The Empire prevails.

The Varden lay weak and battered, retreating to the last of their defenses. Beneath the wrath of the Dragonriders they could do little more than crumble, fleeing the battlefield in defeat, dead comrades, friends, brothers, left behind.

The Varden is dying.

The fight to end the evil reign is near ended. The rebels have little hope left, save for the few that still battle on, despite the odds. The Empire possess Dragonriders, and with them, dragon eggs. Their only chance locked away beneath their enemy's greatest fortress, and with it, their hope.

Hope is near lost.

In fiction there are happy endings. But in Alagaesia there are limits. There are the odds, which lay heavily against them. The Empire fights for control over Alagaesia, and the Varden now has little control, their losses mounting.

All wonder. Can evil triumph over good?

Nostalgia.