The day was dawning on the second Sunday of December, 131 C.E. For many, this would be their last day in Jerusalem; by sunset, not one of these would remain. During the night, alarming news had come to their attention: The Roman emperor Hadrian had kept his promise, and the huge statue of Jupiter was now standing upon the site of the former Jewish Temple.
Meanwhile, outside the Holy City, the Jews were gathering to finalize their plans for a revolt against their Roman oppressors. Hadrian had gone too far. Soon the nation of Israel would rise up under the command of Shime'on ben Kosiba, known as Bar Kochba, "Son of the Star," hailed by many as the long-awaited Messiah.
On one side of this conflict was the fearsome might of the Roman Empire, a vast, disciplined army led by the Emperor himself. On the other side was the small nation of Israel, whose leaders included the ancient and charismatic rabbi Akiba ben Joseph. He was the religious leader of the Jews and famed Kabbalistic master, a man of such miraculous powers as to call fire down from heaven; and Shime'on Bar Kochba, the energetic and capable new Messiah, rumored to possess superhuman strength and supernatural abilities.
Caught in the middle was the Jewish sect known as the Nazarenes, or Christians, who interpreted these recent events as a fulfillment of Jesus' prophecies predicting the "End Times". There to see it all and record these events for posterity, the Bard of Pendragon, the main character. He is also known as Flavius Boadicus (also known as Gaelbyrth Macus Aldynn).