The Bees

**The Bees** are a collection of nine objects of immense power located in secret locations across United Merion. Their very existence is a closely guarded secret maintained by the Guardians of the Bees, nine individuals who protect the Bees and keep them out of others' hands.

## History

Nothing is known about the origin of the Bees, including when and where they came into existence.

### The Creation of the Order of the Bees

During the reign of Zachary III and the Second Consolidation, rumors began to spread through the newly created Academes and Knights of Merion that powerful objects were discovered in the newly acquired lands. When Zachary's son, Lawrence I, was crowned and proved himself to be a far less popular and successful ruler than his father, a group of Knights agreed to secretly locate and acquire these artifacts and bring them together so as to prevent the crown's enemies from acquiring them. This was done all without the king's knowledge and consent. These Knights, calling themselves the Order of the Bees (from which the Bees get their name), eventually brought the objects to a secret headquarters, rumored to be located somewhere in the Grave of the Planets, in the domains of House Calyx. There, the order debated on what to do with the Bees, eventually deciding against destroying them (which some doubted was even possible) and instead deciding to keep them hidden from the world and out of the hands on others, including the Candlebrooks.

### The Bee Wars

Following the death of Lawrence I and the coronation of his far more popular and powerful son, Lawrence II, the existence of the Bees was discovered by the new king, and a number of factions began to form across the kingdom. Each faction had their own opinions on what was to be done with the Bees and who was most trustworthy to handle the task. Eventually, these factions became embroiled in a number of small and large-scale conflicts collectively known as the Bee Wars.

Little is known about the Bee Wars other than how they came to an end. In the final battle of the Bee Wars, a group of factions known as the Royalists (including forces from the Candlebrooks, Twelvescore Ennobled, and members of the Order of the Bees that wanted to keep the artifacts hidden) were ultimately victorious against an unnamed group of other factions (including members of the Order who wanted to destroy the Bees, individuals who wanted to keep the Bees for themselves, a large number of corsairs and their fleets, and, supposedly, an incredibly large number of Birchcrown), though Lawrence II died during the battle. The victorious side then chose nine individuals, including Lady Madelyn Illwoll, Lawrence II's younger-brother Prince Arnuld, some former members of the now-disbanded Order of the Bees, and even one or two commoners, to become the newly created Guardians of the Bees. Following a ceremony in the Grave of the Planets, the Guardians each took a single Bee and went to hide and guard it in nine, secret locations.

### Lost to History

Following the death of Lawrence II at the end of the Bee Wars, his four-year-old son, Lawrence III, was crowned king. With Prince Arnuld now a Guardian and unable to be found, it is decided that Lawrence III's regent will be William Candlebrook, an older cousin of Lawrence II and a secret supporter of the now defeated faction in the Bee Wars that wanted to use the Bees for their own purposes. Knowing that he and his few allies did not have the power to locate and steal the Bees from their Guardians, William set about removing the artifacts and anything even remotely related to them from both living memory and recorded history (primarily through torture, murder, and the implementation of a general taboo). He accomplished this with great success, leaving himself, his allies, and the nine Guardians the only people left aware of the Bee's existence. However, during the Treason of Juliana the Black, William and his allies were killed, effectively removing all knowledge of the Bees from the world, excluding their Guardians.

## The Artifacts

Almost nothing is known about the Bees themselves. However, the Academes at one point did assign them all code names, which are as follows:

1. SILKDOOR
2. BOONGRANTER
3. VOIDHARP
4. QUIVERCALL
5. The Book of Elder Spells - The only Bee lacking a code name, this artifact is exactly what it seems to be.
6. KINGSCUBE
7. GLASSTOWN
8. SHADOWLENS
9. STEELROSE

It is known that the Bees are all distinct objects with distinct powers. The smallest Bee can fit inside of a person's palm while the largest is immobile. It is assumed that this Bee was never brought anywhere and that the Order and its Guardian simply kept its location hidden and safe.

## Trivia

* The Bees originally began as a joke in the AMWNCTT Discord. More detailed information can be found here.
* The number of Knights in the original Order of the Bees is unknown.
* It is rumored that the Bees are numbered in a particular order, but it is unclear if this is true or what that order might be.