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Robert scours the library for anything of note - while it's quite bare, he does manage to find an empty parchment scroll, which is certainly valuable.
With the Beast dead and its cultists dispersed, you return to the wagon, with the note. While there's certainly more to this than you've uncovered, it seems that you've hit a dead end. With nothing more to do, you head back to Cassidia, the city in which the headquarters of the Silverblades are located. The trip is long and bumpy, but nothing of note happens as you return. When you enter the headquarters, Officer Pharrin is awaiting you. He escorts you to his office and bids you all to take a seat.
"Well, how did it go? Hopefully you didn't encounter too much resistance."
You give Pharrin the rundown of how the mission went, and he sits, silently listening. When you've finished telling your story, you give him the note, which he scours carefully.
"...Amazing... in your first mission, you slew a Beast! This is truly an achievement, considering the fact that we normally only send our more experienced agents to dispose of true Beasts... you've all done spectacularly. You have all proven your worth, undoubtedly so. Welcome to the Silverblades." Officer Pharrin's voice assumes a more somber tone as he continues. "Unfortunately, despite the success of your mission, we still need to deal with this whole situation regarding the note. While I know of no place called Blackard's Rise, I do know what the Champion's Crown is. I'll do my best to explain."
Pharrin clears his throat.
Ages ago, when the Beasts were sealed away by the First Hunter, all feared the possibility of their return, another incursion of unprecedented proportions. The old gods, their power waning and their fears growing, crafted a crown of great strength, an artifact capable of rendering its wearer with power over the lesser Beasts and their spawn. The gods themselves were unable to harness the power of the crown, so they bequeathed it upon a human champion of their choosing, the first Silverblade. The crown's power was able to send Beasts back to their realm, and banish them forever from ours. While the First Hunter had dealt with the most powerful among the Beasts, many lesser Beasts still walked the Earth. The Champion's Crown was used this way for ages, until the old gods gave it to someone with only selfish intent, a young and inexperienced artificier, his name lost in the ill-preserved annals of history. The new champion used the power of the crown to bend Beasts to his will, controlling them and using them as slaves. The old gods were enraged, but with their power all but gone, they could do nothing as the holder of the crown continued to experiment and test the limits of his power. It wasn't long until his thirst for power drove him to seek even more strength. He found that he was able to, with the strength of the Champion's Crown, absorb the power of the Beasts. He would rip out their hearts, and the vast power contained within such, and ingrain said power within his own being. He became far more powerful than any of the remaining Beasts, and the old gods were powerless as he continued to grow stronger. Nonetheless, they united against the false champion, hoping their collective power could overwhelm him.
The old gods fought bitterly, but to no avail. They were slaughtered, defeated handily by the false champion. Nonetheless, they managed one feat - they shattered the crown into five fragments, and distributed the fragments among those they trusted.
Pharrin sighs.
"There's more to the story, but as you may have been able to tell, it's partly myth and partly conjecture. Nonetheless, the crown itself is real. I'll have our best and brightest working on finding Blackard's Rise, for this is extremely important. In the meantime, I'll brief you on your next mission. I hate to give you so little time to recuperate, but innocent lives are on the line. Two day's travel to the North sits a town called Kirkwall. It's rather prosperous, as it's located in between two major trade hubs. Recently, there have been reports of an unknown large predator attacking locals and devouring livestock. While the townsfolk are mostly convinced it's a bear or cougar, we have reason to believe that Kirkwall has a werebeast running about - the creature strikes only at night, has never been clearly identified as any sort of predator, and leaves no carcasses behind. Furthermore, hunting parties organized by the town have turned up nothing. You'll have to kill this werebeast soon, for when there are no more livestock to be preyed upon, the creature will grow desperate and start attacking the townsfolk.
Oh, and one last thing - we'll be sending one of our apprentice blacksmiths with you. He's not had much combat experience, but we're hoping that he could learn alongside you. He should be of assistance."
Pharrin stands up and nods to you.
"Well, that's about it. Feel free to look over the armory and the training grounds. As Silverblades, these facilities are now at your disposal, to a degree. If you have any questions, just come see me here. I'd be glad to be of assistance. You can leave now, but make sure to report here again by sundown. I'll acquaint you with the aforementioned blacksmith and give you any new details about your mission."
You step outside of Pharrin's office, and take a look about. To your left sits the armory, while the training grounds should be down the corridor to your right. A hallway ahead leads outside to Cassidia's Grand Market, which is always full of life. Behind you is the hall that leads to the barracks and the infirmary. It's just after noon, so you have a bit of time before sundown.
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Topic: Silverblades (5/5, waitlist open) (Read 15868 times)