The History of Gareth Keep

The contents of this book covers the building and events impacting the home of the Knighthood. Iolius.

More details can be found in "The Memoirs of Aenarion dePayens" and the poem "Ark Regained" in the book Modern History of Knighthood.

The History of Gareth Keep

Tesalon Gareth had a long and integral part to play with the building of the Empire of Serpantol and was Emperor Ser'Phan's second in command. After the passing of Gareth, San Gohdam had less than cordial relations with the Emperor and through that degradation in the relationship, Knighthood moved from their base in Serpantol and moved south. Gareth Keep was built by San Gohdam and named for his mentor. Hence we see that Gareth Keep has been the focal point of Knighthood since the earliest days of our creation, barring the time which our founder had us based at Serpantol.

Building the Keep was long process, but there was assistance to be had from Midgaard (now Althainia) and from all over the Empire of Serpantol. Once it was complete, it became the finest and strongest defensive outpost in the land.

The resulting Keep is like this which can be seen by travelling to Ancient Thalos and seeing Old Gareth Keep.

Gareth Keep stood strong in the Dragon Wars, and despite Eclipse's initial dominance once the Draconus had called the chromatics, it did not fall.

Once Eclipse and her allies had been defeated in the Dragon Wars, Gareth Keep did fall after the defeat of Serpantol and Shinalstin. Under Tayana the yinn sacked and burned it causing much destruction. After they withdrew, the yinn would not venture that far south again. The knights who returned and did not depart with Valour would have to toil long to rebuild the Keep at Knighthood's lowest ebb.

That rebuilt, and the earliest seen by those of modern history the main place of rest, the Temple Altar of Austinian, Stanleys, the racks, the war room and general's rooms, adjoining corridors and the two towers.

After the sack by the Tayana at the beginning of modern times, several other rooms were added. The Temple of Nadrik, the practice room, the portal room, the stables and the chapel of Paladins. In time, the practice room would be renovated into a library.

The Keep suffered similarly under what has been referred to as the 'breaking of Gareth Keep'. Due to the curse of the slain witch and her two sisters, all the upper levels and the chapel of fallen heroes was smote into ruin. It was not until the curse was lifted was the first renovation able to be completed, which included the museum and the galleria, as well as the surprise uncovering of a previously unknown and complex octagonal structure. The towers were restored, and the General's rooms, the war room and the chapel of fallen heroes. A second renovation added the library and tidied up parts of the initial renovation.

Later additions have been the vaults and the crafting room, and an additional private stable for Lady Crown.

Since then the Keep has stood long and proud in the service of Knighthood and the people of Althainia.

Footnote: Gareth Keep has suffered terrible structural damage on two occasions, the sacking by the yinn, and from the curse of the witch. During this time, normal operations would have been in place immediately before these tragic events occurred, leading to speculation that much of value might have been lost which was present at the time. In these early times, armour could be empowered, and weapons could often be enchanted many more times than they can today.

Each time the keep was rebuilt, it was done on the foundations of the previous structure. It should also be said that it is quite likely that the very early Generals are buried in the early temples. Perhaps also some of the the artifacts alluded to in the 'Lost Scrolls of Serpantol'. Also the Dracon of Justice was held here during the sack from the Yinn, so it is one of its possible resting places. With such treasures at stake, this deserves investigation, and for the searching of clues. Iolius.

The Breaking of Gareth Keep

In the a previous chapter of this tome, "The Memoirs of Aenarion dePayens" he alludes to the story of how the 'Breaking of Gareth Keep' occurred. The angel Aramaelous had failed in his duty to guard a portal which prevented the Abhorrents from entering Algoron. He required the 'Rod of Reversal' to close the portal. We were advised to seek out "the bhalanx" or the witch Brei'naela, and told that if we told the bhalanx the truth, then he would not help us, and that the witch did not have the rod on her.

Lady Gwynn spoke the truth to the bhalanx, and he denied us the rod. Brei'naela demanded flesh in return for the rod, in the form of children and the tongue of a knight. Although many knights offered the sacrifice, the leadership deemed the act against our principles of what was right. The knights offered a choice of handing over the rod or death, and choosing the latter, the rod was not recovered.

Examining the events it is clear that this put us in a difficult moral and ethical position, not unlike the moral dilemmas which we test our aspirants with. As the information that this library shows we are men of principle, virtue and honour, and that these guide our decisions in life based on what we believe to be right.

With respect to the bhalanx, lying was not an option as we cherish the principle of honesty too highly. Our means justify our ends, the journey is more important than the destination. We were not able to persuade the bhalanx that the balance would be tipped unless the abhorrents were denied entrance to the world, so there was nothing we could do with him apart from perhaps our failing in persuasion. The fact that if evil had been allowed to enter the world through the portal would tip the balance ought to have been argument enough, but it was not to be.

With respect to the witch Brei'naela, was the leadership right to deny those willing to sacrifice themselves? Was the giving of flesh an evil act? Did it contravene our law and principles?

Sacrifice and Honour are our two core virtues which we hold dear which may help answer the question.

Sacrificing ones self so that others may survive is commendable so long as the reward outweighs the cost. Gunnar Draugrbane is well known for his sacrifice to save Algoron from the rift, what is the difference? I can imagine with the chagrin which the leadership felt in bending to the whim of the evil witch. There is no guarantee that the rod would have been returned should the flesh been given, nor any potential spiralling requests after this. The nature of the requirement of 'flesh' is unclear, but considering the evil symbols which desecrated our temple upon the destruction gives good cause to imagine any ghastly ritual that the witch might have been considering. At any rate, the thought of sacrificing innocent children could not be condoned. We are in a position to sacrifice ourselves if the reward is deemed greater, but not that of innocent children.

Honour speaks through our oath, "Noble deeds, death before dishonour." It is clear that co-operation with an evil which to stop a greater evil is not within the realms of law and honour, but would be an easy choice for an organisation less connected to these premises. And there is no honour in handing over innocent children to be sacrificed.

Although it is clear that the Abhorrents were the greater evil there was no reason to question why firstly the witch should not seek to keep asking more of us upon receiving each questionable gain. Secondly there was no reason for an evil witch to see the Abhorrents departed, so her motives in returning the rod were always questionable.

In this instance I can find no error thus far. Where we failed is in our eventual ultimatum to Brei'naela. Instead of seeking new ways to gain the rod on our terms, we fell too quickly to the stance of force, a stance that we knew would fail. We demanded the Rod be returned on pain of death. Was there a path we could have taken which did not require lies, and the sacrifice of knights and children? We will never know.

The result? No rod of reversal, no aid to the angel. Aramaelous was slain by an Abhorrent in full view of Algoron. To Gareth Keep came the dying curse of the powerful witch and two of her sisters which would remove the holy presence from the Temple of Nadrik and taint it with unseen symbols of witchcraft and the stench of blood. The curse broke the upper levels of the Keep which would not be rebuilt until the curse was lifted. Much of the upper levels fell upon the Chapel of Fallen Heroes, leaving it in a pile of debris making it inaccessible.

Our Keeps, and our honour's wounding would leave Knighthood in lamentation till it was restored, and a real onus to restore it brought the members of the Keep together to see it eventually returned to a greater glory.

As a sidenote, it might attempt to make a case for witches and warlocks to be outlawed from the Keep as they presently are, but I, Sehvelarious Iolius, consider this example parallel to the white robed mage who knows which parts of his magic he might not entertain to the evil black robed mage, ever seeking to find a way to increase his power by whatever dark means necessary. Just because there is a path to take, it is our principles that determine our path, not our profession.

Footnote:For more information on this see the earlier chapter on the 'Book of Exodus'.

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The Cursing of Gareth's Keep

Fri Aug 6 16:03:55 2010

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Some battles come

When least expected.

To major scrutiny

Are later subjected.

It was the Angel,

Aramaelous,

Who sought the Knights

To help him thus.

He needed things

To fix a gate

Shutting out Abhorrents

Before it was too late.

A Balanx would help,

Only if they lied.

That was not an option

The Knights even tried.

A witch could give

A rod of reversal

In exchange for flesh

For her perusal.

For a Knight's tongue,

The wretched witch did ask.

And many innocent children,

To fully complete her task.

What was asked

Ran against the grain

Of Knighthood's teachings,

It would honor bane.

And so it was

That in the end

The witch was felled,

No rod in her hand.

Alas, she also left

A nasty parting spell.

Curses on the Keep in which

The Knights would have to dwell.

Empty handed, the Knights returned.

A few days later to find

Part of the Keep in ruins,

A bloody scent left behind.

As to the Angel Aramaelous,

He soon ended his tale.

Fighting an abhorrant

Where the abhorrant did prevail.

It was truly a grim

Time for the Knights.

So many things lost,

Only HOPE left in their sights.

- Faelinda Amaranth

The next story outlines how many years later how the Temple would be cleansed, and the Keep rebuilt.

The Temple Cleansing

The story of the cleansing of the temple actually begins with Malachive and the Abhorrants. Malachive found method to open gateway into another realm and bring forth

this horrible creatures. The Knights of Gareth were called upon to end this threat, led by Gwynn Struan they set out in search of a relic that would close the gateway, they began first with a Balanx who had such a relic but would not give it to them. The Balanx did however tell them of a witch that knew of where another relic existed and she might impart the knowledge to them.

They found this witch in a cave and soon discovered that she was indeed a foul creature, evil to her very core. She demanded sacrifices of children and the tongue of a knight, to which the Knights refused and instead attacked and slain the witch.

Days later there was a great rumble in the keep, walls came crashing down, the second storey was destroyed, knights perished in the temple and the curse was revealed.

Years went by from that day where one could still walk in the temple and the smell of tainted blood was still so strong, but yet it could not be cleaned, the holy presence could not be felt in the temple. Little did the knights know however that through all the years of praying and sacrifice for the temple, that their faith was indeed strengthening it, that the temple grew in power from each knight that prayed for it.

It came to pass that a shaman was found in the city of Althainia and was brought to the keep, this shaman had the power to see the curse as well as three symbols within the temple and a witch hovering above each one. These three witches were three generations of the same family that laid curse upon the temple, and the witch in the center was indeed the one the knights had killed in the cave. The shaman told the knights that he could sense the temple's strength, that the power of the knights conviction had given it a life of its own and it was growing in power, growing strong enough to fight back against the curse. Armed with this new knowledge, the knights began praying in earnest now, spending each free moment they had within the temple praying, testifying their faith and making sacrifice.

Nadrik sent his angel Milek to the knights to sit within the temple and grace it with his divine presence, this gave even more hope to the knights and strengthened their faith that

they were on the right path. Days later, the temple began to rumble, blood began to spew forth from the grounds as if it were a fountain. The temple was fighting back, cleansing

itself of the taint.

Get buckets. Get this blood out of MY temple.

The Lord’s voice came loud and clear to those gathered in the temple that day. They began to work diligently gathering buckets and towels to clean up the tainted blood, They would take the buckets to the marsh and set them on fire with a torch that was blessed by Nadrik. Holy fire would consume the taint and cleanse it from the world.

Thus this became daily activity for the knights until the day came that the temple stopped spewing forth the blood from the ground, instead the symbols of the witches began showing themselves. The first showed itself when Kusanami and Bolter were in the temple, the symbol grew agitated and red. Kusanami struck at the symbol with great force from his hammer, a loud clank was heard throughout the keep as the hammer struck. The symbol broke and the witch manifested herself into the shape of Kusanami's hammer and began flying towards Bolter.

The hammer was weak against their combined prayers however and broke apart harmlessly on Bolter's shield.

The second symbol was broken as many knights were gathered in the temple, the witch manifested herself into a minotaur warrior. Mercerion defeated this manifestation in

single, honorable combat as the knights around him prayed for his victory.

Nadrik and Siccara came to the knights after the second symbol was broken and blessed them with their words and divinity. Siccara bestowed upon Salinor the rank of

Deacon of her church.

Nadrik bestowed upon Bolter the rank of Cardinal of his church. With this divinity, they would have the strength to break the third symbol.

Many knights were gathered in the temple as the grounds began to rumble. The rubble began to shift and move and formed a pile in the center of the room that grew and

rose and formed a shell around a creature inside. It grew to the size of a giant ogre before finally breaking open and revealing a demon witch that attacked the knights. It was pitched battle in favor of the witch as she was one of the most powerful opponents the knights ever faced. In the end however, the strength, the faith, the training of the knights prevailed and the witch was killed by a final blow from Victis. Upon the witch’s death, the holy presence could be felt in the room again, much stronger than ever before.

The temple was barren, without form and ready to be remodeled. The knights prayed daily offering their thanks for the victory and began the work to find the holy relics that were lost when the chapel caved in.

The knights dug away at the northern wall day and knight until one day, the edges of the ark was seen. Muse knelt down to pick up the ark and it seemed to float into her hands,

undamaged from the collapse. Within it were the holy relics that the knights sought for so long.

Constructions crews from Althainia now were able to begin rebuilding the keep, designs were submitted to the foremen and they began their work.

This story is of tragedy that turned itself into victory through the unfailing faith and conviction of the knights. Remember always, that with your faith strong, all things are possible.

-Bolter Sha'fen

Prayers and Stories during the Temple Cleansing

In this tome are recorded many of the prayers and missives writ by knights during the trials they partook to clense the temple. Thanks to Page Kuririn Haraldr for this collection.

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Restoration Within Gareth's Keep

Fri Aug 6 16:38:29 2010

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The smell of blood

A sense of doom

Pervaded all,

It filled the room.

Crumbled walls,

Feelings of despair,

Did not stop the Knights

From meeting there.

They sent their prayers

To the Gods of Good.

They spoke their sermons

Whenever they could.

And the room absorbed

Spiritual strength.

Little by little,

Until at length,

It was ready

To help in the fight

Of the witch's curse

Left out of spite.

A shaman from Althainia

Was brought into the Keep.

He examined the walls of the temple

Into the spiritual, he looked quite deep.

He saw the witch's curse

And even something more

Three symbols carved upon the walls

On each one, a witch hovering o'er.

The shaman saw the temple's strength

Gathered from years of faithful prayers.

Angel Milek sent down from Nadrik

Added to the spirituality there.

The Knights renewed their efforts

With a great increase in prayer.

They spent their time in vigil

Their thoughts on things good and fair.

A rumble filled the temple.

From the walls blood began to spout.

A voice was heard exclaiming,

Get buckets. Get this blood out...

With towels and buckets in their hands,

The Knights mopped up the floor.

Taking the blood to the marsh to burn,

Then returning to the Keep for more.

Day after day the Knights did run

Carrying buckets by the score.

Until, suddenly, it was done.

The blood gushed out no more.

Then Kusanami and Bolter

Into the temple did go,

The witch symbols on the walls,

In agitation, began to glow.

Kusanami gave the first symbol

A mighty hammer blow.

The witch took on the hammer's form,

Toward Bolter, herself did throw.

But she seemed very weak

Against their prayers combined.

Her death came as she hit Bolter's shield,

Causing her spell to unbind.

The second symbol turned into

A minotaur warrior ready to fight.

In single honorable combat,

Mercerion defeated it, as befits a Knight.

Nadrik and Siccara

Came to the Knights again

To bless their priests with more power

That against the third witch they could win.

Another rumble filled the temple

As a shell began to form,

Filled with a giant-ogre sized creature.

A demon witch was born.

It was a good thing there were many

Gathered in the temple that night,

For the witch was incredibly strong,

And determined to survive that fight.

The Knights also had determination

And something stronger by far.

Their faith and prayers had prepared them

To win that dreadful war.

Victis claimed the final blow,

The wicked witch's life to end.

A Holy presence, stronger than before,

Into the temple was felt to descend.

With the curse purged, plans for repair

Quickly were finalized.

Turning the Keep into a castle fair

Right before the Knight's eyes.

There is a lesson here to learn.

When faith is strong and bright,

Anything worthwhile is possible

If your reason for doing it is right.

- Faelinda Amaranth

The Renovations

The First Renovation

After the curse of Brei'naela was lifted from Gareth Keep, the Chapel of Fallen Heroes and all of the upper levels had been destroyed. It took almost the entire treasury of donations and Tournament of Raije winnings from two years to rebuild. Lady Crown consulted Sehvelarious Iolius to undertake the work to redesign and rebuild the Keep to its former glory.

Most of the Keep's structure was to be returned to the state in which it was found. Some of the adjoining corridors were turned to the museum and the galleria, but surveying the damage it became immediately obvious that there was something very different about the eastern tower where the Octagonal Temple was uncovered.

The Second Renovation

With the core of the Keep now rebuilt, and some of it still in a state of renovation a second rebuilding took place. This was mainly to complete the work on the Octagonal Temple and to open the library with such extensive tomes that one could be lost in the information for days and weeks, but other rooms were tidied from the original renovation and their trimmings polished. A confessional room was added for the High Clerist.

The Third Renovation

Lord Gwaine d'Aggravaine thought it ill that Siccara did not have a space dedicated to Her worship within the Keep as Nadrik and Austinian did. He then set about the project of adding this, and other renovations and Keep improvements. Over an old calender year of planning and labor went into this series of renovations, which included:

The Sanctum of Healing and Respite - a place for rest and worship of Siccara northeast of Nadrik's Temple. Notable are the stained glass windows of this space, with different depictions of Siccara. In one she is tending wounded knights on a battlefield. Another is of her and Nadrik battling Devion. She appears in another as a Knight of the Shield herself, and one window is a druidic forest scene. The fountain in the center of the room exhibits the Ankh of Holy Quests, said to grant knights wisdom and direction on quests.

The Courtyard Rose Garden - honoring the goddesses Kadiya and Taliena, east of the gateyard. A Candelabra Eros, and an alcove supported by pillars representing the pillars of Kadiya's religion are part of the garden structures. A lovely statue of the goddesses and a live olive tree is in the center of the garden.

The Training Yard - Installed west of the stables. An appropriate place for Knights to train after the practice room was converted into the library all those years ago.

The Observatory of the White Moon - A rooftop classroom and observatory honoring Kantilles. A magical willow tree with a nest for the wise old owl is at its center. A bookshelf with a few psalms honoring Kantilles, as well as His tenets, are featured within here.

Improvements were also made to the Chapel of Fallen Heroes' platform which holds the ark and effects and remains of our fallen. The effects of Cardinal Bolter of Nadrik were added to the display. Another major change was the raising of the incline before the drawbridge to prevent ranged attacks from reaching the inner halls of the Keep.

The Octagonal Temple

At some point in distant history, perhaps by knights wishing to make a fresh start after the civil war with Valour, this room had been filled in to resemble a normal round tower. The masons had filled the edges in and white washed all the art and decoration which had lain therein. Under the foundations, huge gothic arches had been pulled down and used to support the floor. This room is not visible in Old Gareth Keep, so must have been built after that frozen time period.

The style of the temple looks to fit into a period of antiquity. Research shows that there are certain influences from Serpantol which can be seen from the ruins to the north. Remarkable mirrors and glass of a type unknown to the world today has been traced to the magical lost city of Shinalstin. The temple design in itself harks back to ancient Thalos but with eight arches instead of four.The colours and lighting in the room is unworldly. Using the mirrors and coloured glass it keeps the temple lit in an unearthy light. As you move about the room, certain runes and symbols which the mirrors project from the glass fade in and out of focus when reflected upon the wall.The arches rise out of the eight corners of the room, snake over the domed ceiling and meet in the middle of the room to form a hollow pillar which has room enough for at least a mounted man. The pillar itself is very ornate with carvings and patterns for decoration. There is one unadorned empty space where a hole is set into the inside of the pillar. There is a scale model of what looks like the Temple of the Serpents Eye which is visible from the ruined fortress, and corroborated by monks, which is set in front of it. We found the font in the foundation which is now in the museum which was placed in front of the sanctum. That the eight virtues are present on the walls suggest that Lord Breingiton did not ultimately create the virtue set which we know today, but it was present in ancient times. Where he found them will be a question for future scholars.It is the central pillar which causes the most interest. If I didn't know any better, I would say that it had a soul of its own. Certainly after spending much time in here to redesign, rebuild and then to study it I have felt its eerie presence and it is nothing that I can begin to attempt to explain, but I certainly feel like I am being observed. I am cautious as to the fact to why this temple may have been removed, but the desire to see it rebuilt to its former glory was greater than this concern. Certainly those within the Keep who were magically inclined to detection can only detect good, and no evil. This magic, if it is indeed magic, seems to herald from an older time.