// Manala: Equinox War(2026)

In the Northlands, two ancient forces have warred since the beginning: the Light and the Darkness. Neither has ever won. An ancient pact holds the balance, and by its terms only mortals may decide which side grows stronger in the year to come. You are one of the chosen. Each autumn equinox the elect warriors are called north, mustered to the battlefield by the Frog of the North, a colossal judge of iron and stone, older than humankind, whose heavy-lidded eyes see through every deception. Its altar stands at the ancient hillfort where both hosts come to hear its verdict. Swear to a camp - seafaring Vikings, cloistered brothers, mountain dwarves for the Light; orcs, shadow-elves, and lake-cursed zealots for the Darkness - and fight to tip the cycle. Death is no ending. When you fall, your soul crosses into Manala, the underworld, and the Innkeeper greets you at her threshold tavern before you return to the field. Fall in battle and the halls of Valhalla wait. From there you choose: back to war, or on to your own road.