In a land far from our own, in the mists of legend and myth exists a mighty kingdom. Heartland. It is said in legends that over a thousand years ago a knight led his army to these lands past tall mountains, abandoning a war without purpose or reason. There by a lake they founded a settlement, but were unsure what to call it. As they built and toiled an odd thing happened. A group of women had trailed after them. Some bore their children, also escaping the war and had, unknowingly, settled nearby trying to make a new life for themselves, independent of warring men. The two groups learned of each other but did not cooperate; the women wanted nothing to do with the warriors and the solders didn't feel the civilians worth their time. However as time went on both sides had troubles. The men could hunt, fish, farm and build, but lacked the knowledge to knit and sew clothes, or find the best herbs and roots for medicine. The women had several among them that could knit and sew, and a number that could find herbs and roots and turn them into salves and medicine, but their ability to gather berries wasn't enough; none could hunt, few could trap or fish and they had no tools to farm with. Soon members of both sides began to notice their flaws. And soon members, without permission from their leaders, began to trade supplies and knowledge. Clothes and medicine for food and tools. As one might expect the leaders of these groups learned of these trades. The knight did not mind; problems were being solved and that's what mattered. The matron of the women was furious, however. She was irate that they had traded at all with the war mongers and demanded that all trade stop or she would exile dissenters. This did not quell rebellion in her ranks. Instead it caused desertion as women left for the soldier's camp. One by one, then in twos, then threes then mores left to join the men in their camp. Until only a few followed the matron still... And then those too abandoned her. As the two groups became one whole they began to discuss what rules and laws would be followed. Among which was a central principle of Heartland's ideals; The masculine and the feminine are different and unique, but equal. With one's weaknesses countered by the others strengths, making for humans a greater whole. As they began to form a society of justice and fairness other men and women heard of these pilgrims to peace and followed suit. Soon the camp grew to a town. Then a city. Then more towns and cities came to be. Men of arms and magic, culture and skill, talent and knowledge. Some brought nothing, others tools, others books and others supplies of any sort. The knight and the first deserter, the new matron, decided to lead these people. They became King and Queen and took the family name of what they would call this land. It was their Heartland. As for the bitter, old matron? No one knows. Some say she wandered into the woods or back the way she came and died. Others say she lived in a hut until her days ended. Some others claim a wild animal savaged her. But most agree her ghost might haunt the women of the land, seeing them as traitors as tales of Mean Matron Mary spread about the world...
 Thirty years after the founding the fledgling kingdom had grown. Hightower City had been founded and villages and towns had sprung up between it and the new capital. Immigrants from across the southern and eastern seas came in and joined them. The promise of a new life, a new freedom was lure enough to bring in those who sought peace. But where man goes, war follows... The nations to the west finished their wars, carving up territories won, coveting territories missed, swearing to regain territories lost. One empire turned their eyes to the fledgling kingdom. They had known of the deserters and had wanted to give chase but needed their men for the battles at hand. With the war over their war-weary but hardened men marched to take Heartland. Scouts spotted them three weeks before arrival. King Dominic Heartland and his Queen Alexandria, daughter of the first king and queen, raised what armies they could to counter the oncoming force of nine thousand men. However they were only able to raise three thousand men-at-arms (Including women), three hundred cavalry, one hundred seven magicians, eleven hundred archers and one hundred knights. Outnumbered over two to one they never the less got ready to march out and take the field. Leading the army was General Juno Cless. It seemed to be a hopeless fight... Then fate intervened. A storm whipped up atop the imperial troops, forcing their march to a crawl before being forced to make camp. When Cless came upon them it was as the storm was lifting, in a forest clearing. Seeing an opportunity she came up with a plan. Using lightly armored archers and magicians with light infantry she made a sudden, hard attack on the unsuspecting troops. By the time they recovered Cless' troops were in retreat. Angered they gave chase into a nearby pass... And trapped. Heavier troops met the charging imperials in the pass. More archers and magic uses rained death from above. And then troops were moved in from behind, surrounding them and cutting them off from retreat. Cless lost nine hundred thirty men and women. The imperials were slaughtered to the man. Once the imperials learned of their defeat the emperor was furious. He vowed to break Heartland. General Cless, meanwhile, knew that taking this empire head-on would doom Heartland; it's strength still weak. They raised two thousand more troops over the course of four months, expecting a new attack. Eventually she came up with a plan. She hired Mouse, a figure with no other known name to historians. She was hired as a spy and seductress; to go out and goad the empire's enemies to attack while it was sending troops to Heartland. The plan was to have a side more willing to ally with the small kingdom attack and decimate their foes while they were marching east. As the build up continued a wooded palisade at what would be the far west of their territory, dubbed Fort Blaine after a commander who died in the first battle. As they readied to brace for the on coming storm, Mouse did her job, convincing two smaller nations to ally and attack once word came of the marching armies. Seven months from the first fight the Battle of Fort Blaine began. A near six thousand defenders against a mass of eleven thousand imperial attackers. With half her forces in the fort defending, Cless led the other half in hit-and-run attacks on the imperials, attacking supply convoys, scouts and hunting parties. As the attackers lost supplies and numbers to the guerrilla attacks the imperial commander made one last, heavy push into the fort. After a twelve hour fight the fort's wall broke... But by then Cless' forces attacked in full, the imperial troops sandwiched between the fort defenders and Cless' raiders. The losses were horrible; two thousand, two hundred lost for Heartland and nine thousand attackers dead; what was left were either caught or fled. As for the empire it was decimated. While it survived the allied attack it lost over half it's territory. Over the course of the next seven years it weakened until it finally collapsed, divided between the two allies. Thus ended the Western War. While many of the troops disbanded in the two years following the Battle of Fort Blaine many more remained. The Fort was kept in operation, wooded logs replaced with stone and mortar. Juno Cless was promoted to Duchess and given Hightower to rule over; King Heartland renaming her Juno Cless Hightower; Hero of the West. Her statue still stands proudly in the town square of Hightower City As news spread of the victory of Heartland over the invaders immigration soared. With knowledge that the kingdom could defend itself many felt safer in coming to the new land. Forts Victor and and Defender were founded in the next five years. Earthbound City and Coast City (Renamed Goldenport fifty years after it's founding) in the following fifteen years. Over the next hundred years, the cities of Champion, Whitedawn, Silverblade and Jubilee City (Modern day Skylander City) were founded. Ports Waker came to life from a small fishing village to a port of trade and commerce... Despite the challenges that Heartland has faced, one thousand years later it still stands. Kings and Queens have come and gone, but the city the first have founded stands today. They have become a major power player in the world and stands ready to defend itself and it's citizens.
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