“Hmm, very strange indeed.” Atnem had explained his dream to Oraia after they’d finished cleaning. “I will look into it later tonight.”
The three of them were in the tavern now. Atnem and Oraia were sitting at a table, waiting for the customers to arrive. Ferov was by the fireplace, playing chess against himself. He seemed to be losing.
“Bah! Why is there no assassin piece in chess? Or a mage? All brute force. Not even a bloody archer. I don’t see how they call it a strategy game, when all you do is rush in and bash skulls. Hey, stop laughing, I’m serious!” He lit a pawn on fire, and flung it at the other side of the chess board. “There, catapults that throw flaming corpses. Now that’s my kind of game.”
Atnem was laughing hysterically. He almost fell out of his chair. Someone walked into the tavern, so he tried to muffle his laughter. When he had stopped, he wiped the tears from his eyes and took the flute out of his bag.
He raised the flute to his lips and blew a single note. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. He looked around. Ferov was impaling a chess pieces with his rapier. Oraia was talking to the customer. Nobody else seemed to be listening.
He blew again. A string of notes this time. It wasn’t nearly as hard as Oraia had made it sound. He saw a bright blue light glowing in front of his eyes. He flinched, and stopped playing. The light disappeared. He played again, watching carefully for the source this time.
The glowing began again. It was from his ring. The ring that he had been given by the woman they’d rescued from the bandits. He read the writing on the ring. “Avrette styrke er innenfor“ was written in the same handwriting as it was on the flute. Apparently the two items had been crafted by the same person.
“Oraia, do you mind if I borrow your books for a bit?”
Atnem headed to the study. Oraia was helping more customers who had come in. Ferov had disappeared. Atnem gathered up a load of books and sat at the table in the middle of the room. He lit a few candles, and began flipping through pages.
The names of thousands of crafters were listed, along with their chosen profession. One crafter caught his eye. He was a master of trades known by one name, Madial.
He flipped through dozens of other books. Eventually, he found the name again. It was a book aged beyond any of the others. It was Madial’s journal.
Atnem opened the journal and began reading.
Entry 1- I have made it to Camelot. I’m living in the basement of a tavern. The owner of the tavern allowed me to stay here when I agreed to help him with his chores. Along with my chores, I will be working on my study of the magical artifacts of Atlantis. When I arrived in the basement, I was pleasantly surprised to find it empty, save for bookshelves filled with books. I have gotten permission to use them as I please. I’m sure they will help with my studies.
Entry 2- While organizing the books on the shelves, I found another surprise. Behind one of the shelves is a tunnel leading out of the city. It emerges in an open field not far from Castle Sauvage. It doesn’t seem to have much use, except as a shortcut out of the city. Nonetheless, it may serve some purpose someday.
Entry 3- I’ve found an amazing book for my studies. It seems to be written by an Atlantean crafter. This is possibly the luckiest find I could have. He even includes step-by-step instructions for how he made some of his items. Three of these items are mentioned; a bracer, a ring, and a flute of some sort. He has given each of these items a name relating to their magical abilities. The bracer is named Wisdom, the ring is Courage, and the flute is Passion. I will begin attempting to replicate these items soon, in hopes of finding out more about them.
Entry 4- Soon, I will have all of the supplies needed to begin working on the artifacts. Each one has a magical phrase written on it in a different language. I believe these phrases are what give them their powers. On the bracer, there are the words “Agnitio est cornu”. On the ring is “Avrette styrke er innenfor”. And the flute has “Gaol buadhaich uile”. I do not understand the words, but I do know their origins. The words on the bracer are in Latin, on the ring are words in Norwegian, and on the flute they are in Gaelic. These are the ancient languages of each realm.
Entry 5- It seems word of my studies has somehow reached the ears of the people in the city. It is all fine with me. They can do no harm. In fact, I have many supporters, curious to know more of Atlantis. If all goes well, I shall unlock unlimited knowledge of the ancient city.
Entry 6- I have finished crafting the ring. As I wear it, I can feel my valor rising within me. I have made a friend. A quiet wizard woman by the name of Melody. She has taken an interest in my studies, and insists on keeping me company while I craft. I don’t mind having her around. Most of the time, I don’t even remember she is there.
Entry 7- I am working on the flute now. Melody somehow got the wood for it. It has a mysterious blue tint to it. I do not know what type it is. I gave Melody the ring, as thanks for her company. She wore it, and became more outgoing. She introduced me to Merlin. I would say he seems to be a rambling old fool, but I know better than that.
Entry 8- The flute is complete. I have found that I have a natural ability to play it. Curiously, however, I can only play it while Melody is listening. If I am alone, it only emanates a shrill squeak. I have given it to Merlin to examine. Now I am working on the bracer.
Entry 9- Not much time. I’ve finished the bracer. I have received word that I am being tracked. They called them Shadow Knights. Apparently my creations are far too powerful if in the wrong hands. I shall head to Atlantis. Yes, it exists. I can see it clearly as I wear the bracer of Wisdom. There is no time. I shall leave through the tunnel, then head to the Northern Sea and go to the ocean floor. That is where I will stay, forever. -Madial
Somehow, Atnem felt he needed to find Madial. He had to get the bracer before Chromys. How he knew Chromys was after the bracer too, he didn’t know. He could feel it.
Atnem flipped through the empty last pages of the journal. On the final two pages was a map of the Northern Sea. There were strange symbols scribbled on the map. One space on the map was clearly labeled “Atlantis”. That was where he would go.