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Thank you. It's the summer of 976 CE, and in the muddy fields outside Munster, Ireland, the battle is about to begin. Brian Baru, a broad-chested, bearded, Irish clan leader, strides out onto the field.

The 35-year-old heavy armor makes every moment a strain, and his weapons only add to the weight.

In one hand, Brian carries a spear, and the other a battle axe. Brian is all too aware that both

will be stained with blood before the day is out.

He turns to face his soldiers.

Rather than address his men with words,

Brian simply lifts his giant axe above his head and roars like a beast.

His warriors respond in kind.

And moments after Brian's battle cry, the two armies charge at each

them, flying in an explosion of metal on metal. Ireland in the 10th century is a hotbed of

infighting and bloodshed. Competing clans and princes vie for power, and these rivalries have

been further complicated by the growing influence of outsiders, most notably Norsemen,

or the Vikings who have established permanent settlements of their own in Ireland.

Just a few months ago, Brian's brother was murdered on the orders of a Norse leader in Ireland,

Evar of Limerick.

But this killing would not have been possible without the help of Irish allies,

including Mal Mood, the king of Munster. It is Mal Mood who Brian desperately wants to

find on the battlefield today. And as the fighting begins, Brian forgets the weight of his armor

...