Long ago, and half a world away, the five ruling families of Minkai were overthrown by an evil group of oni demons, known as the Five Storms. However... one family managed to escape the carnage, and fled thousands of miles away, to the distant lands of Varisia. With a carefully guarded secret, and a changed name, they hid away for many years, until tragedy struck, and all who knew the secret were lost to the grave. Now, one rightful heir remains to the throne of Minkai... and she has no idea what fate has in store for her.<br/><br/><div align="center">********************************************************************************</div><br/>"Who ordered the flapjacks?" said Ameiko Kaijutsu, the dark-hair, attractive, and delightfully foreign-looking proprietor of the Rusty Dragon inn, the popular home for travelers and adventurers in the once-sleepy seaside town of Sandpoint. A town that had seen its fair share of troubles over the last few years, including two serial killers, goblin raids, a madwoman intent on burning the city to the ground, and an invasion of giants and a dragon, the citizens were more than eager to return to their peaceful way of life.<br/><br/>That, however, didn't seem like it was going to be likely. The talk of the town that morning was the massive explosion of sound and light, that came last night from the heart of the Brinestump Marsh, to the south, a goblin-infested swamp with little to attract anyone, and a lot of reasons to be avoided.<br/><br/>"Over here!" a man called out, and Ameiko delivered his plate and collected his coins, before greeting another patron and guiding them to a seat. "So, as I was saying, the Sheriff's put out the bounty of goblin ears again, and I was thinking of grabbing my da's old sword, and seeing if I couldn't make me a few coins." "Pah, yer more likely to end up stabbing yourself in the foot with that thing than hurting any goblins," the older farmer sitting across from him said, sipping from his mug. "Besides, your mother'd kill you if she knew you were wandering around in the swamp by yourself. Then she'd prolly kill me, for not stopping your dumb ass." The younger man sulked, and bit into his breakfast, as the farmer chuckled.