Introduction -

Jarlsland; A nation tortured by the in-drawn breath of insurrection. A court racked by suspicion and superstition. A rebellion, nascent and vulnerable.

Then came the Babayaga.

The crone, the hag, a shade from a past some had honestly tried to forget. Emerging from the Jarlswood, she sweeps across the land, invulnerable, a thing of nightmares. Heralded by the midnight - crack, pop - from her devilish house on avian legs. Neither nobility or common folk dare to openly oppose her enigmatic agenda. What Baba wants, Baba gets. When the Babayaga plucks the strings of the nation, everyone dances a marionette’s jig to her tune. If they stray too far, she will cut those threads and noble houses will fall.

A hostage from every house, demands the Baba. Apprentices in helping her mix her noxious tinctures and propagate her malign influence. All the while, the banners are raised in revolt. What does the Baba want? Why emerge from the Jarlswood now? And on the eve of a civil war no less... Amidst a nation gripped by fear, who submits to a fate, pre-drawn? And who dares move against the Babayaga?