New Prologue

So as many of you already know, the first draft of The Wintermoon Legacies is done. I am currently working on the second draft correcting grammar and spelling along the way as well as adding content to the beginning of the story since I feel many of the early parts are rushed. One comment I received was that my original prologue was too short, and I tend to agree. With that in mind, I present to you a new prologue with a different take. Comment on here or on Facebook if you feel like it. That's all for now, so take care and have a good night.


The world of Greiverden was a world like most others in the multiverse that could support life. The climate was mostly hospitable, the inhabitants were as varied as the colors of the cosmos, and the land was rich in natural resources. One natural resource in particular was highly abundant in this world: Mana. The very essence of magic itself. Coursing through all living things unbeknownst to them, giving them strength, intelligence and life.
This vast amount of mana draws many otherworldly travelers to go to Greiverden to partake of it. One particular race of aliens called the Penumbrans came to Greiverden back in the ancient days on a massive metal machine designed to traverse the cosmos. Historians suspect that they were after the mana for fueling their advanced technology. Others suspect something much darker.
There are those that believe that they came to Greiverden because they were fleeing the ruins of their old home world whose name had been lost in time to the vile forces of Mephistopholes, a crater-filled blasted world filled with demons and devils. They crash landed thousands of years ago to a Greiverden that was very much primitive by modern reckoning. Legend has it they taught the primitive races how to build tools and weave magic before they withdrew to a land of their own creation, conjuring up a massive storm that to this day, no mortal has managed to penetrate and return to tell the tale.
Their crash landing had another adverse effect upon the world as well. Once a massive continent, the landing of the Penumbrans metal craft caused such an impact that the worlds land masses spilt apart and slowly started to drift toward the edge of the world. The center continent became known as Penumbra, named after the aliens naturally. The other five continents: Lumenager, Jaziranar, Ishamna, Kazetairiku, and Daalmti slowly started to take on their own qualities as ages passed.
The continent of Lumenager for example is a land that possesses a mild, temperate climate with warm summers, and cool winters. The people are of a pale to mildly tanned complexion with eye and hair color that can be almost anything that occurs in nature. One day, the people started to fight over the land, causing two massive empires to spring up almost overnight. The Meloran Empire –which rules the west- is traditionally ruled by an Empress that possesses absolute power in her edicts. No man dares question her or else they end up strung up. The eastern empire of Otaria is a bit more on the civil side. Ruled by traditionally an Emperor that’s more of a figurehead than anything else; the High Council of thirteen makes most of the decisions for him.
Jaziranar is a desert continent that relies heavily upon fishing and trading their wares of crystal, pottery and dyes with other continents that have better land for growing crops; there is next to no agriculture here. Its people have a deep tan complexion and dark hair and eyes. Sometimes wild eye colors can occur such as orange or purple, but those people are typically looked upon with apprehension, since typically, having orange or purple eyes meant that you had the blood of a genie, a life form that is comprised almost entirely of mana that can breed true, inside of you. Their government is comprised of a multitude of trading guilds, of which almost all citizens of Jaziranar belong to. Every ten years, they have an election to pick representatives from each guild to rule on the Council of Traders.
Ishamna is a nearly frozen wasteland that is also heavily reliant upon fishing, hunting and trade –primarily in well-crafted weapons and armor- for they have next to no land for agriculture. The people have very pale complexions with usually blonde or reddish hair, sometimes light brown occurs, with eye colors ranging from blue, green and grey. Their lands used to be ruled by seven mighty War Nations blessed by Fenris, the spirit of winter. That was the case until about one hundred and fifty years ago when a great nameless ancient evil sprung forth from the Martberg Mountains. The remnants of those War Nations that were not vanquished fled across the sea to other nations, seeking assistance to combat this evil. Nowadays, the indigenous people are mostly barbaric nomads living off the land. The civilized people now live upon the southern shoreline trading with other nations.
Kazetairiku is a beautiful land that has mild temperatures much like Lumenager does; rich land for plenty of agriculture. The exception to that rich land is the blasted caldera that lies to the far east of the continent. Its people are of pale to yellowed complexions with dark hair and eyes that are shaped like almonds. They are ruled by five kingdoms which is overseen by a Koshu, the chosen of Aurok, the spirit of spring. The Koshu commands the armies of Kazetairiku so that the five kingdoms lack the ability to rise up and fight each other for more than is their share.
Daalmti is a land of great plains and lush jungles teeming with exotic and deadly life. They have dark skin, sometimes as black as night, along with dark eyes and hair. They are relatively primitive compared to the other nations of Greiverden, but they make up for that with a rich shamanistic heritage and a focus on farming family tribes. They are also the only known source of mithril, a very powerful and highly prized metal that has the beautiful sheen of silver, the weight of a feather, and the strength of steel. One would think that being the only source of such a highly sought after metal that they would be prosperous -and it is indeed true that there are wealthy tribes that live near a mithril mine- but they export little else, preferring to live a peaceful life with the land.
Unbeknownst to the denizens of Greiverden, an evil from the depths of Ishamna is slowly creeping out from the shadows, the very same evil that shattered the War Nations of Lunar…