From the Great Lakes Tribune at gl.uorpc.net:
Last Thursday, Queen Dawn requested that interested citizens gather in the throne room of Castle British. No one knew exactly why our sovereign wished to address us, however, it was a safe assumption it was related to the gaping hole which has occupied the northwest corner of her secure dais since Tuesday.
Sherry the Mouse was first to speak to the gathered crowd, saying that the Queen was still speaking with advisors and would be along shortly. Sherry let it be known that she was working on a new book, but sadly she didn't divulge the topic. The gracious mouse also informed the assemblage that the fabled vault of Lord British would indeed be opened that eve, not through the means gleaned from Ricardo's knowledge - but through brute force. She said that Dexter the Mage had been unable to find a way around the spell which protected the vault, or a potential location for one of the three 'lost' treasures of Lord British. In the end, she quoted Queen Dawn as saying "If a key won't work, you kick down the door!"
This did not sit well with the crowd, as they considered the thought of breaking into a vault containing unknown artifacts as a fool's errand. Justicar Ra'Dian Fl'Gith of the High Council commented loudly, "Is breakin' int' a magically protected vault th' wisest o' decisions we could make?" Lady Silverbrook of Magincia added, "Most things are hidden with reason." Sherry quickly excused herself as Queen Dawn arrived to give her speech.
"Welcome, Citizens of Britannia, on this warm summer evening! Thank you all for coming. Lord British did not believe in the typical vestments of power. He knew that Britannia's authority and Virtue come from its people. The Cloak that protects Britannia is the Courage of its people. The Crown that ennobles Britannia is the Love of its people. The Scepter that guides Britannia is the Truth of its people. Together we will open the Vault and eventually restore Magincia! We will tear down this wall."
While Dawn's words sank in, a Royal Mining Expert arrived to finish the tunnel into the vault. With an anticlimactic shout, the miner, upon the instruction of the Queen, breached the vault. Within moments, she reemerged with the Crystal of Duplicity, presenting it to the Queen. Her Majesty promised that a case would be built to display it. She then bade everyone enjoy the weekend-long Summer Festival before she departed.
Today, the crystal sits in front of the throne on a tall stand for all to see. According to Ricardo, it is the tool Lord British's Court Mage, Nystul, used to create the facet of Trammel. Allegedly, it was hidden in the city of Magincia. There it was later stolen by agents of the enchantress Minax who then used it to project her form from Felucca into Trammel. Current thinking holds that this crystal will somehow allow Magincia to be rebuilt by negating the demonic curse on the isle.
However, it is logical to consider that breaking into the secure vault of Britannia's greatest ruler will exact a price in the future. To publicly display such an object of power with only a handful of guards is tantamount to inviting further troubles.
Last Thursday, Queen Dawn requested that interested citizens gather in the throne room of Castle British. No one knew exactly why our sovereign wished to address us, however, it was a safe assumption it was related to the gaping hole which has occupied the northwest corner of her secure dais since Tuesday.
Sherry the Mouse was first to speak to the gathered crowd, saying that the Queen was still speaking with advisors and would be along shortly. Sherry let it be known that she was working on a new book, but sadly she didn't divulge the topic. The gracious mouse also informed the assemblage that the fabled vault of Lord British would indeed be opened that eve, not through the means gleaned from Ricardo's knowledge - but through brute force. She said that Dexter the Mage had been unable to find a way around the spell which protected the vault, or a potential location for one of the three 'lost' treasures of Lord British. In the end, she quoted Queen Dawn as saying "If a key won't work, you kick down the door!"
This did not sit well with the crowd, as they considered the thought of breaking into a vault containing unknown artifacts as a fool's errand. Justicar Ra'Dian Fl'Gith of the High Council commented loudly, "Is breakin' int' a magically protected vault th' wisest o' decisions we could make?" Lady Silverbrook of Magincia added, "Most things are hidden with reason." Sherry quickly excused herself as Queen Dawn arrived to give her speech.
"Welcome, Citizens of Britannia, on this warm summer evening! Thank you all for coming. Lord British did not believe in the typical vestments of power. He knew that Britannia's authority and Virtue come from its people. The Cloak that protects Britannia is the Courage of its people. The Crown that ennobles Britannia is the Love of its people. The Scepter that guides Britannia is the Truth of its people. Together we will open the Vault and eventually restore Magincia! We will tear down this wall."
While Dawn's words sank in, a Royal Mining Expert arrived to finish the tunnel into the vault. With an anticlimactic shout, the miner, upon the instruction of the Queen, breached the vault. Within moments, she reemerged with the Crystal of Duplicity, presenting it to the Queen. Her Majesty promised that a case would be built to display it. She then bade everyone enjoy the weekend-long Summer Festival before she departed.
Today, the crystal sits in front of the throne on a tall stand for all to see. According to Ricardo, it is the tool Lord British's Court Mage, Nystul, used to create the facet of Trammel. Allegedly, it was hidden in the city of Magincia. There it was later stolen by agents of the enchantress Minax who then used it to project her form from Felucca into Trammel. Current thinking holds that this crystal will somehow allow Magincia to be rebuilt by negating the demonic curse on the isle.
However, it is logical to consider that breaking into the secure vault of Britannia's greatest ruler will exact a price in the future. To publicly display such an object of power with only a handful of guards is tantamount to inviting further troubles.