Shield of Piety
| Type | Shield |
|---|---|
| Discovered By | Silan Hlessi |
| Discovery Date | 8 November 2010 |
| Discovery Location | Orbeh, Far East |
| Abilities | Prestige +7 |
| Current Owner | No one. |
Description
The Shield of Piety is a kite shield made of bronze. In the center of the shield is engraved a circle with a raised dot in the middle. Three wavy lines form a triangle around the circle.
The shield was lost by its original finder and when it later resurfaced in the hands of Velax de Vere, its appearance had changed. It was still a bronze kite shield, but its surface was now embossed with the Sanctus of the Magna Aenilia Ecclesia and it glowed with a soft golden light.
History
The Shield was found in the region of Athios by the freeman Silan Hlessi. After traveling throughout much of Arcaea, Silan had returned home to his home region to find growing rumors of monsters disturbing the local populace. Not content to allow beasts to destroy the people he loved, Silan hunted the monsters for hours, finally discovering the leader of the pack. A battle raged for many hours, but Silan's knowledge of the terrain and veteran skills with the sword were no match for the monsters' leader. Once the beast had let out its last breath, an Aenil descended upon Silan, praising him for his loyalty to his homeland and bestowing the Shield of Piety upon him as a reward.
Rediscovery
Velax and his solders are riding through the dark forests on the outskirts of the Talex region when they hear bestial roars and the sounds of battle filtering through the trees to the west. Captain Kael raises an eyebrow at his lord, who hesitates for a second before nodding. The captain signals the small column of men to swing to the west to investigate.
The men canter through the woods for a short while before the trees start to thin. A small temple sits in a clearing, dedicated to the Magna Aenilia Ecclesia by its markings. Velax and his soldiers don’t have any time to study the religious markings, however, as the moonlight filtering down through the clearing reveals a scene of savagery: the temple is under attack by monsters. Several priests lie in pools of blood by the temple doors, monsters crouching over them, tearing into their corpses with bloody claws and fangs. Several more priests run, terrified, through the clearing with monsters hot on their heels. As the soldiers watch, one priest trips and falls to the ground and a monster is on him instantly, tearing his head from his shoulders and throwing it aside, spattering the clearing with blood. Another large group of abominations are battering on the locked temple doors, attempting to gain access to those hiding within. Fires flicker throughout the clearing, their glow lighting the night.
Captain Kael takes in the scene in seconds and immediately begins issuing orders. A dozen men dash off to save the fleeing priests while Kael leads the rest at the monsters by the doors. Before he leaves, Kael turns to Velax.
“My lord, stay here, out of the wa-...out of danger. Wiggs, Bedge - keep him safe.”
Kael and his men charge into the monsters trying to batter their way into the temple, catching them from behind. Several of the monsters go down before they even realise what’s happening and the rest turn to face the soldiers. Kael slides his sword deep into the gut of one, viciously twisting the blade and ducking the fiend’s lethal claws as it tries to kill its tormentor. He sidesteps another one charging at him, slicing it down the flank as it rushes past and in the same movement hurling a throwing knife into the eye of another monster just before it can impale a soldier on its claws.
Velax, meanwhile, stands at the line of trees watching as his men battle the beasts, his two bodyguards standing nearby. A loud cracking causes all three men to look up as one of the monsters drops out of the trees directly above them. It lands on top of the two soldiers, knocking Bedge to the ground and Wiggs into a tree. Velax clumsily draws his sword and at the scrape of steel the monster looks his way. Eight feet tall and looking like a cross between a bear and a wolf, with a thick ursine body and a savage canine head, its razor-sharp claws glint in the moonlight as it snarls at the young noble. Its muscles tense and it leaps at Velax, who only just manages to get his sword up in time. The beast howls as it impales itself on the blade and the two fall to the soft ground.
Velax rolls to one side as he lands, then clambers to his feet. He breaths a sigh of relief as he sees the monster lying a few metres away, not moving, his sword protruding from its chest. He turns away to look for his two men, but whirls back around as he hears a growl. The behemoth climbs to its feet and grips the blade stuck through its chest. Pulling it free, it snaps the sword in two and hurls the pieces away. Velax, weaponless, backs away as the creature slashes at him, its claws scoring deep scratches in his armour. The horror leaps at the unarmed noble and Velax stumbles backwards, tripping over a loose root and tumbling to the ground. The monster’s leap carries it clear over Velax’s prone form and into the tree behind him. There’s a loud crack and the lord scrambles to his feet, looking around wildly. Turning around he sees the beast lying under the tree, its neck twisted at a grotesque angle.
Bedge rushes over, sword in hand, but stops, stunned, as he sees the dead fiend.
“By the Aenil, you are a lucky sod...errr, my lord.”
Captain Kael walks up with a contingent of soldiers behind him. He raises an eyebrow at the dead monster but makes no comment.
“My lord, the monsters are all dead and I’ve detailed several men to burning their corpses. Our men sustained no casualties, but a few took minor wounds. And I believe the head priest wants to thank you for saving the temple,” he reports.
Velax, Kael and several soldiers enter the temple. Inside, it’s just a single room with plain furnishings and decorations. Several religious icons hang on the walls and pews line the floor for worshippers. The altar opposite the door is similarly unadorned, with one exception. An exquisite bronze kite shield sits on the altar, the crossed arms of the Sanctus embossed on its surface. Obviously made by a master craftsman, it appears to glow slightly in the dim light.
The head priest, dressed in the robes of his office and bowed with age, approaches Velax and blesses him in the name of the Aenil Suria.
“My most gracious lord,” he begins. “You and your men have saved the temple. We lost several of our brothers to those...those beasts, but without you, we would have lost everything.”
Velax looks slightly embarrassed. “Oh...erm...it was nothing. Really, it was my men who...”
The priest ignores his protestations and slowly makes his way to the altar, the young noble trailing behind. Taking the shield from the altar, the old priest presents it to Velax.
“Take it, my lord. By saving this temple, you have earned the gratitude of the Aenil. The Archaenil Nurn gifts you the Shield of Piety, blessed to protect you in battle.”
Velax hesitates, but finally takes the shield from the aged priest. It feels lighter than a shield of its size should and retains its slight golden glow.
“Thank you, elder. I will treasure it.”
Walking out of the temple, Velax blinks in the sudden light. The dawn sun is cresting the trees and the first rays of the morning catch the shield strapped to the noble’s arm. Suddenly the Sanctus on the shield glows with a blinding light, filling the clearing with its golden radiance. The soldiers and priests throw their arms up to their eyes, but the light disappears as quickly as it came, fading back to its previous soft glow. Feeling awkward with his men’s gazes upon him, Velax strides toward his horse, Kael by his side.
“Erm...captain?”
“Yes, my lord?”
“Do you...do you think I should have told them I don’t actually worship the Aenil?”
Loss
The shield was lost when Viscount Velax was wounded in a battle against Arcachon. He searched for it for many days, to no avail. He hopes that it will one day be returned to him.