The Admission Letter - Algus Cromwell

19 First Seed, 91AN - 19 First Seed, 91AN (??)

To: Admissions Council, Ouroboros University

Salutations! My name is Algus Cromwell, or simply Cromwell. I am writing to you in order to gain admissions into your History, Archives, and Public Records program at the College. I will be seeking the terminal degree, the Letter of Humanities as well as to be awarded the Medal of the Vale upon completion of my degree. I know it is quite presumptuous and unusual for one to mention such a thing in an admissions application. However, and of this I can assure you, it is only the beginning of such oddities. You see, I would not be writing this letter if I did not feel confident in my abilities and subsequent proposal. I have taken the liberty, over the past few years to conduct primary and secondary interviews, collect source documents, and compile the greatest story of our time. I am, of course, referring to the tale of how things came to be as they are, with our new lords and ladies, and how a little known band of motley, rag-tag adventurers came to be the greatest heroes, or villains as some might say, of our time. This story, after I am finished, will undoubtedly earn me not only the Letter of Humanities and Medal of the Vale, but I imagine you’ll offer me a professorship in the college, but you will be among many competing offers, so I urge you not to let vanity or pride get in the way of such an opportunity. Now, with no further grandstanding, I will direct you to the attached documents.

This is the story of the Heroes of the Vale.

Introduction:  The Story So Far

I will address what we know, what everyone knows, in a brief manner.

After the Conquest of the Nentir Vale and the Liberation of the Thunderspire in 90AN by the Heroes and their Golden Horde, the strands of fate, if they hadn’t by now, most certainly took notice. Vizerys, then apprentice to Neomozordun the Green, began having prophetic visions; while then Ivgaar the Plunderer was branded by the heavens in the name of his god, Kavaki the Ram Lord. They journeyed to a transient and mystic location deep within the Winterbole forest, now known to be the Pyramid of Shadows – a name that strikes fear into the heart of those who know its history and horrors. They encountered a variety of monstrosities within the Pyramid. They set out and displaced the forces of the Charnal Lord, a demonic faction that occupied part of the Pyramid. Then, they entered the outskirts of the Arborean Territory. It is there they encountered Arauka, a wondering monk of sorts who became an ally of convenience, and then came to play a more important role in times to come. They continued with their destruction of the Charnal Lord’s forces, finishing them off quickly and pressed against the Bandits controlled by Grahash Vren. Arauka informed them of the warring factions and how one would come to control parts or all of the Pyramid of Shadows. Little did she know she had revealed details which would become critical to the fate of our world.

Chapter 1: Bandits

After displacing a great portion of the bandit forces and destroying a werewolf, the Heroes set their site on finishing the remainder of these lowly knaves. Such a thing, however, was not easy. As they pushed forward, the Heroes encountered an unexpected area: a hall and a chapel. This hall, adorned with religious symbols carvings, and statues to holy and virtuous beings, was unlike the shambling of bandit territory that surrounded it. The Heroes approached with caution, questioning the responsive but repetitive statues, whose only tale was over their captive and kind servant, how she was being held against her will in the chapel. In the Chapel, our Heroes came upon the lady in question. She pleaded with them, said that devils would appear if she tried to leave, that a magical barrier had kept her there for weeks. They reacted with curiosity, suspicion, and compassion. With sound mind and reason, they attempted to verify her story with the known workings of magic, history, and what they knew about the temple. They debated about solutions: rescue by brute force. Simply provoke the summoning of the devils, crush them, and liberate the poor, unfortunate woman. Others wondered about a more peaceful route: could they dispel the enchantment, thereby freeing the girl but not alerting additional adversaries? While some, out of suspicion, argued for abandoning the girl. Arauka sensed a trap. An excerpt from Ivgaar’s journal is telling of the circumstances.

“I respect my comrades in arms. Mostly because they are fair minded and stalwart. However, on this day, as we debated on the rescuing of an innocent girl, I am reminded of how they frustrate me. So many points of view, so many ideas and theories, all as complex as the next, with no one deciding on what to do. We have proven ourselves warriors and champions again and again, yet when we are faced with another adversary, we look for ways to avoid it? If Kavaki were watching, he would hold his head in shame upon us. We cannot shy away from a fight, even if it is not convenient or efficient. In the end, we attempted to disable the warding, and ultimately provoked the adversaries anyway. They fell quickly, as I anticipated, to the might of my comrades. The Dragonslayer proved worthy of his namesake yet again. I just wish we hadn’t debated about it so much first.

The girl in the chapel proved to be less innocent than we thought. . .”

However, before this harrowing bit of the tale took place, intrigue set in! Vyrellis, the talking elven head who had tasked the Heroes with assembling the pieces of her own soul and defeating Karavakos, her fated lover, informed them a piece of her was in that very chapel but she did not know where. With some time and effort, Velkyn the Locksinger, and Vizerys the Wizard, discovered a hidden room, and within that room, a complex lockbox which held a piece of Vyrellis’ soul. There is some debate about whether or not the lockbox was mystically protected. In an interview, Velkyn the Locksinger protested,

“That damn thing was magical, I tell you! It had carvings and runes, not to mention a complex locking mechanism. I had that foolish wizard, Vizerys, look over it and he said he couldn’t detect anything. He’d been wrong before. Hell, he couldn’t even break the ward on that chapel correctly. Got us into a bunch of trouble. If he’d been a female wizard, I imagine he would have done better – caught the magic the first time, and not fumbled on dispelling the ward – releasing that crazy winged creature into the Pyramid! And he got charmed by the thing, to boot.

Got us into a whole bunch of trouble. . .”

Yes, as it turned out, not everything was as it seemed. After the devils were defeated and the ward severed, the lonely girl in the chapel revealed herself to be a succubus! A great, powerful, winged devil! She placed a charm on the wizard Vizerys and vanished. She would reappear at a later time. The statues in the hall turned into faces of darkness and evil, and the makeup of the entire area followed suit. The Heroes had been duped. “I was right! I was right not to trust her. But, nobody listened to me.” -- Aruaka.

The heroes pressed on past the chapel into more bandit territory, which resumed its usual shape and likeness. They happened upon a perplexing room of levers and mirrors. They had a most advantageous position, and were able to use the levers and mirrors to their betterment. The mirrors were looking glasses, and allowed them to see into a hallway and another room. Velkyn took charge of the puzzle before them. With the right sequence of levers, people could be transported from the hallway into the room, and then set aflame! Oh goodness, what a thing to have. The Bandits found themselves outmatched in strength and in cunning. One landed in the room, burned to a cinder. The others were dealt with by an advancing line of Ivgaar, Rasic, Aruaka, and Velkyn, who was slightly singed by a mishap with the fire room.

With that taken care of, they set their sights on the last bastion of banditry in the in Pyramid of Shadows: Gharash Vren and his merry men....