IRAA AND THE FIVE STORIES

When armies from the Five Kingdoms of Arcadia surrounding the small city state of Berith arrive on the crater rim above, only Iraa, the city’s elderly and disillusioned Wise Woman is aware of it. She quickly takes action to secure a five day pause, delaying invasion, plunder and worse.

That was the easy part.

The city has been deliberately and invisibly riven into irretrievably opposed factions who can barely hold back from fighting each other, let alone cooperate.

Iraa entertains no hope that she’ll unite those men who’ve remained uncorrupted. Yet that’s the only way to placate the angry, vengeful armies above. She knows she’ll fail, probably even before the truce runs out. No-one could do it. Bringing the Straight forces together? Revealing the villains? Satisfying the armies’ demands? In five days? While remaining true to her Order’s code? Five hundred would be pushing it. But she’ll be damned if she doesn’t fail with her Order’s honour and integrity intact.