Sahl took a long draught of his Golden Tscha before settling into a well-worn, thug-hide chair to focus on the task before him. The bitter brew went straight to his head, and for a moment he thought of delaying his studies until he could manage a few hours of rest. Instead, he took another sip, cautiously opened the diary that sat before him and paged to a random entry… “A child once asked of me, who are you my lady? A simple question? No, there are no simple questions or answers, only simple minds. I am concubine to Cobahl Attalyte, - Overlord of Archean, enslaver of the Silver Staff, tyrant. I am Lyrihn, first priestess to Lux Bellamore, - light of the beautiful love, heart of the Holy Triad, mother of Archean. I am philosopher. I am friend. I am many things and on this day, I become many things more. And was the child confused by my reply? No, do not confuse the young with the simple. Seeking further understanding, the child asked, what is a friend? She received a simple answer. FROM THE DIARY OF LYRIHN DAY 2 OF THE YEAR 492 OF ATTALYTE RULE The High Lord’s the lumen-crystal faltered, causing him to look up and rub his eyes. Without knowing why, he found himself pondering the days of Lyrihn and the Ancient Lords, and the battles they had raged. The responsibilities of the current age seemed mundane and trivial compared to those of his predecessors—or so he thought. “Lady Lyrihn,” he whispered under his breath. “What manner of women you must have been….” An amzing woman, indeed. Cobahl Attalyte was not the only darkness Lady Lyrihn had put to rest. There was another—a malevolence so malignant and twisted that threatened man and God alike. Sahl Amenak had no way of knowing that much more than an Ancient diary had been unearthed by the winds and the passage of time; nor that his world was about to be torn asunder—begging the question, to whom do the Gods pray when all is lost?

"The last great work of the age of reason, the final instance when all human knowledge could be presented with a single point of view ... Unabashed optimism, and unabashed racism, pervades many entries in the 11th, and provide its defining characteristics ... Despite its occasional ugliness, the reputation of the 11th persists today because of the staggering depth of knowledge contained with its volumes. It is especially strong in its biographical entries. These delve deeply into the history of men and women prominent in their eras who have since been largely forgotten - except by the historians, scholars"-- The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2012/apr/10/encyclopedia-britannica-11th-edition.