The Legend of Bezear's Shield
"They crept through the caverns, coming at last to the heart of the mountain. The black plume reached to the heavens, and surrounding it they saw the devil herself, Suriamaras. She and her four remaining generals did not notice the approach of the warriors, too focused on their endeavor to pull their attention away. They stood around the gullet of Valur's Scar, speaking in a language that the Witness could not describe, save that with each word they uttered, he felt as though parasites crawled within him.
Before the army had a chance to advance, the queen and her generals began to change. Their skin mottled, scales rending through their flesh as the bodies grew. Their once ephemeral auras hardening, becoming leather wings. One of the generals collapse, his body rupturing, unable to contain the new form he was taking. A blast of fetid magic shook the mountain. The Witness recalls seeing the men who stood before him vanish into ash, Bezear surviving only because his tower shield had blocked whatever force was at work. He believes that is when Bezear had made up his mind as, before he could shout to him, Bezear charged directly for the queen.
When his shield collided with her, it shattered, a high pitched ring causing the Witness to recoil. The queen roared in anger, but not accustomed to her knew form, still in the throes of the transformation, she lost her balance. Both she and Bezear tumbled into the gaping maw. The earth lurched, and, as if the gods themselves reached down, the generals, flailing, were seemingly plucked from where they stood and dragged down into the abyss below. The Witness stood there, alone, still in pain from his earlier wound, trying to make sense of what had occurred. He saw a glint of metal, it is what brought him to his senses, and digging through the ash and debris, recovered the only piece of Bezear's shield that he could find."
Excerpt from Irrhakod's "Awenmont; A Founding and What Came After," 12AR.
Summary
According to the legend, the Witness, upon leaving the mountain side, managed to make it to the base of Valur's Scar, where he finally collapsed from his wounds. Drawn by the plume that had risen from the mountains, a group of druids found and attempted to save the Witness. It is from them that the legend was told to the Empire, the Witness' last request.
Along with his testimony, they returned the fragment of the shield, now imbued by the magics that had slammed against it. Upon the fragments arrival in Awenmont, it was put on display in the public courts and the story was retold by varying scholars, Iarrhakod among them. When the first articles were written and the council was formed, it was decided that the High Councillor would act as the Witness. They had the fragment melted down and reforged into the pendant the the High Councillor wears to mark his stature, this pendant is what is regarded in current times as Bezear's Splendor, though in the past the name referred to all of the fragments of the shield.
Historical Basis
The day the dragons fell was a historical moment across all of Mor'Tora, and to some extent, the rest of Valur. It marked the end of Suriamaras' tyranny over the realm of mortals. Bezear was in fact the general of the rebellion battalion that had scaled the volcano to face the leaders of the dragons. As far as the account of the Witness, many these days believed the story to be greatly embellished, but built upon the truth.
Spread
Within the Awenmont Empire, the legend is very well known. It is often used as an example of the Empire's right to all the realms that the Dragons once held and of the divine purpose that the High Councillor holds. Outside of the Empire, the legend, while known, is widely disregarded as propaganda.
Variations & Mutation
While some oral retellings of the legend do have a level of variation, Iarrhakod's version of events is widely available, preventing a great deal of contamination to the original tale.
Cultural Reception
The Kingdom of Seldor, the closest neighboring country, who has long had a difficult relationship with Awenmont, has claim to Valur's Scar. It is the only nation aside from the Empire that has much of an opinion on the legend. While they recognize the Empire's role in overthrowing the Dragons, they see the legend as an example of the Empire's arrogance and view it mostly as propaganda that fuels the Empires constant warmongering and aggression.
Date of First Recording
12AR
Date of Setting
1AW
Telling / Prose
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