Two hundred years ago, the two dominant kingdoms on the island of Alspmar became embroiled in a bloody conflict that would last nearly a century. Börsegeld, in the north, had grown tired of Ensis's constant border threats and imposed a trade embargo, effectively denying the south access to their rich farms and bustling trade ports. At this, the entire continent bristled and the Kyrien River that formed the border between the two mighty empires soon ran red with gore. The narrow, rocky expanses that once housed trade became choked up with men at arms and caravans of spies. The warrior kings of Ensis gained the upper hand once they seized the fertile plains around the shores of the Petol lake after decades of stalemate, and Börsegeld soon relented once its major harbors were burned to the ground. While onlookers could never see a different outcome in a power struggle between skilled commanders and pompous, worldly aristocrats, those in power knew that a victory from any means besides total annihilation of one side or the other would inevitably result in yet another conflict in the years to come. The reigning monarch of loosely-structured Ensis carved out the majority of the farmland from Börsegeld and from Ensis and created a separate kingdom along the other side of the profitable gulf that Börsegeld once monopolized. Naming this small tract of land after her father, Tilrive, Queen Tamsin ruled for fifty long years, ensuring that the prosperous new kingdom acted as a mediator by regulating trade, offering themselves out as ambassadors to the tense meetings between the bilstering rivals, and by enforcing borders with those knights still loyal to Tamsin.

After Tamsin ruled similar peaceful monarchs, those content with tempering the harsh history between the diametrically opposed lands that spread out on either side of them. Tilrive was never seen as a threat, but it was never a kingdom to be ignored, not with its resources and intimate knowledge of both Ensis and Börsegeld. As a new ruler ascends to the throne, all citizens of Alspmar sit in anxious anticipation, as there have been rumors that another war could be just waiting to unfurl. Both Börsegeld and Ensis distrust each other immensely, but they share a common interest in Tilrive's land and keep an ear to the ground for signs that the newest ruler might be one to rouse an army or attempt to dominate the continent with its strategic minds and location, as any reason to launch an offensive while Börsegeld's coffers are full and Ensis's warriors are restless would unite the two great powers unlike any cause in thousands of years.

Meanwhile, as old wounds started to heal on Alspmar and it seemed that old enemies might even join together to abolish a symbol of their sullied past, a curious band of foreigners docked on the coast of Ensis and start a settlement of sorts on the southwest peninsula. Claiming to be friars, but armed to the teeth like knights, Le Pauvroi were a group of well-kempt men who aspired to be nobles and spouted nonsense about such concepts as "chivalry", "fraternity", and "equality". They proved themselves to be worthy fighters by clearing out and defending the expanse of land they decided to call home, uprooting a fairly old clan and claiming their towers to be theirs. They now amble around all three kingdoms, recruiting talented bladesmen to join their quest to search for fae relics and spread the teachings of their sovereign lord. Their presence is met with suspicion from those deeply ensworn to the old gods, and with annoyance by those who believe that war and manners have no place being taught in the same hall.