Country: Quertagne (Anglized form could be written as "Quertannia") > capitol Mercandia (coastal city)

Northern neighbour: Pellanord

Eastern neighbour: Yrgiz

Note: there are also western and southern neighbours but they are not relevant at this point in the story.

The story begins in Fellendrion, a south-eastern region of Quertagne, in a small rural town called Felnarth where Lord Sermund Noman has chosen to reside as the area's Lord Marshal (law appointed by the crown) with his family: his wife Lady Theckla and their two daughters Ingerlize and Essilyana, plus their adopted daughter Neyni.

Nearly 30 years ago King Anander of Quertagne was murdered, along with his whole family (anti-monarchy rebels were blamed), and the throne was overtaken by Boldinard, the king's cousin. The current king was never particularly liked and many of his political decisions proved to be failures, thus resulting in a short but bloody uprising in the northern regions of Quertagne where certain Pellanordian ambassadors were also killed. The tensions between Quertagne and Pellanord have never been too relaxed and although currently there has been peace for the past nearly 15 years, Quertagneans don't generally like northerners and still view them as enemies of old.

This ( )ings us to Neyni. She's, at least partly, a northerner. And because of her heritage she's not particularly liked, especially not by Lady Theckla.

Also, religion comes into play at this point. Every citizen of Quertagne is by birth a follower of Adeon, the one and only true God (that's what they say), while the northerners do not follow suit and, instead, trust in the gods and goddesses of old. The Quertagneans view all northerners as heathens and demon-worshippers, and as a threat to their (supposedly) morally superior way of life. Thus, Neyni being partly northerner, is viewed not only as an enemy but as a pagan as well. The odds are stacked against her.

It is within this context that the story begins to unfold. It is Neyni's story but it is a story where she has no control over her own fate.