Oh my gods, not again. The king hears a whisper of a rumour about a magical artefact and decides to send us out to 'retrieve' it. This should be included in the training before we swear fealty. We're knights, completely unmagical knights, with no sensitivity to magical traps.
You'd think he'd at least make sure it was real before sending people after something!
OK. So it seems that this time Gaius has confirmed the existence of an item matching the description. I honestly don't know whether that is reassuring, or a reason to stage my own death while there's still a chance of it being a fake death.
One way or another every knight is on borrowed time, if we are reluctant to go on these stupid quests for things we don't understand the purpose of, he'll have us executed as magic-sympathisers, and if we aren't picked off by bandits or a sorceress with a personal feud, then the magical artefact is either surrounded by monsters, or protected by enchantments. Last week Sirs Tristan and Boden returned covered in painful, unsightly boils, and were happy. The week before Sir Adrian returned in far greater distress after obtaining a sacred flute, without unsightly boils and also without his- ahem- personal flute. His Lady is reportedly very displeased.
Even the king winced hearing that one, he blames magic of course. Oops, evil magic I mean, Sir Adrian is trying to decide whether it is more dangerous to continue daily with his wife's wrath, or steal the sacred flute to return it and risk Uther's pyres. Having met the Lady Adrian I suggested the pyres might be a gentler way to go than at his wife's frustrated hands.
I don't know how he thinks that our vaults are safer to keep them in than the hidden places that require actual quests to collect them, I mean, one was guarded by a kraken, an honest to gods kraken. That seemed to him far more of a deterrent than city walls. The jewel was, of course, protected by another curse. Only one knight survived that quest, but he seems quite relieved to be offered the chance to retire with only a missing sword arm; a kindly old crone- no of course she wasn't a sorceress, don't be ridiculous- living in a nearby hovel prevented him from bleeding out and salvaged what she could.
I don't mind the mildly irritating ones, I mean, the month of the itchy feet when we got the dancing shoes of a particular sorceress only really made us slightly short tempered (don't question the king's life choices, it's bad for your health).
That time with the magic mirror though, bloody hell, the women of Camelot were all crazy! I considered smashing it myself, but somehow I doubt that the consequences for that would be as kind as seven years bad luck. I think one of the guards might have lost it as the effects have dimmed somewhat. Whoever it is has my undying gratitude. It's probably not a good idea to suggest undying anything around here, that sounds like a curse just waiting to happen.
I miss things making sense.
So it seems that there may be a genuine reason this time that preventing Nimue and her cohort from harnessing this particular one is of significance.
Gaius spoke of a crystal, cut from some kind of special cave, not recommended even by magic users- oh, EX-magic users of course- for any but the strongest witches, or Seers of natural ability. Something about causing visions of the future and increasing their intensity, coupled with a powerful draw towards those who can use them safely. That sounds like a potentially addictive thing, and a cruel one. It's just as well none remain here that it could call to. It's not on the Isle of the Blessed at least. Every patrol that has approached there so far has been obliterated. It's the Witches stronghold.
This 'crystal of Neathid' is alleged to be in the unguarded horde of a slain dragon. A dragon is a good choice of guardian for most things really, so at least there are likely to be fewer weird beasts to fight on the way in. That's a plus on any quest.
It's supposed to require years of exposure and practice to master the crystal. I don't like how similar that sounds to what my sons have begun with sword and bow, like something a Master would train a squire up in. Leon is a good lad, a natural with the sword, and a born protector, but the expectations placed on him are not the same that my own father put on me.
I don't expect to see him reach his own knighthood ceremony, the life of a knight is short and brutal now, not what I want for my son, but it's much shorter and harsher if you refuse commands, however irrational.
The crystal, if we do manage to retrieve it alive, will go in the deepest part of the vault, no one but those of us being sent are to know of its existence or presence, and Gaius of course.
Storing so many possible weapons together seemed irresponsible, but then he was only a knight, what did he know of politics and strategy outside of battle? It was only one relic among hundreds that already lay under the citadel, it would be fine. Such a crystal might even be one of the few things safer here, given the lack of anyone who could possibly use it, or misuse. It couldn't possibly draw anyone in or corrupt them with no one around with magic. He disagreed with the king's actions, but his son and wife were the price for saying that, so like many others, he sacrificed his own integrity for their lives hoping his obedience would cover any slip-ups a child might make.
As was now expected not everyone returned from their quest, but the crystal of Neathid was secured. If they had known just a little more about such things, or had a Court Sorceress still they'd have known to shield it, contain the field of power. No-one recognised the nightmares of the little girl who joined the royal household a year later or made any such connections, the men who had retrieved it dead by then.
In their absence only the Great dragon, who wished to destroy it for the pain humans brought each other by abusing it, and a young witch it tortured could sense the crystal's presence. Camelot's king had long ago lost track of the items he had stolen and collected and made a habit of ignoring sensible advice anyway, even if anyone had survived to offer it.
Underneath Camelot there lay a cave of wonders, and a pit of horrors to rival hades itself, and one never knew which they were touching until it was done, and the power unleashed.