During the time of the aristocracy, the tyrants who ruled Mondstadt spurned the study of history and forbade the people from speech and song that alluded to historical events. For they knew the extent of their own degeneracy, and wished not for their deeds to be held to scrutiny by the annals of history alongside tales of heroes' honor and glory.
But the winds of history blow strong, and ultimately no wall could be built tall enough to stay them. This work is a collection of all poems, songs, and legends that have survived from the aristocratic period, interspersed with archaeologists' commentary. Its purpose is to provide a new account of Mondstadt's history from the Age of Kings all the way through to the fall of the Aristocracy. A degree of historical inaccuracy is inevitable, given that certain details are impossible to verify. We can but humbly hope that this work might elucidate the past for those who come after us, or perhaps inspire them to further investigate the facts of history on their own.
This work is divided into three sections: Section 1, "The Stormlord of the Tower and the Kingwolf of Boreas" covers the struggle between the Kings of Ice and Frost prior to Barbatos' arrival. Section 2, "The Cultivation of Mondstadt," covers Mondstadt's ancestors, including the aristocrats' predecessors, in the period during which agriculture developed. Section 3, "Tyrants, Heirs, and Rebels," covers the long rein of the Aristocracy in Mondstadt.
The reader may wish for this work to serve as a cautionary tale to future generations. In fact, it was compiled with such ambition in mind. The freedom bestowed upon us by Barbatos is also the freedom that allows us to cast off the shackles of the past in search of the truth. My only hope is that this work, in a spirit of openness and truth, may finally share with the reader those stories which it was forbidden to share in the past.