In the early hours of 12 Avechary, 281, a young merian archaeologist
strutted about the Pool of Stars in New Celest, proudly showing off her
latest discovery - a pearlescent shard retrieved from the ruins of Old
Celest, now known as Spectre Isle. Upon retracing the steps of the
archaologist - Rymthi Blontine - Queen Catarin Inalai, Aeral
Ama'nar'isil, Sipelus Inalai, and a small group of other citizens
consulted the spectre of Rudzine Reltine, the old palace steward.

From him, the group learned that the shard was all that remained of the
Heart of the Cosmos, a great relic used to house memories of those old
Imperial rulers near death, to serve as a record for their successors.
Following similar consultations with Archmage Marinus Shervalian and
Lanikai, the hag of the Inner Sea, the members of New Celest followed
their own initially thoughts and, with the help of the kelpies and
Roberto the giant clam, restored the pearl to its former beauty. At the
advice of Professor Yimone Shervalian, an aquamancer in the fairly
recently constructed Lodestar Athenaeum, they placed it within the Pool
of Celestial Bodies, a construct of aquamantic and celestial powers
within the towering structure's heart.

This caused the waters to rise up, awakening an elemental that quickly
took on the form of the old Emperor Shervalian I, who alluded to the
existence of the long-lost House of Secrets, the secret Imperial
Repository from which the Horn of Urlach and other similarly famous and
infamous artifacts hailed. Catching on quickly, Syridean Dawneye sped to
the Cay of Cloadahi, Rymthi in tow, to search for clues mentioned only
in passing by the shifting image of the Emperor who, though willing to
discuss the events leading up to its founding, would speak nothing of
its location nor contents.

Others flocked to assist after some deliberation, and discovered not
only a clue, but an insidious trap that nearly resulted in death - and
did result in the scattering of the group across the entire Inner Sea.
Resolute, now, to find the House of Secrets before another insidious
force, the members of New Celest set forth, clue in hand. Some, such as
Gadritan Sar'Alainn and several Paladin compatriots, spoke out against
pursuing the House of Secrets, fearing - perhaps rightly - what lied
within. Meanwhile, Malicia La'Saet was beset by a lanky, cloaked figure,
covered nearly entirely in cloth bandaging. who spoke cryptically but
with much familiarity, pleading that she stop New Celest from acting.
Unable to sway her, the figure quickly moving into the city of New
Celest to track down Nydekion La'Saet, and there, again, making his
case, calling themselves Guardians of the Meliashmora. Becoming
frustrated with the aquamancer's unwillingness to agree to stop them,
however, the figure disappeared in a cloud of sleep-inducing powder and
toxins.

Further trials took those wayward adventurers across the Basin of Life,
trekking into chapels and ships that had been abandoned centuries ago,
lost during the Taint Wars, seeking clues. Prophetic tablets, left
behind during the time of the Holy Empire, offered clues to locations
along the road towards the enigmatic House of Secrets, and so were
desperately sought after by Rymthi and her newfound friends. After one
such trapped clue took the life of Syridean Dawneye, however, it drew
the ire of those who would seek them stopped - mercifully returned to
life by one of those devout in the ways and teachings of the Light,
Syridean quickly found himself waylayed and attacked by a group of the
figures. To the horror of those who came to Syridean's rescue, those
slain were discovered to be heavily tattooed merian warriors - even
pleading in their racial tongue throughout the fight for them to turn
back. Not all in New Celest were so keen as to have the House found,
however, and before the last clue was had, Nydekion La'Saet, perhaps
swayed by the desperate pleas of the mysterious merians, resorted to
utilising his telekinetic abilities to physically prevent any of the
questers from proceeding, until a consensus could be reached. In a
moment of daring, and while the pleading eyes of Rymthi Blontine looked
on helplessly, Aeral summoned an elemental wind to spirit Syridean
through the telekinetic barrier and forward along the trail of clues.

Hoping to stop him, Malicia La'Saet, Lord General Sipelus Inalai and
more chased after him, into the shattered remnants of a small chapel,
paying homage to the Supernal Methrenton and those close to him. As they
attempted to pull him back out, Syridean Dawneye made a desperate grab
at the tablet he found within the dais - causing the walls themselves to
shudder inwards, first cutting off their escape and then threatening to
crush them into oblivion. Quickly discovering the secret to the trap
upon the very tablet he had snatched, Syridean offered a prayer to
Shakiniel, Defender of the Dawning Hope, for protection. Following suit,
others did the same, calling out to their personal Supernal patrons, and
similarly being saved - all but Gadritan, who was regrettably crushed
into a fine lump of mushed up muscle and crushed bone.

Taking their time, and with the blessing of Queen Catarin Inalai, they
resumed their search - traveling back to Celestia, where they had
previously been whisked, they spoke to Japhiel, Illuminator of Merciful
Justice, who translated the word "Meliashmora" as a "Repository" or
vault of safekeeping. With the allowance of Japhiel, the Celestians
scoured his libraries for clues. Within the Library of Mortal
Misdemeanors, Guenivir, Aeral, and company discovered a carpet bearing
the symbol of House Nerale, left by a mortal as a gift, countless
centuries ago. the Guardians of Meliashmora

As Gadritan, Aeral, Guenivir and others sprinted towards the Nerale
Mausoleum in the Oleanvir Valley, Nydekion La'Saet was ambushed once
more by the shrouded figure, who revealed himself to be Vlaynne La'Saet,
Nydekion's great uncle. Unbeknown to Nydekon, certain members of the
La'Saet family were trained from infancy to be Guardians of the
Meliashmora. Since the times of the Old Holy Celestine Empire, the
Guardians were charged with stopping intruders from invading the vaults
where the Empire stored those ancient vernal artifacts deemed too
dangerous to use. Indeed, these were the very vaults where the Horn of
Urlach was stored up until the time of the Taint Wars. While Nydekion
agreed to help keep their family's ancient covenant, he refused to harm
any citizen of New Celest or disobey the orders of Queen Catarin.

Meeting the adventurers high atop the mountainside of the Razines,
Vlaynne and several of his kin demanded they turn back - only for Squire
Dristig, an old igasho paladin, to shout out the command to open the
way. As an ancient statue of a paladin protector crumbled, Vlaynne and
his kin lashed out - one of whom came after Rymthi Blontine, for
previously she had used her pick to cut down one of his siblings when
they sought to stop them in a chapel within the noxious waters of the
Sea of Despair. Lashing at her back, the La'Saet warrior hit something
unnatural - causing Rymthi to first shimmer and then fade entirely from
view, revealing her true form as a squat, harried gnome.

An Underboss of the Gnafia, Roxie Wingnut had used New Celest the entire
time, using their kindness and good-will against them, in order to get
closer to the Repository's secrets. With a cackle, and turning aside
Nydekion's outraged attacks, she fled down the newly-revealed path,
disappearing into the Meliashmora's depths. Though Vlaynne and his kin
scoured the newly revealed village, the treacherous gnome could not be
found - and they found greater problems. What Vlaynne had thought to be
an abandoned citadel atop an ancient vault was not as he thought - the
mountain path was entirely missing, and the staging area had become,
truly, a stage.

The Meliashmora of Imperial Secrets was sealed away during the Taint
Wars by a contingent of specially trained guards. Expecting the guards
to have turned to dust by this time and the repository to be vacant, the
vaults were found to be inhabited by harlequins, jesters and various,
painted dolls who danced and cavorted about the chambers, oblivious to
the outside world or their new visitors. Vlaynne remarked that they
seemed to be like 'childhood storybook characters' - an aspiring hero, a
distressed princess, a villainous lord who sought her hand and more.
Setting to work with a vengeance, Aeral Amaa'nar'isil, Syridean Dawneye,
Nydekion La'Saet and more sought to finish the story, soon finding it to
be as comic as it was tragic, and many times stranger than they had
initially believed. Themselves becoming characters within the
performance, those of New Celest discovered not only the secret of the
performance, but brought those trapped within it some relief.

Yet as they climbed into the citadel and sought the vernal artifact
offered to them by a spirit trapped within the Meliashmora of Imperial
Secrets, they finally caught up with Roxie Wingnut - or she caught up
with them. Snatching up the treasure, the gnome fled, abandoning them
for Aetherspace. Taking a hint from a departing, derisive cry thrown at
them, New Celest traveled to Xion and, using a tracking hound, quickly
found and dispatched Roxie, who fled deeper into the Laboratory of Xyl,
but abandoned the artifact she had stolen: the True Crown of D'varsha.

Long-lost secrets have been revealed, and the way to the Meliashmora of
Imperial Secrets stands open for the world to access. What artifacts -
and curses - lie within remains yet a mystery to the people of the Basin
of Life. And so have the Guardians of the Meliashmora - the enigmatic,
tattooed keepers who have, for centuries shielded its location and,
often times, very existence from those who might seek it - disappeared
once more, back into the shadows from whence they emerged, taking what
secrets they have harboured for more than a millennium with them.


Penned by My hand on the 16th of Dvarsh, in the year 281 CE.