Lord Gungzhon Cho was the Lord of the dukedom of Dunedin. He was a tall, thin man with a sour disposition and a habit of smoking weed. The servants at the Lion Castle said he wasn't right in the head. That was true in some way. But he was a man to be feared and his enemies knew better than to challenge him. He was so strange he refused to marry or have any relationship at all with a noblewoman. To his people, he protected and provided for them and so it was enough, but his councilors found it disturbing that a man of forty has no child to come after him. He was always in his office or the council room, smoking and listening to whatever was been said. However, whether by a fit of passion or something else, Lord Gungzhon managed to get a chambermaid pregnant. The woman was accused of lying and the councilors wanted her to hang. Lord Gungzhon had never showed affection to anyone and having carnal knowledge of the woman seemed then impossible. Lord Gungzhon however accepted the child to be his own, baffling the people once more and showing just how strange he really was. The boy was named Atreus and had shining blue locks like his mother. As he grew into maturity, his resemblance to Lord Gungzhon deepened and cast away any suspicion. To the councilors, he was the one they had been waiting for. To the people of Dunedin, he was their darling and to his father, a strong man. Atreus was gifted in so many ways that he could write poetry, play seven instruments perfectly, shoot with a bow like a professional archer but the skill that benefited his people more were his strategic mind and his prowess with the sword. As of that time, Dunedin paid taxes to the Emperor of Novkad as vassals but by the time Atreus turned sixteen, in the Blue Moon year of 257, Novkad was been torn apart by the invading horselords of Tangakia. The people were uncertain as to what to do. The Novkads were losing, but then they were a might empire. Atreus cut a deal with the Tangakians; he would attack the capital city of Inoi from behind and help them smash Novkad once and for all and in return, the horselords would never cross the Imperin Valley into Dunedin territory.
Everyone was afraid for the young projecting but he took 10,000 men forward and won the day for Dunedin. Novkad was crushed and the Tangakians ruled over the scorched empire. Atreus returned home, a winner and a victor. Lord Gungzhon became more talkative after that, praising his son and telling his councilors that the Cho blood was strong. At 17, the boy was put into the council as the adviser for war, security and strategy and the more time he spent there, the more he learnt and the more the people saw their future in him. Under his rule, Dunedin would be a great dukedom.
But even a great man has enemies, and the neighboring dukedom of Dodorak encroached on Dunedin territory, killing many people and burning two fortified towns. The message they sent to Lord Gungzhon was even more insulting.
"Come and take it back, you mute. Or send your bastard warrior."
War was unavoidable now and it was Atreus time to step up and take vengeance.