27 April 1670 – Chamber of Fate

Ten years. It has been ten long and painful years since Lucien Fairfax murdered my sister in one of the towers of his castle. Ten years since he tried to kill me, too. My faithful dog has never been far from my side since then. Theresa told me that he was the one who led her to me through the streets of Bowerstone. If he had not done that, I have no doubt that I would have joined my sister Rose in death.

I'm not sure how I feel about that. If I was dead, perhaps I would be at peace, but at the same time, Lucien would go unpunished for his deeds.

Theresa left some things in a chest by my caravan to help me along my journey, among them this journal. Books are precious even in modern Albion – I can't imagine how much this must have cost her. She encouraged me to write down my thoughts in this book, so that I will not lose sight of my purpose.

Lucien. Even thinking the name makes my anger rise, and red cloud my vision. Whatever the man intended by my sister's and my deaths that night, I will ensure that I stop him.

I have only just left the Bower Lake Gypsy Camp today, and yet I already feel different. I am different.

All these years I spent growing up next to it, swimming in the waters that surround it, and yet I never imagined what the Bower Lake Tomb might contain – danger and treasure in equal measure. I encountered many giant beetles that had taken up residence in the tomb when people left it centuries ago. There were also many old books, and a handful of precious gems inside, untouched since the time of the Heroes' Guild. I cannot help but feel in awe of my ancestors and what they have built, even though it has fallen into disrepair.

I learned my first Will ability today – Shock, the lightning spell. I have only used it once so far – to activate the Cullis gate in the Chamber of Fate – but I can already tell that I'm going to love using magic. Oh, if Rose could see me now – we bought that music box ten years ago because the trader said it was magic, and now I'm using real magic.

I'm still inside the Chamber of Fate right now. I wanted to take the time to write down all that had happened to me so far, so that I won't forget.

30 April 1670 – Bowerstone Market

Bowerstone has changed so much since I was last here as a child, and not just the route to get here. The moment I emerged from the Cullis gate atop Hero Hill, I was attacked by still more giant beetles. I was unprepared for such an attack, and got my hair pulled several times by the nasty buggers.

Then Bowerstone Road was closed due to a bandit named Thag. Apparently he had been capturing traders on their way to the Gypsy Camp, and there weren't enough guards to deal with the problem. I took the guard's suggestion and killed him myself, rather than wait for them to muster the men. Theresa agreed with my decision and directed me to his camp.

A bunch of bandits soon proved to be no match for a Hero. My Will powers knocked them half-dead, even weak as they are, so I only had to beat them a few times with my sword or shoot them with my crossbow. Though I probably shouldn't think of it this way, it was a thoroughly boring fight, little more of a challenge than the beetles, and I've been smacking those around since I was little.

Theresa was delayed in reaching Bowerstone – I can only assume that someone in the camp needed her aid. I have spent most of yesterday and some of last night working, as she suggested. My weapons could use to be upgrades, but the blacksmith is not yet open for business.

I am sitting on the steps of the clock tower, eating a sandwich I bought from the tavern keeper. His bar seems to do big business, no matter what day of the week it is. I watch his patrons and see their happiness at sharing pints with old friends, but I know that if I attempted to join them, I would not feel their joy. I have had little to feel joyful about since the death of my last family member.

Were Rose and I really sisters? I no longer remember, but that no longer matters.

Theresa has arrived. I will write more later.

The Tattered Spire. According to my blind seer guide, that is where Lucien is now. Let me see if I can recall her wording…

"The Spire was intended as a conduit for all the magic in the world, granting the Kingdom's ruler a power so great he could bend reality to his will. On the day it was completed, and the first wish made, a light bloomed inside, though its purpose could not have been darker.

"Albion shattered. Centuries of civilization were wiped out in moments, its people erased from existence. Some say that this was the first wish: an end to a hollow and corrupt world – and for a purer one to take its place."

And now this infernal tower rises once more, by the hand of my enemy. I feel conflicted, even more so than ever before. If I stop Lucien before he completes the Spire, I will have followed through with my vow and avenged my sister's death. But if I wait, if I delay just long enough for the Spire to be completed… could I bring my sister back to life?

Thoughts for another time.

Theresa was right. Bowerstone Old Town has changed, and in more ways than one. Derek, the guard Rose and I helped when we were little, broke up Nicky the Nickname's gang after we returned his warrants to him – and if "Nicky the Nickname" isn't the stupidest name I've ever heard, I don't know what is. But because of that, Derek was named Sheriff and turned Old Town completely around – he said that Old Town is now one of the most desirable places to live. When I lived here, it was just a dump.

I've decided to hold off going to Oakfield for a little while, to browse the shops. Lucien's waited this long – he can wait a little longer.

3 May 1670 – Oakfield

I was right to wait in heading through Rookridge. Even during the day, it's a dump. Bandits and Hobbes everywhere – ugh, the Hobbes were the worst! This guy's kid had been kidnapped by the little blighters. Since the only way around the blown-up bridge (bandits) was through the Hobbe Cave, I offered to help him rescue his kid. Two birds with one stone and all that. But by the time we got to him, it was too late. I'd always thought that those stories about kids turning into Hobbes were just a bunch of old wives' tales, but now I know that at least that one is true.

I don't know what happened to that man. I had to leave him down in the cave when he passed out sobbing for his kid. I fought my way back out into the open air and made a break for Oakfield before those bandits could come after me.

This place really does deserve its title as "the lushest place in Albion." Even after dark, the place is still so green, and sunrise is beautiful here. The fields are peaceful and still in the early morning light. I can easily forget my troubles here.

I'm currently leaning against a tree a bit south of the Temple of Light. Since I arrived in Oakfield after midnight, I think it's only polite that I wait until a decent hour to call upon the abbot of the Temple. The sun should be high enough in a few hours. I'll take a nap until then.

The abbot seems like a nice enough man. He's just a concerned father, wanting to look out for his child. In that respect, he reminds me of the man from the Hobbe Cave. I need to get him to trust me if I'm going to find who the Pilgrim is, the Hero of Strength.

I went back to Oakfield's inn, the Sandgoose, to hear any gossip about quests I could take to get my name spread around. I met up with Barum while I was there – it was from him that Rose and I earned one of the gold pieces we used to buy the music box. Apparently, some bandits in Rookridge have been causing problems for one of his investments, rebuilding the bridge that the bandits blew up. With any luck, these won't be the same bandits.

6 May 1670 – Oakfield

Back in Oakfield. The bandit leader's name was Dash, and given the number of men at his command, he was the one who had the bridge destroyed. His boast about being the "fastest man in Albion" may have been true, but "you'll never catch me" was certainly not. My dog finally got him pinned up on some standing stones near his camp, and I shot him with my pistol.

Barum was overjoyed, but so too was Oakfield. Because Rookridge borders the town and one of their main trade routes runs through it, the townsfolk had been suffering greatly. By the time I got back to the Sandgoose, the Bard was already singing my praises, and the gossips were all atwitter on every street corner.

I am damn tired from all this walking. I think I'll take a rest at the inn before I move on. A few more quests like that one, and I'll be sure to earn the abbot's favour.

8 May 1670 – Bowerstone

I don't know what to do. I'm beginning to regret ever taking this quest. It started out innocent enough, sort of – the ghost of a jilted lover wanting revenge on the man who left her at the altar. That seemed easy enough. In the Bower Lake Camp, there had been a fair few of both sides, and I had been witness to the fallout many times.

Following her instructions, I came back to Bowerstone to look for this "Alex." He seemed nice enough when I first met him, and he couldn't have been more than a year or two older than me. It was pretty easy to get him to fall in love with me. He seemed desperate for company, but then he admitted that he had simply gotten cold feet during the wedding because he thought that he and the ghost, Victoria, were too young to get married.

When I asked him why he simply didn't tell her this, he said that he thought she'd take it badly. Personally, I think she took "no explanation at all" worse than "badly," but it's too late for that. What has been done, cannot be undone.

As much as a part of me wants to make him suffer for causing her to take her own life, I can see that he's making himself suffer far worse than I ever could. But do I really want to marry him? I mean, I've only just met him, and marriage is pretty much forever. I could divorce him later, but what if he winds up going the way of his ex-fiancée? I don't want to have innocent blood on my hands.

I guess I will marry him. I can grow to love him in time… I think.

19 May 1670 – Serenity Farm, Oakfield

Alex and I are now husband and wife. Victoria was happy for us – she said that she hadn't considered that Alex had suffered enough already, and then gave us her blessing.

This weird Demon Door opened for us when we walked past, looking at houses in Oakfield. Inside was a lovely place – the Serenity Farm, and man, is it serene. I suppose it's only fitting that such a perfect place for a married couple, is in the lushest region in Albion.

I proposed to him on the 9th of May, but a few things came up. We decided to delay the wedding a week or so, so that I could take care of it. I have not yet aided the Temple of Light monks in their Ritual – the abbot tells me that it will take place on the Summer Solstice, 21 June, a month away. Until then, I am free to do as I like.

Last night, I sat Alex down and told him about my past, about how I intend to kill Lucien, and about his dead love. He was glad to hear that Victoria was finally resting in peace. He also understood why I am doing what I'm doing and vowed to help my where he could. I also explained that I'm going to be away from home a lot. If he needs "satisfaction" while I'm gone, he's free to do as he likes, so long as he uses protection. He insisted that he would be faithful to me, so I just smiled and said, "You'll feel differently after a while."

28 May 1670 – Bower Lake

Slavers. Hate the lot of them. I mean, how can they do that, take fellow men and women captive and sell them off like animals? How can they sleep at night? How can they live with what they've done? I don't know how they cope – are they just that insensitive?

I've killed people before, but their faces haunt my dreams, their expressions in their dying moments, their cries as the life bled out of them. I grieve for them, even those that deserve to die. Maybe especially them, because who else is there to mourn their passing? I wonder if they're punished for what they've done in life. I wonder if we're punished for what we do.

6 June 1670 – Oakfield

The solstice is getting closer! I can't wait to meet the Hero of Strength.

In the meantime, I've spent my time doing the odd bounty hunting job here and then, though I've tried to hang around Oakfield. The woodcutting and bartending jobs pay well, too, and I've got a tidy sum saved up for Alex while I go on my adventures.

We consummated our marriage not too long ago. It was as awkward as I expected – he was so obviously a virgin. I was, too, but I had been raised in a gypsy camp. I knew the facts of life, and I had seen people "do the nasty" many times – there never was much privacy in the Bower Lake Camp. But despite the awkwardness, we got through it successfully. We didn't use protection, though – I hope I'm not pregnant during the Ritual. I wouldn't want the baby to get hurt if something happens.

14 June 1670 – Fairfax Gardens

Castle Fairfax looks so different during the day. Sometimes I wonder if the sinister air it had that night was all a product of my imagination. It hadn't seemed so at the time, but looking back, the shadows seemed darker, deeper, the people less friendly. Jeeves, Lucien's butler, certainly didn't help, what with his "don't do this" and "address him as that." Honestly.

I initially came here to see if the castle is as abandoned as everyone says (it is), but I was surprised to see many of the nobles still holding court in the gardens. One of them – Belle Rennock – had a number of servants with her. At her direction, they were digging a large (and presently shallow) pit in one of the massive flowerbeds. It was as deep as my waist when last I looked, and about ten meters across at its widest point.

Yep, not much has changed in the past hour.

When I asked what she was doing, she said that she was researching one of the Old Kingdom's artefacts. Given what Lucien's doing in the Tattered Spire, I was leery of helping her, but doing so brings me the renown I know I'll need later. I've collected three scrolls for her so far, and none of it seems harmful. I guess I'll continue to lend a hand in the future.

20 June 1670 – Oakfield

The Ritual is tomorrow, but I can't seem to calm down enough to get the rest I know I'll need. Alex is home at the Serenity Farm, asleep in our bed. I made sure that I didn't wake him when I got up to take a walk.

Oakfield at night is still just as beautiful and peaceful as during the day. Instead of golden sunlight, silver moonbeams paint the fields and trees, softening edges and darkening shadows.

I hope all goes well tomorrow.

22 June 1670 – Temple of Light, Oakfield

The abbot is dead. One of Lucien's men killed him, before Sister Hannah smacked him with her war hammer.

Everything started out fine. I met up with her at dawn by the Wellspring Cave. I made sure my weapons were upgraded, and that my spells were at the highest level I could get them. If she was going to be there Hero of Strength, I needed to keep her alive at all costs.

Inside the cave, there were three rooms where we would collect the water for the Golden Oak. They were opened by three pressure pads, so that we could only go in a particular order. Going to the first room was easy – it was the coming back that was the problem. Malicious wisps started reanimating corpses on the stone bridge.

I quickly switched to my fire spell and started blasting away at them, using my sword where flames weren't enough. We made it back to the central chamber relatively unscathed. The route to the second chamber was shorter than the one to the first, but while Hannah was gathering the water, hollow men kept spawning and attacking her, forcing me to use my spells and gun to defend her from afar.

Then on the way to the third chamber, we wound up getting trapped in a room where wave after wave of hollow men spawned, followed by a headless one that could use Will lightning and Force Push. I managed to defeat it, but I had to use several potions to keep my health high.

And just when I thought it was all over, we were going to get the last of the holy water and get out of there, one of the monks comes darting in, calling for Hannah and shouting something about how one of Lucien's men had captured her father.

That caught my attention. Hannah dropped the jug containing the water we had so painstakingly collected even as we both ran toward the stone ramp leading up and out of the cave. As she passed it, she grabbed a massive war hammer from the hands of a stone statue. Weary as I was, I lagged behind while she sprinted back to the Temple, and by the time I caught up with her, it was already over.

The monks chose to plant the new Golden Oak over the abbot's grave. A fitting choice, I believe, that the sacrifices of the previous generation should aid the growth of future generations. The burial and planting was carried out yesterday. Now I am seated outside the central building of the Temple of Light, waiting for the monks to finish choosing a new abbot. I hope the new abbot is as wise and kind as the old.