Preface

There once was a peaceful kingdom that occupied all the land south of the Barrier Mountains and North of the Desolate Sea. Centuries ago, a great queen united the nomadic traders, the highland craftsmen and the farmers of the Great Expanse into one land named Calli. Legends say, the good queen’s wisdom and quest for peace so pleased the gods that they gave her the promise that Calli would belong only to her bloodline and would pass through her daughters. It was their hope, that the good queen would pass down her knowledge of peace and entrust her heir with the skills needed to maintain that peace; however, not all were as wise. Not all remembered to pass along the stories of the time before the peace: the times of wars and bloodshed.

Shortly after the birth of Calli’s last heir, King Neslund crossed the Desolate Sea with hundreds of warships, thousands of soldiers and the goal to take over Calli. During the the rise of peace in Calli, the ancestors of King Neslund so poisoned their lands with the acrid fire of war and industry that the land could no longer sustain a population of any mentionable size. Hearing of the peace and prosperity abounding in Calli he commanded his troops to take Calli at all costs. Once he was in control, he would remove Calli of her current king and place himself on the throne. As long as the queen was alive, she would give him the required daughter so that he would remain in power.

The assault on Calli was unspeakable. Most towns boarding the Desolate Sea were completely wiped off the map, trade routes were disconnected and the highland craftsmen secluded themselves into the great walled cities. Willing to starve themselves in a siege instead of facing King Neslund in battle. When he and his troops finally reached the castle, they were surprised to find the servants fleeing to the outlying farmlands. It was not just those that cleaned the floors and prepared the meals, among the number was the queen’s handmaid and her poorly clothed child. Not wishing to let a deserter from the former court carry news of benevolence into the highlands he executed her in front of the castle for the remainder of the court to see. The child he gave to his honor guard. She was to be raised to be strong and emotionless, so that her decisions would not be as badly swayed as her mother’s. The kingdom would know of her mother’s folly and of her existence. What kind of handmaid would leave her queen and princess behind while the city was under attack? This child would never find a kind glance her way.

Calli fell in a harsh battle that left many dead, many injured and many mad. The former king was tortured and the queen chose to end the life of her newborn daughter so that she would not suffer the same fate as her father. Unable to face her disastrous rule, but unable to escape the constant watch of King Neslund, she secluded herself into her mind, never bothering to keep track of the route to escape it.