Prologue
At dawn near Xakaito's northern steppes, a Whisper Vulture left its nest on the mountainside, spreading its wings and taking to the sky. It scanned the ground below, searching for dead or dying animals. Known as opportunists, Whisper Vultures quickly seize any chance they find and finish what others start. The so-called Kingdom of Xakaito resembled more a large trading outpost than a true kingdom. It centered around the Blazing Hearth Citadel, with few defenses along the cold steppes' northern, western, and southern mountain passes. To the east, a single trade route crosses the Brileberry swamp due to the terrain. Legends speak of powerful magic that once destroyed this area, poisoning the land and shaping its landscape. Despite this, the swamp remained vibrantly alive, home to many human tribes, and held darker secrets, even from those hiding among the shadows of towering hemlocks, a significant trade item in the kingdom. The vulture headed into the swamp, where the bubbling black pools offered many opportunities for a quick meal. It kept scanning the horizon for prey and spotted a group of humans on horses surrounding a lone wagon slowly moving back toward the Blazing Hearth Citadel. Seeing no chance there, the vulture began to circle further into the swamp when a black wooden shaft suddenly flew toward its face. Everything went black as the vulture was pierced in the eye with an arrow and fell limply to the icy ground, while one of the wagon wheels rolled over its body with barely a noise. The guards’ cackle echoed as they celebrated their precise shot.
