Cries of agony washed out of the Blasted Lands, though few perceived
much beyond pained mental images of being attacked. As many came to
investigate, it became clear the source - removed from the Undervault,
the psionic chatter of a small, militant band of kephera under the
supervision of Queen Mumhatuti was easily perceived. Rarely a sight far
from their deep, underground origins, the Hive Queen explained to
Solanis of the Serenwilde, first to seek her out, that she had the group
hunt down a collection of strange illithoid that had made an attempt at
escaping the Prison and fleeing to the Basin of Life. Ever inquisitive,
Xenthos of the Glomdoring sought out the High Ritualist of the
Illithoid, Cthoglogg - who quickly explained that things were not going
well, before departing to meet with some of the cenobite priests of
Illith.

Explaining that the illithoid had made many attempts in recent days -
with some success - to breach the prison and escape, Queen Mumhatuti
expressed her desire for a Council of Queens. Yet, with so few alive,
she knew such could not come to pass. With the assistance of Serenwilde,
Hallifax and New Celest, the Kephera Empire saw the return of not only
the eight Hive Queens, but Queen Zenobia as well - and so the Council of
Queens was sat. Nearly half a day of bickering, arguing and conversation
carried on as the Queens proposed various means for handling the
illithoid problems, ranging from brutal military tactics to overwhelming
them with countless young kephera warriors - a massive breeding project,
to be sure. Finally, it was decided by Zenobia, Queen of Queens, that
the hyfae - simple mushroom fae that long ago became willing supplicants
of the kephera - would be used to create a new species of the fae, with
the intention of pitting them against the illithoid in combat. Despite
much protestation over the plan originally Queen Neferti, having had as
close to regular contact with the reclusive spirits as one may,
volunteered to oversee the project.

Eight days later, several matrons showed up in Neferti Hive, stirring
waxen cauldrons as they whispered to the concoctions within - each with
long-standing links with the hyfae, having often communed with them to
facilitate their aid in the growing of the kephera's food supply. And so
began the task to birth hyfae for Queen Mumhatuti, who hoped to train
them for war.

Meanwhile, as the matrons were arriving, Mumhatuti's warriors had
slaughtered two more groups of illithoid that had escaped the prison,
though a third had escaped them within the Illwater Lake. Returning to
the Prison, several members of the Glomdoring Forest, alongside a few of
Magnagora's own citizenry, found Cthoglogg returned, alongside an
illithoid priestess, Ritualist Atshagn. Incensed over the deaths of more
illithoid - particularly those strong enough psionically to escape the
prison despite the zealous watch of the kephera - Cthoglogg ordered
Atshagn to begin breeding more of what he referred to only as 'the
flayers'. Setting to work, it soon became apparent to the illithoid that
they would be alone in their endeavours, except for the help of a few of
Glomdoring's members, and even they faded over time.

Working tirelessly, Sylphas, Rika, Kiradawea, Nejii, Solanis and several
others succeeded in their endeavours - and, the illithoid, having been
unable to produce more than a few infant flayers, abandoned their
machinations to steal the growing geomycus for their own designs. With
time the earthy mushroom spirits matured, though Queen Mumhatuti quickly
found them unsuitable - for though they were indeed in communion with
both stone and fungus, all of them were attracted to a specific type of
metal or stone, though they all shared a penchant for shiny objects such
as gemstones. Accusing Neferti of intentionally poisoning their process
by using too much of the deepstone rockeaters, Mumhatuti decried the
geomycus as 'insipid', 'stupid' and 'utterly useless' for any martial
campaign.

Queen Zenobia, however, saw another use for them - long present in the
Kephera Empire, the Ptoma Hive had reported abysmally low production
records for some time. Requesting the city of Hallifax to escort the
geomycus to the Ptoma Hive, Queen Zenobia sent the Serenwilde Forest to
Queen Mumhatuti, who instructed them in a raid on a small settlement of
illithoid - the third group that had escaped the Prison, their trail
lost in the depths of the Illwater. Horrified, repulsed and disgusted,
Serenwilde and several of New Celest righteously put down the shards of
Illith that inhabited the grotesque and putrid tunnels.

Meanwhile, in the Ptoma Hive, Queen Ptoma had come to a decision - with
the added production of the geomycus she chose to retire her kephera
miners, placing the former intendants in charge of the geomycus.
Similarly, deciding to do what no hive before her had, Queen Ptoma
stated plainly that they would align with any whom could convince her
hive of their worth. Quickly setting to work, Hallifax began to
influence the members of the Ptoma Hive - though soon they were joined
by New Celest, Serenwilde and even the Glomdoring. Eventually, however,
Hallifax won out, taking control of the Hive. As Tkegthul, Overmind of
Ixthiaxa, surveyed the chaos that had been sown in his settlement, he
came to a similar conclusion - separated from the prison, Ixthiaxa was
left to their own devices. And they would need allies. Glomdoring alone
came into the Village of Ixthiaxa, taking control of it with little
effort.

As a gift to the Serenwilde for their assistance, Queen Zenobia
personally gifted them with a waxen chest imprinted with the symbols of
the eight hives and the Queen of Queen's own seal, the chest itself
laden with metals mined from Ptoma and some of Queen Rashepera's finest
silks. And so chaos reigned once more in the Undervault, as the
illithoid of Ixthiaxa plot to enslave the geomycus for themselves and
the kephera of Ptoma began mining operations with a speed never before
seen in the hive's history.

Penned by My hand on the 9th of Vestian, in the year 262 CE.