Essays and treatises of G. Pyrlig – Part I. An Introduction

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Dear reader,

Beginnings are always the most difficult part, that was what my mentor told me when I was but a junior scribe, I ponder his wisdom once again upon how to approach this new task given to me by the Knight Commander.

My name is Sir Pyrlig, the Scroll Keeper of the Order of the Unicorn, and I have been tasked to share the history of our Order, to a continent where we were but strangers about a decade ago.

I do not know what course this series of pamphlets will take, but in this part I will do my best to cover the salient points. If perhaps there is an area our readership would like us to expand on, future entries can be dedicated to such areas either by myself or one of our other members.

The Order of the Unicorn

Our story first begins, in the far northern reaches of the world, in the lost continent of Leshp.

Surrounded by cold waters, yet blessed with unseasonable warmth, thanks to the patronage of the four Ancient Guardians. Phoenix who warmed the winds and land so that flora may grow, Griffin who moulded the land and shaped mountains so that animals may roam, Leviathan who broke the sea ice and tamed the oceans waves so that the fish may swim and then finally Cwellyn who maintained the balance between them. By all rights Leshp should’ve been inhospitable to almost all life, but thanks to the Guardians protection, life once flourished there.

Cwellyn, the Last of Unicorn, was chief among them, tasked with maintaining the balance between them, from his mantle at the Sacred grove and that Leshp remained a haven for fae and mortals alike.

So important was Cwellyns role, the human kingdom to which neighboured his domain, sent a human Champion to act as his sworn knight and emissary. It was this Knight of Cwellyn who would go on to found the Order of the Unicorn.

There is much to be said about what became of Leshp, how the continent was lost to man and the calamity that befell it. But for the purpose of our story today, the Order of the Unicorn was founded as the result of a tragedy. The day that Cwellyn was mortally wounded by the fell entity known as Arawn, The Great Shade.

For over two centuries, the Order raised by Cwellyn’s Champion fought back Arawn and his armies into the darkest recesses of the land. However the damage brought by Cwellyn’s loss, whilst unknown at the time, only heralded Leshp’s slow and inevitable decline. The fae were the first to withdraw from Leshp and in time humanity too found themselves unable to hold on, as food began to run out and the plunging temperatures made any attempt to hold on to territory untenable.

As Arawn’s slow yet inevitable victory drew near, the Order of the Unicorn along with the remnants of the human kingdoms of Leshp made the difficult decision to evacuate. More then half of the Order remained behind to buy time for those who left. Three fleets of ships set sail from the lost continent, each following different routes. It was the third fleet, that eventually arrived at Rutland.

Eight years later, we know not what happened to our fellow brothers and sisters, perhaps the other two fleets settled in other lands, perhaps what remains of the Order at Leshp continues to fight on to this day, wherever the truth may lie who can say. As for us however, the splinter of the Order that arrived in Rutland, we operate much as we had before, we fulfilled our promise to find a new home for the people of Leshp and we continue to uphold the Founders Oath here in Rutland.

What are the tenet’s of this Oath you may ask? Well that is perhaps a subject for another time.

I do hope that you found this pamphlet of interest, indeed if you do have a question you would like me to expand upon please do write to me so that I may add it to the next issue, but until then, stay safe dear reader.

With hope,

G. Pyrlig – Scroll Keeper of the Order of the Unicorn