This reflection explores Valon as it appears in the story, without explaining its deeper meanings. The allegory is intentionally left for the reader to discover.
Lore of Valon.
Valon — The Ancient City of the King
An exploration of the city where we first meet Albert and Charles.
Before Albert and Charles' journey begins, before any beasts are mentioned, and before they fight for what is right, the story of The Sword of Truth starts in a place already beset by problems: truth is being lost.
Valon is not a city in open rebellion.
It is not entirely broken
It has not yet entirely fallen to corrupting lies.
But it is tired.
Valon is older than any other city in the story; it is older than most people realise. Its stones were laid when the King’s words were still heard and honoured, when prayer was not an act of desperation but a rhythm of daily life. The city was once built around a simple truth: that the King is the source of life.
You can still see it in the architecture.
White stone columns line the streets, carved with symbols that people ignore. Olive trees still bend over old roads. Chapels still stand and have fallen into ruin; they are quiet, rarely entered, but not entirely left to crumble. Valon does not wholly reject the King. It simply lives as though He is no longer relevant.
That is what makes it dangerous.
Valon is a city that has Not Forgotten truth — But Has Stopped Listening to it.
Valon is not a city of lies.
It is a city that neglects truth.
The bells still hang in the towers, but they no longer ring out unless the city is under attack. They sound only in warning, when danger approaches, when armies are near, when fear finally forces people to cry out for the King.
Prayer has gone, not because people hate it, but because they believe it no longer has power. People say, "What's the point of it?"
The King’s sigil is still carved into altars and walls: a great tree with deep roots, long branches reaching outward like a crown, and a branch resembling a sword.
Most pass it without giving a second glance.
Albert is the man of the King.
Where others see old crumbling chapels, he remembers the King.
Where others disregard truth, he searches for it as if searching for the Kings voice.
Valon is the kind of place where truth still exists, but people do not care about it.
The Ancient Chapel
The chapel where Albert often stands is one of the oldest structures in the city. No offerings are brought there anymore. People do not go there anymore. But it still stands.
Why?
Because truth never really leaves, it is just forgotten and ignored.
The chapel was built not as a place of performance, but as a place for people to hear from the King. Its stones were set to echo a voice that once spoke clearly. And though the city has moved on, the chapel has not changed.
This is why Albert returns.
Not because he is nostalgic.
But because it is the last place he remembers hearing the King clearly.
Valon’s Role in the Story
Valon exists to show something important before the journey even begins:
Truth is not always lost through violence.
Sometimes it is ignored.
The Fire Mage does not need to destroy Valon.
He only needs to let it drift away into lies.
By the time the banners change, by the time fear dominates the streets, by the time lies are openly embraced, the city has already done most of the work itself.
That is why Albert and Charles must leave.
Not because Valon is evil,
but because it no longer listens to the King.
And truth does not survive stagnation; it must be taught by committed teachers and embraced.
Why This Matters
Valon is familiar for a reason.
It represents any place that once lived close to truth but now treats it as distant, optional, or symbolic, or even just a good old story.
Valon is a place where belief has become nothing more than a memory, and life is about selfishness and vanity.
The city still stands.
But something essential is missing.
And that is where the story begins.
—Daniel J.York
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