Library:Valorbook of the Vale: The Courage of the Outlanders

The Valorbook of the Vale: The Courage of the Outlanders is a collection of tales, stories, and accounts of bravery and courage on the part of the Outlanders. It is compiled by the Fortezzo, a retired commander from the battlefields of Novia.

Lore
''Outside the small stone keep, the snow fell slowly and silently in the still, cold mountain air. Within, Manicaverda sat by the fire and played a solemn strain upon her lute — a fine, old, mellow-toned instrument that had been in her family for generations, handcrafted long ago by a bardlord and his ladybard wife, the bravest balladeers to ever strum a song.''

''Across from Manicaverda sat her husband, Fortezzo — broad-shouldered and barrel-bellied, with a patch where his left eye had been — a well-worn warrior, yet altogether distinguished in mien. He had been a great commander, in fact, one of the greatest ever known. In the Battle of the Unliving Legion, he lead an army against an unrelenting horde of skeletal soldiers as they marched down the Kingsroad toward the city by the sea. Fortezzo and his men would battle Death itself that day, and in the end, they won — though barely. Moved by the valor of his men, and the great sacrifices of the wounded and the fallen, there and then Fortezzo swore a personal oath: "So long as the lifeblood flows within me, no deed of courage such as I've seen this day shall ever go forgotten." And so it began — the Commander's chronicle — The Valorbook of the Vale.''

''"Manicaverda," he said to his wife, as she played her song, a tune that had been written even long before the Cataclysm, "a new force is rising in the world — heroes and heroines, bold of heart and strong of will. Perhaps it is time for a new chapter." He turned to his writing table and in the most elegant of hands — the big man had always made his letters with great beauty and precision — he put ink to parchment: Valorbook of the Vale: The Courage of the Outlanders.''

Trivia

 * The stories in this book were submitted by the community to the Scholars of Novia "Valorbook of the Vale: The Courage of the Outlanders" Contest, hosted by the Scholars of Novia.
 * A story example, written by Amber Raine for the contest, can be found on the Writing Sample page.
 * The winners of "Valorbook of the Vale: The Courage of the Outlanders" competition are royalsexy and Themo Lock, and the grand prize winner is Spoon.