'Long ago, magic ruledthis world. Thancamethewar that broke it.
Now, only stories remain... and one manwho will became a legend' .
The air reeked of smoke and frozen blood.
Snow fell over the broken village, quiet and soft, like it hadn't just been set on fire. A young warrior stood in the middle of the scorched ground, his axe stained red, his breath steady despite the cold.
Vaelric, firstborn of the High Chieftain, Hero of Frostgrave, and savior of the North, stood among the ruins — victorious.The villagers had called for help days ago. "The Flameborne have returned," they said. "The cursed mages who set our lands on fire a generation ago."
And so Vaelric came. With an army at his back and fury in his blood.
He fought not for glory, he told them, but for peace. He fought to protect. To cleanse the world of magic once and for all.
"Search for survivors," he ordered, his voice cold and clear. "Burn the bodies of the Flameborne. Give the dead a warrior's send-off."One of his men stepped forward. "There's a child," he said. "Hiding in the temple ruins. She's... scared."
Vaelric approached, heavy boots crunching snow and ash. He knelt before the child — soot-streaked, trembling.
He took off his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders.
"You're safe now," he said gently. "No mage will hurt you again. I promise."The villagers would sing his name for saving them.
They wouldn't know what he did to the prisoner mage in the woods. They wouldn't see the fire in his eyes when he whispered to himself:
"This is only the beginning. I will burn it all… until there's no one left with magic"
"Excuse me master." The girl trembling and with tears in her eyes " Have you seen my family?. My father was on the frontline and was trying to help the villagers escape have you seen him?"
Vaelric had seen the man when his ship first landed on the shores, he was the who welcomed them into their village.
He saw him again, but know not helping the villagers but laying on the ground blood gushing from his neck, next to him was a women. Which Vaelric assumed is his wife, she also was no longer alive.
" I'm sorry...But he's .." Vaelric was interrupted by the little girl " It's okay he told me that he won't make it and that I should be prepared." The little girl said with tears going down her cheeks.
Vaelric couldn't bring himself to tell him about the girl about the women.
" Why is this happening to us? I don't get it." The girl said while crying. " You don't know the story how the war started" Vaelric said trying to distract the girl from her pain. " No sir I don't" "Well you in luck because I haven't told this story in years" Vaelric said with a slight smile on his face.
"Long ago, in a mystical realm once known as Elarond, there lived fearless warriors who bowed to no man — the Ironborn. They lived in peace after centuries of bloodshed, finally settling into harmony after the long-forgotten Ironborn Wars.
They believed the gods had granted them peace at last.
But everything changed the day a child was born with glowing eyes and a strange power in his hands — magic.
The people saw it as a sign. A gift from the gods. They believed this child was destined to be king.
Soon, more children were born with powers — one after another. Many celebrated it, calling it a golden age, they would call these children Flameborne. But others saw it differently. They whispered that it was a curse… a punishment for the countless souls the Ironborn had slain in their time.
Those who feared the power — who spoke out — were labeled madmen, heretics. Most were silenced. Some were executed.
Still, the Flameborne and Ironborn found a way to live in harmony. They built homes together, harvested crops, and fetched water from the same rivers. Mages healed the sick. Sorcerers reinforced Ironborn homes. And when enemies threatened the land, both warriors and mages fought side by side, conquering as one.
Until the sky fell.
Until he came.
Malrik the First, a once-beloved general of the Ironborn army, changed everything. He hated his own people in secret — hated their pride, their scars, their stories.
He called the mages to his side and betrayed the very Ironborns he once led. Countless warriors were slaughtered. Villages burned. And when the last resistance fell, Malrik placed a crown upon his head and declared:
"The Vikings will kneel. They are beneath us. Their blood will pave the throne of the new world."
At first, the Flameborne hesitated. But slowly, one by one, they joined him. The strong. The ambitious. The cruel.
Together, they formed what would become the Noble Houses of Elarond.
The Ironborn were a proud people — warriors forged in harsh winters and endless battles. They relied on their weapons, their raw strength, and the unbreakable bond of their clans. Many weren't scared of Malrik and his army but Magic was a threat they neither trusted nor understood, so they honed their bodies and steel to defend their homes.
The Flameborne, on the other hand, wielded the forces unseen — bending the elements, healing wounds, and shaping the world with their will. Though some among the Ironborn feared them, the two peoples once lived side by side in uneasy peace."
A small voice broke the silence.
"So... Malrik the First is the reason my family's dead?"
The little girl trembled beside the fire.Vaelric didn't answer right away. His gaze remained fixed on the mage trying to crawl away from the ruin.
"He betrayed us," Vaelric said coldly. "He started the war.
But don't worry…" he raised his axe.
"The story gets better from here." With a cold grin on his face.