The Story of the Royal Herds

Bella and Bello
Long ago, before the great goddess Sara, two great herds traversed the mountains and meadows of North of North. One was led by the white mare Bella, and the other was led by the black stallion Bello. The two horses were knowledgeable and wise unlike any other creature in the land. One day, the two herds met for the first time.

The world was still as Bella and Bello approached each other and touched noses in greeting. A great northern wind rippled through the surroundings, setting into motion the great destiny of Bella, Bello, and the rest of North of North.

The Founders
Bella led her and Bello's herd for many years before she met the young goddess Sara. It was the first human Bella had seen, but she reared in greeting and let the youth touch her neck. In that moment, a burst of energy sparked between them, magically uplifting Bella and transforming Sara into the immortal goddess of horses. The two became instant friends and Sara swore to protect Bella and her kind forever.

In time, Sara uplifted Bello and gifted all the horses of their herd with magical gifts that suited their personality. Soon, ten beautiful foals were born to the herd: Airistos, Elemyn, Islandar, Moonfairy, Mustang, Pantheon, Shahazar, Starlight, Sunflower, and Valeryk.

Sara knew these foals were far too magnificent to exist in just one place and asked them if they would like to become great leaders like Bella. When the foals agreed, Sara used her magic to transform them into adults with great knowledge and wisdom and found each a mate who would be there for them like Bello had for Bella. Finally, Sara took out a map of North of North and helped each of the founders find a place to establish great herds of their own.

Sigga Rolanddotter
Sara and Bella soon discovered that there was an evil presence lurking in the shadows. Feral, a wicked sorceress who hungered for magic, saw the unparalleled magic of Bella's herd and kidnapped them, hoping to take their magic for herself. Sara managed to thwart Feral's plans, but the sorceress killed the goddess's parents in revenge. When Sara found out, she collapsed in a grief that lasted a hundred years. Bella went out to the surrounding villages and guided Mitka Rolanddotter and her daughter, Sigga to the weeping goddess. The two comforted Sara and welcomed her into their family of Caregivers, a group of women who traveled the land helping those in need.

Bella's herd followed Sara and were cared for by the Rolanddotter's and the Caregivers. When Mitka passed away, Sigga became the new leader of the sisterhood, but Feral had managed to cause discourse between the women and temped many into joining the her group of savage Wolf Riders. To combat again this new evil, Sara gifted the Caregiver's steeds with wings and formed The Valkyries with Sigga as their leader. Sigga used her powers as a Valkyrie to watch after the herds of North of North and gave each of the herd founders a magical pendant that would allow her to communicate with them whenever.

The Herd Patrons
At one point, Sara met the immortal storyteller, Fable and received The Patchwork, a book which told stories of the past, present and future. When she tossed one of these pages into a fire, the Legendary Horse, Fiona was born. Sara also used her magic to transform a statue embedded with precious jewels into another Legendary Horse, Jewel.

Elsewhere in the world, a massive thunderstorm gave birth to the stallion, Thunder. On Mount Olympus among the horses of Greek gods, a foal known as Nike was born and captured by a giant. Bella and Sara came to her rescue, and Sara, admiring Nike's bravery, made her a legendary horse.

These Legendary Horses traveled across North of North and used their extraordinary gifts to help the various herds of the land. Eventually, Fiona became the patron of Herd Shahazar, Jewel of Herd Islandar, Nike of Herd Airistos, and Thunder of Herd Valeryk. During Trail's End 100th anniversary, all of the Legendary Horses met at Teardrop Lake and learned that their destiny was to guide their herds in the hard times ahead.

Sigga's Banishment
As an immortal Valkyrie, Sigga swore not to interfere with the lives of mortals. However, she broke this rule when she fell in love with a mortal man and prevented his death. She was banished from North of North, despite Sara's pleading with the gods, and Feral took this opportunity to storm Rolandsgaard Castle in an attempt to seize the magical pendants of the herds. The herd founders defended the castle the best they could, but Airistos, Islandar, Shahazar, and Valeryk were all killed in the battle. Their pendants disappeared and Feral snuck away.

Terrified without the protection of the Valkyries, Herd Sunflower, Herd Moonfairy, and Herd Starlight sent their herds into hiding while Herd Mustang, Herd Elemyn, and Herd Pantheon scattered across the land. Only Herd Bellasara, Herd Airistos, Herd Islandar, Herd Shahazar, and Herd Valeryk remained with the Legendary Horses as their patrons. Now, the horses of the land await the return of a new Valkyrie, a descendant of Sigga, who will reunite the herds and restore the Valkyrie Sisterhood.