In the mountainous peninsula to the west of the Great Continent, far from the riches of Santara, the orderly dominion of Tionghoa, and the intrigue of Mata Hari, lied the Kingdom of Balkania. Ruled by King Dubrovnik, second of his name, Balkania was a realm of adventurers. Here was the winds of magic at their strongest, where monsters of all kinds and sizes still roamed the roads. The men and women of Balkania were as hardy as their realm was humble. Theirs was a realm of faith, where the worship of the God of the gods - Bogan as He was known here - remained strong even as the world as large was corrupting towards idolatry. Those who could etch their names in this realm could surely do so anywhere else in the world.

  Sombor son of Adrianopol hailed not from Balkania; he instead came from the east, from the mercantile marches of Pontica. The second son of a noble, he left his father’s estate to become a knight-errant, to defend the innocent in distress and fight evil wherever he could find. Armed with his armor, his sword, and his faith, the journey of Sombor the Paladin soon led him to Balkania, where the Army of Darkness from the north was preparing to descend upon and make way for the rise of the Demon King.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  The realm of Balkania had many towns and villages but only one city, named also Balkania. Here at the capital adventurers gathered at the Guild Hall, merchants sold their wares in the market, the King maintained order from the Royal Palace, and the Great Sage kept watch from his tower.

  Tirana daughter of Skopje was powerful in magic - too powerful. Her father, Skopje the Great Sage, tried to teach her restraint, to mold her into a worthy successor, to protect Balkania through magic. Yet she rejected her father’s path, and instead chose the path of the warrior. Having left her father’s estate in rebellion, Tirana the Mage Knight entered the Adventurers’ Guild to make her name and prove her strength.

  From this point on, the paths of Sombor and Tirana soon merged into one, that of the adventurers of Balkania.