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The small village of Dourn, established in the Age of the Titans 901, is situated in by far the most strategic and yet most dangerous position for any man, woman, or child to ever live. Soldiers who often frequent the town on patrols even believe that the grounds of the Dourn are haunted by the ‘Spirits’ which live in the forest Everbloom a mere sixteen miles away. Common belief is held that the forest, which once was home to a race of beings known as Evermere, was cursed to trap the souls of those who entered the forest on the plane of Vilia for all of time. Yet, the curse may have backfired for the Evermere had never believed that their race would die in Everbloom and, as such, their souls were trapped near the forest after they were wiped out by a disease brought upon them by the arrival of Men into the area. Since the death of the the Evermere, entering or even approaching the forest is a harrowing experience as once can hear the slight movement of dry leaves from footsteps other than one’s own. It is also believed that the night of the full moon is far too dangerous a time to be near Everbloom for the ‘Spirits’ are at their strongest and are often believed to assault people who are unprotected. 

On the other hand, no army has ever willingly traveled through Everbloom for fear of death and the only other passage through the Valley in which Dourn rests is a separate forest itself known as Ironvale. Yet, whomever controls Dourn also controls Ironvale as there are several outposts which are within and along the entire length of Ironvale which no man nor fey could deny as being nearly impossible to raid and capture. In the past, Dourn use to allow the passage of plenty of men and women from the nations on Bournkoff into the nations of Higleat but this all changed with the coming off the Couragian Empire on its conquests in the lands of Higleat. With the nation’s xenophobic practices after the assimilation of nearly twenty small city states after its formation in the Age of Titans 940, Couragia declared that those on Bournkoff were enemies of the state and those who lived within their lands would be forcibly removed or otherwise have their souls forcefully separated from their physical bodies. In a show of force, Couragia captured Dourn and slaughtered the many travelers who believed the declaration to be nothing but a farce. With a cry of outrage, the many tribes of Bournkoff were separated from those who had traveled to Higleat looking for a new life away from the frozen north.

Now in the Age of Gods 20, the Couragian Empire is one of four Kingdoms which rule Higlac yet carries the most power as they practically control the seas and air with the inventions of steam powered ships and zeppelins. Meanwhile in the frozen wastes of Bournkoff, a massive nation has recently formed under the lead of a mage known as Kirim Vandt whose conquest of the might Yuzaf and and Jous clans through peaceful means allowed him to assimilate their nearly twenty-five servant clans. For the first time in nearly twenty years, Couragia is facing a threat from Bournkoff as Kirim looks to push his boundaries into the rich lands of Higleat. War sits on the horizon and the city of Dourn is at the center of everybody’s attention. Soldiers from Couragia have gathered outside its borders and have been assembling massive war machines and camps for weeks while the advancing hordes of Barbarians from Bournkoff’s depths could be seen and heard as they party and pray to their Gods of Wars to give them victory.