Thousands of years ago during the magic and wonder of the Sunlit Age, the world was a bower of endless growth and renewal. Then came Winterfall. Blizzards covered the gardens of the world in blankets of snow for the first time, great sheets of ice enveloped the lands, and the world was changed utterly. The ancient civilizations fell to ruin, and the great works and arts were lost, as the world was cast into the Age of Darkness.

From those chaotic and harsh times arose many kingdoms and powers, scattered across the lands of the world. Empires rose and fell, and civilizations were built upon the ruins of the earlier age. Hope flourished, and it seemed that the new world might regain the glory of the past.

It was then that the Prophet of the Covenant spoke:

Then shall the Darkness of Yore Arise under a New Name,
And Seek to Suck the very Marrow from the Bones of the World,
But the Blood of the True Sovereigns shall Unite the Lands,
And a new Power of Righteousness shall be Born.

Thus was formed the Kingdom of Arden, by the Treaty of the Covenant which bound disparate peoples into a strong nation under the line of the True Sovereigns. Since that day, Arden has stood proud as a haven for scholars and artists, a defender of the weak, and a bastion of justice and freedom. But true to the Prophet’s words, another power had arisen. In the lands of the east, the Empire of the Grith bared its teeth and began stretching out its powerful hand to grasp all within reach. Relentless and ruthless, the Grithean Imperium has only grown stronger over the ages. Their conquests provide the wealth and plunder to feed their armies and the slaves to work their great mines and workhouses. Conflict was inevitable, and thus were several wars waged over the centuries between the two powers. But Arden stood fast with the Bloodline of the True Sovereigns upon the Winged Throne, and did not break or bow.

Then, in Year of the Prophet 598, the Grith launched a new offensive. King Roderick, the much loved bachelor king of Arden, rode forth once again with his army to do battle. During the height of the campaign in y.p. 599, his forces seemed on the verge of throwing back the Imperial menace. Then, the unthinkable happened… King Roderick disappeared! His body could not be found, and the Grith did not admit to having taken him prisoner. His brother, Prince Rupert, was declared Regent in his stead.

Less than a year later, another blow fell upon the struggling people of Arden. Prince Rupert was slain in the Battle of Tortheld’s Gap, leaving his infant son Mallius as the only heir to the throne. Prince Rupert’s wife, the Princess Malleraine, served as Regent. With the war still raging and an infant on the throne, the times were dark indeed. Of the missing King Roderick, there was no word, but in his name the people fought on, defending their land against those who would take it and bleed it dry.

In these dark hours, stalwart citizens of Arden known as the Defenders of Vaurendale answered a call to service from Vauren Abbey in y.p. 601. Thrust into a maelstrom of combat and political intrigue, these brave adventurers rose to the challenge. They discovered a dastardly scheme by which Princess-Regent Malleraine and Earl Ranulf of Shotwick would ascend to the Winged Throne and gain power. These two usurpers were responsible for the disappearance of the good King Roderick and the death of his brother, Prince Rupert. Eventually, despite defending against the Grith invasion, thwarting the murderous intentions of an evil god, and the accomplishment of a multitude of other deeds, the Defenders gathered the evidence to lay the evil scheme bare. In y.p. 604, King Roderick was rescued and restored to power, and the Earl of Shotwick was slain for his crimes. The fugitive Malleraine escaped, and was never found. Through the aid of a magical scroll given to him by the Defenders, the King brought Prince Rupert back from the dead.

It is now y.p. 606, and King Roderick has ridden to the east to end the Grith threat once and for all. His wife, Queen Vanneth, has been left in charge of the affairs of state. Prince Rupert, it is said, begged his brother to let him lead the vanguard of the thrust into Grith lands, but the King insisted he stay to oversee the rebuilding of the shattered Duchy of Rachenza. The King could trust no one else with the task. So important is Rachenza to the health of Arden, that no time could be wasted restoring it. Defeating the sinister elements preying on the lawless duchy, and rebuilding the institutions of commerce and learning, can once again help Arden to thrive.