In the early days of Creation, when the Dark and the Light battled in the young Worlds, the conflict made great ructions in the primal forces of matter and spirit. In the darkest days of that Dawn War, as the armies of the Light found themselves besieged on all sides, elemental Earth and Fire threw up volcanic mountains around them that aided their defence against the attack. These became known as the mountains of Ignea, and ever after they came to define the borders of the realm that would be known as Heaven.
The mountains are dotted with well-garrisoned fortresses, the noble knights that guard them ever-vigilant against those Powers that would dare direct attack on the stronghold of the Light. Atop King’s Crag, the greatest of these fortresses is the Castle Striving, a sprawling, battle-scarred keep whose name means ‘conflict’ in the old tongue. From its battlements flies the standard of the Borderlands: Or, a lion rampant Gules, and above its drawbridge the motto ‘In Defens’.
The master of Castle Striving, commander of the Borderlands, and one of the great Kings of Heaven is Metatron, a majestic figure with a booming voice, gold and red wings and a shining bronze aura. He is ever accompanied by his faithful companion, the mighty lion Leo, with whom he is ever ready to leap into battle, axe raised, leading his troops in the defence of Heaven.
