The land now known as ShadowMist had for years been run by several barbarian clans, often fighting each other of land, livestock, and any other excuse they needed. The land south of ShadowMist had long been wild and the domain of wandering clans of the Romany. One of these wandering clans was run by a strong leader named Jendarial. She brought her clan up into the area of the barbarian clans and claimed leadership. Though at first the clans resisted the idea of a single chieftan, soon they recognized the wisdom of cooporation and a new era of prosperity began.

Soon, however Queen Jendarial grew tired of her stationary lifestyle and began to miss her old life on the road. She began to travel and finally appointed Brother Fredrik of the newly build Abbey of St. Micheal to rule in her stead. Fredrik ruled for a year when word of the loss of Jendarial and her guard came back. All but one had been killed by a rock fall. Not wanting to take the throne for himself, Sir Fredrik (whom Jendarial had knighted) turned to one of the clan leaders, Aislinn nic Fhearchair. She had run her clan well and would do well for the kingdom.

She kept Fredrik around as Chancellor since he was good at record keeping. Soon a romance bloomed between the Queen and her knight, but Fredrik insisted that he could never court his queen as it would not be proper. In Frustration, she stepped down from the throne, handing it over to Ceol Ravenwulf, chieften of Clan Ravenwulf. Aislinn and Fredrik then set out on a cruise to court one another visiting various realms including Bhurtok, Kalladen, Barad-Duin, and even Drandmir.

While they were gone, however disaster struck. For reasons unknown, one day the entire clan of Ravenwulf, including their chieften and the recently built magic school, the Five Towers Academy vanished, buildings and all. Talon, whom Ceol had chosen as his regent stepped up, but with a good portion of the defenders of ShadowMist gone with the Ravenwulf clan, there was nothing to stand in the way of an invasion from the sea. Ragnar OneEye, leader of the sea faring clan Ice Drake led an invasion into ShadowMist and took the throne for himself. Talon managed to escape with Brigitte (whom she had chosen as regent) and set out to find help. Fredrik and Aislinn had left Drandmir but no one knew their current location. Talon sought to retrace their steps and locate Fredrik and Aislinn while Brigitte stayed in ShadowMist to try and rally what warriors they could in the recently constructed StarFall keep.

Word was also sent to the lands of Silver Spire and Barad-Duin, whom had both made a treaty of mutual defense, that ShadowMist was besieged and over run with invaders. King Kai of Barad-Duin sent an army of troops down through the dangerous wild magic forest, while the army of Silver Spire came up from the south. Meeting with the resistance hiding in the northern woods of ShadowMist, Barad-Duin and Silver Spire moved in to help take one of the keeps in southern ShadowMist.

No one knows for sure what happened there. Some say that Silver Spire attacked Barad-Duin without provocation. Others say that Barad-Duin mistakenly sent a flight of arrows into a group of Silver Spire troops. What ever the case, Silver Spire turned on Barad-Duin and the resistance troops. Barad-Duin and the loyal ShadowMist troops pulled back, letting Silver Spire feel the brunt of the power of the invaders. Regrouping, Barad-Duin and the ShadowMist forces attacked Silver Spire from the rear. Silver Spire, broke and ran from between the two forces, firing the keep as they departed. When the smoke cleared, the keep was no more and the forces of all three armies were weakened.

The resistance of ShadowMist continued to harrass the Forces of IceDrake as Ragnar struggled to force the resistance out of hiding. Atrocity upon atrocity caused many of Ragnar's people to abandon him to his Wyrd, which seemed doomed to failure. Even his wife, Thoridys Flamehair, rejected his excesses. He banished her to an island, but on the way she was captured by minions of Grum Grum, the troll who would be king. Fredrik and Aislinn, having learned of the invasion returned help rid their beloved homeland of the invaders. Finally, after many losses of men to the resistance and to desertion, Ragnar gave up the throne and attempted to escape ShadowMist. Heros from around the combined realms came to see ShadowMist returned to it's rightful rulers and helped to capture Ragnar. Finally Brother Fredrik himself caught Ragnar and dragged him in chains before Talon upon the throne. Justice was made to fit the crime and Ragnar was forced to spend the rest of his days in a magical trance reliving the memories of those he had harmed the most. And with Ragnar out of the way, Fredrik was free to marry his beloved Aislinn. And so he did.

Peace held while Talon held the throne. It took a while to clean up the mess left by Ragnar the Usurper. The few remainders of Ice Drake rescued Thoridys from Grum Grum, then were banished from the realm along with Ragnar, still in his magical trance. Brigands ran wild and raiders to the desert wastes south of ShadowMist attacked. Slowly the brigands we brought to justice but the raiders seemed to grow more organized. Scouts dispatched found they were uniting together and were becomming an increasing danger. In the mean time, Talon grew tired of the throne. The affairs of state wore heavy on her and she longed for the simple life of a farmer once again. Finally with the threat of the raiders on her beloved Furhome, she abdicated the throne in favor of Maven Alysse and went south to see to the defenses of Furhome.

The raiders continued to harass the southern borders. Scouts reported that they were becomming more organized. Yet Maven, weary of war tearing up the lands, refused to raise the war banner. The border was held to minor skirmishes and raids. Finally she recognized that the armies of ShadowMist must move south and stop the threat. She knew that she could not lead the armies, being as she was not a warrior, so she abdicated the throne appointing Lady Shaheena Raeesah bint Qamar to rule in her place. Shaheena appointed Brother Fredrik as her adviser, knowing he was a man with knowlege of war. Durring this difficult time, the tresure hoarded by Ragnar the Usurper had been found. Stolen by Grum Grum and his minions and re-hidden. Shadowmist's forces learned of it's discovery and efforts to recover it began. It was tracked it to Grum Grum's secret location guarded by Minotaurs, but someone had already stolen it! It was recaptured on a ship near Coral Cove by Shadowmist's forces. In the efforts to return it to it's rightful place in the treasury under lock and key, Grum Grum had learned of it's removal from his hands and put forth an ambush, but failed. Who had taken it from Grum Grum was still unknown. But Shadowmist's coffers had been returned and Sir Maxim had already gone south with troops. War was joined.