The Lands Between - Age of Dragons

Prologue

"It is truly magnificent, Kale. What you have built here. You should be proud, you know," said Captain Jacques.

"You have been gone a long time, my friend. I am afraid what you see here is but a pale shadow. You might remember when the great merchant caravan once stretched as far as the eye allowed. There are so few of us remaining," replied Kale somberly. "Certainly, it is no such feat as building an entire fleet of ships to ferry Godfrey's Tarnished to the Badlands."

"Nevertheless, when I departed the Lands Between I would have never expected to see the caravan whole once more," said Jacques. "It gives this old man hope for better days ahead."

"I wish I shared your optimism, my friend. I have lived in the Lands Between long enough to know that a good thing cannot endure here for too long," said Kale.

"Then perhaps we approach change before it approaches us, hmm? Do you plan on remaining in Limgrave?"

Kale pondered the question. The leader of the merchants had thought long and hard about where the caravan's new home should be located. It seemed that every corner of the Lands Between possessed some peril that fueled his indecision.

"I do not know," Kale replied plainly. "Limgrave has historically been less hostile than the other regions, but even this province has its dangers. Why, a fortnight ago I witnessed a pair of hardened-looking Crucible Knights patrolling the shallows of Lake Agheel."

"Truly? The Crucible Knights yet live? Well, I'll be damned...I had thought their order extinct. Though your concerns do have merit. The bronze armored warriors of Godfrey are not to be trifled with," said the ship captain. "Perhaps there is refuge to be found in the wilds of Caelid?"

"Doubtful. The Scarlet Rot blight has yet to subside, and the wildlife remains hostile and twisted. There are rumors of a being, an immensely powerful crossbreed between man and wolf, that resides near the Bestial Sanctum. The merchant who was stationed there claims he carries the Axe of Godfrey," said Kale.

"Terrifying indeed. Where could a mortal beast have gained the strength to wield such a weapon? Sometimes I consider packing my things and asking for sanctuary in the depths of the Eternal Cities," said Jacques.

"Believe it or not, that is a path I have seriously entertained for my people. But alas, the Night Maiden that rules Nokstella is notoriously reclusive. Most cannot even locate the city under the shroud of darkness she casts upon it. There is also the ever-present threat of Mohgwyn Palace looming over Nokron. A powerful matron has taken the Lord of Blood's place atop the dynasty," explained Kale.

"These are truly dark times, my friend. Perhaps we would have been better off with the Greater Will's light still gracing the world," said Jacques.

"The Greater Will's departure is for the best. The Outer God of order had overstayed its welcome. Even now its light is but a flicker that itself will eventually fade. The remnants of the Golden Order congregate in the Altus Plateau. The High Priest has amassed what remains of the Leyndell knights and seeks to preserve the last remaining minor Erdtree. We will find no shelter among Radagon's faithful," said Kale.

"It is a shame. The Plateau was once considered an ideal place to begin a new life. The crops are abundant, and it seems there is a guard stationed on every major road," said Jacques.

"Fewer and fewer by the day, if the reports are to be believed. There is dark magic at work outside Leyndell. One of my people claims to have witnessed an army of undead knights marching toward the capital. They are led by a wicked necromancer, and every emblem fights unwillingly under her banner, from the warrior priests of Leyndell to the spellswords of Caria. They ravage the land, their Deathblight infecting everything it touches. I would not subject my people to becoming mindless slaves," said Kale.