Premise (first book)

Alpey is an island kingdom; it is not initially clear to the reader exactly where it is situated, or what other lands may be nearby. Chance, who to some extent represents the reader, travels there magically and sees only Albian at first.

Alpey is loosely based, geographically, on both France and England; it has more the size of England, and is an island, but has more the terrain and climate of France.

Alpey is populated with people whom Chance thinks of as Elves, although they do not call themselves that. There are different types of Elves, both in Alpey itself and, as we will later discover, in outlying lands; however, in the first book [trilogy?], only the main type found in Alpey, whom Chance thinks of as "High Elves", will be featured.

The politics of Alpey have been in the past a sort of feudalistic bonhomie united under a War Leader, but currently are in a state reminiscent of the French Revolution. The ruling class has become corrupted by an outside force (the Shadow), whose denizens are normally non-corporeal and so difficult to fight, never mind defeat. The War Leader, originally holding out against the Shadow, has capitulated and allied himself with them. The Leader's former lieutenant, remaining opposed to the Shadow, has gathered others of the military to his cause, but they are losing. The Revolutionary Leader sends an envoy to look for help, and that is where Chance comes into the story.