It is the year 2122. A hundred years have passed since the Third World War. Those who were old enough time remember life as it was before the war described it as "tumultuous, rough, brutish, with individuals living in constant fear and suspicious of each other."

The political atmosphere were unstable, with the threat of a single spark having enormous proportions, with the ability to destroy the entire world order. And so it did. Scarcity of resources, overpopulation, poverty, hunger, famine, along with a greedy eye over other's lands and wealth, forced the beureaucrats out of their shells. A nuclear war had begun.

No country could simply stand by and watch. It was "destroy, or be destroyed." Asia, Europe and Australia made a stand against the US, Africa and South America. 4 years, 6 continents, 135 million dead. Countless others injured. Economies fell, families were torn apart, chaos and anarchy reigned. Nuclear warfare had not only claimed lives, but the planet as well. And as governments were at each other's throats, the domestic structure broke down. Civil war broke out. After the war, when the dust settled, when the soldiers returned, they found that they had no home to come back to. Apart from a free isolated convents of survivors, life was null.

Mankind, due to his own folly, had destroyed everything, himself and everything around him. Large areas were so badly radioactive that they became "Quarantined Zones." The powers-to-be realized their mistake, but it was too late. With the tools of modern civilization no longer to guide then, humanity resorted to the old, medieval, traditional methods of living. In the west, the US and South America, the aggressors in the World War and known for their ruthlessness, came together to form a reign of brutality and tyranny. They came to be known as the "Blood Empire."

The remnants of the surviving governments were concentrated along Western Europe. Like their American counterparts, they renamed their lands and territories. The whole territory where they resided came to be known as "Argentinum."

The model of monarchs and kings rose once again. Democracy was dead, but its essence remained with the remaining kingdoms. They are:

Ravenwood
Lorenthen
Blacktower
Crimson
Altaria
Argoroth

The kingdoms lived in peace and harmony, but always at conflict with the Blood Empire. The founding member of the kingdoms had agreed that should war ever find them again, they would stand united. Little did they know that there was a wolf among the sheep, someone in their midst who wouldn't hesitate to kill each and every one of them.

Life, it seems, is not without irony. They had prepared for all kinds of external assaults, but they never thought to look within their ranks. For if they had, all of the present calamity would have been avoided. Instead, today Argentinum has plunged into a state of darkness, demolition and ruthlessness. A tyrant sits upon the throne, while all light of hope has been snuffed out.

I guess that's where I have to step up.

My name is Slade Flameheart, exiled prince of Ravenwood, and this is my story.

I hope you like the story! Although this premise could have been a little better. It's to show the conditions of the period. Please don't forget to vote and comment. P.S. did you like the symbol at the start of the chapter?