I was thinking that players might enjoy a story “teaser” from the next chapter. Here’s the text of a book of lore found in Sanctum of the Archmage 3: The Miracle Worker, Act II — Mission to Rayche, titled “The Legend of the Defender.”

The Legend of the Defender

Many thousands of years ago, a great war between the Gods and the Demons came to the world. The Demons had opened a door from the realms of hell itself, and their armies threatened to overrun the earth. In those ancient times most of the world was wild and unsettled, with the exception of two great centers of civilization. These were the Kingdom of Nuracinth (now the Northern Plains), which was ruled by humans; and the realm of Eldacinth (now the lands of Elde and Carlissa), shared by the elves and faeries.

The world then was still under the active protection of the Gods, and the army of Heaven prepared to meet the Hordes of Hell in battle. The races of the time were asked to fulfill their oaths of obedience to the Gods and to stand beside them in the Great War. Although men have long forgotten them, the elves still remember The Faeries, who commanded powerful magic but refused the Gods’ call. They retreated to the land of Faerie, and wove the sparkling curtain around it to forever cut themselves off from the rest of the world.

The other races were afraid and hesitated to fight. The Demon Horde began to ravage their lands and many were killed, until the Goddess Tianth finally saw and took pity on their fears. She appeared to Calindra, a simple warrior woman from Rayche whose spirit was true to the Gods and filled with courage and faith in The Divine. She spoke words of hope to her, and gave to her The Shield of the Defender, allegedly forged from a shard of the goddess’ own heart.

Inspired, Calindra rallied the elves and men of the time to stand with the Army of Heaven, and they met the Horde in the heart of Nuracinth. The Kingdom was devastated by the war and remained barren for a thousand years, and even now only the hardiest of nomads can survive there. But the Army of Heaven prevailed, and Calindra — protected by the magic of the Shield — herself slew the Captain of the Horde. Thus the Demons were driven forever from the face of the earth.

Over the next thousand years the Gods left the world to return to the Heavens. Before they left, they established the Church of the Divine as a covenant with those who had shown their faith by standing with them in the Great War. They promised that they would always hear and answer the prayers of their clerics, who to this day wield the magic of the Divine in the Gods’ name. Because of this covenant, the races of men and elves have become known as The Children of the Gods, or simply The Children for short.

The Kingdom of men had been devastated by the Great Battle, and in its aftermath the rulers of the lesser realms that remained vied for dominance. Calindra had become a hero among The Children, and she tried to use her influence to help unite them into a new great kingdom. But the leaders and statesmen of Ancient Nuracinth were gone, and the rulers who remained were men of lesser stature. They tried to use Calindra to their own advantage, and to expand their power by drawing her into their petty wars and intrigues.

Dismayed, Calindra eventually left them to return to her homeland of Rayche, there to wander the countryside as an adventurer. She vanished from the knowledge of history, her final fate unknown, and the shield vanished with her. But according to the legend, it still lies somewhere in the world, in the last resting place of Calindra the Defender. And it waits for the day when its power will be called upon once again to strengthen the hearts of the people against a great evil.

Copyright 2010 by Anthony Donadio. All Rights Reserved.