In the interest of stopping the Gnodfather, a new book in the History of
the Elder Wars has been made available by the Divine Scribes.

Hope this helps ye all!


"The History of the Elder Wars", By the Scribe of the Elders (Page 14)
BOOK OF BOLLIKIN

Walking along the rolling green hills of the Ackleshiloma Forest, Tae
and I watched the world burn. Sheets of flames crisscrossed the sky,
swallowing clouds and expelling superheated mists. The smell of burnt
wood clogged our noses, and the soot rained down like twisted
snowflakes, typical of a combined attack of the Soulless Zenos and Muud.
Fortunately, it wasn't common that the Soulless Ones worked together.

"Do not worry, little friend," Tae said at my side. "The forest is safe.
Bear and I protect it."

"For how long?" I asked quietly.

"Long enough," Tae said, as always confident and sure.

Just as suddenly the flames in the sky winked out. I gave a sigh. The
Domotheon Spires had kicked in again, cutting the attack off at its
source. But the Fifth Circle kept warning us that it was only a matter
of time before the Spires, hidden within the bubbles between the planes,
would fail.

"There!" announced Tae. "What did I tell you, little friend? Everything
will be fine."

More bravado, but I took comfort in it anyway. Tae gave me a squeeze and
hoisted me up onto his broad shoulders. Humming, he continued his
circuit of the Ackleshiloma. But as he picked me up, I saw the concern
in his eyes. He felt me trembling.

I could not help it. Even now, rabbits burned in an unnamed forest on
the other side of the world. Foxes drowned in floods along the Plains of
Shavarti. Squirrels, skunks, beavers, hedgehogs, fleeing certain death
in all the far corners of the First World. My small creations were not
meant to withstand such assaults. They died in droves, and their Great
Spirits, the hive souls that formed from these my creations, felt every
death, every fearful cry for help, as they ran and ran and ran. But
nowhere was safe, and the Great Spirits cried out. And I felt their
cries as sharp stabs within my heart.

Ironic that I was once considered the greatest of the Seventh Circle for
having so many Great Spirits form out of my creations. Now, those of the
Seventh Circle looked on me with pity for they knew how much pain I was
in. Even though part of my envied those who had only one or two Great
Spirits and thus their pain would be confined, I could not reproach
their existence. I loved them too much and would never regret having
created even the smallest of them.

"Are you ready, little friend?" Tae asked as he carried me on his
shoulder.

"What, dear Tae?" I asked, trying to lose myself in the scent of
honeysuckle and violets that grew at the basis of the honeytrees.

"We said we would help move the icebourne fae," said Tae. "Do you not
want to go?"

"Oh, yes. Of course, let's go," I said, remembering that we were going
to help isolate the icebourne, creatures that the Traitor Manteekan had
created.

Leaving the forest, travelling along the planar byways, we entered the
ethereal realm, where others had already gathered and surrounded a group
of fae. As we approached, the air turned achingly chill. The forms of
the icebourne had not yet solidified into a stable state, though they
were obviously awakened from the spirit of snow and ice. Without their
awakener, they were confused yet they were filled with something twisted
and wrong. They stared at us with eyes bright with hate. Even so, who
could blame them? We banished their creator and now rounded them up.

How could I not help but be sympathetic. For aeons our only desire was
to procreate, but alas, creating progeny was beyond us. The Creators of
the Seventh Circle created their creatures, some of whom became the hive
souls which we called children. The Awakeners of the Sixth Circle
awakened the fae spirits who sometimes formed into greater spirits. Even
the hamadhi strived to push the half-formed to their potential, but
after so many aeons in their creche, they were stuck as they were.

It was a bitter pill that we never were able to create more Elders like
ourselves. For however much we succeeded and came close, our creations
were never our equals. The true power of creation either died with
Dynara and her nameless brother or was simply beyond our grasp.

The icebourne screamed and cursed at us as we encased them in a sphere
and delved into the space between planes, a cold dark place which I
hated. Even so, other elders used this place to create small bubbles to
conduct their research or just offer small spaces to be alone. We were
surprised to meet Crumkane in this space of aether, and I smelled the
breath of the fae on him. I could guess what he did, for his fae
followers loved him. Was he hiding his favorites in a bubble? What would
become of them? Perhaps he hoped to save just a few as it now seemed
First World was doomed.


"There!" said Lisaera. "The bubble of ice is perfect for these
creatures."

Releasing the creatures onto this ice world, they were not grateful but
rather ran and hid in the snows. Tae bellowed with laughter and ran off
to play with them, thinking they were having some sort of sport.
Meanwhile, Lisaera and Nocht began directing the building of a system
within the bubble that would rehabilitate the icebourne. However long
that would take would be anyone's guess.

Loboshi was inspecting one of the Domotheon Spires which was on the ice
bubble, She sighed and pointed out the cracks and fissures along the
base. We repaired it as best we could but knew it was only a matter of
time before it broke.

When were about to leave, I had to go and find Tae. He was running back
and forth along the snow banks, laughing and throwing snowballs.
Curious, I watched saw some snowballs being cast back at him. Tae saw me
and can jogging towards me.

"That was fun," he said. "Do you want to play too, little friend?"

"No, thank you, dear Tae," I said. "What have you and the icebourne been
up to?"

"Oh, they've been hiding and I've been seeking. When I catch them, I
pack them into snow or ice and make little creatures out of them. Do you
want to see?"

"No, no, we don't have time. Loboshi says the Domotheon Spires are more
fragile than she had thought and we should report to the First Circle."

As we left the ice bubble, I wondered briefly if Tae's playing would
affect the icebourne or the rehabilitation system we had set but there
were greater concerns.

When we gathered atop Mount Dynara, in the House of Xyl, there was a
large gathering of Elders. Apparently, the First Circle had called a
convocation. We assembled in the large crystal auditorium where we
normally did. It was then that it struck me how reduced our numbers
were. The hall was practically empty. Unconsciously we all clustered
together in the center to give an illusion of numbers. But looking back,
most of the auditorium was empty. Were there really less than a thousand
of us left? So it seemed.

On the dais that floated before us stood Meridian flanked by Eventru and
Aslarn. To their left was Roark Libertas, a Thinker of the Fifth Circle.
They waited until we had all quieted. Meridian stepped forward.

"We know that since the Twelve Traitors were banished, the war has not
gone well," he said. "But that does not mean that we haven't been
studying the situation. We believe we have found a solution. It is a
small chance, but it offers hope."

Meridian paused and we all leaned forward. Hope! It was not a word we
had heard recently. But Meridian did looked neither happy nor filled
with hope. He nodded to Roark, who then stepped forward.

"As many of you know," said Roark, "my research has mainly focused on
the interplanar matrices and study of dimensional anomalies. A theory
I've often postulated was that Magnora and Dynara went far beyond just
the normal dimensional waves but left our reality altogether, beyond our
knowledge of the multiverse."

Members of the Fifth Circle nodded in understanding, though others, like
Tae, looked bored or confused. Roark cleared his throat and went on.

"Our first impetus was to return to the First World, Lusternia. After
all the First World is the center of our multiverse, the nexus point of
all our known dimensions. While our instinct may have compelled us here,
it was the wrong decision. We came here to wait for the return of Dynara
and Magnora. But instead we should have been seeking them out. And to
find them, we would need to search as far away from Lusternia as
possible, for if there is a rift into another reality be, it would be as
far away from the one point of where reality is most stable, which is,
of course, the First World.

"The Void is the only logical area where the fabric of our reality is
thin enough to pierce, through to another reality, the event horizon of
possibilities. I have developed a device w
hich I believe measures the
thinning of reality, seeking out the event horizons along the quantum
shifts of the Void; thus, enabling us search out and find the thinning
of space-time where Dynara and Magnora were lost. Then, we can bring
them back and restore equilibrium."

Silence. We were stunned. This was the solution? To run to the Void? The
nervousness of the proposal was palpable.

"Why couldn't the Soulless just follow us to the Void?" asked Clangorum.

"We would slip out a few at a time," said Meridian. "They won't notice
us going if we use the same fulcrux rift which we used to send out the
Twelve Traitors."

"Lovely," muttered Mugowumpois. "And ironic. We will ultimately share
the same fate as the Twelve! How do you plan on us escaping the Void?"

Roark said "I can construct a beacon in the Void, and once it is safe to
return , Dynara or Magnora can activate it. When you hear the beacon, it
will be safe and you can follow it home."

"And if Dynara and Magnora never return," said Mugowumpois bitterly. "We
will be trapped forever in the Void. That is, until the Soulless Ones
consume the First World and all of creation before going back to the
Void and hunting us down."

Roark had nothing to say to that, just looked on impassively. Meridian
stepped forward and descended down the dais.

"It is hope," Meridian said softly. "A hard and difficult journey it
would be, to confine ourselves in the Void and search for our
progenitors, but it offers hope nonetheless."

Thus, it was decided that we would abandon the First World and escape to
the Void. Groups of five would leave through the fulcrux complex within
Mount Dynara. According to Xyl, we would be scattered throughout the
Void, just as the Twelve Traitors were. Roark was providing the devices
that would search out the thinning of reality so we could search for the
progenitors. As each group left, we would say good-bye. It was unlikely
we would meet each other in the vastness of the Void.

I kept demurring from joining a group. Instead, Tae and I would go
wander through the remaining forests, visiting the last survivors of our
creation.

"I'm not going to go, dear Tae," I said. "I cannot leave my little
ones."

"Of course, you can't, " said Tae matter of factly, "We will stay
behind."

"No, dear Tae," I said. "You needn't stay. I would rather you go. I
couldn't bear to know you are lost."

"Don't be daft, little friend. We can never be lost so long as we have
each other."

What could I do but laugh and hug, my dear sweet Tae. That decision
behind us, we went to tell the others, to say our last goodbyes.

When we got to the fulcrux chambers within Mount Dynara, there was a lot
of activity. The crystal chambers were pulsating and the air was
crackling with energy. The Soulless Ones had become suspicious at our
activity and dwindling numbers. They were all attacking at once, with
Kethuru leading the way, spreading himself up and out, enclosing the
First World.

"The Domotheon Spires are collapsing," shouted Loboshi.

Turning to a monitoring crystal, Xyl tapped it and images appeared of
the Domotheon Spires, each resting on a bubble in the aethers of space.
The Spires trembled and flared with sudden dark energies. Quickly, Xyl
switched the viewing crystal to focus on his research station in the
elemental phase of the aethers.

"Xion Control Unit," said Xyl into a transference crystal. "Lower the
Domotheon Spires. Code: Sigura-pharx Eight Three Two Five Nine."

Switching the viewing crystal back to the view of the Domotheon Spires,
we watched them begin sinking down into the ground. But it was too late,
they were already crumbling. Finally, they exploded, leaving behind
nothing more than circular rings on their respective bubbles. As the
rings began to fade and sink, the viewing crystal flared black and
cracked.

"Who was in the last group that just left?" said Meridian grimly.

"Agnomenon, Fininkora, Carakhan, Luriki and Panamandius," said Xyl.

"Agnomenon!" screamed Clangorum. "My brother! Did they make it to the
Void."

"I do not know," said Xyl, gesturing to the cracked crystal. "We have no
way of checking. But that was the last group that would be going out.
Kethuru will block any further attempts.

So we were trapped here. I know Tae and I had not planned on leaving but
somehow knowing the others will be trapped with us made the decision
seem hollow. It was only a matter of time before the Soulless Ones would
break through the final defenses. We had retreated to the basin below
Mount Dynara which was more than just a mountain, but the manifestation
of the heart of the First World. We constructed a shield over the Basin
and held our position within.

We waited to die. I leaned back against the conforming wall that was
Tae.

"Little friend," he said, "I will never leave you."

"Oh, Tae," I said bitterly. "I wish you had."

Meridian watched us, stricken silent. He walked several paces and
watched the seas though tears filled his eyes. Trillilial and Xyl held
hands and walked away to a dome. Loboshi comforted the wolves who
followed her around. How many of us were left? Not nearly enough for the
defense to hold long.

My children. I could feel them call to me, the little creatures who were
my offspring. I could feel them turning to me for protection, but what
could I offer them? Nothing, nothing at all. I was never much of a
fighter. I never liked violence and always relied on Tae for protection.
Now I'd just get in his way. My forte was hiding and there was nowhere
left to hide.

Their imminent death weighed heavier on me than my own. I began to cry.
Something inside of me was breaking. This was my final farewell. I
hugged Tae hard, and he absorbed it and hugged me back. I could not say
what I was going to do.

"I love you, dear Tae," I
whispered. "I must leave now."

"I love you too, little friend," said Tae, "but where are you going?
When will you be coming back?

I didn't answer. I couldn't answer. A deep peace filled me. I would join
my creations. It would be my last, final gift to them, to join them in
their fate. Tae's booming voice was hammering at me but his words became
a blur of sound. Other voices were joining his, but they meant nothing
to me. I felt the force of my children's love surge within me. But I was
helpless to do anything.

My heart breaks for I cannot take you with me, dear Tae.

Good bye.


Penned by my hand on the 7th of Dvarsh, in the year 284 CE.