It began with a whistle of chill, icy winds from Avechna's Teeth,
swirling down into the Basin of Life. The winds in the forests rose to a
deafening howl, and the mid-day skies grew black as night. Clouds
consumed the sky, swirling in an ominous storm that would soon cover the
entirety of the known world. Indeed, it did not take long - lightning
struck the Serenwilde Forest as Magnagora shuddered bodily, the earth
itself tearing apart. Cyclones formed atop both the Inner Sea and the
Sea of Despair, while tidal waves smashed into Magnagora and Celest,
clearing even the great walls of the shining city to soak its
inhabitants, and flooding even within the dank depths of the Necropolis.
While Mount Zoaka shuddered, spasmed and spewed clots of lava into the
city of Gaudiguch, Hallifax's natural aeromantic construction aided
against the storm - energy crackled amongst its spires as the winds rose
and fell, lightning was turned away or absorbed to further charge the
city. Even that would fail, in time, as elementals began to form across
the city, wreaking havoc and damaging its defenses.

Many sought the source of the storm, traveling to the Elemental Lords of
Tide, Earth, Air and Fire - yet none could offer reprieve nor
explanation. Indeed, what many thought was 'bad' became far worse the
following month - while Acknor began to (forcibly) celebrate the odd
friendship that had formed between Chieftain Grang and his long-time
rival, Vroshnak the Destroyer - some have even reported the painting of
hearts and flowers on one another's faces in preparation for 'tea time'
- others were drawn to Estelbar, where cries of despair and sorrow
revealed a true nightmare for the furrikin: the tae'dae cubs, one and
all, were missing, stolen from their beds in the midst of a mid-day nap.

Serenwilde was alerted to the Undervault by the at first agitated, then
panicked, cries of Queen Ptoma, who was abducted from her village before
anyone could arrive to protect her. They rushed to Delport, only to find
Madame Sylvie fighting off hoards of invading rats, apparently chased in
by the flood waters. Nearby in Ixthiaxa, Overmind Tkegthul turned up
poisoned and powerless, unable to control the masses of Ixthiaxa, and so
the geomycus and many of the illithoid fled the village. Angkrag became
enveloped in a political struggle as several nobles moved against the
others, hoping to seize control of the village for themselves.
Magistrate Gumboliah Brooks of Stewartsville, hot on the murderer of the
Countess Cecelia, showed up to the mansion intoxicated - some suggested
drunk, others, poisoned. Rockholm, home to King Thoril and the entirety
of the dwarven mining force, erupted into riots - the miners, angered by
working conditions and believing things could be better, were protesting
and refusing to work. In the north, Rikenfriez discovered their pond
frozen over, and Talthos found they had been robbed of the entirety of
their seed storage, and their harmonic resonators - which were necessary
for crystal growth.

Chaos reigned throughout the Basin of Life, and prophesies foretold
things would only worsen. And so they did.

Things seemed to lessen first, however, as celebration, a rare thing in
the times of trial as they were, broke out in Tolborolla Valley.
Chocolate bunnies had been discovered by the tae'dae and furrikin from
an unknown source, and were happily shared with anyone who wanted to
partake. Unfortunately for many, the situation did worsen, dramatically
- the chocolate was a carrier for a substance of some source, it was
later determined, which would cause an affliction known as "skinrot".
Many enjoyed the initial benefits as their skin hardened as stone,
though soon everyone came to the same ill-fated condition, which would
progressively worsen. Fearing their own demise, they sought out help
from many sources, but none, not even the Divine, could discern a means
to cure them of their ills.

As though massive storms, madness throughout the lands and disease were
not enough, New Celest began to discover small eggs, composed entirely
of sand, both in their harbour and in the surrounding lands. The other
cities and even the communes soon made the same discovery, watching them
curiously as they began to shiver, quiver and crack... And the lands
were plagued by small, sand-crafted crabs. Odd creatures, they snipped
and snapped angrily at anything or anyone nearby, quickly drawing those
that came across them into a fight. Though the crabs fell easily, they
did not die as most life forms do - instead, they pulled themselves back
together, the sand forming into lobsters. Redoubled was the creature's
attacks, and renewed were those who would come to fight against them -
and still they would die, only to reform more powerful than they were
before. It was only with the combined forces of Hallifax, New Celest and
Glomdoring were the seas cleared of the vicious new animals, but the
peace would not last long - soon, new eggs would arrive, and they, too,
hatched. Days would pass, and hundreds would roam the Basin of Life,
reaching from the spires of Hallifax into the very depths of the
Undervault.

On the fifth month, shouting came up from the Grey Moors, as the sounds
of the aslarans marching to war echoed across the Basin of Life. Not to
be taken unawares, the usually peaceful Tosha Monks met them upon the
field and, throughout the Grey Moors, Old Imperial Highway and Razine
Mountains, aslaran warriors and loboshigaru monks could be found, deep
in the pitch of battle. Insisting the Tosha Monks had captured their
leader, Ciarrus, Surtami, a life-long warrior, attacked without
reservation, believing the protection of their pride to be first among
her duties. Meanwhile, the Enlightened Ulan looked out from the Tosha
Monastery, and knew sadness - it had been long since he had taken a
life, but he knew that the battle was one that must be fought. For
Master Quettle was missing, and the monks had tracked the thieves' scent
to the Aslaran Camp, where they claim to have been attacked upon sight.
For the months that followed, many still witnessed the battle as it
raged on, some joining on one side, some on another, while others sought
to weaken the wills of the combatants on both sides, to end the
fighting. Ulan and Surtami, high in the mountains, could be seen
fighting for days at a time, struggling to take an advantage from the
slightest of the other's mistakes.

Salvation would come on the sixth month, in the form a blue pill, sold
from a wooden box with a sign that read "Big Mama's Blue Beauties" - a
sign that promised the contents were a cure to the plague that had
infected everyone, from all cities, and had been found to be completely
without cure. Indeed, as many rushed to buy its limited supply, they
found the cure they were looking for - at least, for a time. In a day or
two, many began to complain once more of the disease, only now their
condition was far worse than it was before. Even more annoying, some
complained, was the pills were a narcotic, and induced wonderful
hallucinations of light, sound and colour, bringing beauty to all who
partook of the dubious 'cure'.

Perhaps the greatest blow, however, was struck on the seventh month -
chubby little gnomes in red suits began to appear throughout the Basin
of Life, sniffling and crying. Usually their coming, a thing of joy and
celebration, was met with sorrow and horror - Jolly Bundy, the head
Solstice Gnome, was missing, and there were no presents to be had.
Indeed, when pleaded with for a gift, those eager and happy adventurers
found they only had coal to give, before departing in sobs and tears.

Who was behind this, many asked? What did they have to do with one
another? And what, some whispered, did the sudden disappearance of
gnomes everywhere foretell? While some scrambled and scraped for the
famed Verses of Magnora, others began to simply stare into the distance
and wonder - what will next month bring?

Penned by My hand on the 16th of Urlachmar, in the year 284 CE.