Silver Guard of Deception
| Type | Shield |
|---|---|
| Discovered By | Gwydion |
| Discovery Date | 2013-11-12 |
| Discovery Location | Orz, Dwilight |
| Abilities | Prestige +5 |
| Current Owner | Lost |
Discovery
Gwydion, a new member of the Royal Rangers of Luria Nova, had only been adventuring for a short time before throwing in with the protectors of the realm. One could not refuse the invitation of the Marshal of Luria Nova, the Honourable Aldrakar Renodin, Imperial Marshal of Luria Nova, Earl of Aveston, Master Ranger of Royal Rangers.
Gwydion worked hard to strengthen his swordarm and dispatch countless vile monsters and unholy undead within the realm, both on his own and with the help of his fellow Royal Rangers. He had been engrossed in a long campaign against rampant monster tribes encroaching on the capital of Giask and the surrounding lands when he followed out the hordes into Orz, hoping to close the trap with the help of his compatriots. Another Ranger by the name of Enya had likewise been soaking her blade in the blood of the undead and monster menace in Orz as Gwydion pursued the remnants from Outer Giask.
A timely letter from Enya alerted Gwydion to a large mass of monsters, six times larger than the usual groups, and he made his plans. In but a few short hours, he located the cave where the monsters and their alpha were making camp. He dispatched the lone guards scouting out in the forest before slowly making his way inside, torch snuffed to avoid giving himself away. Luck was with him this night, as the monsters were largely occupied with squabbling over scraps of some unfortunate villagers around a campfire. Gwydion's blade went snicker snack and cleft the heads of half the monsters before the rest could even reach for their weapons. Legs and arms fell from Gwydion's assaults as he moved about the cavern to avoid getting surrounded. The howls of pain from the vile beasts attracted more, and with them came a massive Alpha - so large it reached up to the cavern's ceiling and broke off a stalactite to use as a club.
Rage filled the Alpha's bestial eyes as Gwydion took a more defensive posture. The injured monsters and the additional retinue stayed at bay - their bloodlust for the human before them tempered by their fear of the Alpha's reprisal for spoiling the kill. The club-stalactite crashed downwards at Gwydion as he scampered out of the way. He could not parry such a heavy weapon, and his only hope was to move into a position close enough to strike. A snarling monster rose from the shadows to opportunistically attack the distracted Gwydion, and it's claws slashed across his back, taking an equal but small measure of blood and flesh from him. Again, luck was with him, Gods be praised. The lone adventurer spun and sidestepped, parting his back from further damage from the slavering beast. As Gwydion stepped further back with a defensive thrust of his sword, the massive club of the Alpha came down again, obliterating the monster that had harmed Gwydion.
With a feel now for the time it would take the Alpha to ready another killing blow, Gwydion sprinted towards the beast, flicking his blade through the air to hit the legs as he passed. The thick fur of the Alpha seemed impenetrable, but its size made him very slow moving, and Gwydion circled about to attack at its hamstrings. Whether from sitting too much or from a defect in its maker's design, the fur on the back of its legs was patchy and thin. It offered little resistance to Gwydion's blade, which bit deep into the Alpha's leg. Turning the blade and yanking it away, Gwydion extended the gash to flay a piece of muscle from the leg. The Alpha bellowed and fell backwards, swinging the club wildly. Monsters and cave wall alike fell beneath the death flailings of the Alpha as it bled out, and Gwydion tumbled away into the darkness.
The cave rumbled with the falling rock and cries of the monsters that fled from the impending cave-in. An opening in the cave wall - caused by the force of the Alpha's blows - revealed a glint from the firelight. Something was in there! Gwydion cautiously but urgently reached into the mouth of darkness and wrapped his hand around a hard metal object. He pulled, and as it gave way, sprinted towards the cave entrance. Around him fell rocks and as he stumbled into the forest, he heard the low crushing sound of the cave filling in behind him.
Moving away into the forest, Gwydion spared a moment to look at what he had found. He hoped it was worth the risk he took to save it from the cave-in.
Owner
The Guard was deemed lost when the Ranger Gwydion fell to monsters.
