Grats on the start. It is great indeed. Sometimes such strokes of luck do happen. For example, now in my impossible mage game, the very same shield was lying in a chest in Montero mines. Had I known that, I would have made a dragon army myself, but there is no way for anyone to know whwre the artifacts lie.
Now, if someone would create a mod that checks the save game and tells you where everything is will be most beneficial