The World of Areth — Baron Von Monocle Wiki

In-World Books & Documents

The world of The Adventures of Baron Von Monocle contains a variety of written records, personal logs, and scholarly texts that illuminate its history, conflicts, and characters. The following documents have been referenced or quoted within the series. Where excerpts are provided verbatim, they are presented as such.

Baron Von Monocle's Log

A personal log kept by Baron Theodore von Monocle, referred to in The Blood of Giants as "father's logs" or "his logs" by Zaira von Monocle, and in The Fight for Rislandia variously as "ship's log book," "the logbook," and "the logs." Entries are dated by day, month, and year of the reigning king's reign, following the conventions of the Rislandian Calendar. Excerpts from the log appear as epigraphs at the start of chapters in For Steam and Country, The Blood of Giants, and The Fight for Rislandia.

In For Steam and Country, the log recorded a wide range of events, including disaster relief operations at Portsgate, movements toward the Wyranth border, battles, crew actions, supply raids, and personal reflections. Among the events documented were a raid to retrieve a supply wagon from Wyranth soldiers along the banks of the Border River, the loss of a third of the crew killed or captured in an assault, assignment to transportation duty followed by new offensive orders into the Wyranth Empire, and a recommendation from Mr. Matthias du Gearsmith that the Baron write a will.

The log also contained deeply personal entries. Two excerpts dated in the Month of Queens, 16th Year of Malaky XVI's Reign, recorded Baron von Monocle receiving word of Liliana von Monocle's death by carrier pigeon (Day 2) and his inability to face returning home to his daughter (Day 15).

In The Blood of Giants, Baron von Monocle indicated he would have a page send his logs to Zaira's airship quarters. Harkerpal suggested Zaira consult them for information about Zenwey. The logs contained observations about Zenwey, its people, their disease, Great Jerohm, and the Man-Beasts of Zenwey, as well as accounts of missions to Zenwey, a volcano eruption, the evacuation of Zenwey, an ambush, airship damage, encounters with hostile near-humans north of a desert, food shortages, the city of Klektiklab, a desert flight, a siege, and tending to wounded in a city. The log also recorded observations about geography, people, and events during voyages, including references to the Sands of Zarma, capturing the Nightmen leader, negotiating with the council, and departing.

In The Fight for Rislandia, the log continued to serve as a source of chapter epigraphs. Zaira's father's journals were kept aboard The Liliana. The log recorded military events including the loss of Desert Watch, the arrival of The Kerli at Pleasant Pass, the Wyranth's new mobile artillery, civilian evacuations, the Wyranth advance, and the return to Rislandia City. Entries also referenced military movements, weapons development, and battle events, including dropping knights behind enemy lines, the battle, and the assassination of King Malaky XV.

In The Fight for Rislandia, the log was continued by Zaira in her capacity as airship captain. Zaira found her father's earlier logs in the book and modelled her own writing style on them. She described General von Monocle's entries as "to the point" and noted they created "a great narrative." Zaira's own hand cramped from writing, and she kept her entries brief. She wrote about the Battle of Rislandia City in the log. Zaira also read through her father's entries the night before a major battle, seeking wisdom; she described them as "very basic, simple descriptions of what had occurred, more statements of history than tactics," and noted that Theo's personal worries about losing Zaira and her mother were apparent within them. Zaira speculated that Theo may have designed the entries this way intentionally so the Wyranth could not use them against Rislandia.

Dated Excerpts — For Steam and Country

Selected dated excerpts quoted in For Steam and Country include:

Day 55 of the Month of Dukes, 16th Year of Malaky XVI's Reign (Chapter 3 epigraph): "Thank Malaky for my chief engineer. I swear if he didn't have the supplies he needed, he'd morph into the part and perform the function himself."
Day 14 of the Month of Kings, 16th Year of Malaky XVI's Reign (Chapter 12 epigraph): Records that King Malaky XVI awarded medals of his crest to the crew, though the Baron expressed doubt that many of the crew would live to benefit from the commendation.
Day 17 of the Month of Kings, 16th Year of Malaky XVI's Reign: Discusses wondering whether each skirmish would be his last, the ferocity of Wyranth attacks, half the crew turning over due to deaths, and the ideals of the Rislandian Kingdom.
Day 19 of the Month of Kings, 16th Year of Malaky XVI's Reign: Discusses keeping morale high amid a mounting death toll, a beaten-down veteran crew, frightened new recruits, and Harkerpal telling stories.
Day 2 of the Month of Queens, 16th Year of Malaky XVI's Reign: Records receiving word of Liliana's death by carrier pigeon.
Day 15 of the Month of Queens, 16th Year of Malaky XVI's Reign: Records the Baron's inability to face returning home to his daughter.
Day 21 of the Month of Kings, 17th Year of Malaky XVI's Reign (Chapter 15 epigraph): "This will be my final reckoning. I face the full might of the Wyranth Empire today."

Dated Excerpts — The Blood of Giants

Excerpts from the log appearing as chapter epigraphs in The Blood of Giants include entries from the following dates:

Day 43 of the Month of Duchesses, 25th Year of King Malaky XV's Reign (Chapter 1 epigraph)
Day 6 of the Month of Dukes, 1st Year of King Malaky XVI's Reign (Chapter 2 epigraph)
Day 34 of the Month of Dukes, 5th Year of King Malaky XVI's Reign (chapter epigraph)
Day 35 of the Month of Dukes, 5th Year of King Malaky XVI's Reign (chapter epigraph)
Days 8, 9, 10, and 12 of the Month of Queens, 5th Year of King Malaky XVI's Reign (chapter epigraphs)

These entries reference events including missions to Zenwey, the volcano eruption, evacuation of Zenwey, an ambush, airship damage, encounters with hostile near-humans, food shortages, Klektiklab, Great Jerohm, a desert flight, a siege, tending to wounded in a city, capturing the Nightmen leader, negotiating with the council, and departing.

Dated Excerpts — The Fight for Rislandia

Excerpts from the log appearing as chapter epigraphs in The Fight for Rislandia include entries from the following dates. Entries from the earlier portion of the book are attributed to Baron Theodore von Monocle; later entries are written by Zaira von Monocle as she continued the log.

Day 3 of the Month of Princesses (chapter epigraph): Date of reign not specified in available notes.
Day 8 of the Month of Princesses (chapter epigraph): Date of reign not specified in available notes.
Day 10 of the Month of Princesses (chapter epigraph): Date of reign not specified in available notes.
Day 30 of the Month of the Fool, 25th Year of King Malaky XV's Reign (Chapter 29 epigraph): Written by Zaira. States that the crew's resolve is stronger than ever and that they will finish off the Wyranth for the sake of their fallen king.
Day 38 of the Month of the Fool, 25th Year of King Malaky XV's Reign (Chapter 30 epigraph): Written by Zaira. States that they won the battle but there is still much fighting to do, and that King Malaky XVI does not wish to ascend until the new year and until the Wyranth are completely driven from the land.
Additional entries reference the Day 30 battle for Desert Watch lasting three days and the area being secured, and a Day 34 entry describing another Wyranth force coming up from the desert.

Captain Von Cravat's Log

A personal log kept by Talyen von Cravat, also referred to as "an account" and "her log." Talyen wrote in it diligently, usually around the same time each day, recording great battles and deeds done when not in combat. As she described it: "I write an account of everything that happens on this ship."

Excerpts from the log appear as chapter epigraphs in For Steam and Country. Dated entries include:

Day 33 of the Month of Kings, 17th Year of Malaky XVI's Reign (Chapter 17 epigraph): Records three days with no sign of Theo and the need to return to Rislandia City to report losses. Talyen questioned her own fitness for leadership in this entry.
Day 23 of the Month of Dutchesses, 18th Year of Malaky XVI's Reign: Records that King Malaky XVI ordered the ship grounded and that the crew would train as a unit and operate as special forces for the King's most difficult operations.
Day 40 of the Month of Dutchesses, 18th Year of Malaky XVI's Reign: Mentions killing a Wyranth soldier and includes the reflection: "Killing shouldn't come this easy, but I find it numbs the pain of missing Theo."
Day 4 of the Month of Dukes, 18th Year of Malaky XVI's Reign: Records the promotion of Marina du Willet to Lieutenant Commander.

History of the Rislandia Kingdom and Wyranth Empire's Past Wars

An unnamed historical volume read by Zaira von Monocle while waiting at the castle in For Steam and Country. As Zaira described it: "I sat on the bed, reading a book on the history of the Rislandia Kingdom and Wyranth Empire's past wars."

The book contained information about the wars between Rislandia and the Wyranth Empire, including the detail that only the Grand Rislandian Army had used airships in combat prior to the current conflict. The volume slid from Zaira's bed during an earthquake.

A History of the Rislandia-Wyranth Peninsula

A book found on a shelf in Zaira von Monocle's childhood home, encountered in The Fight for Rislandia. Ethan von Lantern identified it and noted that knights were supposed to be acquainted with it, remarking: "A history of the Rislandia-Wyranth peninsula. Huh. We're supposed to be acquainted with this as knights." Ethan acknowledged he had skipped standard classes due to war service and had not read it. He took the book with him when he left Zaira's home.

Strategies of War by Jasyn Wahrpeg

A tactical treatise authored by Jasyn Wahrpeg, described as "one of the greatest tactical minds that ever lived." A copy was held in the study of Ivan, the Iron Emperor, where it fell from a shelf during a tremor or earthquake. The Iron Emperor regarded its falling as fated.

One of the book's central philosophies held that subjugating an enemy requires either winning over the populace or making resistance seem hopeless, and that full subjugation can take several generations to achieve.

Airship Schematics Book

A small leather-bound book discovered in a hidden floor compartment in the bedroom of Zaira von Monocle's parents, encountered in The Fight for Rislandia. Ethan von Lantern identified it as containing schematics for airships, stating: "This looks like schematics. For airships." Ethan took the book; Zaira suggested her father would appreciate having it returned.

Airship Designs Journal

A journal containing airship designs, found in Plainsroad Village in The Fight for Rislandia. Also referred to as "the journal" and "leather book." Baron Theodore von Monocle had believed the journal lost prior to its recovery. It contained designs not only to recreate ships like The Liliana but also for personal aircraft. The Baron described it as potentially the key to the future and instructed Zaira to keep it safe.

Following the crash of The Liliana, the journal was believed to be somewhere inside the wreck. Zaira insisted it be recovered, telling those present: "There's a journal here, somewhere in the ship. It contains schematics and designs for different aerial vessels." Cid sent a knight to assemble a team to find it. Zaira also asked Harkerpal directly whether anyone had found a leather book or journal in the ship; Harkerpal reported that the area had not been completely excavated. Zaira directed that King Malaky be informed of the journal's importance, calling it of utmost importance and expressing concern about it falling into Wyranth hands.

See also: Airship Technology, The Liliana.

Zenwey Shaman's Book

An unnamed book given to Zaira von Monocle's father by a shaman attached to a Zenwey chief, discovered on his third journey to the Tribes of Zenwey. The volume detailed life on the Areth continent before the first settlers arrived, more than a thousand years prior to the events of the series — a period for which no other records exist beyond legends and oral tales.

The book contained accounts of giants who once roamed the land and described their transformation following a chemical explosion. As Zaira noted of the shaman's account: "This book detailed life before that, so she says."

Ancient Writ

Spoiler: The Crystal Conspiracy

This section reveals events from “The Crystal Conspiracy”.

In A History of Rislandia

A History of Rislandia references or cites several in-world written works as sources, treating them as historical evidence for the events and policies it describes. Each is presented below.

In The Trenches

According to A History of Rislandia, a work titled In The Trenches contains an unnamed soldier's firsthand account of the Battle of Greenhorne. The sourcebook cites it directly, directing readers to "see 'In The Trenches'" for primary testimony on the battle. The account describes trench warfare, gas attacks, and hand-to-hand combat. The work does not appear on the novel-based account on this page and is not referenced in the novels as catalogued here.

General Theodore von Monocle's Diplomatic Journals

According to A History of Rislandia, Baron Theodore von Monocle kept a separate set of diplomatic journals distinct from his military ship's log. The sourcebook quotes from these journals at the opening of its Chapter 11, where the passage concerns the diversity of the world's peoples. The epigraph is attributed explicitly: "From General Theodore von Monocle's diplomatic journals."

This is a potential expansion of the novel-based account on this page's coverage of Baron von Monocle's log: the novels and the novel-based account on this page describe a single personal/ship's log, whereas A History of Rislandia cites a separate body of writing labelled diplomatic journals.

Royal Biographical Compendium

According to A History of Rislandia, a volume called the Royal Biographical Compendium, located in Rislandia City, is used as a source. The sourcebook draws its Chapter 13 epigraph from the preface to this work, attributed as "From the preface to the Royal Biographical Compendium, Rislandia City." The Royal Biographical Compendium does not appear elsewhere on this page or in the novels as catalogued here.

Rhys's Research Notes

According to A History of Rislandia, a set of research notes written by Rhys is quoted in the sourcebook's text. The passage reads: "We stand at a crossroads. The ancients wielded powers we can barely comprehend, and we have only begun to rediscover their secrets." The sourcebook are presented as a scholarly or investigative source on ancient powers and lost knowledge. They do not appear on the novel-based account on this page.

Spoiler: The Steam Knight 2

This section reveals events from “The Steam Knight 2”.

Poor Laws (Year 138) — Legislative Document

According to A History of Rislandia, the Poor Laws established by King Malaky IV in Year 138 constitute a significant legislative document in Rislandian history. The sourcebook quotes the laws directly: "The Poor Laws (Year 138): Established kingdom-wide support for the destitute." The Poor Laws created poorhouses in major cities, established church-run soup kitchens, founded orphanages for abandoned children, and introduced work programs for the able-bodied poor. While legislative rather than literary in nature, the sourcebook treats the Poor Laws as a citable written record. They do not appear on the novel-based account on this page.