Her first memories of the Myth Wood were of waking up in the Graveyard of the Fallen as a succubus. Waking to an overwhelming need to feed on the souls of Einherjar to survive. She thought of this as her birth, because she had no memories before that day, and chose the name Mara. Then Sam’El, the Daemon Lord, called to her from his prison within the Black Sword. Mara and the other succubi answered his call, and in this way discovered they were not alone. All the succubi of the Wood served him in all his many incarnations. They aided in all his many battles to spread chaos and destruction.

        This continued until Mara was given the opportunity to restore a soul to her form and become an Einherjar herself. She was reborn, again, as Marta the Mage. She joined with Balin on his quest to become king, to begin to right the wrongs she had committed as a succubus. With the crown on Balin’s head he made her a Thane, and put the Mage Tower into her care. It was the greatest day of her life in the Myth Wood.

        This was followed by the worst time of her remembered life. When Lady Myth took control of her body, and left her as a powerless observer of the violence her hands inflicted. The war of the Skulls raged through the Myth Wood. Lady Myth in Marta’s body commanded her forces to lay waste to her brothers and those they controlled.

        The war ended with Rokai’s rebellion against the skulls. He freed Jarl Elric from their hold, and then Jarl Elric freed Marta from the Lady’s control over her. When the war of the skulls was ended, King Balin once again entrusted Marta with the Mage tower and now the conclave of magic users as well. It was at this point that she became a Sage, and began the long road to mastering those magical arts. She was also given charge of her nephew, and the joys of raising him to be a man. She enjoyed this time of her life immensely. The 11 years went by far to quickly.

        Then King Balin went missing. The Plague arrived in the form of a meteorite. Einherjar of the Myth Wood began changing into Trolls, and Werewolves. Marta helped the Jarls as much as she could, but as soon as one problem was dealt with another emerged. Then the Blighted arrived, with their Lich leader. The Four Devils manifested and spread terror.

        As the Lich’s power grew, others realized that the only cure for the problems that could be found was to Seal away the Mage Tower, her home.  Marta was not given a choice. Jarl Faolin and the Blacksmiths did the deed. She eventually came to learn that the Green Skull, that was the prison of Lady Myth, had been placed in the Tower before it was sealed. The ramifications of this act was not clear to her, but shortly after the Tower was sealed away the Lich disappeared. Then the Blighted entered into a agreement with Hela of Helheim, thus becoming the Helions.

        It seemed losing her home and title had served the greater good of the Myth Wood. It was for this reason that the once powerful and revered Thane Marta of the Mage Tower, now found herself homeless and sleeping in the graveyard of the fallen once again.

        In past years the arrival of the snow and short days would not have worried her. She could have made a fire easy enough with her magic. This too had been taken away from her. The Helions had joined up with the Jarls and vanquished the Four Devils. As she understood it, Jarl Faolin devised a way to cover the cube of the four and in doing so severed the magic that made the four devils. Unfortunately, that magic was also the source of all Arcane spells in the Myth Wood. Jarl Elric had taken the cube and set sail for Folkvangr. In this way magic had been changed forever in the Wood. For Marta, at the moment, it meant she could not create fire to keep her warm throughout the winter.

        It was on a cold night in the middle of the month Yuwn-Ko, after the days had begun to lengthen that Marta received a vision in the form of a dream. The vision was sent to her from the Higher Plane of the Myth Wood, while she was sleeping in the Graveyard of the Fallen.

        At first she thought she was in King’s Rest, standing before the tree in the center of town. The buildings however were misty and transparent. The wooden platform at the base of the tree was bigger as well. Six thrones were on the platform. Three of them were filled.

        One Throne in the middle of the six had a majestic looking man with a crown on his head. He spoke to Marta. “Hello Marta. I am the Monarch, the Higher Powers have need of your services. We need you to spread information to the rest of the Wood.” He paused and looked at the other two.

        The one she knew was Agamemnon, but now he looked like a old wizard with a beat up pointed hat. The amber crystal around his neck was what gave him away, she knew Agamemnon wore that crystal. The other was a mystery to her. He had long flowing hair and a goatee, and was dressed in green. Both sat in thrones equal to the one the Monarch sat in.

        “My apologies Marta. This is the Mystic and the Recarnit. The three of us make up half of the Six Higher Power that govern the Myth Wood. As long as I sit on a Throne in the Higher Plane, there is governed Order in the Wood. As long as the Mystic sits on a Throne in the Higher Plane, governed Magic may exist in the Myth Wood. As long as the Recarnit sits on a Throne in the Higher Plane, governed rebirth of all living things in the Myth Wood can happen.” He stopped again, looking to see if the other two had anything to add. They did not.

        “As you can see we are missing three of our number. That however is not the most distressing part. We find ourselves in a weakened condition. We need to sit on the Thrones to connect with our province of power in the Myth Wood.” The Monarch then looked over Marta’s shoulder and to the right. She followed his line of sight. She saw what in King’s Rest would have been Waylander’s Smithy. It was not translucent, and the sounds of hammering metal could be heard from within. “We needed the skill of a great smith, and use of a hammer of Unmaking. So we invited Vandergrah to the Higher Plane to work the EverMist Forge. He made the Thrones. He has also made these.” The Monarch held out to Marta a strange little device. It looked like a counter of some sort. Numbers could be moved on one of its surfaces.

        “This is an Honor counter. Those who chose to wear one will have their names recorded in the Honor Scroll, this will link their deeds to the thrones. Their actions, honorable or otherwise, will strengthen the Myth Wood. We hope it will also aid us in finding those worthy of a seat on one of the vacant Thrones.” He pulled his hand away. “We cannot directly interfere with the Lower Plane, so we ask you to spread this knowledge to the people of the Myth Wood. We would also ask that when it comes to you, you will accept the burden of managing the Honor Scroll.”

        “Do not answer now. This is a dream and promises made in dreams are meaningless. When you wake, your memory of this discussion will be vague. However, when the Honor Scroll is placed in your hands all will be made clear to you.”

        “Good by Marta, and good luck.”

        Marta awoke in the Graveyard of the Fallen. Her head fuzzy, and her body cold. The dream she had quickly fading as physical reality set in. She made her way to King’s Rest, to warm herself at the forge. When she arrived in King’s Rest the forge was silent. She asked Mike, the proprietor of the Brotherhood tavern, where Vandergrah was.

        His reply was that several weeks ago the sound of forging could be heard coming from Waylander’s Smithy both day and night. It had gone on for six days and then on the seventh day the forge had gone silent. When people stopped in to check on Vandergrah, he and everything he had been working on was gone. Not wanting an empty forge, the people of King’s Rest had contacted Hammer’s Hold and asked Arthur Anymoredonuts if he would move his operation to King’s Rest. He had agreed, and should be arriving soon.

        Marta was not sure how she felt about it. Something was changing in the Myth Wood, she could feel it. She purchased a drink and meal from Mike, and then headed back to the Graveyard.