In the center of the valley there is a town. Some villages and farms, add up to a lively Human community, within the valley. But the town is the center of the valley's Human community. The busiest place within the town, is the market. Everyday, people try to sell to and buy from one another at the market. There is only one Clan in the town and in the valley, the Cow Clan. The Cow Clan has ruled over the valley, as long as the people from the valley can remember. There are little outside threats to the Humans in the valley. Sometimes Bears, Wolves or Spiders stir up the otherwise peaceful and harmless life, of the valley. No people from outside the valley are ever seen there. Maybe that's because the valley is surrounded by thick forests and snowy mountainchains. It's very likely that no one living today even knows about the valley, other than the Humans living there.

There is not too much happening in the valley's town. Most activity can be found inside one of the few bars along the main street. But even at the bars there isn't so much to do, or happening. People in the valley like it quiet, spending their day in slow pace. No need to rush. Sunbathing is the favorite daily activity in the valley.

The Skeleton Queen is spectating the daily destruction and slaughter between the Humans and the Orcs. She is switching continuously from spying on the Human King, to spying on the Orc King. This way the Skeleton Queen knows every move from both sides. As if that isn't evil enough, she now and then uses her magic to manipulate the conflict. Out of pleasure, she rises the dead from Human villages and let them clear the villages door-to-door. Leaving behind blood and destruction.

Even though, the Skeleton Queen considers both Orcs and Humans as enemies.. she mostly sides with the Orc King, against the Humans. The ever expanding Human Kingdom is posing a growing threat to the Queen's dominance. The Skeleton Queen hasn't yet got an answer to the Human invention of explosions and their ability to tame horses.

Once the Humans are dealt with.. only the Orc King and the Bat Ghost Queen are still posing a threat to my total hegemony over the world. But they too can be put up against each other.

From his Throne, the Human King listens to one of his messengers. 

Alright, on your way! The Human King says after listening to the messenger.

He has just learned of another attack by risen dead, Skeletons, Zombies on a village.

So the Skeleton Queen has sided with the Orcs. The King says to himself.

With both the Orcs and the Skeletons now in conflict with us, I'm not sure how long we can survive. But we have no choice, we have to. All we can do is fight back and hold on. I will bring the fight to them. With Horsemen I can launch raids on Orc camps, to weaken their machine and maybe push them back. I will have to think of a way to deal with the Skeleton Queen and her magic.

Though, no matter how he looks at it.. with the Orcs and Skeletons now seemingly joining forces, the future of Humans isn't looking bright. Already there is a daily slaughter of villages, farms, sometimes towns, with the loss of many many lives. And clearly there is no quick end in sight, for the suffering. The Human King tries not to think about it too much.

Prepare the evening meal! The King orders his cooks.

That evening like every evening, the Human King enjoys a good meal with his family. No matter the troubles outside the safe walls of his King House, he isn't going to change old family traditions.

Back in the valley, the daily slow paced business goes on. Farmers taking care of their farmlands, villagers working on their job.. chickens picking ever grain they can get. Women taking care of the householding, children playing their games on the street, neighbours talking, arguing, laughing. During their daily activities, the people take a moment of rest in the sun. Actually, they rest more, than they do their job. The sun is always shining in the valley and it's always warm, making the people in the valley lazy, not able to resist the temptation of the soft grass, or a bench, or a stone wall.. whatever resting place suits them best.

Along a river, close to a bridge, a man is trying to catch fish. Behind the man is a farm. A small herd of cows is eating the grass on one of the farmlands. On the farmland next to the cows, the Farmer is busy taking care of some crops. On the other side of the river are some grassy hills, leading to a forest. All is quiet, smooth, warm. Birds singing, cows making their noises. Nothing, literally nothing of this harmless valley shows any sign of the brutal, ruthless conflict going on in other parts of the world. But for how long..

Outside the Hidden Valley, people are less fortunate. In large parts of the world, farms and villages are abandoned. By order of the King, all people in the conflict zones are now moved to larger towns, larger cities. The villages and farms are considered undefendable, against the hordes of Orcs and Risen Dead. Now, more and more attacks are focused on the towns and cities. In the conflict zones, food production and precious goods gathering has been completely halted. In a matter of time, many Humans will have to choose between starvation or being killed by the hordes. The fight for the towns and cities has become a desperate one. 

The main problem for the Humans is reinforcements. Losses by the Orcs and the Risen Dead can very simply be renewed. But the many Human victims can not be replaced that easily. Already, teenagers, sometimes children, are forced to participate in the fight. That can not go on, the Human King knows this. To keep morale high though, the King keeps telling his people that there is still hope. Only he knows, that he's lying. And his wife.. since she knows everything about him, can read his mind. 

Spying, it happens way too often in Nocrone. It has become the way to deal with your opponents. Blind rushes for dominance are over. The Human King has some Scouts running around to spy on the Orcs. The Orc King has Scouts spying on the Humans. The Skeleton Queen is following every move from both the Human King and the Orc King. She would wish to spy on the Bat Ghost Queen as well, though she hasn't yet found a way. There is a particular reason for that, the Bat Ghost Queen herself is spying on the Skeleton Queen. This way, the Bat Ghost Queen knows how the other Queen is using her magic to spy. For this reason, there are no fires to be found in, around, or anywhere near, the Bat Ghost Queen's Cave. How the Bat Ghost Queen spies on the Skeleton Queen, is unknown. But the spying gave the Ghost Queen the information, about the widening conflict between the Humans and the Orcs, manipulated by the Skeleton Queen.

The Humans can not hold that. The Bat Ghost Queen concluded.

All that's needed is a little push and the Humans will tumble over the edge.

Let me give that push. And I have one opponent less, to deal with. After that I will deal with the other two.

And so the Bat Ghost Queen decided to participate in the conflict, to get rid of one of her opponents. 

The Human King will soon find out, that not only the Orc King and the Skeleton Queen meet him in combat, but now the Bat Ghost Queen as well. Is there any hope left for Humanity? For that we will have to see, how the story develops.

Bogher is a Farmer. Now he's within the safety of a town, driven away from his farm. Luckily for him, he and his family got warned and taken away in-time. The hordes of Orcs and Risen Dead have taken many farms by surprise. Still, thinking about what could be left of his farm, Bogher isn't happy. His crops, his livestock, his life.. what's left of it? He doesn't know.

Instead of his daily work on the farmlands, Bogher is now following some daily combat lessons.. to prepare for eventual attacks on the town. Like every man, young man, teenager.. he's given the job to defend the town now. In the morning a quick meal, doing his shift as guard in the day and at night back to bed, that's Bogher's daily routine. He hasn't got much time to see his family, the same as at the farm.

So far, the town hasn't been attacked yet. But other nearby towns have been. The possibility of a possible Orc attack does keep Bogher anxious, busy. Still he wishes for all of this to end as soon as possible.. so he can go back to his farmlands again. His farmlands is still what keeps his head spinning most.

Every night, Bogher wakes up, by the sound of Wolves in the distance. It adds to his fear, since he knows that Orcs and Wolves go together. What also adds to the Farmer's fear, are rumours and stories of Orc attacks. Sometimes horrific events pass by his ears and many of them way too detailed, to be just rumours. Mentally Bogher is already under attack, while the town may actually never be attacked, as far as he can tell.

With his wife he tries his best to keep their youngest child from crying. Their oldest child is like him, doing shifts as a guard.

This will all be over soon. Tells Bogher to his daughter.

Even he himself doesn't know, that that's not true. But whatever hope he can give his daughter, whatever stops his young child from dispair.. is the little bit of light left, in the midst of evil, burning and destruction. He and his family will soon need that little bit of hope, to survive. Bogher doesn't know yet, that it isn't the Orcs he should be most concerned about, or his farm, it's starvation. Soon, the town, without additional food supplies, won't be able to continue, to feed everybody. Bogher can use some hope, some light in the dark, himself.

With hordes of Risen Dead, the Skeleton Queen is already destroying Human village after Human village. Most Humans simply run away out of fear. But, she is not satisfied.

Not enough. It's going too slow!

In an attempt to up the destruction, to up the burning.. the Queen looked at her options.

Dragons! Since I have the Mother Dragon at my mercy.. I can tell them whatever I wish, including burning some Human villages.

And so it happened.. the Skeleton Queen ordered the Dragon Clan to attack the Humans and to burn whatever they come across. 

It didn't take long for the Human King to receive messages from towns and cities attacked by Dragons.

How are we going to survive attacks from Dragons? The King's wife asks him quite concerned.

I.. I don't know.. The King answers.

How are we going to survive? The wife asks again, truly concerned.

We.. we can't.. We would need magic.. She answers her own question.

Yes. The King says, losing more and more hope by the moment.

Well, maybe that's it!

What? The King responds.

Magic.

Magic..? How would you get magic?

Well, you spy on the Orcs all the time.. Why don't try to find out where they got their magic from? The wife says, clearly more hopeful than the King himself.

I.. I can give it a try.. but I don't expect too much from it. Where would I even start searching?

Maybe in one of the Orc Camps? And if all else fails.. try to spy on the Orc King himself..

No. No. I can try some raids on Orc Camps, but entering the Orc Stronghold is too risky.

The Human King followed his wife's advise to go after the Orc magic. A few raids on Orc Camps were made. Everything thought of worthy was taken back to the King. Nothing though, gave the King any clue about how Orcs use their magic. As quickly as the Human King followed his wife's advise, just as quickly he stopped.

We are not going to find any of it. And I can't spend my Horsemen anymore on it. I will need all of them, just to hold on a bit longer.

So we are lost then, doomed? The wife responded. Since we have no means to defend ourselves against Dragons.

I.. I'm getting the idea that that is the case. The Human King said, with a sad voice.

I'm not willing to accept that. His wife said with a mix of dispair and a will to survive.

Magic could be our way out.

Yes. Said the Human King. But I see no way, how to get our hands on magic, or how to learn it. Even if we get our hands on the Orc magic.. we can't read their language.. there is no way we can get knowledge of magic, from any of our enemies.

I understand now. His wife responded. She stopped saying anything for a while.

Are there any other beings in this world that you know of, that use magic?

Energized by his wife's suggestion, the Human King looked at her.

For that I will have to look into The Archives.

And so.. the Human King went below and searched his library, for known beings that use magic.