While the people in the Basin of Life slept, a meteor silently screamed across
the star-pocked vault of the heavens. Tinsels of interstellar frost clung like
old spider webs to the surface of the super massive sphere, and motes of dust
from some distant and yet undiscovered astral plane followed slowly behind it, a
brushstroke across the midnight sky. As the meteor made to harmlessly pass the
Basin, its trajectory changed, as though some strange and ancient evil was
setting its will against the first world.

With a slowness known only to the colossal objects of distant space, the meteor
turned and arced, falling towards the Basin, shedding flecks of unknown frozen
gasses as it grazed against the beginning of an atmosphere. Below, in their
glorious temples and fantastic fulcrux's, the dreams of the sleeping Elder Gods
were invaded by visions of something old, dark, and familiar. Deep inside the
alien catacombs of the falling meteor, something stirred, its skin feeling the
abrasive warmth of an atmosphere for the first time.

Two lidless glowing green monoliths for eyes, crusted over with a millennia's
worth of rheum, and billions of billions of crimson scales, each one a singular,
polished ruby. A gaping maw filled to the brim with onyx and ivory mountains,
each a singular tooth and lacquered with astro-parasites unlike the first world
had ever seen. Two massive arms and two massive legs reach out through the
twisting tunnels of the meteor, dripping with melting space dust, as though
bound in shackles.

Just before the meteor collided with the placid surface of the Inner Sea, the
Beast from the void, one of the first among the half-formed, let loose a roar
that shook the very fabric of creation. In each of their fulcrux, the Elder Gods
awoke from their slumber, their minds knowing a dread that they had not felt in
a very, very long time. Maylea saw in her eyes, for just a moment, every living
piece of flora burning in a cold fire. Eventru saw Celestia changed into what
Shallamar is today, and the half-formed plagued with a disease that he could not
heal. Nocht saw his Night, bound and gagged and tossed to the raving form of
mad Sun. And Fain...Fain saw himself for what he had really become. Each god
raced to their respective city, seeking to awaken and protect their own.

When the meteor smacked into the surface of the Inner Sea, it shattered into
infinitesimal pieces which vaporized. Whatever was inside, now free from its
ancient cage, sunk into the water. There was a moment of calm before the water
around the impact erupted into a pillar, and then rushed to the circumference of
the sea in a series of colossal waves, bringing destruction to whatever it
touched. Trees splintered, rocks were obliterated, and any living creature swept
up in its ferocity quickly succumbed to either the pressure or the lack of air.
When the water finally settled, the earth along its beaches had become a
wasteland â€" a desert in the disguise of seawater. Steam rolled off the water
in great smoky columns, filling the Basin with a salty fog, and settling along
the tops of the mountain ranges like halos. A vein of gold twisted through the
waters in the southwestern corner of the Sea, a marker of where the Isle of
Light had once been.

The city of New Celest, with their now destroyed docks being positioned on the
Inner Sea, and the natural affinity of the Aquamancers for water, were the first
to react. Citizens from every guild â€" the Tahtetso, Cantors, Aquamancers,
Paladins, and Celestines â€" poured out of their homes, manses, shops and guild
halls, to investigate the disaster. Led by their prince and military commander,
Admiral Forfax Shervalian, they flocked to the Inner Sea.

As they approached the starlit waters, amidst the wreckage of the east wall of
their city, they saw them. Creatures, as from some untold myth or legend, were
swarming through the gentle tides of the sea and onto the beach. Larger than
any aetherbeast they had ever faught, and with thrice the number of legs of a
spider, the creatures crawled onto the shore, moving in odd jerking motions.
Their skin was silver and metallic, dripping with translucent mucus, and
monstrous spikes grew from odd angles out of their exoskeletons. Occasionally a
vibrant blue vein of electricity would flicker across their form.

Admiral Forfax made ready with his shield and staff, and called out over the
screeching of the creatures, "Celestians! To arms!"

The following is a log of the communication heard over the Dawn Brigade aether
(the Dawn Brigade being the military unit of New Celest), and the deathsights
seen that night, as well as a few descriptions of the battle, as seen from
various witnesses.

*********************************************************************
(The Dawn Brigade) : Forfax says, "Vice Admiral Luthian, meld as close to the
water's edge as you possibly can. Grandmaster Orrin, see that he is well
protected in doing so."

(The Dawn Brigade) : Orrin says, "At once, my Prince."

Luthien deftly navigated over the wooden debris, starlight gleaming off of his
cyan skin. At every point that his hands or feet made contact with the ground,
seawater from deep below the sand surged to the surface, flooding the area with
crystal blue waters. He was born a child of water, and wielding it as a weapon
in moments like these is what he was made to do. How many taintlings had he
crushed under the ferocious ice of his staff? How many had he watched turn blue,
unable to escape the far reach of his demesne? Many. Every area that he melded
seemed to expand upon his very being, his awareness growing as the water surged
forth.

A bolt of lightning crackled by his shoulder, singing the skin. One of the
metallic spiders seemed to materialize out of the darkness, pincers snapping at
the air, tasting for flesh, as its front legs jabbed forward, reaching for
Luthien's chest. Milliseconds before contact, Luthien exploded into a shower of
pure liquid, barely maintaining a humanoid form. The surprised creature moved
through him, leaving him Luthien unphased. Luthien turned in the water, which
frothed into an alabaster foam below his liquid form, his eyes and mouth empty
grottos of icy seawater.

Suddenly he snapped back into the slender merian he once was, twirling his
coral staff once before leveling it at the creatures back and unleashing a
torrent of icy water. The beast screeched and clawed at the air as bits of its
skin froze into crystal shards and fell away from its body. As the metal insect
landed on the ground, it spun quickly to face Luthien, breathed in a lung full
of air, and unleashed an explosion of electric current.

"Easy there!" a mighty voice bellowed as a silver tahto slammed onto the back
of the creature, splitting it into two pieces, the electricity fizzling out into
nothingness.

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Grandmaster Orrin followed through by bringing his saucer sized paw down onto
the head of the beast, pulverizing it into silver dust. The great tae'dae monk
turned to face Luthien, "Are you alright, Vice Admiral?"

"I've seen better days, but let's get down to the water's edge and show these
things what they've gotten themselves into."

The tae'dae nodded as he and a group of loboshigaru and krokani Tahtetso moved
in front of Luthien, guiding him along the shoreline.

(The Dawn Brigade) : Forfax says, "Paladins! Form up ranks along the shoreline;
break the parasites into pieces as they try to leave the water. Celestines, I
want you to work independently through the battle field, call upon your angels
and create chaos among our enemy! Show them the full glory of the Light, and
give them no quarter in the shadows. My fellow Aquamancers, move with me, we are
going to enter the water and flank our enemy."

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(The Dawn Brigade) : Varrial says, "These things are nothing! Their bodies
crumble like paper below my axe!"

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(The Dawn Brigade) : Lorian says, "Gods that electricity hurts."

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(The Dawn Brigade) : Forfax says, "Celestines! The Paladins need your aid, form
up behind them and do not let another one fall!"

The Celestines, who had been moving among the parasites with their angelic
companions, who were each wielding a flaming sword and slicing through the
creatures. The Celestines themselves were working their cosmic magics, burning
the parasites with holy fire from their symbols, or dropping them to the wayside
with mystical tarot cards and spheres gifted power from the very stars of the
heavens. As the Admiral's call for aid rippled across the aether, they moved
together as one unit, forming behind the Paladins, calling forth holy light to
make the battle field a hallowed ground, the golden glow washing over the
Paladins and curing their wounds.

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(The Dawn Brigade) : Forfax says, "Pull back! Pull back! By the gods they are
everywhere, the Inner Sea is full to the brim with these things! Pull back into
the city, take refuge behind the Inner wall!"

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(The Dawn Brigade) : Orrin says, "Admiral Forfax, Lord Eventru is here! The
Crown of the Exalted is actually taking the field of battle!"

(The Dawn Brigade) : Rorger says, "Oi! And he has one of my hammers, I think he
stole that from my shop!"

(The Dawn Brigade) : Forfax says, "Hahahaha! Disregard my last order, charge
with Lord Eventru! It is an honor to fight at your side, my Lord!"

(The Dawn Brigade) : Zall says, "It must be a terrible danger that draws a
Healer of the First Circle into the fray."

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(The Dawn Brigade) : Forfax says, "What is that? There is something else in the
water; a terrible shadow is looming below the surface. By the gods it's
enormous â€" what is that?!"

<>

---END PART ONE---