War, it is said, is the anvil upon which the gods forge mankind. The kingdoms of the north have warred constantly since their inception with little lasting consequence - until now that the balance has decisively shifted, and the kingdom of Stanmark has risen into the ascendancy following a brutal takeover of their immediate neighbor in Waccewald. The weaker kingdom's nobility have submitted, their pride and might in the dust. But even as the conquerors step in to consolidate their victory, many of those who kneel conceal daggers behind their smiles.

Deniel is a youth in the hinterlands of Waccewald in the days immediately following Stanmark's takeover. As a mere commoner, his life hasn't been overly complicated yet by the change – but as winter sets in, this is about to change. He, like many others, will be forced to make choices, the repercussions of which will echo into all the rest of his life.

However long that may turn out to be.