Last week, we shared a page from the Princess of Mounthaven's diary on our blog, a key piece for understanding the events that introduce the new narrative campaign of The Last of the Wilds in the Warcrow universe. Today, we continue that story with a new day from that same notebook.
It's been weeks since I've had time to write a single line, but I don't want to let any more days go by without putting in this diary events that I know will, in the future, be part of the great history of Mounthaven.
Thanks to Hrodreiks, I know now that the Five Rivjmatta are the Five Wilds. But this is only the beginning of what I have to tell. How right I was to search for lost ancient atlases to find locations that could help us expand the kingdom and secure our victories!
Having discovered the existence of the Five Wilds, though I still don't fully understand what or who they were, the Thirteenth Executor of the Master Plan begged me to consult the other Augurs to learn more about them – and what they told us was devastating. The Five Wilds did indeed exist, and, moreover, their ancient knowledge is essential to executing the Master Plan. They even assured us that it is written that they will share this knowledge with the dwarves for our ultimate victory. However, the news that truly shocked us was learning that none of them remains alive. Not one.
I felt like an idiot when I heard it. I'd managed to uncover the existence of the Five Wilds, and that they were crucial to the success of the Master Plan, only to find out they were dead? I was dumbfounded, but, my goodness, Hrodreiks reacted terribly. I'd say he collapsed. He started shouting that the Master Plan couldn't be wrong, that we had to find a solution, that this was a turning point that could change everything... And, after the initial outrage, he sank into grief. I don't really blame him.
I was worried. How could I not be? But I'm the Princess of Mounthaven, and my self-confidence is unshakeable. We'd sort it out. I didn't know how, but we would. And I wasn't wrong.
After that, I went back to my duties, and among them, I couldn't miss the opportunity to rid some corner of the kingdom of the Red Caps. I don't quite know why, but they're becoming more and more active, and now it's very easy to find them anywhere, buzzing and screeching like a swarm. My father says this has been happening since Nuada took command, a presence from the ancient Elven Empire whose name I always emphasize should worry us. Nuada may be an idiot, but he possesses a remarkable intellect. In any case, if the Red Caps weren't so perfect for keeping Mounthaven's army in shape for generations, they'd be a real nuisance.
It was in the last skirmish against them that I got the shock of my life. The Marka Vithmiris atlas isn't the only one that mentions the Five Wilds! There's another book! When, in the heat of battle, I spotted a Gobbler clutching a brown book to his body as if his life depended on it, I rushed for it. I managed to snatch it away, and when I read the title, my breath caught in my throat. It was a volume titled Wonders of Creation, a cosmography written by someone named Qazvini, which at some point in history had been kept in the long-vanished Library of the Heart.
My anxiety was so great when I found myself with that volume in my hands that I read it right there, surrounded by the reddish corpses of those piranhas with legs that we promptly dispatched. I was fascinated by Qazvini's words, sensing that the Master Plan had woven the threads of destiny so that I, the firstborn of the Great Monarch, would be in that exact place at this most opportune moment. And then, within its pages, I discovered a reference to the Five Wilds that changed everything. Because Qazvini assures me that one is still alive. And, if that is so, the Master Plan is not mistaken.
The author of Wonders of Creation says that the last of the Wilds is called the Whisper of the Cave. He mentions that it is in Ghar, a coastal cavern located west of Brunna, whose entrance remains hidden. Apparently, the key to finding it lies in the eyes of a dragon. And if its dwelling is located, one must show it respect to obtain the information and discover its exact location. Obviously, there are no more dragons in Lindwurm, so this has to be a metaphor used by this Qazvini fellow, because I get the feeling he's writing to make himself seem a bit important (I'll discuss this with Sylvia and see what she thinks).
In any case, after sharing the good news with Hrodreiks (who was absolutely thrilled) and preparing a party of my most loyal soldiers to accompany us, we're ready to head west. With renewed spirits and Qazvini's instructions in hand, I'm going in search of the last of the Five Wilds. I will save my nation and become the most revered ruler in the history of Mounthaven!
This new fragment writen by Silvia Pato solves some of the questions raised in the previous chapter. If you want to delve deeper, don't miss the new video we're releasing today, where we explore this part of the background in more detail.
And if you haven't read about the dwarf nation that is coming to conquer the gaming table, now is the time to discover Mounthaven.
