The Song of Halav

Temple of the Shield

(transcriptions from the Hail the Heroes Audio Adventure CD)

"So Arto and I continued to walk some distance south of Zadreth where, eventually, we came upon a cave entrance. To our right stood a formation of rocks that reminded me of a nesting of huge eggs. The cave entrance possessed an odd overhang like the beak of an eagle. And the rest of my stay was quite exciting and invigorating as well as I debated various interpretations on the Song of Halav with the priests of the Temple of the Shield . . ."
"As I Journey: the Tale of a Rural Preacher"
by Blynos Kivinivich

"And as I scoured out the countryside in search of new types of birds, I was struck by the natural beauty of the area. The sun glinted off the lake to the north, and there was a most interesting arrangement of peaks to the west making it look as if a snake were poking its head up. Just to the left was a natural formation that looked like rabbit's ears perked up in alarm at the snake . . ."
"The Life of the Black Peaks"
by Katarine Mulopolus

"As we strolled, we discussed the dedication of Queen Petra. Quite without realizing it, I led us past the tapestry to the Room of the Pool where we refreshed ourselves before continuing our lively discourse. The pool, fed by a crystal clear, underground spring, provided wonderfully fresh water for the acolytes of the Temple of the Shield. We walked around the pool in a wide, clear apron as we continued our debate . . ."
"As I Journey: the Tale of a Rural Preacher"
by Blynos Kivinivich

"How well I remember my own visit to the Room of the Dragon in the great Temple of the Shield. I was making the brilliant analogy of comparing a congregation to a garden when we entered the Room of the Guardians and went past the entrance to the Shield Room. As we strolled through the archway beneath the bas-relief of a lovely carved dragon, Arto heartily agreed with the appropriateness of my metaphor. As we paused in awe to look upon the great dragon and bask in its sublime wisdom, I could not help but note how easy it would be for someone unkind or unknowing to casually pluck a member from a congregation . . ."
"Reminiscences from a Life Well-Spent"
by Blynos Kivinivich

"Built more than a thousand years ago, these ruins lay by a small lake. Later inhabitants, human inhabitants, built the small village called Zadreth. East from Zadreth ran an Unfinished Path, much like the mysterious Unfinished Path of the ruins near Lin in Alphatia. Like that other Unfinished Path, the one in Zadreth ran towards the southern mountains, confirming the fascination of man's best-left unmentioned predecessors with jagged ranges of tall peaks. One old man I met claimed to have lived in Zadreth, and related a tale of some antiquity that said the Unfinished Path pointed towards a holy place in a cave beneath the mountains. Obviously, this had been passed down from generation to generation, constantly retold from man's predecessors to the earliest, eldest inhabitants . . ."
"Mysteries of the Grand Duchy"
by Zarno Morescu

". . . and I heard many such tales. Few know the Duke's Road once continued a few leagues to the east across the river and into the mountains. If one looked sharply one can find the almost hidden road to a grouping of foundations that make a long-abandoned village. Unlike ruins on the west shore of Lake Windrush, these cluster around a central square. I only visited these ruins once, finding the wildlife in the area quite mundane . . ."
untitled scroll
unknown author
(most likely Katarine Mulopolus)

"From the east, down from the Wufwolds, the small village of Threshold seemed friendly enough, but we had come from the wrong side. Peasants stared at us, and when I nodded to some, only one nodded back - and that one looked reluctant. Six wooden buildings circled the center of town with no more than a dozen huts surrounding them. There were two taverns, which made me wary. Two drinking establishments in one tiny village meant a community divided . . ."
"The Dragon's Tomb"
by Johauna Menhir

"And then we come to the matter of Zadreth as mentioned in my earlier work 'Mysteries of the Grand Duchy'. How I wish I could have been there to halt the founding of Threshold over those ancient ruins. Not only did the new construction destroy most of the ruins of Zadreth, but the famous Unfinished Path was obliterated. I do not claim skeptics purposely eradicated evidence, but when proof of my theories has been eliminated by other hands . . ."
"In Defense of My Theories"
by Zarno Morescu

"Pausing between trips, I rested in Threshold - a dreary town built upon the equally dreary ruins of Lugsid. There I was subjected to the usual meaningless blather of the townsfolk. Oh imagine how I wept at the lamentations of a noble group of adventurers who were hindered at their high minded attempts to loot and vandalize the region. And how my heart was rendered by the tragic tales of the courageous heroes who are unable to slaughter defenseless animals. All of this I took in stride, but what really horrified me was when the town fathers proudly told me of their plans to start a logging operation . . ."
"Return to the Black Peaks"
by Katarine Mulopolus

"They told me they were considering the construction of a path of stone to lead from the village to the Temple of the Shield. We followed the existing dirt path into the rising sun, coming across a bubbling brook after a few moments walk - so we turned south to trace it back to its source. Near the lovely waterfall that fed the brook, we came upon a small wooden bridge. We crossed the bridge and began heading east again. As we neared the entrance of the Temple, I felt compelled to share with Arto my own theories regarding the authenticity of the Song of Halav. As I sketched out my arguments, I noticed several of the huskier acolytes approaching me with a large quantity of tar and feathers . . ."
"Ramblings of an Old Cleric"
by Blynos Kivinivich

"So we spent the night in the small village of Zadreth and then traveled toward Lugsid at first light. The journey was short and despite some delays we reached Lugsid by late afternoon. The village held only about a half dozen buildings, which formed a circle around the town center. Though there was room at the town's inn, we decided we should keep riding as long as possible and look for a campsite along the trail . . ."
untitled journal
by Hansig Kavor

"Even school children know the Temple of the Shield was once a stronghold of mankind's most unspeakable predecessors. Most people even know that wretched race could enslave dragons. But few people know they had powerful magic that could bind the great reptiles to their wills and even turn dragons to stone while leaving them alive! Now, I will tell you something no one knows: The Lost Temple holds one of these petrified dragons and anyone who touches her possessions without proper respect is doomed to a most terrifying and horrible death! What is The Dragon like? No one knows. I will tell you what I think. The Dragon of the Lost Temple is much like the one found in the ruins of Holvah, except the one in Holvah is made of jade . . ."
"Still More Mysterious Happenings"
by Zarno Morescu

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"So Arto and I continued to walk some distance south of Zadreth where, eventually, we came upon a cave entrance. To our right stood a formation of rocks that reminded me of a nesting of huge eggs. The cave entrance possessed an odd overhang like the beak of an eagle. And the rest of my stay was quite exciting and invigorating as well as I debated various interpretations on the Song of Halav with the priests of the Temple of the Shield . . ."
	"As I Journey: the Tale of a Rural Preacher"
	by Blynos Kivinivich

"And as I scoured out the countryside in search of new types of birds, I was struck by the natural beauty of the area. The sun glinted off the lake to the north, and there was a most interesting arrangement of peaks to the west making it look as if a snake were poking its head up. Just to the left was a natural formation that looked like rabbit's ears perked up in alarm at the snake . . ."
	"The Life of the Black Peaks"
	by Katarine Mulopolus

"How well I remember my own visit to the Room of the Dragon in the great Temple of the Shield. I was making the brilliant analogy of comparing a congregation to a garden when we entered the Room of the Guardians and went past the entrance to the Shield Room. As we strolled through the archway beneath the bas-relief of a lovely carved dragon, Arto heartily agreed with the appropriateness of my metaphor. As we paused in awe to look upon the great dragon and bask in its sublime wisdom, I could not help but note how easy it would be for someone unkind or unknowing to casually pluck a member from a congregation . . ."
	"Reminiscences from a Life Well-Spent"
	by Blynos Kivinivich

"Built more than a thousand years ago, these ruins lay by a small lake. Later inhabitants, human inhabitants, built the small village called Zadreth. East from Zadreth ran an Unfinished Path, much like the mysterious Unfinished Path of the ruins near Lin in Alphatia. Like that other Unfinished Path, the one in Zadreth ran towards the southern mountains, confirming the fascination of man's best-left unmentioned predecessors with jagged ranges of tall peaks. One old man I met claimed to have lived in Zadreth, and related a tale of some antiquity that said the Unfinished Path pointed towards a holy place in a cave beneath the mountains. Obviously, this had been passed down from generation to generation, constantly retold from man's predecessors to the earliest, eldest inhabitants . . ."
	"Mysteries of the Grand Duchy"
	by Zarno Morescu

". . . and I heard many such tales. Few know the Duke's Road once continued a few leagues to the east across the river and into the mountains. If one looked sharply one can find the almost hidden road to a grouping of foundations that make a long-abandoned village. Unlike ruins on the west shore of Lake Windrush, these cluster around a central square. I only visited these ruins once, finding the wildlife in the area quite mundane . . ."
	untitled scroll
	unknown author
	(most likely Katarine Mulopolus)

"From the east, down from the Wufwolds, the small village of Threshold seemed friendly enough, but we had come from the wrong side. Peasants stared at us, and when I nodded to some, only one nodded back - and that one looked reluctant. Six wooden buildings circled the center of town with no more than a dozen huts surrounding them. There were two taverns, which made me wary. Two drinking establishments in one tiny village meant a community divided . . ."
	"The Dragon's Tomb"
	by Johauna Menhir

"And then we come to the matter of Zadreth as mentioned in my earlier work 'Mysteries of the Grand Duchy'. How I wish I could have been there to halt the founding of Threshold over those ancient ruins. Not only did the new construction destroy most of the ruins of Zadreth, but the famous Unfinished Path was obliterated. I do not claim skeptics purposely eradicated evidence, but when proof of my theories has been eliminated by other hands . . ."
	"In Defense of My Theories"
	by Zarno Morescu

"Pausing between trips, I rested in Threshold - a dreary town built upon the equally dreary ruins of Lugsid. There I was subjected to the usual meaningless blather of the townsfolk. Oh imagine how I wept at the lamentations of a noble group of adventurers who were hindered at their high minded attempts to loot and vandalize the region. And how my heart was rendered by the tragic tales of the courageous heroes who are unable to slaughter defenseless animals. All of this I took in stride, but what really horrified me was when the town fathers proudly told me of their plans to start a logging operation . . ."
	"Return to the Black Peaks"
	by Katarine Mulopolus

"They told me they were considering the construction of a path of stone to lead from the village to the Temple of the Shield. We followed the existing dirt path into the rising sun, coming across a bubbling brook after a few moments walk - so we turned south to trace it back to its source. Near the lovely waterfall that fed the brook, we came upon a small wooden bridge. We crossed the bridge and began heading east again. As we neared the entrance of the Temple, I felt compelled to share with Arto my own theories regarding the authenticity of the Song of Halav. As I sketched out my arguments, I noticed several of the huskier acolytes approaching me with a large quantity of tar and feathers . . ."
	"Ramblings of an Old Cleric"
	by Blynos Kivinivich

"So we spent the night in the small village of Zadreth and then traveled toward Lugsid at first light. The journey was short and despite some delays we reached Lugsid by late afternoon. The village held only about a half dozen buildings, which formed a circle around the town center. Though there was room at the town's inn, we decided we should keep riding as long as possible and look for a campsite along the trail . . ."
	untitled journal
	by Hansig Kavor

"Even school children know the Temple of the Shield was once a stronghold of mankind's most unspeakable predecessors. Most people even know that wretched race could enslave dragons. But few people know they had powerful magic that could bind the great reptiles to their wills and even turn dragons to stone while leaving them alive! Now, I will tell you something no one knows: The Lost Temple holds one of these petrified dragons and anyone who touches her possessions without proper respect is doomed to a most terrifying and horrible death! What is The Dragon like? No one knows. I will tell you what I think. The Dragon of the Lost Temple is much like the one found in the ruins of Holvah, except the one in Holvah is made of jade . . ."
	"Still More Mysterious Happenings"
	by Zarno Morescu