Funbag Fantasy 4: Brother Astor

Medieval society was divided into three orders: the men of prayer, the men of war, and the men of the plow. The Kingdom of Litovia, located in East-Central Eurodia, was bordered by two powers: the northerly Kingdom of Armekia, and the Confederation of Minotaur Tribes in the Labyrinth Forest, both of which put great pressure on Litovia. As the humans began clearing land for civilization, raids and pillages by the minotaurs increased. The Kingdom of Litovia attempted to subjugate the minotaurs with force, but suffered a great defeat... and despite efforts at reconciliation, raids and pillages continued. The Litovians also proposed an alliance against the minotaurs with its northern neighbor, the Kingdom of Armekia, but the answer that came back was an overbearing one. "We'll help you if the queen of Litovia becomes my wife." Such a marriage would mean that the nation of Litovia would have to collectively convert from the Church of the Eastern Rood to the Church of the Holy Rood. The Litovians could not accept this. Moreover, due to the minotaur raids, Litovian military strength in its border regions was greatly reduced, forcing the queen of Litovia to make a painful choice as to whether to tax her subjects to the bone and buy peace with money... or to reinforce the border garrisons, despite the lack of available manpower. Therefore, she turned to a last and most desperate resort, ordering the monasteries near the border to organize their own garrisons to defend themselves. One of the monasteries that received this order was called Berensch, and among the monks who lived there was our protagonist, Astor.