The year is 885, and the Pegasi and Earth Pony nations of Mareidonum and Jutland are at war, with the much larger Mareidonum attempting to absorb the tiny but fiercely independent Jutland into its massive empire as a colony. The Pegasi are a snobbish and high race of winged Equines, with its well-fed and pompous citizens living comfortably in terraces built of shining marble and varnished hardwood, while the Earth Ponies are a tough and rugged race of strongly-bonded Equines. Practically a warrior-state, each colt of 10 years of age is required to own and be able to draw a longbow of considerable draw weight while each stallion earning more than four hundred bits a year is required by the High King of Jutland to own and to be highly proficient in sword, spear, axe and shield. We will see the clash of these two races in a long and bitter war, also recognised by many to be the making of Jutland, through the eyes of Ragnarson, an Earth Pony warrior and Bjorn, a travelling hunter and bard.