For years war has raged, the allied forces of Magnagora and New Celest
faultering against the combined might of Serenwilde and Glomdoring. Many
remember when Celest, hoping to free Raziela with the aid of Nifilhema
after the communes had refused to remove the thorned bracelet,
originally forged the agreement with the tainted city of Magnagora, and
the betrayal of Celina d'Murani lead to the Rite of hai'Gloh Zemordia -
or, the Binding of the Cosmos. Twice more was the right enacted by the
communes against the cities, each time shattering their frail morale and
pushing them back. During this time the commune of Glomdoring saw its
ascendancy, rising to dominate the Basin of Life for the first time in
its existence.

Recently, unbeknownst to most, the leader of New Celest, Ilyarin,
entered discussions with Asmodea of the Serenwilde and Talan of the
Glomdoring, hoping to end the conflict peacefully while still achieving
the initial goal. While talks seemed hopeful, the Grand Duke was
unwilling to agree to anything without Raziela's freedom. Entering a
pact of peace with the Serenwilde, New Celest thought themselves safe
from the fae and their rite.

Not wanting to be caught unprepared, however, Nariah of Magnagora joined
Ilyarin in preparing the basis of the Xion Initiative, using globes of
light and darkness to overpower the logic crystals of Xion, and force
them to work together to achieve a greater purpose: The empowerment of
the Elemental Planes, preparing them for a dual-assault upon the
Ethereal Realm. However, unwilling to ruin the frail peace with the
Serenwilde and still hoping for a peaceful resolution, New Celest
quietly bided its time, as did their leader.

It was a sudden flurry of motion - within days the Rite of hai'Gloh was
near its completion, the guild master of the Serenguard, Everiine
Silverwolf, having agreed to enact the Rite despite the peace with New
Celest. Only Narsrim D'cente noticed it at first, screaming quickly to
the allied forces of Celest and Magnagora to defend themselves - too
late, however, for Glomdoring was already swooping down upon Ashtorath,
with the Serenwilde in tow. Slaying both Demon Lords, they turned their
eyes to Celestia.

Now, afraid to ruin the peace between their neighboring city, the
Serenwilde's forces withdrew - the group of warriors from the
Glomdoring, unwilling to be daunted by a task, attacked Celestia anyways
- and were quickly dispatched by the defending Celestians, Magnagorans
and, chiefly, the blades of Methrenton and Shakiniel. For days those of
Glomdoring would return, striking time and time again at Celestia, a
small group of ascendants and demigods plowing through the lines of
Celest's weaker defenders.

Finally repelling the invaders, Celest and Magnagora heaved a collective
gasp, feeling themselves spent. However, knowing that the hai'Gloh
Zemordia was nearing its completion, they decided to set themselves to a
fool's task - they intended to complete the Xion Initiative. With an
eclectic and small group of warriors, lead by Narsrim and Ilyarin, the
cities threw themselves into the Ethereal Glomdoring, bumbling greatly,
into an unintended target: Glumki Thorneye, King of the Redcaps.
However, they managed to dispatch the Greater Fae of Night, and escape
with his body. Crystallizing it within one of the conduits upon the
elemental planes, Glumki's spirit and essence became a dark and pulsing
crystal, which began to float about Maeve's tree within the Faethorn.

Turning to the Serenwilde, many attempts were made to slay Selene, the
First of Mothers. However the Ascendant of Nature, the Hartstone Druid
Viynain, lashed out with the fullest of Nature's fury, the forest rising
at his command, becoming his domain. Either through error of the
communes or the sheer determination of the cities, they continued to
throw themselves at the defenders, finally breaking through once
reinforcements joined them - to a new target they hacked and slashed,
before arriving at Luna, First of Maidens. Quickly she was cut down, and
Narsrim D'cente claimed her body, and crystallized her remains much as
he did Glumki's.

Placing the final crystal before Maeve's tree, Narsrim finished the Xion
Initiative and, for the first time in memory, the Elemental Planes of
Water and Earth worked in harmony, achieving a singular task: The
subjugation of the Ethereal Realm, the powerful, higher vibrations of
the Elemental Planes dampening the Ethereal vibrations and weakening all
of the fae, collectively.

Yet their deeds were not done, for the cities had tasted victory, and
their thirst was great. While others began to assist Nifilhema in what
she promised was a process to free Raziela, Narsrim and his Magnagoran
cohorts descended upon the Ethereal Glomdoring and then Serenwilde,
seeking a cold and chilling vengeance for the years they had suffered,
rightly or wrongly, and ensured nothing was left alive on either plane,
feeding all of the remaining Avatars of Night and Moon to Gorgulu, who
still bubbles hungrily, the heads of the fallen Avatars still bubbling
upon His great, gelatinous form.

Finishing a great set of shackles imbued with the energy of both
Celestia and Nil, Nifilhema ordered Maeve slain and her body dragged to
her, from which she violently tore the Queen of the Fae's spirit. Using
the shackles forged, she bound Maeve upon the Plane of Nil, and demanded
fae be brought to serve their queen. And so Magnagora descended upon
Faethorn, iron shackles in hand, convincing the fae of their friendship
- only to shackle and enslave them, bringing them to Maeve, who would
weep, wail and beat her breast at the horror being committed before her.

In the interim, however, Celest had been at work gathering essence at
the Hamadhi Mound of the Exalted Lord, upon the farthest reaches of
Celestia. Secluded within a field of golden wheat, the Grand Inquisitor
of the Paladins, Inagin La'Saet, spent many days collecting essence
within one of the Exalted Lord's amphoras, where it was being stored.
Once enough was gathered, Eventru Himself descended, taking Raziela and
a group of Celestians to His mound, where He placed the Supernal into a
deep and comforting sleep beneath a prismatic barrier of celestial
light.

Once enough fae had been gathered, Nifilhema laughed aloud, as she and
the Exalted Lord forged her a path from Celestia to Nil, where she
crossed, however briefly, into the domain of the Supernals - there, she
would reach through the barrier and rip free the binding of the fae -
using her connection to Maeve and the fae bound to her upon Nil to forge
a pathway directly from Nil to the Ethereal Realm - using a trickle of
the power which could be channeled to force the bracelet to release
itself, as if Maeve herself commanded it.

Laughing and nearly dancing with joy, Nifilhema clutched the bloody vine
that had composed the branding to her breast, letting it cut her flesh
as she fled back to Nil - though not before uttering a promise which
made many Celestians glance sidelong at one another in concern, a
promise that she and the Demon Lords would soon possess the Faethorn.

True to her word, Nifilhema descended upon the captured spirit of Maeve
with the brand in hand and, in a cloud of tainted mist, forged Maeve's
image anew, into the corrupted form of Dame Maeve, the Apostle of
Ingenious Tortures. With a cold laugh Dame Maeve descended into the
Faethorn, her very presence tainting sections of the forest. Many of the
fae fled before her, her own knights among them, as well as the denizens
of the ethereal forest. Yet it was quickly apparent that not all were
ready to flee the once Queen of the Fae, and much of her honour guard
joined her in her tainted state, willingly serving their new Dame. With
a plume of tainted fumes, Maeve proclaimed her newfound loyalty, and
made an offering to the Demon Lords of Nil, who shared much of it with
Magnagora, as vast flows of power flowed through the channel linking
Maeve and Nifilhema.

As the Avatars of Moon and Night were slowly returning to their forests,
Magnagora began to bring the fae to Maeve, who, with a corrupting kiss,
would turn them into a nightmarish memory from the past - tainted fae
began to appear throughout the Ethereal Plane, cackling cruelly as they
spread the tainted fumes of Nil and Earth about the forests.


Penned by My hand on the 4th of Roarkian, in the year 241 CE.