Wounded Sky Epilogue: Putting It All Together

In the aftermath of the Wounded Sky, scholars and researchers have investigated the events over the past several decades, conducting interviews and drawing conclusions, and have been able to piece together the clues into a more accurate narrative of the Eras of the Wounded Sky. This is their conclusions.

It began in the month of Juliary in the year 293 C.E., when the lucidian scientist, Atrian
Lerit’r of the Arthar’rt Observatory, continued his ongoing experiments in teleportation mechanics. An apparent accident opened a portal to a yet undiscovered location, resulting in a tragic explosion that killed his sister-in-law. In actuality, his experiments were a success, having found the Icewynd. However, the Ice Angels immediately took note of the intrusion and, thinking the portal was a new assault from the Forsaken, retaliated by sending in a host of ice devils in their skull form through the portal. (See Event News 220.)

This was the first time the Ice Angels became aware of the Basin of Life. Recognizing an opportunity to exploit this new civilization, they blamed the invasion of the ice devils on their enemies, the Forsaken, hoping to gain new allies in their war. This enabled them to use the ice devils as scouts to reconnoiter the territory and exploit resources found there, all the while blaming the Forsaken for any damage done. Notably, they thought to use the Tosha monks as a new vanguard, though attempts to convert Master Quettle was not successful and he was eventually freed. (See Event News 221.)

Their first great success, however, was several years later in the year 295 C.E.. Since the ice devils were once fae created by the Elder God Manteekan (once known as wassets and corrupted by Zenos), they found an ally in the Frost Spite, a crippled Great Spirit of the extinct fae known as wendigo who were also created by Manteekan. The Frost Spite held the Voice of Gullagumbah, a dead Elder God who hid his voice so that the Soulless Gods would not be able to claim his portion of the Song of Creation. Though the Frost Spite was reluctant, he eventually gave the Ice Angels the Voice of Gullagumbah in return for promises of a high place in the new world order of Zenos. (See Event News 222.)

Recognizing the power of the Voice, the Ice Angels found yet another Voice in the possession of Marani Veloske, White Priestess of the Shallamurine Cathedral. Indeed, the Shallamurine Cathedral itself was created to hold the Voice of Crys, though such knowledge was lost after the Fall of the Celestine Empire. Though Marani at first refused to give up the Voice, she was finally persuaded with promises of power and a new song which the Ice Angels had extracted from the Voice of Gullagumbah. Agreeing, Marani promptly used the new song to take over the Basin of Life and, though that endeavor failed, she did manage to all but destroy the Elder God Lyreth. (See Event News 225.)

Using the Voices of Gullagumbah and Crys as a new weapon, the Ice Angels were able to finally take the upper hand in their war against the Forsaken, but even this was not enough to overcome their ancient enemies. They realized that the upcoming Syzygy astrological configuration would offer them an opportunity to pave the way for Zenos, freeing the Soulless God and destroying the Forsaken. They needed to construct a tower to amplify the power of the Voices during the Syzygy. However they lacked the necessary materials. Thus, in the year 299 C.E., they returned to the Basin of Life in order to plunder its resources, stealing commodities from several villages there. At this time, Jeremiah Gryphta was receiving a shipment of crates from the Czigany Coast, and the Ice Angels, recognizing the power of the artifacts these crates contained, seized the opportunity and abducted Jeremiah. (See Event News 227.)

Once the tower was constructed and the Voice of Gullagumbah installed, the planets aligned, forming the astrological configuration known as the Syzygy, which happens only once every few centuries. This enabled the Ice Angels to implement their most dangerous plan yet, and destroy the sky itself, in an attempt to free the Soulless God Zenos by brute force. The force released threw the Elder Gods themselves into disarray, crippling their minds. However, the Elder God Raezon had constructed a tower to study the Syzygy (and use its energy for his own purposes), and this tower proved to be able to protect the Elder Gods from the ravages of the breaking sky. Huddled in Raezon’s Tower, the Elder Gods were able to help the mortals stop the energies released. At the culmination of this event, the tower of ice was briefly seen and Jeremiah Gryphta was freed. Unfortunately, it was too late to reverse all that had been done, and the weather was permanently twisted. Thus, began the Era of the Wounded Sky. (See Event News 228.)

Thwarted by the Basin of Life, the Ice Angels realized they had gravely underestimated this new country. They decided to send one of their own members, Loranara the White, to the Basin where she blamed the Wounded Sky on the Forsaken and left a crystal orb high up in the mountains, claiming it would protect the weather from further degradation. In reality, the crystal orb was an anchor for the Tower of Ice so the Ice Angels could exert greater control over the Basin.

At this time, in the year 307 C.E., the Forskaen discovered that the Ice Angels had acquired a new source of power and traced it to the Basin of Life. Realizing they could attack the Ice Tower through its link with the crystal sphere, the Forsaken raised a powerful psionic presence and sent it to seek and destroy. This psychic miasma, however, was seen as a threat by the people of the Basin, though the Forsaken were careful to make sure it would harm no living being. The Ice Angels, however, sent forth another of their members, Wiliki the Just, to warn of terrible consequences if the miasma were to reach the crystal, and was able to convince the people of the Basin to help destroy the miasma. (See Event News 229-230.) However, the miasma was proving difficult to completely destroy and years went by without discernible effect. The Ice Angels realized they needed more power to destroy the miasma or eventually it would succeed, so they sent their own invasion of ice devils, blaming it on the Forsaken, and knowing the people of the Basin would destroy the ice devils. This enabled them to use the essence of the ice devils to create an even more powerful agent that finally was able to defeat the miasma in the year 309 C.E.. (See Event News 234-235.)

In the year 311 C.E., When the Wounded Sky began to harm the forests, the Tree of Trees sent forth a progeny of its heart, the Ail’an Gloria, also called the Giving Tree, which was able to repel some of the effects of the twisted weather. (See Event News 239.) Then, in the year 314 C.E., the Forsaken decided to take a more direct assault on the crystal anchored in the Basin of Life by sending a psychic cloud to attack it. Although they would not be able to directly attack the Ice Tower in this manner, they were able to break the link the Ice Angels had formed in the Basin of Life. The crystal sphere itself held the essence of hundred of ice devils, which were then released as ice larva when the crystal was finally destroyed. (See Event News 240.)

Seeing the Forsaken getting back on their feet, the Ice Angels called the Frost Spite and Marani Veloske to join them in the war. With these allies behind them, the Ice Angels were able to imprison the Forsaken in the Ice Tower, save for the powerful Triumvirate who remained beyond their control. At this point, the ancient war was all but over with the Ice Angels claiming victory.

This was when the people of the Basin of Life discovered how to travel to the Icewynd themselves. At this point, the Ice Angels were able to convince the new arrivals to help them defeat the Triumvirate and eventually trick them into releasing the Soulless God Zenos. (See Event News 241-242.) Though only a portion of Zenos was freed, the Soulless God’s power was magnified by the Voices in the Ice Tower and the Wounded Sky, making Zenoso as powerful as he was during the Vernal Wars, though perhaps not as mobile. It wasn’t until the the Ail’an Gloria sacrificed itself and healed that the Wounded Sky, that the Ice Tower was able to be overthrown and the Soulless God returned to his prison. (See Event News 243-244.)

Thus, the Era of the Wounded Sky ends. The ramifications have not stopped, however, as Zenos was able to weaken the Nine Seals holding the Soulless Gods. And, so, an Ascension Event has begun, wherein one mortal will be chosen through a series of tests to replenish the Nine Seals and rise up as a True Ascendant.