The land has been ravaged by plagues and disasters. The King is not made of the same stuff as his ancestors and has been unable lessen the suffering of the people. Of late he has come under the influence of a grim sect of priests.
On the advice of this brotherhood the King has ordered each Earl to provide a number of youths to be sacrificed on behalf of the Kingdom. Knowing that to refuse the King would have brought ruin to his lands and people, Earl Elendil made a bold plan. He had the King's herald locked in a cell and loaded every soul in his lands onto ships and sailed to the West, seeking the lands that the elves had fled to after the Great War.
And they did find the land to the West, but they saw no sign of the Elves. With supplies nearly gone, the fleet began looking for a safe anchorage. They approached an island at the mouth of a river and lo, one of the look-outs spotted what appeared to be the remains of a tower.
