Something was amiss.

Mraxin, the Perihelion of the Dawnburst Druids, had not returned for
months, years even. It was Turiki, the Guardian of the Aphelion, who
took it upon herself to venture from her post to see if any one within
the Basin of Life had heard from him. In Glomdoring, she attempted to
get her message out, only to be caught in the middle of a brawl between
Issey Ysav'rai and Yium; then in New Celest and Magnagora, she was met
with only a mixture of confusion and distrust; it was only in Serenwilde
that she had any luck, but by then her temper was short.

As the days passed to turn Roarkian to Estar, she returned to Sidwesh
before she made another round. Malarious found them both, and it was him
that warned Gaudiguch, and the search began anew. Synkarin and Talan
Ysav'rai tore through the land as Turiki returned to Glomdoring,
Serenwilde, and Magnagora. It was only then did more of the Basin's
inhabitants flock to meet both her and Sidwesh to learn about Mraxin's
disappearance. Conversing with Xenthos An'Ryshe, it was thought that he
had been taken by the Goldenclaw Coven, and after a lengthy debate
(which included a speculation of a potential attack by Sun and the
possibility of the Dawnbursts visiting the Basin's Elder Gods), did the
two remaining Dawnbursts decide to return to Jojobo. If Mraxin was truly
captured, they alone had the authority to lead the Dawnbursts against
the Goldenclaw's treachery in their distant war.

And in their disappearance, a terror fell upon the Basin. However, this
time, it was not Father Sun that bore down upon the world, but instead,
the Great Lion Himself. Unleashing a mighty roar, the spirit summoned
all his strength and infested the Basin of Life with the supreme power
of the jungle. The mountain ranges and roads shuddered and the ground
broke with the wild, sweaty profusion of humidity and vegetation.
Insects aplenty appeared from the woodwork, ants, centipedes, and
insects, but none were as treacherous as the meager jungle grubs that
grew to their most dangerous form - the shadegeist mosquito. As the
inhabitants of the Basin questioned one another about what was happened,
many fought against these vermin, only to find themselves afflicted with
a disease familiar to many: skinrot.

Quickly, Falmiis Shevat and Zyphora Windwhisper flew to Cankermore, and
using their elemental magics, they blew down the door that protected the
infamous Gnafia machine that cured skinrot in ages past. However, much
to their chagrin, the machine did not work. Others, such as Talan and
Arix Carthan, tried the machine in the gnomish aethership, the
Starhopper, only to learn that this one failed as well. When asked,
Gargle von Fixit explained that the machine did, in fact, work but its
calibrations were focused on the original strain. So the pursuit for the
cure began, causing all within the Basin of Life to scour for leads and
clues.

It was Malorne of Serenwilde who started it all. Visiting Doctor Creshok
zi'Prouep of Hallifax, he gave the good doctor a vial of his blood to
analyse, for she was one of the few who recalled the original outbreak.
Not too long after, Junior Fellow Tamashi of Hallifax inquired for any
updates, but learned little. In the meantime, Lylith of Celest prayed to
the Elder God Weiwae on behalf of Falmiis, who sought His healing
knowledge for a cure, and the Golden Heart was discovered in Celest, by
a cadre of Hallifaxian and Celestians. Weiwae suggested that by
observing the origin of the disease at a healing mound, a healer could
perhaps shed light on a possible cure, and Tamashi took on the
challenge. Bleuu Hartfire and others attempted to find the late
Eventru's healing mound in Celestia, but it was Falmiis that suggested
finding one on more neutral soil. After failing to find one in Faethorn,
Arian of Serenwilde and Maligorn Shevat lead the wayward group to
Mornhai. There, Tamashi used his healing magic to manipulate the auras
of slain mosquitoes, and upon further investigation, was able to extract
a substance with Calor Hartfire to deliver to Creshok.

While helpful, Creshok explained that the skinrot produced by the
mosquitoes was highly mutagenic, and perhaps a fleshshaper of Gaudiguch
would be useful for creating a vaccine. Tamashi took it upon himself to
venture to Gaudiguch, parlaying with Synkarin for aid. Terms were set
and agreed to, but soon enough, Synkarin was guided to the crystalline
city. Aided by Tamashi, Synkarin, and Ileein Shevat, the good doctor was
able to manipulate the substance drawn from 100 slain mosquitoes into a
semblance of a vaccine. And with Synkarin as its first test subject, it
was discovered to work. Creshok went to mass produce at once, and now it
seems that a cure to skinrot will return once again to the Basin of
Life.

But the question remains: why has Lion brought the jungle here? Indeed,
it seems that there are more mysteries to solve. And if the whispers
coming from Serenwilde seem to be true, a curse is afoot, and no one
knows what may happen if it remains.

Penned by My hand on the 5th of Urlachmar, in the year 450 CE.