A Song of Crowsilver

Part I

Let me tell you about the age of Ice, the age of Trolls and Giants, of Heroes and Kings. Days long gone and forgotten. It was during the rule of Oluf Godswind that these things took place. In days of winter, cold as it has never been since, at the end of the Long Night. It was then, that even the trolls and the cave headed to the south to shelter from the blistering cold and the snowstorms. It was clear that the gods had forsaken our country, and given it over to the elements. At least, so it seemed.

In a small village on the Frozen Sea, a crow came flying one day, carrying a message for the village Elderman. It wasn’t a common occurrence, even back then, and the people of the village all gathered around the Town Hall, where the Elderman read the letter. It was a short letter, only a few words, but they were enough to fill the hearts of the village folk with fear. It read:

The Wall of Aegir has fallen, darkness has descended upon the Realm.

Only a few alive today know what this Wall of Aegir was. To understand why the villagers were so frightened of these words, you should know about it first. See, in the ancient days, the forces of magic had a much stronger and more visible presence on Micras than nowadays. Magic was used to heal sick and to protect soldiers when they went off to war. However, magic also had a very dark side. There was nothing that represented this dark side more, than the Sinidur, a band of mysterious and shadowy creatures. They were not human, but neither were they beast, and they were skilled practioners of dark magic. It is hard to think of something that was more terrifying to the people than the Sinidur.

To face this thread, and to prevent the Sinidur from ever entering the realms of men, Aegir, the God-King, had built a wall at the eastern border. The wall was massive, grey and strong and has stood for thousands of years. But now, the wall had fallen… The villagers rallied together and shouted in fear. They were one of the settlements closest to the Wall of Aegir, and they were certainly in great peril at the moment. The strongest men of the village quickly rose up with wild plans as to how to keep the village safe.

“We need to strengthen the palisade!” Gromwind of Futhark shouted. “No, coward! We need to arm and meet the Sinidur in open battle!” was the advise of Gloin Venrir “Kill them with fire!” said Ragnak Oakheart.

Then, the Elderman, who had not said anything until this moment, spoke. “No, people, there is nothing in this world that could ever safe us from the darkness of the Sinidur. There is no force in the world that is powerful enough to withstand the armies of evil. Only the Gods can help us now.

Night fell. The people of the village couln't sleep but sat together in the town hall, praying and fearing. From the east, a cold wind blew....