Synopsis
Kyn takes place in Heimr, a complex and lively place. Heimr is inhabited by various intelligent species, mainly the humans, the Aeshir, the Giants and the Dracon. The Giants have a very strict, closed society and are not often seen. The Dracon prefer to live in remote areas and are less than welcoming to unannounced visitors. The humans and Aeshir however have coexisted peacefully for hundreds of years.
While magic abilities are second nature to the Aeshir, the humans don’t have any natural magical abilities to speak of. Humans only gain magical abilities by being exposed to gems that radiate magical power (Magni). This energy slowly imbues humans with magical abilities, but the transformation takes months and is physically demanding and often life-threatening. Because of this, only highly trained, strong warriors undergo the ritual and Magni users are held in high regard by other humans.
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When Kyn starts Alrik and Bram, the first two playable characters, have just gone through this Magni ritual in a sacred cave near their hometown Vinborg. They have been locked in this cave for months, oblivious to the outside world, and now need to make their way back home. Having completed this ritual they become novice Magni warriors, capable of using some magical powers like reviving the recently deceased, healing, and using various magical attacks. Their powers will only increase as their magical experience grows and their bodies get used to their new found Magni powers.
One of the big challenges for humans and the Aeshir has been that they have no common language. Because of this there are no treaties between the humans and Aeshir, and up until now they often just coexisted, usually leaving each other in peace.
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Humans often view the Aeshir as inferior since they seem incapable of speech and further technological advancement. On more than one occasion humans have treated the Aeshir badly, sometimes forcing the Aeshir off their lands and in some cities the Aeshir are traded as slaves. Up until now, it has not been in the Aeshir’s nature to retaliate, but a strange disease is affecting them that changes the normally docile race into very aggressive fighters.
The Aeshir don’t have siege weapons or strong metal armor like the humans, but the Aeshir have various magical powers that makes them a serious threat for example, they can use bones to form Sketar, undead creatures that do their bidding. The Aeshir can also heal each other instantly or use frost magic to freeze their foes.
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The humans have grown accustomed to ruling the land without friction and they are unsure how to deal with the Aeshir crisis. As Alrik and Bram make their way back to Vinborg, humans are capturing healthy Aeshir to prevent the disease from spreading further. When Alrik and Bram arrive in their hometown Vinborg they meet up with the village leader Noma, and her counselor, Gizur.
Noma thinks the Aeshir are after the sacred “Tri stones” or “Tris”. According to legend, these Tris were once used to open a gateway to a godly realm.
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The Tri stones are in Vinborg, Greenport and Jorvik and are objects of worship. When the game begins, the Aeshir have already taken the Tri in Greenport. Greenport used to be a powerful port city, but the Aeshir completely leveled it. What’s even more frightening is that the Aeshir were very organized in their attack, and a powerful Aeshir witch was leading them. This leader seems to play a central role in the Aeshir uprising.
Noma wants to figure out why the Aeshir would be interested in the Tris by sending Alrik and Bram to the old temples and ruins in the land for information about the Tri’s origins. But since there has never really been a need to train many warriors up until this moment in time this would leave Vinborg without Magni warriors.
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Gizur, the counselor on the other hand thinks they need every available warrior to defend Vinborg and its allies. Vinborg is slowly changing as more refugees arrive and the Aeshir threat continues to grow. The relationship between Noma and Gizur becomes increasingly strained.
It is up to the player to grow his group of Magni warriors, find out what caused the Aeshir change and uprising and to see if it can be stopped. What roles do the Tris play in all of this, and why are the Aeshir after them? Can the player prevent Vinborg from being torn apart by war and internal struggle?
