Our story takes place in the year 328 AA (After Ascension), in Westhaven, a region of the Stormlight Empire. There, nestled against the southernmost edges of the Stormdread Mountains, the city-states of Akangaard and Ezrengate have enjoyed a period of peace. Nearly a century ago, however, a great turmoil brought them to the brink of war. Early in the 3rd century, when King Aerthidoth of Akangaard came to power, he began to institute policies that he would claim were for the betterment of his people, but about which history would say otherwise. Recognizing an opportunity to become the undisputed economic and military power in the region, King Aerthidoth sanctioned the enslavement of Akangaard’s underclass for labour in the nearby mines, where iron ore is extracted for weapons manufacture. No able-bodied person born outside noble bloodlines was exempt. Akanite nobility was limited to the race of humans, and many other races suffered greatly as a result. Nearby communities of beings living outside of so-called ‘civilized’ society—those more attuned to nature than to towers and cobblestone city streets—were completely decimated by the mining efforts, and many settlements were raided, with those neither killed nor lucky enough to escape being likewise forced into slavery. As Aerthidoth’s power grew, so did his ambitions, and it wasn’t long before he set his sights on expansion. 

The city of Ezrengate sat a mere 20 miles from Akangaard. Significantly smaller, and relatively unprotected, it was the perfect target for incorporation under Aerthidoth’s rule. Rightfully fearing invasion, the Senate of the Republic of Ezrengate met for an emergency session. It was here that an ambitious young nobleman named Izkoris laid out his plan. He would lead the modest army of Ezrengate on a raid of the Akanite merchant ships making their way down the canals, carrying enormous shipments of weapons and armour bound for Centralhaven. His plan came to fruition the very next morning: the Ezrenes attacked the ships, stole the weapons and armour aboard, and made for the Mines of Aerthidoth. Infiltrating the mines, they then slaughtered the slave masters and outfitted and armed the slaves. Now a formidable force, together they marched on Akangaard. The battle was bloody, and lasted several days, but in the end Izkoris led his people to victory. Aerthidoth was summarily executed in the city square for crimes against his own people.

 Under the intense scrutiny and supervision of the Ezrene senate, a new monarch was installed from within the Akanite nobility, a young man named Dederic. He had been vocally opposed to the introduction of slavery under Aerthidoth’s rule, and had demonstrated himself a suitable successor who would uphold peace in the region. A treaty was signed, stating that the two cities would thenceforth be allies, sharing in the wealth brought in from the mines. Additionally, the treaty dictated fair wages be paid to all workers, and that all must be treated as equal citizens, regardless of race or bloodline. Any violation of this treaty would lead the cities again to war. With Ezrengate having proven that they were not to be trifled with, a tenuous truce was born. Generations passed without incident. Until now.

Dederic’s son Thoradin, now himself an old man, is King of Akangaard. With his health slowly failing him, his eldest son Adran had been running the city in his stead. That is, until he was stabbed to death in his sleep three nights ago. The following morning, Tharivol, the king’s youngest son and brother to the slain Adran, made a public proclamation to the city, announcing that Adran had been assassinated by a group of spies from Ezrengate, whom he suggested were intent upon correcting their ancestors’ putative mistakes following the Insurgency—namely, the provision of self-government in Akangaard. Tharivol claimed that the Ezrenes had seen an opportunity arise with King Thoradin’s failing health, and sought to eliminate Adran and himself as part of a plan to remove the Akanite monarchy altogether, and to install one of their own as ruler in Akangaard. The alleged spies now sit in the stockade, awaiting trial and eventual execution for treason. 

It is the official position of the Ezrene Senate that these accusations are false, and that the detention of its citizens is unwarranted. Wanting to de-escalate tensions and negotiate a more robust peace, the Senate sent representatives to Akangaard in order to appeal to King Thoradin directly. But they were shut out, finding upon their arrival that Tharivol was barring access to his ailing father, and insisting that he would handle any negotiations himself. Perhaps anticipating that these negotiations would fail—or perhaps not intending to participate in them from the start—Tharivol readied the armies of Akangaard, and marched them through the great valley that separates Akangaard from Ezrengate. Tens of thousands of soldiers now lie in wait, ready to attack at a moment’s notice when they are given the order.

Among the representatives from Ezrengate was one Theldan Thornraven. Once a general in the Ezrene army, as well as a former senator in Ezrengate, Theldan was perhaps best known as the son of Borivik Thornraven, a hero who famously fought alongside Izkoris during the Insurgency. Currently serving as an advisor to the Senate, Theldan had cryptically requested the ambassadors prolong the peace negotiations for as long as possible. Unbeknownst to them, he had put a contingency in place: the morning after the death of Adran, surmising the tenor of the situation and that any negotiations would be abrogated, Theldan had clandestinely sent messages to five travellers and adventurers, in which he requested their presence at the Tattered Mountain Inn in Ezrengate two days thence—an appointment he was now sure he would need to keep this evening. He had a task for them, one that, should they be successful, could avert all-out-war in the region. He bid his fellow ambassadors adieu, emphasizing once again the importance that they buy him a few more days time. He retrieved his horse from the stables, and took off at a gallop out of the city gates, south, towards Ezrengate and the Tattered Mountain Inn, the sun setting over the Stormdread Mountains to the west.