Power stirred within the First World, and Dreamweavers throughout the
land - though few in number - were the first to feel the touch of the
Dreaming upon the Basin of Life. It was not long before the less
sensitive masses felt this surge of power too, and speculation began to
ripple through the cities and communes as they pondered what such a
stirring could be. Was it perhaps connected to the strange dreams that
people had begun to experience?

Then, just as adventurers began to seek out answers, flickering images
began to appear at the nexii of commune and city alike. Seemingly made
of dream motes, these apparitions - which were of several different
beings, from trill to tae'dae - appeared long enough to get out a few
garbled messages before disappearing. At once people began to speculate
as to what the message was, and political minds began to trade their
scraps of the message to see if it could be completed.

"People of the First World. We are the Keepers of Dreams. We guard She
who stands alone against Destruction. We cannot do so for much longer.
We beg you to help us - please. You are our only hope."

But when they pieced it together, the erstwhile scholars were left with
as many questions as they had answers. They began to turn to denizens
far and wide for assistance - the Serenwilde Commune spoke with Dain,
tutor of the Hartstone, and Miakoda of the Moonhart, whilst Magnagora's
representatives were canny and thoughtful, seeking out Master Quettle of
the Tosha Monastery to quiz him regarding one of the dreams they had
experienced. They even spoke to the Emperor Ladantine VII himself,
renowned to have been one of the greatest Dreamweavers of all time.

From these skilled Dreamweavers the adventurers learned that though the
dreaming power was flaring at the nexii when the apparitions appeared,
it was originating from somewhere else, deep within the centre of the
Basin. As the Serenwilde continued to investigate, the Silver Goddess
Herself performed a ritual with Her commune to investigate further. This
ritual was the first to sense the two forces at play: a hideous creature
of corruption and destruction, and an innocent being struggling to hold
it at bay.

As their ritual finished, a monstrous yawn resounded through the Basin,
as if something deep below the earth were stirring to wake - but it was
pierced by the laughter of a child, bell-like and nervous, which
quietened things once again. To scholars throughout the lands, this was
instantly recognisable: they recalled all too well the story of a Child
so powerful that she could put one of the most feared Soulless Gods into
an eternal sleep - and if Great Muud was indeed stirring in His slumber,
then the future did not look bright. Could it be possible that the
Cursed Child would falter, and He would wake?

But the power of the Sleeping Child held, and there was calm throughout
the Basin of Life...for a time.


Penned by My hand on the 11th of Dioni, in the year 410 CE.