After a century of bitter fighting, the war for the Western Heartlands is finally bought to a close. A loose alliance of Men and Dwarves extract a fragile detente from the forces of the Fey. The Goblin armies retreat to the other realm, leaving the Western Heartlands desolate, empty, and at peace.

Five human men strike out from Triel with the intention of establishing a new farming community in the Western Heartlands. Elias Ashenwood, Abel Devlin, Langton Harrow, Simon Monkton, and Marten Roke, sign a compact, negotiating the division of territory and agreeing the terms of tenancy.

Meadowtide celebrations are tragically disrupted when nine children go missing in the midst of the festival. Ma Marigold, the town elder, is able to safely retrieve eight of the children, but one poor child, Bruno Welgemoed, is never seen again.