Amidst the hustle and bustle of Cyrene, the beginnings of a tournament began to take shape. It had been many years since the last Hero of Cyrene was crowned, the wizard Hycanthus himself yet reveling in his fame and title. As plans formed and dates were settled, excitement bubbled among the many citizens. Who would be the next Hero? Who would triumph, showing themself to be the hero Cyrene deserved?

Shield Commander Kog gathered all of Cyrene before the steps of the Imperium, raising his voice in a rousing speech to open the games. Many spirits were bolstered, drinks were raised, and fists punched the air as the city prepared for the trials to come, and yet into the midst of this gathering stumbled a single, blindfolded woman. The oracle Tybatha fell prone upon the steps, her body quaking and seizing as she recounted a prophecy of dread and woe. Cyrene, she said, would indeed need a hero, and soon.

Tybatha's words were not long in manifesting. Making his way in subterfuge and concealment from Lake Narcisse, the mage Gaderian drew upon newly discovered aspects of the Magi's craft upon reaching his destination. A veritable army of elementals poured forth upon the shores of Lake Muurn, throwing themselves bodily into the Cyrenians present as their master crossed the water and alighted within the Muurn lighthouse. Adventurer and elemental died by the score as Gaderian placed several stones upon the island, ascending the lighthouse spire at last. The Mad Mage sneered down at the carnage he had wrought, and raising his hands once more, he wrought wards to seal the Muurn isle away from all trespass.

Discussion began at once within Cyrene, but through it all the competition drove forward, certain that this was the threat they had been warned about. A hero was required, and Cyrene would find one, come what may. Heavy attacks continued to spill forth from the lighthouse, elementals swarming over the banks of the Muurn in waves to assault the once scenic beaches. During one such attack, Magister Gaulth himself was seized from within the very heart of the Imperium and dragged back beyond the wards, out of the reach of any salvation.

No hands nor minds lay idle in Cyrene from that point onward. The Shield worked tirelessly day and night, raising great barricades and fortifications along the Muurn shore. The Outriders toiled no less diligently, making daring sweeps to assess the wards protecting the island. To the Virtuosi fell the task of teasing forth from Tybatha's wracked mind hints about her prophecy, and indeed where the pieces of the weapon it spoke of could be found. Efforts continued for months, and in that time, a Hero was crowned.

The Hero of Cyrene, Sir Brandilar, set out with all his citymates at hand, moving now to claim three pieces of a fabled sword spoken about in Tybatha's prophecy. First they journeyed to the darkened depths of Phereklos, felling an ancient dragon of the sea long left to slumber. Next a trek to Aster Town, where heaps and heaps of gold were handed over in exchange of a blade still keen despite the ravages of time. Last and most crucial came the gemstone to empower the sword, a fragment of history preserved from the earliest days of Cyrenian memory. These pieces in hand they returned to Cyrene, and within a month the work was done. Sir Brandilar lifted aloft the empowered Blade of the Hero, and the people of Cyrene roared their jubilant approval.

With little time to waste and with Sir Brandilar at their head, Cyrene began a full assault upon the fortified position of Gaderian. Armed with knowledge, preparation, and steel, they felled elemental after elemental to stand poised upon the beach as the Hero lifted his sword. A single stroke of that shining blade cleft asunder the wards raised against intrusion, and Cyrenian justice, long held at bay, poured onto the island. Blood and ichor ran like water upon the steps of the lighthouse before the battered forces reached the very pinnacle, finding Gaderian exhausted and beaten, having thrown all that he possessed at the citizenry. It was not enough.

In short order Magister Gaulth was freed and the now comatose mage was shackled. Cyrene's assault force returned home in victory to thundering cheers and much deserved acclaim. In the skies above, the Blade of the Hero spun, a whirling silver blur launched from Sir Brandilar's hand to plummet unerringly, point-down. Cleaving stone as easily as if it were cloth, the sword buried itself into the beach of the Muurn, hilt jutting towards the sky, awaiting the hand of a Hero.

Summary: Through a series of trials, Sir Brandilar was named the Hero of Cyrene. A prophecy spoke of the Hero assembling a legendary sword, and defeating a great force of woe. Along with the aid of many of his citymates, Sir Brandilar forged anew the Blade of the Hero and broke the hold of Gaderian, the Mad Mage of the Muurn.

Penned by My hand on the 18th of Phaestian, in the year 934 AF.