Exposition times! These pages do cover all but the last few sentences of the initial “universe” set up, although the prologue itsself has a little more story left to it.

Overhill - Prologue pg. 11-14
By: Asatira & Elfgrove

We sent ships to meet them. Our ships crashed themselves, attacked one another. Entire crews died before anyone could move to push a button, some with peaceful faces, some so frozen with looks of horror they barely seemed human anymore.

Our ships, those that made it far enough, were boarded by men and women of exceeding beauty with wings of gossamer or feather, with pointed ears or curling horns… Like their ships they were beautiful and terrible at once.

They rode things that were as akin to horses as you and I to a monkey. They came in all colors and shapes and sizes. Some breathed fire; some froze the ground with each step. There were monsters with them too. Trolls and redcaps, barghest and goblins.

But what frightened people the most were the high Sidhe. The elves, pixies, sirens and the like. They were heart-breakingly beautiful. And they smiled in their bright tunics and mail as they cut through men like butter with wicked-looking blades. The Sirens sang, and soldiers smiled and made love to them even as the Sirens ate them alive.

The world was helpless.

The two courts of the Sidhe, the Tuatha Dé Danann, had joined. Each Faerie-made ship had a Wild Hunt upon it.

Once, the Children of Danu had been the gods of Man. They meant to be so again.

Countries withdrew to their own borders, and still the Wild Hunts came. They took slaves and spared villages that swore loyalty, leaving the low Sidhe to enforce it. And after a time, as armies of the world gave up, and soldiers deserted to be with their families, some small hope appeared. Magic was not completely lost to Men. Word of wizards and sorceresses appearing filtered out. They would band together in defensible areas, trying to make a safe place for their families and neighbors. But as numerous Wild Hunts came, it proved to be too little. They were killed or forced to swear fealty, their powers bound and locked away.

What little hope that had been gained was quickly being lost… And as the last of the world was being conquered… The Eastern U.S., Australia, and Brazil were the last free areas of the modern world. One last chance appeared. Where the armies had given up, collections of the remaining free wizards gathered together in one last push.

Even today, most of us do not know how it was done, but each of the three remaining countries were able to strike a deal. And a kind of peace was achieved. The wizards set a leader, a Prime Minister of sorts and a council of wizards. They were in charge of running the country, protecting it, and keeping the deals that had been struck. In the US, or what remains of it, our leader was a young man by the name of Jonathan T. Smith.

The peace was struck on the day after the Winter Solstice of 2007.

Sort of a post-magical-apocalypse world.

Worth noting, Johnathan T. Smith is a character I’ve written out a little of his story elsewhere (his story is part of all the set up for Overhill—a prequel), and he might eventually make a direct appearance in Overhill.