The First

It took more than ten kilometres for the black plains to finally give way to the mountain valley, and right at the entrance was a set of lifelike statues, depicting a group of stick-thin prisoners carrying stones across the land. Their arms and legs were manacled, and a fat overseer had his whip held high as though ready to strike at any moment.

If it weren’t obvious that these were stone sculptures, one could be forgiven for thinking this was a moment frozen in time. At the foot of the supervisor was a collapsed stone tablet, the writing blurred yet still legible. Richard found that the writing was in the divine tongue of Faelor, but a quick spell took care of that problem and allowed him to read, “Cowardice is no worse a sin than pride.”

This was one of the most basic tenets of the Church of Valour. Richard looked at the statues once more and snorted, understanding just why they looked so unimaginably...