The song of the fall of Madrigal was one of the oldest lays sung in the old Kingdom before the Cataclysm. Even after the Kingdom's destruction, the Orders retained many of the centuries-old customs and traditions so fundamental to their way of life. With these customs came a rich tapestry of legends and oral histories recounted by the Journeymen, the librarians, healers and record-keepers of the Orders. The greatest such legend told of the mythical city of Madrigal - a tremendous walled citadel defended by legions of warriors led by soldier-sorcerers whose power could shatter armies - and its eventual destruction by the Dark. Though the song of Madrigal can be sung many ways - often with each Journeyman recounting a slightly different version of events - all the legends tell us that Madrigal's fall was orchestrated by the same ancient foe of the Kingdom. Though he has many names - Blighter of Souls, the Twice Born, the Murder of Crows - all the legends agree that he was a man so twisted and evil he flensed the flesh from his skull and tore out his own heart in a ritual forever binding his soul to the Dark in exchange for truly horrifying power.
It is said that this foe will return at the world's ending, and that the Twice Born will raise the fallen of Madrigal to fight for him, and that the heroes of ages past will return as the minions of the Dark to challenge the last champions of the Light in a final battle that will rend the very world itself asunder.
With the advent of the Cataclysm, many among the Orders thought that the world's ending was upon them. 'Madrigal!' became a rallying cry among the warriors beset by the incursion of the Dark, even though the fabled city is almost certainly no more than a myth; yet, like so many legends, it has given hope to a generation of warriors who had none. Many Orders carry banners and standards depicting the heroes and champions of Madrigal into battle, inspiring the assembled brethren to maintain their resolve in the face of implacable darkness.
Knight-Lieutenant Osric Gaheris, Standard Bearer of the Black Order
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