Snippet #1964387

Introduction

For centuries the land of Everingham has subject to the rule of the Werewolves. In the time of King Tychon, the Ancients' father, the land was in a rather peaceful state, rulers freely reigning the land separately. The King had a wonderful wife, Queen Iezabel, who bore him four sons: Christos, Benjamin, Blitz, and Liam. The four were born several years apart, but the King favored the ill-fated Liam the most. Young Liam, though loved and treasured more than his older brothers, fell prey to a disease that was spreading throughout most of the land. This disease took many infants, but none were so bereaved as the King and Queen. In a fit of inconsolable sadness, the Queen threw herself from her balcony at sunrise the day following the boy's funeral, a single tear staining her lifeless face.

The King was beside himself with grief. His youngest and most beloved son had been taken from him and now his wife as well. Tychon refused to let himself cry and he made it known to his sons that werewolves did not cry. On that day Tychon vowed to harden his heart and avenge the deaths of his wife and son the only way he knew how: taking over the land. He declared war upon all the races of Everingham and created an army like none had ever seen. "Werewolves, my sons, are the most superior race. Tradition is the bread of life. Remember this..." These words were spoken to his three remaining sons the day he left for war, a war that would last many years.

The war, known as The Great Invasion, was what empowered the werewolvian nation to supreme rule. One by one the King and his army overtook every race. The Elves and faeries were quick to submit to the King, and the goblins and ogres as well -- though most were taken captive to fight in the army or serve the Werewolves back in Netherfield. The Shapeshifters were a bit more reluctant to give up their power and pushed the Werewolvian invasion off for a month. When a battle finally broke out, the Shapeshifters relinquished their power to the King, who left their land and home in ruin. With nearly all the land conquered, the King made his way to Pemberly, the city of the Lycans. The Lycans were the most reluctant to relinquish power and for this they paid a great price. A battle raged on for nearly a year before the Lycans finally submitted to the Werewolves. Their city was in ruin and their army depleted. Women and children lay slaughtered in the streets. Angered, the Lycans formally disassociated themselves with the rest of Everingham, but were still harshly suppressed by King Tychon.

Upon his return home, Tychon was greeted with a hero's welcome and his army was quickly replenished, though few Werewolves had actually died. Tychon's sons were now coming of age, so he took them all to the Isle of the Orb and taught them each how to use it. He began to teach his sons day by day that tradition was the bread of life, that it should never be betrayed. He taught his sons to fight and rule properly, and he taught Christos how to rule with an iron fist.

As he did all this, each race slowly rebuilt itself, still in too great of a disrepair to rebel against the Werewolvian rule. Longbourn, the elven city, came under the rule of a Mayor, who pledged submission to King Tychon. Thorton Lacey, the shapeshifter city, came under the rule of a monarch, who also submitted to King Tychon. And the Lycans, who had declared themselves a separate entity, came under the rule of a Lord, who only submitted to King Tychon's reign to keep the peace. Each ruler governs their land differently, but each obeys standard Werewolvian laws in silent submission.

Nearly a century passed and over time there were several invasions by King Tychon's forces to instill fear and enforce his reign over the land, but none so brutal as The Great Invasion. Satisfied with his work, King Tychon relinquished his position to his eldest son Christos, who ruled just as harshly as his father. Tychon taught his son and guided his hand during his first decade of reign.

One day, while on his way to the Isle of the Orb, Tychon's carriage was ambushed and he was assassinated. One man escaped, a messenger, who told the three Ancients of their father's terrible death. The messenger was the victim of Christos' immediate anger, and soon to follow, all the land of Everingham. Armies of Werewolves were dispatched to enforce Christos' reign and to strike fear in the hearts of many. The Lycans fought back, but upon the death of the Lord's firstborn son, they submitted once more. The assassins of the King were never found out, but Christos has vowed to find them one day.

Centuries have passed and the Ancients rule with their father's iron fist. The number of invasions has decreased, but every couple of decades the Ancients and their army visit each of the races to determine if they are still being obeyed. They meet with the rulers of each and do business accordingly, and so far none have stepped out of line, even the Lycans. But the time is surely coming.

All was well, generally speaking, until a month ago. Christos and his brother Benjamin discovered that their youngest brother, Blitz, was breaking tradition and Werewolvian law by sleeping with an Elven woman -- a woman who'd been their prisoner no less! Enraged, Christos exiled Blitz to Shiori, the fishing island in the Northeast, and stripped him of all his power as an Ancient. He was beaten and dishonorably treated by his own people and became known as The Great Traitor. News spread quickly throughout the land of the disgraceful Ancient.

For a long time, a century even, forbidden loves -- inter-racial couples -- had been secretly forming, right under the noses of the individual rulers, as well as the Ancients. Christos and Benjamin traveled to the Isle of the Orb and discovered this blatant disobedience and were far from happy about it.

Blitz, now exiled, is cut off from Everingham, and especially Netherfield, entirely. He is bound to the land and all know him as the Great Traitor and refuse to help him. Stripped of his honor and power, he remains there, unwilling to challenge the authority of his brothers. Christos and Benjamin now have a serious political decision to make. They are losing power over the land and little do they know that this weakness is just what the other races were waiting for.