The Crystal Caves

"Have you... been here before?" muttered Christina. "Whoa, pretty colors!" She spun about, dazed.

"Keep it together," I moaned, my eyes closing slowly. I shook my head.

"The Roots of Mother Oak are a good medicine," said Sir Patrick, smiling. "But you will need to defeat the Dragon Spawn to reach them."

Despite our condition, we managed to take out eight dragon spawn. (Fire mobs and Colossal failed to pop for everyone.)

We made our way to the roots of a giant tree. This must have been Mother Oak. We chewed on the nasty roots and our trances cleared. I was relieved and looked around to see where we were - beautiful crystal-coated caverns. I then heard some snarling in a pit below...

And gulped. Two giant dragons - one black, one white - were... oops, wrong picture! (Sorry, had to. With Pokemon Alpha Sapphire in my grubby little hands, I had to make a Pokemon reference.)

I could barely see them but they were there.

"Man, I hope we don't have to fight those monsters," whispered Christina.

You will, and then the tragedy will begin...

"Hih?" I said, looking around.

"You okay, Mma?" asked Grace.

"Yeah, I'm just hearing voices in my head," I muttered. "Let's find Sir Patrick again."

He was glad we had chewed on the root. "It was nasty," muttered Christina.

"We don't want you to slip too far to the Other Side," he chuckled. "Now go down the path where you found Mother Oak. That is the Night Garden. Consult the Statues of Fate and then meet me there." He left without a further word.

I began to feel a sense of dread as we followed the path. Things were getting heavy. We were nearly the end of our quest here in Avalon, I felt it!

The place was huge. Strange glowing wisps flittered about statues and some of them I recognized.
I touched the one most familiar to me, that of Merle Ambrose. This was his home.

I gasped in shock as I heard my Headmaster's voice speaking in my mind, but not to me...

"You are the brightest star I have ever taught. I hope you will continue in your studies..."

"It is time, Gamma. Time to go to that world and open the doors to our first class!"

"Did you hear it?" I asked, seeing my friends' faces - I didn't need an answer. They had.

"Weird," said Christina. "What is that?"

"It is the memories of Rra Ambrose before he met us," said Grace.

"Yes," said Ethan. "The first time he spoke... that must have been when he discovered the Spiral."

"Then the last one," said Christina. "That must be when he found Bartleby and founded Ravenwood and Wizard City! Read Boris's article about it, awesome!"

I nodded. "But there was one more... he talked about a bright student... I think he might have tutored someone in magic before he created Wizard City... I wonder..." I went over to the next statue, the one of Queen Gwendolyn, and touched it...

The voices spoke in my mind again, that of the self-exiled queen of Avalon.

"...Dun Dara will be my new home, away from light and love and hope..."

"...to see the Sword of Kings reclaimed by one and bring light back to Avalon is my most fervent wish..."

I wiped tears from my eyes. "This was when King Artorius was... lost..." said Grace.

"And when she exiled herself," muttered Ethan.

"And now we're the ones who have to reclaim the Sword of Kings," said Christina. "We'll do it!"

I touched the third statue. That regal figure had to be King Artorius himslf...

The mighty words of the King boomed in my mind and the others' as well.

"I drift in the sea of darkness. I fall endlessly in the under dark. I crash through the maze of thorns."

"...what is this Horned Crown? Who places it upon my brow? Are you friend... or Froudling? ...! I know that voice..."

"What is he yabbing about?" asked Christina. "I know the first words were about Sir Malory, the Nameless Knight who betrayed Artorius, but... the others I don't get. What are they?"

"Confirmation," I muttered, going to the last statue. It was a statue of a wicked woman, one which I felt a deep familiarity to... one I knew we had all seen before...

"Look, Gamma! Give me the blasted book already! You know Merle said I aced every test so far! What harm could it do?"

"Give me the Horned Crown, Froudling! I've paid your price, now give it to me or face my wrath!"

"This will heal your wounds, mighty King, clothing you in impenetrable armor! Wear the Horned Crown and find new life!"

"Who is that?" said Christina.

We looked at her as if she had suddenly grown fangs. "It is none other than the Dark Lady, Morganthe," said Grace.

"NO WAY! MORGIE?!" cried Christina. "Well, the statue looks like our enemy, but still..."

"It was Morganthe when she was our age," muttered Ethan. "A young woman..."

"I think I need to consult with Sir Patrick before I reveal the big bombshell on you all," I said.

"I beg to differ," I said. "These memories are the history of Avalon." I threw down the tapestry I had stitched up and showed the pictures in it. (This is what you get after you complete the tapestry quest for Francis Lux and collect all the tapestries.)

Long ago, the great wizard and trickster Merle Ambrose helped a young warrior prove himself and rise to rule over the land. Artorius was raised in humble surroundings, but he had royal blood in his veins. The brave and noble Artorius was destined to draw the Sword of Kings from the stone and become the greatest warrior in Avalon. (This is the tapestry you get from the High Road. You will find it in the Red Thorn Tower, after you beat both bosses there - it's in the cell where Sir Brennan and Sir Guy Guissarme are held, look on the left wall to find it.)

Artorius used the Sword of Kings to exemplify the knightly virtues. He was unbeatable in battle but he was also merciful and just. He always gave his foes a chance to turn from the shadows to join his cause. Merle Ambrose guided Artorius to his role as King of Avalon, and the two of them founded the Knightly Order of the Silver Rose. (This is the tapestry you find in Caer Lyon. It is in Chagan Nosebiter's lair. Climb the spiral stairs and you'll find it on the table on the balcony.)

 
King Artorius met a young maiden, Gwendolyn, and fell in love. King Artorius married Gwendolyn and made her Queen of Avalon. Together, they ruled over a golden age of peace and prosperity. (This is the tapestry you find in the Wild. It's in the White Owl Tower. Once you avoid the second Owl Sister[or defeat her if you screw up the potion puzzle] and head down the stairs to the final Owl Sister, look to your right and you'll find this hanging on the wall of the stairs.)

 Alas, despite King Artorius's attempts to promote the chivalric virtues, not all could live up to his ideals. Jealous of what King Artorius and Queen Gwendolyn had built, Sir Malory of Dun Dara worked to undo their good work in Avalon.

Sir Malory found dark allies in the ink-black depths of the Weirwood. He led the Froudlings against King Artorius. King Artorius vanquished the Froudlings and killed Sir Malory, but not before the false knight mortally wounded the great king. (This is the tapestry you find in the Wyrd. You'll find it in, ironically enough, the Nameless Knight's tomb. You WILL have to fight him because you'll trigger the cut scene and be pulled into battle with him if you get too close from any side - believe me, I tried sneaking behind him, it doesn't work. :( )

Merle Ambrose gave the Sword of Kings to Squire Perry to hold and protect -- a new beginning for the Knights of the Silver Rose. King Artorius was taken to the Dolorous Tower to prepare him for his journey to the Other Side. Merle Ambrose and his ally, the wood owl Gamma, left Avalon to explore the Spiral. It was the next age in Avalon. (This is the tapestry you'll find in Dun Dara, in the second floor of the tower of Belle Regarde. Do remember to grab it before you leave after talking to Kit or else you'll have to deal with the Black Knight again. :i)

 
King Artorius prepared to cross to the Other Side, knowing Avalon was left in good hands. Unbeknowest to the good people of Avalon, a shadow crept into the Dolorous Tower to fall over King Artorius. Morganthe, dark sister to Sir Malory, offered Artorius a way to stave off the cold mist of the Other Side. Artorius took up her offer, not realizing the gift was trapped. He accepted the Horned Crown, a sinister artifact from the Wyrd.

 Artorius shed his skin and his virtues and rose as the dread Pendragon. The evil Pendragon led the Wild Hunt out of the Weirwood at the head of a Froudling army. They burned and conquered all!

But hope still remains in the secret places of Avalon. One day, a hero will rise and the Silver Rose will bloom once more... (Last but not least, we come to the tapestry in the Catacombs, which, if you were observant, is in the lair of the Hobgoblin Blood Captain, on a table at the other end of the room. Again, GET IT BEFORE YOU LEAVE OR YOU'LL HAVE TO FIGHT THAT CREEP AGAIN TO GET TO IT!)


My friends were speechless. Christina snarled and smacked her fist harder than ever. "I thought it was bad enough that Morgie the Slut had caused upheaval in Celestia and nearly drove Grace's world into blasted civil WAR, but THIS puts her at #1 on my *hit list! I refuse to believe she once studied at our school! I won't believe it!"

"When Rra Ambrose banished her," mumbled Grace. "He said... that she had so much potential, but she had dwelt in the shadows for far too long."

"If I had been him, banishment would have been too good for that..." Christina began to say.

"Stuff it!" I snapped. "It doesn't matter now! Yes, Morganthe will pay for her crimes over and over again! But to punish her, we need the Sword of Kings!"


"Ah," said Sir Patrick, smirking. "You must have been trained under Merle Ambrose. No wizard half as cunning as he ever appeared in Avalon since he left."

"We all were," Grace said. "Well, we learned under his assigned teachers."

"I see," said Sir Patrick. He bowed to us. "I have a great faith in you all. I am sure you will fulfill his wishes and complete your quest..."

I nodded. We had to, at all costs.

Morganthe had to be punished for her crimes against Celestia, Zafaria, and Avalon.

[To be continued...]