Windward Spirits
For centuries the far western country of Brauhn has been at odds with the far eastern country of Gaudrina. No matter which ruler or rulers sat on which throne in many of the great cities within these countries, the power struggle has constantly been present for domination throughout the realm. For this reason, most of the neighboring countries of these great super powers have aligned themselves with one or the other in hopes of protecting their own homes.
The country of Brauhn is ruled by the notorious warrior king William Dalesdane, who governs the country from the capital city of Fang located in the central region of Brauhn. King Dalesdane is a man who came from nothing and earned his way up the ranks with brutal tactics and cunning psychology among those who stood in his way. These tactics got him noticed among the high guard and it wasn't long until Dalesdane became a superior general within in the Fang army. Always eager to fight, he won battle after battle under the strict orders of his then king, Derwin Nath, against armies all around the world as he began to genuinely make a name for himself worldwide.
After the death of king Nath several years later, Dalesdane seized his opportunity and made an extremely strong case among his peers as to why he was best qualified to be next in line to rule. Nath had no heirs to the throne which led many of his closest advisors and generals to aggressively make their play at the vacant throne of Fang. Dalesdane was certainly at the forefront of this group of hungry and ambitious warriors. After much deliberation among the city's top political figures, it was determined that Dalesdane would be best fit to wear the skull crown of Fang. Their decision however, was under extremely controversial circumstances as many believed the politicians had been bought off or heavily intimidated by Dalesdane and his loyal followers. Regardless, Dalesdane now rules the empire of Fang with an iron fist. He seems to hold no prejudice against any race or beast and welcomes all into his kingdom under the stipulation that they kneel only to him.
Dalesdane is well known for his ability to turn enemies into friends to get what he wants. Even if it means manipulating them to be spies. This is the case of our current story. Dalesdane's persuasion successfully reached Gaudrina and fell into the lap of Weylan Hartwill, an immensely influential general in the eastern army of Ansalon and father of twin brothers Garris and Warlan Hartwill. What ever the manipulative deal was, it was enough to temp the stoic and honorable Weylan. It is widely unknown as to the details of what was offered or shared among Dalesdane and Weylan or for how long. All that is known is at some point, Weylan came up short on his agreed upon terms with Dalesdane. Dalesdane warned the eastern general that if he did not hold up his end of the bargain of their agreement, Dalesdane would forever hold Weylans family under the knife until his debt was paid in full. Weylan was in over his head yet defied the western king by refusing to hold up his end of the agreement and go on as if their business relationship had never occurred. Whether it was Weylan realizing he made a mistake and trying to correct it out of guilt, or if it was Weylan simply becoming overwhelmed with the situation, the damage had no doubt been done.
A short time later, a man would be arrested in Ansalon for shouting out obscenities in the city square about Anaslon's leadership. The mysterious man was taken in and questioned by the royal guard. The man began to reveal detailed information about the Ansalon army that he could not have possibly known. Information about hideouts, planned campaigns, and secret operations in the works. The royal guard was dumbfounded. When pressed as to how he knew such information, the man began to laugh and reveal that their trusted Weylan Hartwill was selling secrets to their enemies. The chaos was only just beginning. Initially, the king of Ansalon, Jamison Payne refused to believe the man's story as did Weylan's peers. However, under such extreme pressure, Weylan's stoic persona began to crack. As more and more information was revealed by this mysterious man, it was slowly becoming abundantly clear that the things he was saying, were true. Weylan was soon arrested and charged with treason. Balos Vangaard, Weylan's most trusted friend and fellow general made a hasty decision and took Weylan's twin boys out of the country as quickly as he could, leaving their mother Aliana behind however to face the trial alone.
In the aftermath of everything, it was clear that the mystery man was a loyal follower of king Dalesdane sent to Ansalon to cause havoc among the kingdom. After a brief trial, Weylan and the mystery man were both executed publicly in the city square. It was a catastrophic blow to the country as Weylan Hartwill had always been the epitome of honor and loyalty to his city. As a result of his actions over a period of months however, hundreds of his countrymen were killed due to his sold information which always had Dalesdane 2 steps ahead of their every operation.
Weylan's wife Aliana was left heartbroken and defiled among the kingdom. Not long after her husbands execution, Aliana fell victim to a vicious attack by unknown attackers thought to be former associates of Weylan who still had bitter rage within them and had to retaliate somehow. Aliana would die soon after her attack in a field on the outskirts of Ansalon. A tragic end to a strong and noble woman.
Our films pick up on the twin Hartwill boys lives as they attempt to survive out in the world. Drastically different personalities and views, they are now grown men trying to do what they feel they should be doing in the wake of all that has happened with their family years later. The new journey begins..
