The outlanders have seized Hæthiod.

A small Order army under the knights William and Brand maintain the only presence of troops fighting back. With winter quelling activities and the outlanders outnumbering the Order soldiers several times, victory seems unlikely. Yet Brand has proven his wiles as a strategist already, and the stranger Godfrey is on the move, spinning his own web across the Realms.

In exile, the royal family has fled to Korndale, hoping to garner support and troops to retake Hæthiod. With the highest ranking marshals of the Order dead and Adalrik left without a high king, the Alliance of the Seven Realms is fraying at the seams. Any commitment of troops to one front leaves Korndale vulnerable elsewhere, and they fear the other Realms might take advantage of the Order’s weakness. Neighbouring Ealond with its ambitious rulers and nobility are poised to strike, ready to use their already considerable strength to grow even stronger.

The only counterweight and guarantor of peace would be Adalrik, but the kingdom continues to suffer from civil war. The northern lords under Jarl Isarn have suffered defeats, and new allies are needed, drawn from neighbouring realms. As for the southern lords, under Jarl Vale, they must balance spending their resources to defeat Isarn without losing the rest of the Realms to all-engulfing wars. The dark, wintry Raven Days are upon Adalmearc, and the cry of the carrion bird can be heard across the lands.