Amidst chaos and destruction, a young man, burdened with a terminal illness, and a wise playwright, alone in the world, form an unlikely alliance as war breaks out.

SYNOPSIS:

The episode opens with Olivær the Knowing, a human scholar respected among the elves, recounting the historic rift between mankind and the elven race: the Etoasi. Though humanity has since flourished, Olivær fears mankind is destined to destroy itself. Returning from the Emerald Island, the home of the exiled elves, Olivær is summoned to the throne room of Mendalir, where King Reginald II commissions him to write a play in honour of his golden anniversary.

In the neighbouring kingdom of Dorilia, King Morallin is tormented by prophetic voices each night. He soon grows convinced that only by uniting mankind can he prevent a foretold catastrophe. Morallin begins to secretly prepare for war against Mendalir, believing force is the only path to saving humanity from itself. Rallying his advisors and military, he sets his plan in motion, intending to strike at Mendalir when they least expect it.

As this political storm brews, Tomlin McIntyre, a sickly 15-year-old boy from the rural village of Aredston, leaves home to explore the world before death takes him from it. Along the way, he meets Mary, a streetwise girl from Windsway, and the two form an unlikely bond as they navigate a land soon to be consumed by war.

Meanwhile, deep within the mines of the Iron Pass, Nysri Mindøttir, a young dwarven girl, makes a shocking discovery: a glowing gemstone that triggers a deadly kinetic explosion. The incident stirs unrest among the dwarves and sets Nysri on a path that promises to reshape the world.

The tension between Dorilia and Mendalir finally reaches its peak when King Morallin, driven to the edge by the voices in his head, launches a devastating attack on The Pale City, Mendalir’s shining southern cornerstone. Dorilian soldiers raze the city to the ground, slaughtering its people and reducing it to smouldering, bloody ruins. Amidst the chaos, Olivær witnesses the destruction first-hand, horrified as the war he feared begins before his very eyes.

The episode closes with a montage showing where everyone stands at the dawn of this war, setting the stage for an epic struggle between the Children of Iron—the men of this world.

CHILDREN OF IRON