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The founding of the Chateau The sparks danced between the burning coal in the Fire, their sounds a strangemelody, accompanied by the sounds in the woods behind them. Uther looked atArakasi, who seemed to be expecting an answer. "Oh sorry, you were saying?" Arakasi smiled, he knew that Uther frequently forgot the world around him, not on purpose of course, but out of curiosity, curiosity that had not faded while the years went by. "I was saying that it is a coincidence we should camp this near to the Chateau." Uther looked to the distant hill, where the ruins of the once Great Chateau Montreford now cast a perfect shadow under the moonlight."Indeed, too bad that we were not able to salvage all the books and scrolls in the libraries, now, we are all that is left of Montreford, and none now trulyknows the history of the Chateau. Save perhaps Etienne himself, but he..." his voicefaded, he wished not to speak of these matters. "Well, I may not know all the details, but I may tell you what I do know." Arakasi said, his eyes bearing memories from long ago. "If it would not bother you my friend, I would indeed enjoy hearing of the history of Montreford." Arakasi smiled once again, and started: "Well, it all began with... ....Etienne D'Arden, he was a Knight like you and me, he had sipped from the grail and returned to the land were once was the Chateau from the family Arden and to protect from those who sought to infect all that the Lady had given us, When he finally reached the place where he remembered to be the castle from his family, therewas a small warband had camped, gathering all his strength and courage, he gave his prayers to the lady and charged!" Arakasi said, while making motions with his hands, much like a puppet theatre. "What then?" Uther asked, already absorbed by the story, "Then... ...he fought day and night, slaughtering all in his path, in the end, only one Beastmenwas able to flee, and he quickly spread the story, this would begin the aggressions between Montreford and the Beastmen in the Forestof Arden. So,knowing that it had been the lady to have guided him to this place, Etienne set hands to work, and upon a hill, where there was the abandoned ruins of the once great castle of the Arden,no more than a fifty yards from where he had killed the Beastmen, he built a grail chapel amongst the ruins. And there he stayed, ever vigilant, over time, more knight joined him in the solitude of the chapel, and what was once a small building, began growing to a small fortified encampment with a keep on the center and the ruins all around them, the dungeons of the old castle still existed underground, and after muchwork they were able to build some stairs that led to them, and there they found ancient scrolls and tomes from the generations of the Arden. From time to time,all the knights in the camp would burst forward from its wooden gate and slay all wicked things they could find in the forest. The fame of the camp's followers and their deeds spread, but the Chateau onlyreally started when a nearby castle was destroyed, and it's followers, led by Versingetorix,joined the camp of Etienne. What was once a camp with wooden walls in some parts, and stone walls from the former castles in other parts, and several wooden buildings with lodgings for the knights, was slowly transformed into a huge castle, with seemingly impenetrable walls and tall towers, the glory of the Arden once more shined in the hill, restored by Etienne and hisfollowers. In the following months, it grew in number and power, many ambassadors from many races went there, the friendly atmosphere attracting them. It soon grew to be the keep with the most number of knights from different regions in Bretonnia. I joined the keep in that time, and soon after, the white knight, Par Rathorne and Sir Gaspard de Chabennes were declared lords of the chateau, so that they could help Etienne and Versingetorix control the ever growing number of persons in the keep. Sometime after, I was made Guardian of the chateau, I will never forget that day. I became the northern defender of the Chateau's lands..." Arakasi's eyes showed that he was now in another part of his mind, probably recalling the feast when he was granted the title. "And then?" I asked, wishing to hear the inevitable end of the story. "Oh, right, and then... "...the Keep grew, it was a prosperous time, never before seen in the history of the Chateau. Almost one year after I was granted my title Gaulord and Captain Clark were given the title of Guardians of Montreford too." "Iremember that, I will never forget how happy Gaulord was at that time, had he known that only one month later, the chateau would fall." I said, interrupting him." Oh sorry, go on please." He turned to me. "It doesn't really matter now,there isn't much more to the history, the same month both of them were granted their titles, the Chateau celebrated another important anniversary, it was a feast of great splendor, where ambassadors from every friendly race to the Chateauattended, and hundreds of knights came from every corner of Bretonnia to see it. Some weeks after it, the first signs of what was to come started appearing, and after that, it is all in your memory I suppose." Arakasi turned around and enveloped himself in his blankets. I looked to the ruins once again. "Had we known what was going to happen Arakasi, would you have traded all that time you spent at the Chateau?" Helooked at me, more serious than ever. "I would never trade the time I had at the chateau for anything. Now get some sleep, we have a long day ahead." I complied, and enveloped myself in my blankets, trying not to think of the last moments of the great Halls. The Scribe Leopold was amazed, he didn't want this job, but the Guild at Marienburg had give him no choice, and so, he had been selected to go to the land of Bretonnian and investigate the recent rise of foreign activity in a Castle called "Montreford". At first, while he traveled in his horse without any assistance he was angry and frustrated, every story he had heard from his fellow companions about Bretonnia had made him to believe they were all a nation of Barbarians. But now he knew better, the moment he stepped inside the gigantic entrance hall he knew that all he had heard before were lies, and this, was the real nature of Bretonnia. The doors were gigantic, it's Hinges echoing even trough the loud sounds oflaughter and conversation from within the chateau. The door itself had carved in it beautiful decorations, rivaling those of the Emperor's Palace in Altdorf. Leopold walked slowly, admiring the sculptures in the walls and the paintings and such. He bumped into a tall pale person and quickly stepped back to say "Oh, I'm sorr-..." but he froze, when thestranger turned and Leopold found himself looking into deep grey eyes of an Elf. The elf smiled, but said nothing and simply walked away. Leopold was even more amazed, he had seen some Elves in Marienburg, but he never had expected to see them in Bretonnia! His eyes followed the elf who continued walking until he reached a table where many knights and elves were sitting, he sat and began talking to them, as if the difference between races no longer existed in this place. "Excuse me, art thou Leopold Brenhard?" a voice said to his side. Leopold looked, to see a knight; it was nothing like the knights from the empire Leopold has seen. This knight truly looked noble, in his blue robes and grey hair, he seemed powerfully built, yet something in his look told Leopold that he was far from the brute and dumb knight image Leopold had of the bretonnian knight. "Oh,sorry, I should have introduced myself, I am Sir Tularyone, one of the Lords ofour Chateau." He said. "Tularyone, oh!" I said and greeted him, remembering that this was the knight who would guide metrough Montreford. "Well,there is always little time and much to see, shall we step inside the Great Hall?" I nodded and we went trough another wooden door to the right, this door was smaller than the first door Leopoldhad seen, but by no means less magnificent.
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