Madlyn Greenshield

Captain of Lemish guard. I've been training under the general of the Lemish guard, Arthur Brightenhook, since I was six. I'm the most disciplined and hardest worker there is. I believe you get out what you put in.

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Age

Children

Gender

Female

Eyes

Brown

Hair

Brown

Height

5 foot 7 inches

Dragon Thief

Dear future biographer, I’m furious. We risked our lives to retrieve the hammer, and Takhesis’ spies have been embedded in the Klar clan for years. A green dragon sprouts from the body of the chief’s advisor and steals the hammer and arm. The green dragon kills Laina’s grandfather swiftly with no remorse. No hesitation. Before anyone can act, this green dragon is breaking a hole in the roof and carrying away the arm and our hardly earned hammer. Then, it is chaos. There is lava which we learn later is an illusion, but it felt so real at the time. There are more spies that are magic wielders that are revealed in the crowd. They are trying to kill every last Klar. Cotbt was able to save many of the Klar, but many also lost their lives. I feel for Laina. Like many of us, she has lost too many loved ones at the hand of Takhesis. I know it isn’t the right time, but I’m also angry. The Klar clan should have listened to us when we warned them about Takhesis. They were so confident that Takhesis couldn’t touch them. They dismissed our warnings so easily. It probably wouldn’t have made a difference if they had headed our warning earlier, but I hate that it took tragedy for them to understand. I’m happy Laina decided to stay with Cotbt, but I can’t imagine the emotion going through her as she gave up the role as Cheiftess. Norduc seems to have a good head on his shoulders and will make a good Cheif. Norduc says that he’ll work with the copper dragons to recruit the rest of the dwarven clans to fight on our side of the war against Takhesis. This seems like a hard task to accomplish from an exiled clan member, but I have to hope he has the tenacity to get it done. I’ve realized that Cotbt’s time will be better spent freeing the metallic dragons. If Takhesis has more chromatic dragons hiding, then we need more metallic dragons at our will to have a chance against her. “One step back does not mean defeat. It just means that our next step forward will be wiser.” Sir Madlyn Greenshield, Captain of the Lemish Guard, champion of Majere, officer of Cotbt, Knight of Solomnia Order of the Rose, honored hero of Port O’Call, Freer of Souls

Freer of Souls

Dear future biographer, I now know why so many dwarves were not successful in their attempts to gain the hammer. We found the hammer held by a dwarf from long ago. An enchantment was on the hammer that teleported us to this very dark realm. Everything felt gloomy and off there. It is hard to put in words. Kaylan took this new environment worse than the rest of us. Usually there is so much joy and passion in Kaylan’s eyes. It was unsettling to see her so empty and fearful. Eventually, we get to this tower owned by a wizard named Jordan. I could not get a good read on Jordan. His answers to our questions just left us with more questions. This environment just felt so dark. I should have known that anyone who lived here would not be someone to trust. I know you’ve probably heard about my success with the research you’ve done so far with my biography, but I’m going to let you know what really happened. I don’t know why I feel the need to put these thoughts to paper today. Maybe it is due to how much of a drain that realm had to our souls, or maybe it is due to how close it felt like today would be my last day. I just feel so tired, and I’m sure I’ll be falling asleep quickly once I finish collecting my thoughts. What really happened today was that I failed. Yes, even with my worst moments, I can still succeed and we still accomplished our task, but everything should have gone smoother. I made the wrong choice and allowed Jordan in a room alone with Manon. That should not have happened. Everything in my body was screaming that this was the wrong choice to leave her, but I still did. At the time, there didn’t feel like there was another option, but that is a terrible excuse. I am better than the choices I made today. I can make there be other options. I left Manon and Jordan on the top floor of his tower, and quickly found out that my gut was right and Jordan is despicable. The tower shifts and makes it hard to find the stairwell back to the top floor. I quickly try to get back to the top floor, but somehow I’m the last one to get to Manon. Zy and Laina are already doubling back down the stairs while I’m trying to get to the next floor. When did I become the slowest one?! Finally, I get to the top floor, and Jordan is not in sight. I see Bo, Manon, and Kaylan trapped by these dark tentacles. Manon and Kaylan look hurt. I think of Majere, and how I’m supposed to be her chosen champion. I need to act. I need to protect. Everything I do next needs to be disciplined and with purpose. I feel Majere’s power and enhance Manon’s coordination and quickness. Manon is then fortunately able to break out of tentacles and escape to the next floor. I don’t see Manon again until Zy has successfully shut down this tower of terror. Next I work to help Kaylan out of her tentacles. It takes some time. I should have been quicker, but eventually Kaylan is able to escape. It leaves Bo and I on the top floor. I’m surprised Bo hasn’t been able to escape yet. I leave Bo. Desperate to make sure Kaylan and Manon are safe. I know Bo can break out of these tentacles. She must just be overthinking things. I’m proved correct when Bo eventually passes me and moves on to the lower floors. It’s a blur working down the flights of stairs. Getting trapped in webs. One moment I see one member of Cotbt, and then they are gone. Eventually the webs disappear. Manon, Laina, and Kaylan rise from a level. Bo comes from a higher floor, and I had no idea that I had even passed Bo. Zy tells us that she shot and hurt Jordan gravely before he teleported away. Once Jordan escaped, the tower’s obstacles fell. I’m angry that he escaped and wonder if he’ll be another enemy that crosses our path in the future. There is this dark orb of energy in the room. Manon thinks it is the contraption Jordan used to siphon energy from the souls of the people Jordan has killed. Jordan had wanted to do the same to us. So far, I’ve told you how I failed in my judgment to leave Manon alone with Jordan, and now I need to come clean about the other lie you’ve probably heard when doing your research. You must have heard how I bravely destroyed this massive necrotic orb and gained the title, "Freer of Souls." I’m sure I sounded like a glorious hero, but that is a lie. I wanted to leave. I wanted to get out of this hell hole and back to Tran with my friends alive. It was Laina and Kaylan who felt so strongly to destroy this orb so that Jordan could not continue to hurt others. I was selfish. I wanted my friends SAFE! You can probably see by the raggedness of my handwriting, but I still feel unsettled about what happened next. Kaylan tells us that she is going to destroy this dark orb. KAYLAN! Did she not see how frail and hurt she was? She barely looked like she was going to be able to carry herself back to the hammer. Why would she be so stupid? How can she be so careless? It’s because she is good. She is too good, I think. So there is the truth. I did not act heroically and unselfishly as Majere’s champion. I stepped up to destroy the dark orb, because that was the only way I knew how to convince Kaylan to not get herself killed. Doesn’t she get it. She is so good. The world needs her type of good. I need her type of good. She can’t go sacrificing herself all the time. I finally convince everyone to leave except Bo who stood at the door well. Bo is strong enough to handle whatever danger this orb possesses. I try casting a guiding bolt at first to damage the orb from a distance, but it doesn’t seem to do much. I know at this point my ranged attacks are not going to do the job. I need to do what I do best and hammer and smite the fuck out of this orb. I smash the orb and the pain is instant. There is an explosion and I feel such pain. The pain feels like a drain sucking energy from my soul. The rest of Cotbt rushes back to us. Even with healing from Kaylan and myself, I still do not feel at my full strength. I finally get Cotbt to start seeing the danger we are in, and we rush back to the hammer. Fortunately, when we arrive at the hammer, there is no longer a force field. We teleport back to Tran. No time has passed based on how shocked the guards were when we knocked to get let out of the cave. Now we are back at Norduc’s residence. Tomorrow, we bring the hammer to the Klar clan and hope to gain their favor. Then, we’ll need to work to convince the other dwarven clans to join our war against Takhesis. I’m drained and tired. My failures made this task so much harder today. I cannot fail going forward. There is no more room for mistakes and poor decisions. There is too much to lose. “Selfishness is essential to survival, and without survival we cannot protect those whom we love more than ourselves.” Sir Madlyn Greenshield, Captain of the Lemish Guard, champion of Majere, officer of Cotbt, Knight of Solomnia Order of the Rose, honored hero of Port O’Call, Freer of Souls

The Journal Entry’s title

Begin writing your story here...

Time in Tran

To my future biographer, Today, was a slow day, but also a suspenseful day. I got to see more of Tran which was exciting, but most of today was a test of our team’s trust. We had to trust that Laina was going to be able to convince the Klar klan about Takhesis’ threat and recruit them to help with our war against her. Bo and Zy are like me and have a hard time being on the sideline and not able to help. I had to argue with Bo and Zy regarding the best course of action. It reminded me of how much they refused to accept trapping Takhesis as our goal verses killing her. Bo and Zy wanted to break into the council to help Laina and make sure she was safe. Their hearts are in the right place. I was worried about Laina too. I do believe Cotbt could probably take out most of the Klar Klan if needed, but I knew that breaking into the council would not help us with persuading the council to join our war. Sometimes fighting feels like the only path to winning, but we need to be disciplined and really think through these next steps and choices. Takhesis is so strong. We need to follow to copper dragons’ advice and gain allies to fight with us. We needed to put our trust in Laina. Maybe if Bo and Zy had seen what Laina did with that kite in Port O’call, they’d have more faith in Laina like I do. In the end, Laina made us proud. She hasn’t quite convinced the Klar Klan to join us, but she got them to trust us to receive the hammer for them. This is a wonderful opportunity. No dwarf has returned from trying to receive the hammer, but I know we won’t fail. Cotbt perseveres. I will make sure we are successful in retrieving this hammer, and then surely we’ll be able to win the dwarves’ favor. When it comes to building trust, leaders go first. Sir Madlyn Greenshield, Captain of the Lemish Guard, champion of Majere, officer of Cotbt, Knight of Solomnia Order of the Rose, honored hero of Port O’Call

Trek to Tran

Dear future biographer, Ignore the sweat droplets on this page. I just finished my nightly workout. I’ve decided to increase my repetitions as I feel that my physique is not showcasing my skillsets as well as I was expecting. First, Kaylan approaches me thinking that she can teach me a new fighting style. Then, the guards of Tran ignore my presence. Today, really did end up being a day of unexpected surprises. Kaylan was being so strange. She was so certain and confident about how the elven fighting style went, but I think she had the moves wrong. It wouldn’t make sense to hold someone’s hand as you spin and dodge. It slows us down and leaves both of us too exposed. I think the smarter strategy would be for me to cover Kaylan by wrapping my arms and shield around her and lifting her with me as I spin both of us out of danger. This strategy would be slower than the steps Kaylan was teaching, but I could deflect the threat with my shield. Even though I don’t think Kaylan’s fighting style will benefit us, it was a nice night. I burned calories, and I did enjoy how the moonlight reflected off my armor. It was frustrating to not be able to command the Tran guards to listen to our cause. I’m glad Laina was able to get us into Tran, and I was so shocked to find out that Laina is a princess. She acts so humbley for a princess. I still remember how hard she worked to help gain our group funds after she had borrowed some coin for the inn in Solanthas. I wonder what the Klar Clan would think if they knew what their princess and I had to do in Port O'Call. So far, Laina hasn’t expressed any interest in staying with her Klar clan which makes me happy. I don’t want her to leave Cotbt. I wonder if I were to meet Arthur again, if I’d consider leaving Cotbt. I would be so happy to see him again, but I don’t think I can abandon the mission Cotbt is set out for. Majere has chosen me to be a champion and bring this world to glory. I hope we’ll be able to convince all the dwarven clans that Takhesis is worth fighting against before they learn the hard way. I’d like to save more people from the pain she leaves behind. “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you’ll land among the stars” Sir Madlyn Greenshield, Captain of the Lemish Guard, champion of Majere, officer of Cotbt, Knight of Solomnia Order of the Rose, honored hero of Port O’Call

Copper is Only a Stepping Stone

Dear future biographer, It’s hard to imagine that it has only been a day since I last wrote in my journal. Today, was so busy I barely have the energy to put quill to paper. Our day starts in the mountains hunting for the dragon layer. We got betrayed, but I don’t mind, because Kravana did lead us to where we needed to go. We had to fight giants and the battle was very difficult. The worst part was that the giants targeted Manon. Why does everything Takehsis touch target Manon. Arthur knew the reason. It’s why he sent me to protect Manon and her grandfather. I wish he had shared more of what he knew. Once the giants were destroyed, we were able to use Thestral to enter the dragon chamber. We met Krazz, the dwarf record keeper. It was odd that Krazz had exactly enough gifts for every one of our party members. The war hammer he gifted me is amazing. I was able to train and become proficient in using a war hammer when training with the Lemish guard, but short swords were always the weapons provided. Swords are easier to craft and fix and the more affordable option to supply the guard. War hammers have to be molded and weighted so specifically. They are durable and hard to break, but once broken are much harder to repair. This hammer fits my hand so nicely that I cannot wait to bash my next foe. I was shocked to see tons of copper dragons. I thought there was only going to be one. The other shocking thing was how accommodating the dragons were. They were not hostile at all. I was disappointed when they told us that we were nowhere close to being prepared to face Takhesis. It makes sense that we’d need an army to combat her army, but it just shows how much more we need to do. I’m confident in my ability to lead, but I know war is not an easy topic to persuade someone into. The dwarves are going to have to have blood in the fight to be invested. If Takhesis committed so many horrors in my home country, then maybe she has made enemies with the dwarves as well. Maybe recruiting them for our cause won’t be as hard as we think. We’ll have to see how it goes tomorrow. On the way back to the air ship, Cotbt had a long discussion of how we would handle facing Kravlana. Would we forgive, capture, or kill? I’m not one to murder if we have more options. I know Zy and Bo probably felt I was too forgiving. I actually see it in a different light. I haven’t forgiven Kravana. I understand why she did what she did. I don’t think she is the evilest person I ever met. I also just don’t see her as a threat. She may have a six pack, but I have an eight pack. When armed what did she do? She led us to giants to fight instead of fighting herself. What did we do? We destroyed those giants. If she can’t even take us when armed with 4 giants fighting, then why would we even blink at her without her weapons. I will give her the opportunity to earn my respect. I do believe people can change. I know they can, because I did. At one point I was someone that could be forgotten, but that is the case no longer. Everyone will know who I am. Maybe one day, Kravana will prove herself worthy enough to be able say she was in my party. I thought my day would be done, until some bird people bombarded our airship. Maybe they would have been wiser if their leader was functional enough to lead. Who begs someone to follow them, then gets upset when we can’t complete their task. I couldn’t even travel to their home, so I don’t know the whole conversation, but it seems messy. Somehow, we have a birdfolk, Raas, joining us. I’ll have to get more of the story in the morning. I guess I can sleep peacefully if Bo was willing to bring him along since she isn’t usually very trusting of newcomers. If it was just Manon who brought him on the airship, I’d have more concern. “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough” Sir Madlyn Greenshield, Captain of the Lemish Guard, champion of Majere, officer of Cotbt, Knight of Solomnia Order of the Rose, honored hero of Port O’Call

Aerial Perspective

Dear future biographer, Today, I’m writing to you as I am flying across Krynn on an airship. The view is spectacular. It’s an out of body experience. I wonder if this is how Majere feels: able to go anywhere, weightless. As peaceful as it is now, getting the airship was no easy feat. At the base of the airship, we ran into Takhisis and some of goons. I hate how easily she can find us and toy with us. It is very unsettling. She wants Manon, and I don’t know why. Arthur must have known the reason, since he was the one who told me to protect the Sinclair’s. Why didn’t he explain more? I was impressed with the bravery Manon showed. She argued with Takhisis and did not give in to her requests. It takes a lot of character to stand your ground when the people you care about are hurting, and I was just so impressed with her. I hate that once again I felt useless fighting the dragon riders Takhisis summoned. I was able intercept one attack on Laina, but the dragons moved at such a fast speed I wasn’t able to react in time to intercept the next 4-6 attacks that went her way. I was 5 ft from her watching as she took blow after blow. I need to be stronger. I need to be smarter. I need to be faster. My friends need me to be better. The world needs me to be better. Majere chose me to be champion to lead this world to glory, and I need to not fail. I felt like I had whiplash swing my neck back and forth trying to rally and give strength to my comrades to keep fighting after they were getting hammered with attacks. At one point after enduring more dragon attacks than anyone every should, I saw Kaylan in such poor shape that it looked like she may crumble to the ground at any minute. I was worried she was going to die, and I knew at that point with every ounce of pure muscle in my body, that I couldn’t let that happen. Looking at her injured body, I felt this warmth channeling through my veins. The only thing that mattered was keeping her alive. I turned to hold her as it looked like she might fall any minute. When our skin touched, it felt like electricity. Sparks tingling through every inch of my body as I channeled divinity and saw life coming back to Kaylan. Finally, when I looked into her eyes and saw the warmth and caring stare that I’ve become accustomed to, I knew she was going to be okay to continue. I just knew Cotbt couldn’t lose our healer. That is how I spent most of the battle: desperately, trying to keep Cotbt alive and fighting. Takhisis gave up eventually after Manon continued to refuse to join her, and she summoned the remaining two dragons to flee. I think she knew that we were going to win the battle at that point after two dragons were killed. I was so grateful to have Zy and Manon fighting by our sides. Zy was able to shoot at such a far range and do so much damage, and I had never seen Manon consumed with so much anger. Manon concerned me at one point. She looked mad casting such a powerful spell that had ribbed studded bananas. She reminded me of her grandfather. I worry that some magic might not be worth the sacrifices on one’s mind and soul. I should talk to Manon later about needing to be more disciplined. I know it is a hard choice not to sacrifice yourself for others, but you staying healthy is usually what will benefit the group the most. I need to figure out a better strategy to fight these dragons. Waiting for a dragon to come to ground level to get one attack off isn’t efficient enough, and I don’t have the endurance to cast guiding bolt at range over and over again throughout a battle. Majere has suggested finding a way to ground a dragon. However, I read all about fighting strategies of the Knight of Solomnia in the Tarsis Library and there was no mention of traps or nets that could contain a dragon. They used dragon riders to fight dragons. We saw Takhisis’ people riding dragons, but it doesn’t look like that is going to be easy. Bo has incredible strength and has that farmer chic that makes her good with animals and even she couldn’t mount one of the dragons. I doubt these metallic dragons that we plan to free are going to be kind enough to let us ride them after they’ve been imprisoned for years. I guess we are hoping that the metallic dragons will be able to number to chromatic dragons, and maybe we’ll be able to focus on the foes on the ground. Maybe this sword we are trying to forge will be able to do enough damage to make one attack from ground level worth it. I just hate not knowing how to train to fix this disadvantage. If I had an answer, I have no doubt that I could work and train and overcome this obstacle, but the problem is I don’t know how to fix it. “There’s no shortcuts to winning. Success is hard work, perseverance, and learning”

Sir Madlyn Greenshield, Captain of the Lemish Guard, champion of Majere, officer of Cotbt, Knight of Solomnia Order of the Rose, honored hero of Port O’Call

Respect the Surname (RTS)

Dear future biographer, Today, we set out to find a terraforming device in Tarsis that could fix Tarsis’ climate and remove the sand. I keep being shocked by the technology that existed pre-cataclysm. I feel almost at a handicap. I have trained my whole life with the weapons that were of the highest tier of our generation, but now there are magical contraptions, dragons, and Gods coming into our world. I’m grateful to have been chosen by Majere and given divine powers to help overcome these new challenges, but I don’t like feeling useless while I depend on someone else to fix electrical wires and work devices that I have no idea where to begin with. I’ve been impressed how strong Manon is becoming as a wizard. I think I’m going to need to just trust that if I do the best to keep my friends of Cotbt alive, they will be smart enough to solve some of these mysterious challenges. In reality they also still need me to lead them and keep them disciplined and focused. I can’t believe how distracted Cotbt was about Galnu. Kaylan was looking at her with puppy eyes. I thought Kaylan was wiser than that and knew how to appreciate real skill, but maybe she just gets excited by anything new and shiny that is in front of her. Sure, Galnu was tall, but so what. Being tall doesn’t mean you can fight or that you have honorable intentions. She did have a large following so likely she is a good leader, but she rubbed me the wrong way. We came to help them, and she barely gave me the time of the day. A good leader knows when to listen to others. Then after we completed an extremely deadly task that SHE begged our assistance with, she starts to get aggressive with us and all in our business. What right does she have to ask us all these questions, when she was “too good” for us earlier to answer ours. It wasn’t my best moment trying to lie to her about the airships, but I did not appreciate how her tone changed. It put me on edge. I was worried we were going to have to fight her and her RTS crew based on how possessive she seemed about the airships. I don’t know what Kaylan said to her later, but I’m glad RTS won’t seem be a problem anymore competing over the airship. I’m confident we could have won a fight with RTS if needed, but I’m still glad we didn’t have to go that route. RTS seems to be good for Tarsis, but Galnu needs to learn some respect. “Don’t underestimate me. The second you do, I’ll squash you” - Sir Madlyn Greenshield, Captain of the Lemish Guard, champion of Majere, officer of Cotbt, Knight of Solomnia Order of the Rose, honored hero of Port O’Call

Lost Literature

Dear Future Biographer, Today, I did what millions have likely tried to do since the cataclysm. I found the Tarsis library. It was an amazing building. It had strong magic that could lead you to any piece of information you could ask for. If I ever head back to Tarsis in my great age, I’ll take you along and you can drop off a copy of my biography. It can go in the room where I found information on the Knights of Solamnia. The information was interesting but not surprising. The Knights of Solamnia were the best warriors around and the Knights or Rose were the best of the best. It makes sense that I would be a Knight of the Rose. I learned that Knights of the Rose have to be the one to knight another as a Knight of the Rose. I wonder who knighted Arthur. I learned of one thorn that cracked the honor of the Knights of Rose. A knight a Rose, Loren Saoth, who helped bring about the cataclysm. He was unfaithful and then killed his first wife and child. He was given a redemption quest from Paladine to stop the King Priest of Istar to prevent him from ascending to Godhood. He lost focus on his quest and became paranoid about unfaithfulness of his second wife. He abandoned his quest to confront her and accidentally killed her as well as their unborn child. His second wife cursed him so that he would live a lifetime for each life lost to the cataclysm. Then, to top it all off he aided Istar. What a disgrace Saoth was. To be so selfish and lose focus. I can’t even imagine getting romantically involved when there is so much more that must be done. I have the discipline to persevere through difficulties and greed where Saoth failed. I will restore glory to the Knights of Solmnia as a Knight of Rose. I am curious about this curse that was bestowed on Saoth. If the curse held, is Saoth roaming this earth? Is he reincarnated into a different life? “No person was ever honored for what they received. Honor has been rewarded for what they gave.” - Madlyn Greenshield (ignore the rest and spelling, but I needed jot down some notes on my paper. I’m not sure the importance yet) • Three tiers of knights of Solamnia. Sword (bottom tier), crown (second) people in charge, rose (top) specialists • Oath keeper sword made for Adam Caladean (paladin) to kill loren saoth • To meld dragon metal need hammer of catharsis and silver arm. Items last seen with Duncan Ironweaver of the Clarth Clan in the Kharoli Mountains

Take me to Tarsis

To my future biographer, Life has been so busy that I haven’t had time to journal. We’ve been traveling from the Sage Academy to Tarsis and stopping at many towns. Laina and I’ve been busy picking up quick jobs along the way to help fund our travels. Laina has been incredibly helpful. Her strategic wits makes up for what she might lack in strength. I really should teach her some different bar games than arm wrestling. Laina’s determination is reassuring. I think it gives me comfort, because it reminds me of my own discipline. Laina felt strongly about repaying me after I lent her some funds for our inn room in Solanthias, but I’d like to believe after some of the time on this journey she no longer feels in debt. I’m glad she has joined our party. It is nice to have more like minded people in the group. On the other hand, I still have to keep a strong eye out to make sure Kaylan doesn’t go on another spending spree. Bless her heart. I’m sure you’ve already heard of many of the heroic deeds I’ve done for the towns we passed through. I hope for you own sake, you skipped talking to the people of Port O’Call. You’d think escorting a goat over a bridge guarded by a troll would be simple compared to what we’ve already overcome. I’ve survived a dragon, but this was still one of the most gruesome and haunting days I’ve ever had. Once again I don’t believe in luck, so it was just destiny that the pine cone fell at the same time that a sheep was giving birth and a kite had gotten stuck in a near by tree. I think you can probably piece together what Laina and I had to do, but man that was close call. I could barely keep myself together from how heinous it all was. Port O’Call probably will make a statue for our bravery, but it is not a city I will go back to willingly. We are finally in Tarsis. The lands here are not what I have ever seen or experienced before. As sad as I am to have temporarily left Lemish to a dragon’s demise, I’m am excited for all the new places this journey has taken me. I will travel this whole world to stop the horned lady, and I will hold my head high through every obstacle I cross. “A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn.” - Madlyn

Knighthood

Begin To my future biographer, Every day my destiny is becoming more obvious. The God of Majere chose me, and now I have become a Knight of the Rose. I don’t believe in and luck or coincidences. It wasn’t chance that Arthur was the one to raise me. It has been my destiny all along to be the hero this world needs. I will to bring glory and restore peace to this world. I hope we are able to find some answers in Tarsis. I would like to know how the previous Knight of Solamnia failed with the last calamity. I’m confident that when the time comes, I will be able to full fill my destiny, but I would like to have some of my questions answered. How did Arthur become a Knight of the Rose? Why didn’t Arthur tell me more during all the years I spent learning from him? Did he think we’d have more time? - Madlyn

Will Friends Follow

Dear Future Biographer, Not much happened today in Solanthus. We took today to prepare as we plan to leave Solanthus early tomorrow to continue our journey to stopping the Dragon Queen. Today, I’ve been left with questions I’ve never considered. Kaylan was full of surprises, today. She snuck off on her own leaving the safety of the city and put herself in a dangerous position. Then with naivety, she spent the all of her resources helping people. She has such a good heart. I don’t want to break her optimism, but the harsh reality of the world is that you can’t save everyone. To truly save the world sometimes you have to make hard choices, and I worry Kaylan doesn’t have the stomach to make those hard choices. Sometimes you have to let some people hurt to save the majority. With the Dragon Queen out there, the whole world is in danger. We don’t know how to stop the Dragon Queen yet, but I know it’s going to take resources. Resources we can’t give away at this time. Kaylan came to me tonight and said that we were friends and even went further to say we were sisters. I didn’t know what to say as I took her friendship bracelet. I’ve never really considered friendship before. My whole life I’ve trained and have focused on being the best warrior I could be. I’ve of course had comrades who I’ve been friendly and professional with, but never someone I considered as a friend. I’m also quite familiar with fans, but what Kaylan offered was different. I worry if I allow this friendship, I won’t be able to be the leader Cotbt needs. Can I be friends with Kaylan and still be the one that forbids her from being her beautiful, kind, and optimistic soul? Kaylan has proven she needs someone to help her discipline so that she stays focused on our quest. I don’t know if I can do that as her friend. I don’t even know how if I can accept her friendship, so it is even harder to consider accepting her as a sister. Arthur is my chosen family, but I once had a sister before. A brother too. My sister would be 27 now if she is still alive. I often think she and the rest of my family didn’t survive all of these years as I’ve not heard from them all this time. I think I’ll tuck this “sister talk” away to ponder at another time, but it does make me happy that someone would choose me to be their family. For now, I think I’ll wear Kaylan’s friendship bracelet under my armor where it isn’t visible. I’ll have to see how she handles my leadership, before I outwardly call her a friend and wear if visibly. I like it though. It is almost like it’s my first medallion that I’ve won for my valor. For some reason it makes me happy thinking Kaylan will have been the first of many to recognize my talents and skills and honor it with jewelry. “A good leader is one who can tell another how to reach his or her potential; a great leader is one who can help another discover this potential for him or herself.” ~Madlyn Greenshield

Majere's Champion

To my future biographer, During my slumber the spider god came to me again. This time he blessed me of his name, Majere, and that he has chosen me as his champion. I was never religious growing up. It is crazy that I’ve actually talked to a God and been given powers by Majere. This world is becoming more and more strange. I like physical challenges since I’ve spent many years training and preparing for them. Now, I’m living in a time where magic seems to be at every turn. Magic can kill someone in a flash. Dragons are real. There are multiple gods. As strange as all of this is, I’m not surprised Majere chose me as his champion. I’m very disciplined and dedicated and am the right person to lead the war against the Dragon Queen. Majere confirmed my fear that the Dragon Queen cannot be beaten by a physical attack. I see my mission clearly now, and Arthur was correct and so wise to send my protection to the Sinclair family. Kaylan and Manon are magical. They are still learning, but they have strong abilities. It will be my mission to protect them while they get stronger and figure out how we can trap the Dragon Queen. When we got to Solanthus, I met Arthur’s contact: Aydan Redsteele (General of Solanthus). Similar to Arthur fashion, he tested my abilities by having his top soldiers dual me in sword to sword combat. It wasn’t even 1v1 duals. He knew I was too good for that to be a challenge. He kept sending waves and waves of his top soldiers my way, but they stood no chance and I defeated them. Finally, I had enough of his cowardice and challenged Aydan to come at me himself. Finally, I was matched with someone of my talent. Aydan hit so hard. I was able to block a few of his swings, but a majority of them hit with so much power. In the end Aydan was so impressed by strength, he decided to end the dual as a draw and withdrew his blade. Aydan gave me a lockbox that Arthur had stored long ago. The box contained a broken blade with the Knights of Solamnia’s emblem. Bo couldn’t identify the metal is what made out of or repair it. I have no idea why Arthur would find this sword worth saving, but I will find out. We spent the rest of the day searching for more answers in the library. I’m proud of my Cotbt crew. Everyone is working hard to search for answers to stop the Dragon Lady. I’m optimistic if we stick together we’ll be quite the force to reckon with. Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all. -Madlyn Greenshield

Comeback Hero

Dear future biographer, I know my tale seemed bleak where I left off, but I focused, regained my composure, and came back with an authority and control that will be talked about for years to come. We approached an army of men who Manon says were from the Dragon Queen. They were pure evil. They were outnumbering two lonely travelers and showing no mercy. I have had enough of the Dragon Queen’s treachery, and demanded that my opponent grovel. My opponent heeded my command without hesitation and fell to his knees. I don’t know what the horned lady meant when she said the Gods have chosen and I’m not sure who I met the night I got my spider tattoo, but I feel this power inside me that I will not lose. I cannot lose again. I was put on this earth to bring glory and restore hope. I will succeed. That little bitch groveled into smithereens. I knew at that point the foes in front of us stood no chance. I’m proud of my comrades. Despite what we faced yesterday, everyone fought bravely and strongly, and we destroyed the Dragon Queen’s lackeys. We rescued a traveler named Laina and her mushroom-like companion Mott. Laina is another soul who has the misery of crossing paths with the horned lady. Laina seems to have good intentions trying to help the people of Lemish, and I would be happy to have her join us in our crusade to end the horned lady who I think is the Dragon Queen. I rescued 50 Lemish refugees and escorted them to safety in the walls of Fangoth. I know Arthur would be proud that I was able to save so many of my people. Fangoth doesn’t have many resources, but the people are kind. When I get to Solanthus, I’ll try to acquire resources to aid the Lemish refugees and help them find a new home. I know my purpose now and nothing is going to stop me from bringing glory back to my people, to Arthur, to myself. The Dragon Queen better be quivering in her boots, because she has no idea the adversary she created of me. Preparation for tomorrow is hard work today, ~Madlyn Greenshield

More Work To Do

Dear future biographer, Today was a rough one. We get back to the Lemish and someone has murdered grandpa Mary. I should have been more assertive to make him join us when we left. I don’t know why I didn’t try harder. His erratic behavior was difficult, and I feel like I gave up when he kept refusing to leave with us. I let Arthur down, Grandpa Sinclair needed my protection. I hate that I’ve failed Arthur. I wish I had gotten a chance to really talk to him. His judgement was dead on. Mayor Damon is up to something. He is a sketchy piece of shit. I want to believe Arthur will be fine, but I’ve never seen chaos like what happened in Lemish. I think I need to believe he will survive this. He is smart and resourceful and maybe he’ll have escaped. He was the first person to see my potential, and I’m not ready to say goodbye. I’ve trained since I was 6 years old to be the best. I’ve never had a drop of alcohol, always skipped desserts, and never missed a training session. I can out smart and out run a dragon, but I saw magic that I have no idea how to beat. In a flash, I failed again and Thersha was dead. I don’t know if my shield would have made a difference if I was between her. Biographer, this is my lowest moment, but I can promise you I will not fail again. I don’t know how yet, but I will learn the impossible. I will train harder than I ever have before, and I will succeed. I’m going to keep the last two of the Sinclair family alive, and I’m going to make the people who destroyed my home pay. Preparation for tomorrow is hard work today, ~Madlyn Greenshield

Stunning Lats

To my future biographer, Arthur made the right choice having me protect the Sinclair family. These women need my help. I believe Thersha is the only one of them that knows how to fight, but I don’t think Manon and Kaylan so much as killed a bug before. They are fortunate that I’ve put so much work into my training that I can be there to protect them. Manon was moving her arms like a crazy woman, but I was able to defend a few attack that went her way. Kaylan has asked me to help train her with sword fighting. She is going to need a lot of help, but if anyone can do it, it would be me. I was pretty much born for the job. My whole life has been about training and improving every minute of every day. I should be able to teach her some things to improve. She’ll never reach my level, but maybe one day she’ll be able to successfully defend herself. Luckily, she has me to do that for her right now. We met some new travelers named Bo and Zylah, who have also been affected by this mysterious horned lady. They have a lot of anger and sadness, and seem very wary to trust us. I’m relieved they chose to travel with us back to Lemish, because they definitely know how to fight. Bo has great strength, but she just lacks the discipline that it takes to fight like me. She took out so many foes, but she is reckless with her swings and took many hits as well. I was impressed with how she could just keep attacking with all the hits that came her way. One day, she may take too many hits if she doesn’t become more aware of her movements. I may not hit my foes as hard as Bo, but I’m disciplined with every swing I take. My attacks are precise so that I don’t leave myself open for enemies. Also, I think the extra lats training is definitely paying off. There were times when I had my back to the enemy and they just stopped. I must have scared them with my muscle definition, because one moment I see them swinging and then they just changed their minds. We are resting for the night and have about ½ a day before we reach Lemish tomorrow. I hope Bo and Zylah become more trusting of us. I could lead a great team with Bo, Zylah, and Thersha. They could help me protect the Sinclair family when we return to Lemish. This horned lady is traveling fast, so it would be nice to have more numbers since the rest of the guard will be protecting the gate. Preparation for tomorrow is hard work today, ~Madlyn Greenshield

Call me Captain

To my future biographer, I’m sorry I didn’t get to write about yesterday, but life has been busy. I’m finally having a bit of down time and can fill you in on the last two days. Yesterday, was the day I finally got recognized for my hard work and training. You can probably get most to the details from the Lemish Daily, or maybe other books have already been written about my heroic fight. I WON A 4v1 BATTLE. They didn’t even have the honor to go one by one. I was ambushed, but my skill and strength was able to put them all down. I was hardly scratched. Arthur was testing me to see if I was ready to be his Captain to the Lemish Guard. I’m surprised he thought I needed an evaluation, but my training did not let me down. Lemish is going to be the safest city with me as Arthur’s second command. I know I’m the right person for the task and that I’m ready. I had a dream that felt so real. A woman was telling me that I will be a hero, that I will need to be brave and lead others in a war that is to come, that I must stay disciplined. I think I train so hard that even in my sleep, I’m mentally training for what needs to be done. Today, I’ve started my first mission as Captain. I’ve been tasked with my protecting Archmage Marwart Sinclair and his family. The Sinclair’s are not what I expected. I wonder if Arthur would still have felt so strongly about protecting M Sinclair if he knew how long M. Sinclair had been retired. There was a lot of strange things going on in that apartment. Even M. Sinclair’s juice was odd. It requires some strange ingredients that we have to travel into the forest to get. I’m writing this as on my escort of M. Sinclair’s family (Kaylan, Manon, and Thersha) into the woods to get more ingredients for his special juice. I don’t feel great about my task of protecting M. Sinclair after he stayed behind. However, as Captain I have to make the hard decisions sometimes, and I chose to protect three young people who have their who lives ahead of them over 1 retired individual. Now, I’ll finish my nightly workout routine and then get some rest. Preparation for tomorrow is hard work today, ~Madlyn Greenshield

Madlyn Greenshield