Sit down, child, and rest your weary feet. Warm yourself by the fire, and I will tell you a story of truth, of what is happening to our blessed Valdemar today.
For years the people of Valdemar have been fighting wars to maintain their autonomy from their land, blood, and power hungry neighbors, Karse and Hardorn. With the barriers that once kept magic at bay from this haven, Valdemar has sudden found itself terribly vulnerable. In addition, violent physical and magical storms have been wreaking havoc across the face of the world; pirates have returned to lake Evindim now that soldiers are being forced to the borders to defend their land, and entire countrysides are finding themselves bereft of the Healers, Guards, Bards, Artificers, and Heralds that they so desperately need. Unknown to the public for the longest time, there was an uprising growing in strength among their own midst. Many spies and agents who would see harm come to Valdemar believe that war was but a distraction opportuning them the perfect moment to liberate the citizens of Valdemar from their 'demon Queen and leaders', so that they may rule themselves in anarchy. Realizing that even in a time of war they could not make a frontal assault and win, they instead they chose a more indirect approach- intrigue and betrayal, a strike from within, to rot Valdemar from the inside out. While many who participate in this silent uprising truly believe in the freedom of the cause, many more are simply manipulators using freedom as a face for the unrest needed to put the nation just enough off balance to topple it...
Those following the paths of anarchist freedom have formed a cult calling themselves the The Council of Citizens. At first they were only a few fanatics in small country towns, but slowly they drew more followers with the promises to fortune and power, very appealing indeed in a decimating time of war. When their force grew large enough, they began training arms in secret, and they decided to start spreading their vile poison and begin the takeover from within.
They began with small villages. But the takeovers weren't necessarily violent- it was merely a matter of mysterious deaths of town's leaders, subtle threats, and promises of making the commoners lives so much better if only they would do this or that small favor. When someone disagreed, strange misfortunes came by him or her. When people saw of this, they were told that it was merely a sign from the gods that these were the leaders who were truly meant to rule the country.
Within their conquest, they have spread the cult, and in doing so have discovered something deadly that could alone bring about the end of Valdemar- blood magic. Through their sister branches of cults in the far north they discovered this powerful and sinister way of magecraft and brought it back to Valdemar- perhaps this is part of the reason that nothing can be proven against them. Perhaps they have been able to cover their tracks with the magic, and create some of the "accidents" with the magic.
It is believed that members of the cult, as well as those foreigners who wish to see the end of Valdemar, have infiltrated the system and have already begun to spread their vile poisons, but nothing can be proven. There is fear that these people might do something to endanger the monarch, but again, nothing can be proven, and nothing can be done but to watch, and to listen- but by the time something can be proven, could it be too late?
There have been mysterious disappearances and deaths of Heralds, Healers, Bards, Guards, civilians, and more. It is believed that the cult will and has been killing anyone and everyone who threatens their conquest to create their "ideal" society, wanting to let the Citizens rule in place of the Herald Queen. In a time of war, pirate rates, and terrible storms, however, no one has been able to pay too much attention to the mysterious cult, nor those who support them.
This dire threat is very much a part of everyone's life- though no one seems to know it yet. Be careful. The time to take up arms might be nearing.
