action seemed surrender.

 

But in their darkest hour, a champion came forward. From the sultanate of Mehmet the Magnificent across the sea, a lonely knight returned. He had been on a diplomatic mission to the courts of the sultanate, and was unaware of the rebellion.

 

When he set foot on the shores of Idunia, his heart was shaken and his mind dazed by the destruction and death that lay before him. But he was strong of heart and mind, and noble of character, and immediately sought out the remaining forces of Idunia, to rally them and bring them together.

 

 

The Turn of the Tide

 

This knight led by example and personal courage. He was always at the front of battle, always at the side of his soldiers, and by doing so inspired, and uplifted, energized and bolstered, and brought back hope and fighting spirit to the armies of Idunia.

 

Many of the ordinary people of Idunia rallied to him as well, fearing the return of the mountain barons and the dark times of the past.
And so, the tides of war began to turn once more.

 

The armies of Branimir where driven back, his dark magics countered by the royal magicians of Idunia, and the creatures he unleashed quickly shot down and dispatched, by soldiers who faced them without fear.

 

For they felt the presence of the knight, always at their side, always at the front of battle, rallying them, raising the banner of Idunia, shouting orders and surveying the unfolding battle around him with confident eyes.

 

Until finally, the knight faced Branimir alone, in the throne room of the castle of Idunia, where Branimir himself had slain king Vali.

 

Branimir unleased terrible magics upon the knight, magics of such power that no one could have faced them and live. But no one knows what happened then. Something saved the knight. Was it the strength of his heart and mind? The nobility of his character, the force of his will? It remains unknown to this day.

 

All that is known, is that the knight was unaffected by the dark magics of Branimir, and charged boldly forward. With a mighty blow of his sword, the knight struck down Branimir, and plunged his blade through the chest of the dark wizard.

 

As Branimir lay dying upon the floor of the throne room, he promised his return. He swore an oath that the underworld would not hold him, that he would find a way to return, and that he and the knight would face each other again, in the future.

 

 

The Aftermath

 

With the leader slain, the armies of the mountain barons fled and dispersed, the remaining mountain barons surrendered and laid down their arms, and total victory was achieved!

 

But the victory was bitter sweet for the knight. His great love, a daughter of sultan Mehmet the Magnificent, had mysteriously died, at the very moment the knight was locked in combat with Branimir the wizard.

 

Being an enchantress of considerable power, some suspected the strange immunity of the knight to the dark magics of Branimir had been her work, her protection, and that she had somehow paid the price.

 

The knight was deeply affected by her death, and though his character was noble and just, the death of his great love unleashed a terrible rage within him. Rage against the mountain barons, against the wizard Branimir.

 

Remembering the final words of the dark wizard, the knight unleashed his wrath upon the lands of Sandfell and Ravendal, devasting the provinces in sieges and battles, to make sure the mountain barons could never rise up in rebellion again.

 

When the last stronghold of the mountain barons had fallen, the war was finally over. The knight was hailed by the people as the saviour of Idunia, the champion of the lands. His warriors cheered, his generals bowed in respect, and soon it was agreed, that no one was more worthy to become the new king.

 

In a ceremony that lasted many days, the knight was crowned the new king of Idunia.

 

The knight's name was Valdemar, and he became a just and noble king, who ruled with wisdom and kindness. But the events of the war, and the loss of his great love, had greatly changed the knight, and although he remained strong and noble of character, some of the light within had gone out forever.

 

 

The Second Era

 

Many years passed. Years of peace and prosperity. The people of Idunia began to forget the hardships of the past, and believed the land of Idunia had shaken off the shackles of war and conflict.

 

But slowly, shadows began to gather again. The children of the mountain barons remembered the hardships of the past very well. What had been taken from them, inflicted upon them.

 

The people of Sandfell and Ravendal remembered, and unrest began to spread throughout the lands once more.