Tension gripped the Sovereign Territories of Magnagora when one of its
nobles, Lord Seritul d'Vanecu, announced he had received a mysterious
note and was departing the city on pressing family affairs. Several of
the citizens, including Governor Daevos Feyranti, Reyn d'Murani, Ashteru
d'Illici, and others followed Seritul, and discovered a meeting in
Avechna's Teeth between Seritul and his cousin, Lord Jhagreer d'Vanecu.
Jhagreer explained his theory that a mysterious White Priestess was
seeking to return to the Basin of Life, and that she must be stopped by
offering a sacrifice to the Demon Lords. However, his sacrificial maiden
had escaped, forcing him to come to his city-dwelling cousin for help.

Meanwhile, in the Righteous Principality of New Celest a strange
viscanti named Kalar appeared at the Pool of Stars, announcing that he
was the brother of a woman named Tarika who had been taken from his
family to serve as a sacrifice in a demonic ritual, and pleaded with the
citizens of New Celest to aid him in rescuing her. It took neither
Magnagora nor New Celest long to realize they sought the same woman, and
a heated race began to see which city would locate the woman first.
While their scouts searching far and wide across the Basin of Life,
Kalar was seen making his way to the Collective of Serenwilde to again
plead his case.

Unbeknownst to them, however, Tarika had appeared within the Glomdoring
Forest, seeking to escape her noble viscanti captor. The Dark Seneschal,
Xenthos An'Ryshe, quickly seeing the opportunity for a bargaining tool
with Magnagora, offered the girl sanctuary in their wyrden woods, but
Jhagreer d'Vanecu was not far behind and Tarika fled in terror. While
both the Glomdoring and Serenwilde communes showed little interest in
the fate of the wayward girl, the cities of New Celest and Magnagora
were ardent and relentless in their pursuit of her.

Eventually, it was New Celest who found her huddled in a cave near the
dwarven mining village of Southgard, and Amaru and Malicia La'Saet
convinced the overly paranoid and distressed girl to return with them to
New Celest to await her brother. It was not long before her brother did
arrive and comforted her, promising a safe place for her to hide, over
the loud protests of Soll Peulus and other citizens of New Celest who
wished her to remain in the city. Tarika did depart with her brother,
but the peace that settled over the Basin was not to last long.

A piercing scream resounded from Avechna's Teeth, and the sobs and cries
for forgiveness of Kalar soon followed. Kalar had turned his sister over
to Jhagreer d'Vanecu, and was found in great despair at the before
unknown Presidio of the Damned, an ancestral home and research facility
of the viscanti nobles. A fierce battle soon erupted between the
Celestians and Magnagorans who quickly rallied, and as Magnagora won the
day on the field of battle, Kalodan Faechild slew Kalar in cold blood,
thinking he had murdered his own sister.

In truth, she was very much alive, but had hidden herself away deep
within the halls of the Presidio in an attempt to escape her fate.
Meanwhile several Serenwilders, including Aerenna Lacouronne-Dawngale
and Laysus L'Eternae, slipped silently into the Presidio. It was
discovered that there existed a great enmity between the viscanti of the
Presidio of the Damned, and their ancient enemies at the Shallamurine
Cathedral - led by the mysterious White Priestess.

Mystery and intrigue continues to shroud both the Presidio of the
Damned, and the Shallamurine Cathedral located beyond, and it is
uncertain whether a series of bizarre occurances therein can be
attributed to the fierce rivalries and intrigues of the viscanti nobles,
or whether there is some truth to the ancient viscanti legend of the
White Priestess and the Shallamurine Cathedral that causes the nobles to
go ashen in terror, and whisper of she-who-must-not-be-named.


Penned by My hand on the 23rd of Roarkian, in the year 152 CE.