The Threat

Beyond the mountains something older than the kingdoms is stirring, and the men who should be watching for it are busy counting each other's banners.

Beyond the Black Hills stretch the Wilds of Orkheim, a lawless wilderness where Orkish warbands and other dangers have threatened the frontier for generations. Raids are a familiar hardship, but lately they have grown more frequent and more daring, striking farms, isolated settlements, and travelers along roads once considered relatively safe. For those living nearest the wilds, the danger is no longer something beyond the border, but a threat to their homes and livelihoods.

More troubling still is the sudden scarcity of bandits who once plagued the region. Their camps lie abandoned, and stretches of road once notorious for ambushes have fallen strangely quiet. Whether they have fled, been driven out, or met some darker fate remains unknown, but their disappearance has done little to make the frontier safer.

For ten years, the Black Crows, a mercenary company hired by the Duc of Caedland, have helped defend the border and keep its roads open. Their patrols now range farther, their encounters with Orkish raiders grow more frequent, and their veterans have begun to question what is driving the change. They have faced the dangers of Orkheim before, but something about the present unrest has left even the most seasoned among them uneasy.