The old wizard bends down, leaning on his staff for support as he rifles through the rubble and ashes before him. A quick glance at the charred landscape that was once the Great Library of Agbendor shows the devastation left in the wake of the Second Great War, but Xue knows that underneath the ruins of the library, there is much to be salvaged. Not all has been lost to the machinations of the Dark Four and their Legions of Dark, and the Realm has already begun to rebuild.
Xue never wished to be the Master of Records for Agbendor, but it is a role that he has accepted knowing that there are few others remaining in the Convocation who could reasonably hold this title. The fact that he is the head of a library which no longer stands is not lost on him, but that simply means that the task ahead of him is one of rebuilding rather than governance. He is an old man, and he knows that this task will stretch beyond the years that he has left, but while he draws breath, this shall be his sole focus.
A gust of wind blows, kicking ashes into the air and forcing those working amongst the remains of Agbendor to close their eyes and cover their faces. Xue pulls his voluminous hood over his head and waits for the winds to die down. Once they do, the old wizard can see a blue-covered book that was hidden beneath the ash, but which has now been uncovered.
Xue reaches down and gently picks up the book, fearing that it may be damaged and wanting to ensure he does not damage it further by handling it. Thankfully, other than some charring along the edges of the cover, the volume looks to be intact. Xue wraps it in cloth and places it into the satchel at his side. He has found many books like this amidst the ashes of Agbendor, volumes which survived the assault from the Circle of Poxxus. They will be the foundation which the new library is built upon, the knowledge which will begin to grow until Agbendor is restored to its former status as the nexus of all learning in Mythoss.
The new Master of Records is not a fool. He knows that the road ahead is long and it will be many years before the lost knowledge of Ophidionn can be recovered or rewritten, but that is the task ahead for the Convocation.
Xue leans back in his chair and tries to get comfortable. While the Library and the Tower of Bassylia were destroyed in the Circle’s attack on Ophidionn, most of the buildings that made up the schools of magic survived. Many of those buildings have been repurposed, and this one has become a refuge for the surviving members of the Order of the Learned, the Convocation’s most accomplished masters and what remains of the faction’s leadership.
“What is that you have there?” a fellow Learned Master in the room asks Xue as he removes the blue-covered volume from his bag.
“A book which survived the fire,” the Master of Records replies as he opens to the first pages and finally begins to examine the volume more closely. “It seems to be tales from the First Age, specifically those collected from what would become Leandorr.”
“Not the most useful of histories from a purely magical perspective,” the other Master states. “But any knowledge recovered has value at this point.”
Xue nods as his company begins to pour a glass of red wine for himself.
“I see your bottles of Mercurian Red miraculously survived the war,” he muses.
“It is as if Bassyila herself protected them,” the Master answers. “And thank goodness for that, for with Mercurios in even worse shape than Ophidionn, who knows when the next vintage will be! Can I offer you a glass?”
“No no,” Xue says with a wave of his hand. “Save it for yourself and for others who enjoy it more than I do. Besides, I have a long night of reading ahead of me, so I will get to it.”
“As you wish,” the Master smiles, happy that he is not being forced to share from the rapidly dwindling supply of his favorite wine.
Xue looks back to his book and begins to flip the pages. The other Master exits the room, but Xue does not even notice as he quickly becomes engrossed in the recovered volume. He does find that the first few pages are a bit charred, but he can still read them, and the damage ends before the first tale contained in the book begins. It is a story he is familiar with, as are most in Mythoss, but which he has never read for himself. It is the story of Leandorr’s fabled “Blue Shield” and the incredible sacrifice they made during the First Great War.
Xue flips the page and begins to read.
My name is Wilheim Torrnshore and I am making this record on the orders of Sir Loricc of the Blue Shield. I was assigned to the Blue Shield to serve as a squire, but my skills as a chronicler were quickly discovered and I was instead asked to document the events of the battles as I saw them. I will do this task dutifully and I hope that future generations are able to read my words and learn more about the troubled times we find ourselves in right now.
As our name suggests, the Blue Shield has been tasked with providing protection for the rest of the Army of Leodysseus. The Divine Mother has called all her children to her as we fight back against the evil forces that have risen up in our Realm. Those forces are doing all in their power to prevent us from reaching the Mother, and the road has been fraught with danger. We have been attacked relentlessly by creatures that have become known as "orcs, ogres, and trolls", but most of the attacks have come from those that have been called "goblins".
These goblins are the smallest of the creatures that have aligned against us, but the number of them, and the sheer ferocity of their attacks, have been a horrible thing to bear witness to. I am not a knight, and I know now that my calling truly is behind a desk with a pen and paper rather than upon a battlefield with a sword and a shield in my hands. I look at the brave knights of the Blue Shield, and I see a sense of courage and resolve that eludes me. They do not hesitate as our enemies fall upon us. They do not slow or fall back, but rather they push ahead, refusing to lose ground to our enemies. These knights which I travel with are everything I am not, and all that I strive to be.
Xue begins to flip through the pages of the book. Much of it is a detailed account of the Blue Shield’s movements during the days of the First Great War. The author, Wilhelm Tornnshore, has done an admirable job of capturing the uncertainly of those early battles, back when the Impure were new to Mythoss and the denizens of the Realm were coming to terms with the horrors that had been set against them by the Dark Four’s armies.
The old wizard yawns. A day on his feet collecting whatever scraps of writing he could find and directing others in the recovery efforts has left him more drained than he cares to admit. He knows he will only be able to keep sleep at bay for a little while longer, and he turns now to look for the ending pages of the Blue Shield’s tale that he knows this volume must include. He finds it, and continues to read.
Leodysseus has taken the rest of the army ahead towards the centerpoint of Mythoss. We are told that this is where the Great Mother awaits her children and where our combined forces will make a stand against the evil creations of Helyos. As for us, the Blue Shield will provide cover and ensure that the rest of the army can advance quickly and without harassment from our enemies.
In the course of us providing protection to our forces, we have also discovered where the goblins are coming from and how they are able to move against us without us detecting their advance. They travel underground, using tunnels beneath our very feet to close the distance and ambush us when we are least prepared. Unfortunately, this discovery has also made us realize that we have seen only a small portion of the goblins’ forces. We have greatly underestimated their numbers, and we know now that we have no chance to keep them at bay for long. They will overwhelm us if they are allowed to keep coming, and so our course of action is all but decided for us.
The tunnels that the goblins have been using to hide their true numbers and launch their attacks on us have been part of their strength, but they can also be turned against them. This is what Sir Loricc has said in the plan he has laid out. Our commander has proposed that we travel into the goblins’ tunnels to engage our enemy there. Furthermore, he has suggested, knowing that we cannot win against their superior numbers, that we will collapse the tunnels upon our enemies to strike a decisive blow to them. This should cut off their means of escape or ability to attack our advancing army. It is a solid plan, but it is also one which must be accomplished from within the cave structure itself, which means we will also be trapped in the collapse with our enemies.
Sir Loricc has proposed this plan, which will be the end of the Blue Shield, but which will hopefully afford Leodysseus and his forces the time they need to meet with the other armies of the Great Mother. There are only a few dozen of us left at this point, and Sir Loricc asked every one of us individually if we wished to lay down our shield and walk away from this task. He said that there was no shame in doing so, yet not one knight took this offer. Every man and woman in the Blue Shield proudly bowed their head to Sir Loricc and repeated their oath to defend the Realm under the banner of the Great Lion.
I write this account as my final entry. Sir Loricc sought me out and told me I was not expected to join the others in their task. He said that my job was to record these deeds for future generations, so that they may know of the sacrifice of the Blue Shield, and that I was free to carry this account away with me and make my way to the rest of our army. I will admit, I was relieved to be absolved of the responsibility of joining the Blue Shield in what is certain to be their final act of bravery. Still, as I write these words, I find myself unable to imagine not joining the others in this task, regardless of the finality of this decision. I have stated clearly in this account that I am no knight. I barely even had time to be a squire, but I am a member of the Blue Shield. If this final act is a blow that we can strike against our enemies, I will do so with a sword and shield in my hands, alongside those who fight for the future of Mythoss.
I will place this account where it will hopefully be found in time. It will be well outside of the tunnels, so the collapse, if it is successful, will not bury it.
If this account is found, please remember us and what we do here this day. May the example of the Blue Shield give you the courage to do what must be done and the resolve to make even the greatest sacrifice for all that is right and good.
We shall be the shield that defends the Realm, and the sword that smites the enemies who dare to stand against it.
The next pages in the book are clearly written by another, as the change in tone is unmistakable. This volume is not the original one that Wilhelm Tornnshore carried with him during his travels with the Blue Shield. Rather, it is a retelling of this tale, presented alongside additional details gathered after the end of the First Great War, once the author’s book was found. The identity of this next author is not mentioned in the book, as their contribution is not as important as Wilhelm’s, but the final pages provide context to how this account impacts the Realm even today.
Xue turns a page and continues to read.
The account of the Blue Shield, as presented in this volume, has been transcribed in full from the original writings of Sir Wilhelm Tornnshore, a chronicler and former squire who was given the rank of Knight of Leandorr posthumously for his sacrifice and bravery during the First Great War. No changes have been made to the original text except for the spelling of “orks” and “trulls” to “orcs” and “trolls”, the later being the accepted spelling of these races after the First Age.
The Blue Shield’s plan did, indeed, work as intended, and the goblin army’s attacks were stopped when the tunnels they were using were collapsed. Sir Wilhelm Tornnshore’s accounts do not detail how this collapse was achieved and no definitive proof has arisen in the time since to answer this question. Popular theory is that magical means were used to accomplish this task. While no evidence exists that the Blue Shield counted magic users amongst their ranks, there is also nothing saying that they did not. Calls to excavate the area near where Sir Wilhelm's book was found have been resoundingly denied as the area is held as a place of honor and an active burial site for some of the Realm’s greatest heroes.
The story of the Blue Shield is told throughout Mythoss, and as one would expect it is most ardently revered within the kingdom of Leandorr, which was formed by the soldiers who fought under the banner of the Great Lion. Today, the second-in-command of that army is the lone soldier permitted to wear blue. This is done as a reminder of the Blue Shield’s sacrifice, and acknowledgement of the willingness of this second-in-command to do whatever is necessary for their king and kingdom.
As for the goblins who provide the great threat center of this tale, their defeat was unfortunately not a final one. While the sacrifice of the Blue Shield prevented those goblins from taking part in the final battles of the First Great War, we know now that their kind retreated deeper into the subterranean passages, eventually making their way to the Grayvein Mountains to establish what would become Gobhollow. The history of this Impure race can be found in subsequent volumes, including “The Malignancy of Gobhollow: a History of Mythoss’ Goblins” by Master Scrawwl.
Xue closes the book. The story is a familiar one, but reading the words of the original author has much more of an impact than simple retellings of the tale.
The new Master of Records for the Library of Agbendor cannot help but see similarities in the heroic deeds of the Blue Shield and those of the Convocation members who stood against the Circle of Poxxus during the attack on Ophidionn. Bravery in the face of so much evil and such seemingly overwhelming odds is worthy of note. This has clearly been proven by the longevity of the Blue Shield’s story many years after those soldiers had made their sacrifice.
Xue is tired, but he knows his work for the night is not done. He places the book on the table beside him as he reaches for some parchment and writing implements. There are stories that must be told from this modern age of Mythoss, tales of the Second Great War and of the heroes who fought in those battles. This is also part of his job as the Master of Records for Ophidionn. Not only must he try to salvage what he can of the library’s former knowledge, or work to replace what cannot be salvaged, he must also begin the arduous process of writing the new stories of the Realm. For those who will rule the Mythoss of tomorrow must know of the heroism and sacrifice that helped win the Second Great War, and which ended the rise of the Dark Four.
Xue dips a quill into an ink bottle and carefully presses it to the parchment before him. He begins to write…
The Second Great War is over. The Legions of Light have won, and yet, we have also lost so much. Those of us who remain now work to rebuild our shattered world, but to move forward, we must first record what has already come to pass.
One by one, the Dark Four were called back to Mythoss from where they had been banished since the First Age of the Realm, but as in that First Age, the heroes of Light refused to cower to these great evils. We fought against Arethyr, Illythia, Poxxus, and Necronominus. Let us look back now, for this shall be an account of those battles, and the story of the Rise of the Dark Four.
Published on 06.07.24