Prelude

Upon coming to the Fortress to join the Academy and train as a member of the Order of the Node Guardians, one of the first things each recruit experiences is being taken into the grand hall of the Fortress to be told the history of the Order. It is a story known across the kingdom, of course. But here, surrounded by the grand windows that depict that history, it holds a far greater meaning.

It is not only the new recruits who come here, of course. Even experienced mages, all the way to the Paragons themselves, often return here at these times to hear the tale retold once again in the home and place of origin of the Order of the Node Guardians…