While this book is primarily concerned with the lineage of the Great Kings of Griffonstone, beginning with King Grover and culminating in the current reign of His Majesty, King Guto, this author would be remiss if she did not devote at least a few words to the ill-fated (and still disputed*) rule of King Grizzle, the Fallen King, First and Last of His Name.  Indeed, in order to fully comprehend the scope of King Grover’s accomplishments, it will be important to understand the origin of the Feuding Warlords era his reign served to bookend, and recent developments may well shed light on that subject in the near future.

Most of what was once known concerning King Grizzle’s rule has been lost to time, as is true of so much from the civilizations that existed in griffon lands prior to the Feuding Warlords era of griffon history.  Still, multiple texts penned during the twilight years of King Grover’s reign** refer to Lonely Peak as the location of the Ebon Aerie, the central hub of King Grizzle’s territory.  With His Majesty’s permission, a joint team of griffon and pony archaeologists was dispatched to a promising site beneath a sundered cliffside on the southerly face of the mountain.  A summary of their current findings follows.

Less than a day into the dig, the team unearthed a layer of blasted basalt and obsidian that was geologically inconsistent with the surrounding layers of rock, a promising start to the excavation.  Digging further, they soon discovered circular black stone foundations (Fig. i), a hallmark of the architecture associated with the Fallen King’s reign.  

Within these ruined buildings were found the charred bones of dozens of griffons, adults and fledglings alike.  Many lay barely a hoofstep from their weapons and armor (Fig. ii, iii), a testament to the swiftness and fury of the attack that devastated the Ebon Aerie.  The nature and locations of the artifacts recovered thus far indicate that King Grizzle and the troops under his command were woefully under-prepared for the doom that fell upon them.

Digging further into the rubble at the base of the cliff, the archaeologists uncovered the half-melted walls of a keep, sizeable even by modern pony standards.  The state of the walls and the comparative lack of artifacts, combined with a thick layer of fine ash present throughout the complex, are horrifying indicators of the heat of the fires that burned within.

At the time of the team’s most recent report, the most exciting find has been the ongoing excavation of a large vault buried within the center of the keep.  The presence of thin sheets of gold fused to the stones themselves, as well as a pair of hoof-sized gemstones half-sunk within a brick a pony’s height from the floor (Fig. iv), are promising signs that this could be the fabled treasure room that was the locus of King Grizzle’s power.  The only artifact recovered from this room, found between a pair of deep trenches gouged into the stone floor, is a single shard of obsidian, crudely carved into a spike (Fig. v).  Speculation abounds as to whether the shard is a fragment of the legendary Black Crown of Grom the Golden, but hopes remain high that more shards will be found.  If so, further artifacts (and, perhaps, relics) of the Fallen King may yet be recovered.

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* There are many scholars who purport the story of King Grizzle is merely a myth that griffons use as justification for their former wanton greed and constant infighting, retold to smooth over ruffled feathers over their noble race’s prior misdeeds.  However, this author feels there is now sufficient evidence present within the ruins at Lonely Peak to indicate it is indeed the site of the lost Ebon Aerie, as well as the location of King Grizzle’s final resting place.

** For a transcription of the most complete text of the Legend of King Grizzle (embellishments of the original author included and annotated), see Appendix B.