C2 - Age of Splendor - Prelude

**Chronicle 2: Age of Splendor - Prelude**

If you plow the fields, seeds will sprout and new growth will occur. The land of Aden, once devastated by those bloodthirsty for war, has blossomed into prosperity.

While the feudal lords and aged knights, bound by tradition, lamented the collapse of the old order, others aspired to cause destruction behind the scenes. Merchants were willing to placate anyone to make a profit.

Sieghardt Ein had been recognized as the lord of Giran Castle, but he did not actually rule over its territory. He neglected to perform the duties of a castle lord, such as collecting taxes or managing the manor. After three months, he abandoned the castle, disappearing with his soldiers. However, the lord who succeeded him was overly ambitious. While brushing off strong opposition from Giran traders, he treated their decades-old trade war with Innadril as a mere diplomatic issue. Innadril, the manor of water, had been unable to trade with other territories without first going through Giran. Now the lord of the manor made a pact with the lord of Giran and commerce resumed between the two territories.

With the re-opening of Heine Harbor and the completion of Giran Harbor, trade routes connecting Aden, Giran, and Innadril extended to Avella of the Orient. The method of raising striders was propagated among the populace, making it possible to transport a large volume of freight by ground much faster than before. Tea, silk, and spices were accepted by the rich as their favored luxuries. Traditional methods of blacksmithing were revolutionized, thanks to a brave sailor who stole Avella's secret for hardening metal. One of the exotic items that became indispensable was the symbol of Avella, said to have mysterious powers. This symbol gradually spread to the general population, ushering in an era overflowing with money and goods in the eastern region of Aden.

In the fields of Dion and in the Coliseum of Narsell Lake, the Age of Splendor was proclaimed with wild enthusiasm. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow, it is said. Under the bright light of fireworks in the festival called the Age of Splendor, they conducted arrogant explorations.

My one and only mentor, in his book "The Eternal 1,000 Days," alluded to what Baium, the accursed emperor, had symbolized in this world ruled by lazy gods. The crimson-hued treasure flowing in the blood of the most god-like Human absorbed not only the essence of the five tribes fated for death, but also that of angels and otherworldly beings. The names of these creatures will be linked with hatred and fear when they are entered in the chronicles of later days. The first to appear was the one named Hallate.

The three holy arks were once hidden away in Giran, the Cursed Forest, and Aden, the Capital City. They were lost during times of war, then reappeared when the struggle for the emperor's throne commenced. According to rumor, the arks contain the relics of the saint who sold Baium to a god. Many sought the arks, but even the zealots such as Athebaldt and Rodemai made the mistake of underestimating the true difficulty of their objective. They dispatched mercenaries and traders to track down the holy arks. Many of them died during this pursuit, when they clashed with formidable beings called Ark Guardians.

My guess is that Aria FirstMatter is not one of them. Her passionate sense of destiny, noble dignity and blind love would have made her deny herself any form of compromise. Two dark elves from the north approached her. One of them was Scride, a knight of Pavel who was once a Bladedancer, recognized by the elders of the underground city. The other was Esen, who was better known by his nickname Crow Feather. He was once a Phantom Ranger, active in Ruhn. It is a great irony that the one who contributed the greatest for this cause was Tetrarch Thifiell of the underground city.

We all experience success and failure in equal measures. After obtaining something we desire, we realize it was not what we truly wanted after all. Quite often, many are simply dumbfounded when this happens!

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Source : http://legacy.lineage2.com/background/chronicle2/chapter1\_prelude.html

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