| Dissolution of the Infernals Guild ----------------------------------------- For the first time in modern history, a guild has declared open war upon its patron city. Although political differences or ideologies have arisen among guilds and cities before, the latest act of the Infernals Guild went far beyond mere debates and hurt feelings. The Infernals declared war on Ashtan. While it may be up for speculation whether they had reason or not for such a drastic measure, what the Infernals were not aware of (and indeed not even Ashtan itself was aware of) was the powerful link between guilds and their patron city. When war was declared, the body politic of Ashtan awoke. Not the citizens of Ashtan that most people might know, but the thousands of people living in Ashtan (as in every city) who remain behind the scenes, almost invisible to the general populace, yet essential to giving life to a city. Led by Epicurus, the Dowager Montaganet and other notable Ashtan faces, a mob of thousands were gathered: cowled figures from the orphanage, telepaths and archers who guard Ashtan, merchants and gardeners, street sweepers and harlots, rank upon rank of Ashtan's denizens. The angry mob stormed the Iron Citadel and drug out Dacian, Martial Master of the Infernals, who was promptly beheaded by the Executioner of Ashtan. The mob then proceeded to destroy the guildhall and burn all the records within. The sky over Ashtan was blackened by the smoking ruins of the Iron Citadel. As the physical manifestation of the guild crumbled, so too did the psychic bonds that held it together. Thus, the Infernals, without a guildhall, records or tutor, or even a city which might harbor their knights, is officially dissolved and no more. So closes a rather sad chapter in Achaean history. Sartan's Last Plot ----------------------- In the aftermath of the dissolution of the Infernal's guild, Sartan turned his sights onto Ashtan, sending several sorties of skeletal warriors, dragons and his infamous daemons upon the Bastion of the North. But Ashtan, hardened by invasions sent by Sartan in the past, easily defeated each army in turn. Then, unbeknownst to anyone, Sartan devised a diabolical plan to turn his vengeance against all mortalkind and perhaps even the Alliance of Gods themselves. Luring Valnurana, Goddess of Dreams, into his lair on the pretense of asking her to broker a peace between himself and the Alliance, Sartan caught her offguard and placed her in a trance, then began a dark ritual to twist her divine realm of the dreamland to his own evil purposes. If successful, Sartan would have warped the dreamland to that of Evil and created living nightmares from the power of the dreams of mortals and gods alike. These nightmare creatures would become fear, despair and hate made manifest from the unconsciousness of Achaea itself. As the dark ritual progressed, nightmares began to spread across the land filling mortals with visions born Sartan's ambitions. Perhaps the fortitude of mortals was enough to withstand Sartan's intent to sow fear and hate and despair, or perhaps Sartan's unfamiliarity with the realm of Valnurana prevented him from devising a proper ritual, but for whatever reason, his dark ritual failed. Upon realizing that no nightmare creatures would be made manifest to do his will, Sartan took his anger out upon the captive Goddess of Dreams. Despoiling her, he drained what strength he could from her, cutting out her eyes, and leaving at the base of Pillars of Heaven. It was Daedalan, in the year 301 AF. The Alliance Strikes Back -------------------------------- Eris, Goddess of Chaos, and member of the Alliance of Gods, had been keeping a watchful eye on Ashtan and was the first to suspect that the nightmares plaguing the land were untoward. She began searching for Valnurana, but found her only when it was too late and Sartan had done his worst. Taking Valnurana to the River Temple, Eris healed the Valnurana by infusing her with the essence of primal chaos. When quickly realized that had Sartan been successful, all Achaea would have suffered. A fury swept the Goddess of Chaos up into the heavens as she challenged Sartan directly. Though Eris failed to bind Sartan in her ropes of primal chaos and Sartan failed to harm her with his sword, the battle was soon joined by Aegis, God of War, husband to Chaos. By then, all the Garden of the Gods awoke and Sartan's treachery against one of their own was the final straw. The Alliance of Gods unleashed their full force and fury. First, Agatheis and Eris bound Sartan with the elements and primal chaos. Then, Ourania used the powers of moonfire to push the struggling Sartan over the western ocean. Caspian used his powers over the oceans to drag the Lord of Evil into its icy depths. Taking his hammer, Phaestus threw it against a tall Vashnar mountain, causing the entire mountain to dislodge from the mountain range. Finally, Aegis and Lupus grew to gargantuan proportions and lifted the island into the air, Thus, having defeated and imprisoned Sartan, the Alliance of Gods-Caspian, Aegis, Eris, Lupus, Ourania, Agatheis, Phaestus-dispersed, each going their different directions. And so ends the Shrine Wars, and so a new age dawns in Achaea, an age free from Evil. It was Lupar, in the year 301 AF. The Red Menace and Resurrection of Sartan --------------------------------------------------------- After the Shrine Wars wherein Sartan, Lord of Evil was imprisoned by the Alliance gods under a mountain in the middle of the sea, strange manifestations began to take place on this newly formed island. It started with the appearance of a strange stalagmite deep within the island's mountain. Those despairing of Sartan's demise began to impale themselves on the stalagmite, and slowly the souls of these sacrificial martyrs began to loosen the bonds on Sartan. After some time, the malice dropping it onto Sartan where he lay trapped in the ocean's depths. The mountain soon reformed into an island twisted by the essence of the Lord-of Sartan began to seep up from the bowels of his prison and manifest on the island itself in the form of a bloody red fog, a miasma of evil that grew each time some soul sacrificed him or herself onto the now throbbing stalagmite. And out of this fog appeared a variety of demons, from small gremlins and razor fiends to the more horrible baalzadeens and daemons. The followers of Pentharian erected a shrine to guard the bloody pit that housed the now-glutted stalagmite, but eventually the shrine fell. As the miasma of evil spread off the island and entered the main continent, Oakstone became aware that this malignant fog was exterminating all plant life wherever it touched. A massive campaign was commenced to stop anyone from sacrificing themselves onto the stalagmite. Oakstone erected a shrine to Gaia and began to worldburn massively those would-be and sacrificers who were also enemied to the forest. At this time, Pentharian and Lorielan gifted the Church with the new basilica as a symbol of hope. took on a life of its own, growing on its own accord and releasing a horde of demons. The Church realized that the symbol of hope foreshadowed when Pentharian and Lorielan opened the new basilica could be found in the now-blessed crystal decanter within Pentharian's temple, and this holy relic offered a way to combat the deadly fog. Around the clock vigils were held and the fog seemed, if not abated, at least stalled. Alas, this was not an ordinary physical phenomena to be combated--it was the will of Sartan striving for release. Many witnessed several times the fog suddenly growing exponentially of its own accord, struggling to form itself into a shape. With increasing and urgent frequency, the fog pulsed and grew, releasing hordes of demons that terrorized all of Sapience. As more of the land became stripped of life, Gaia became to determined to lift the fog herself. Shaking the very earth itself in an attempt to sink the island, Gaia only found the miasma of evil spread at an even greater rate. Not only this, but the bonds of Sartan finally snapped and there was enough of the miasma of evil to form a new body. But despite the valiant efforts of Oakstone, the Church, and any who chose to fight the fog, the sacrifices continued and eventually the fog of Evil who lay trapped underneath. The ordeal was not without consequence to Sartan, for his new body was horribly scarred and mutilated, as if only by his will alone would the flesh stay to bone. Now renamed Sartan the Malevolent, he settled onto the island, where his power was now infused within the rock itself. Rewarding those truly faithful to him, Sartan raised his blistered hand and manifested Baelgrim Fortress, a monstrous construction of black rock with five spires forming a pentagram in its center. And to lead the armies of Baelgrim, Sartan created the Maldaathi Knights, appointing the necromantic knight Kaelin as High Lord Maleficence, who had proven one of Sartan's most self-sacrificing loyalists during his imprisonment. It was Phaestian, in the year 301 AF. Sartan Triumphant ------------------------ Sartan, the Malevolent, the embodiment of Evil, consolidated his power on the Isle of Evil. He raised Mount Mhaldor under Baelgrim Fortress, a magnet to any Evil influence within Sapience. As such, he gained complete control over the Ruby Sphinx, Thoth's Bough, the Demon Mirror, the Garden of Midnight, the Stygian Totem, the Valley of Shadow, and Blood Falls. He has destroyed the one landmark that most closely represented Chaos, the Cave of Golgotha (and with it the Crystal Cave). Finally, he renamed the Fist of Dameron as the Fist of Sartan. In a gesture of spite, he forever cut off the flow of essence to the Occultists Guild. Those hearing this call of Evil soon began flocking to Mount Mhaldor, the nexus of Evil. Sartan set up the Council of Mhaldor, which immediately began to plot how to use Necromancy, now firmly under Sartan's control, to further their goals. The rest of Sapience looked helplessly on as the once imprisoned Lord of Evil honed and consolidated his power in an unprecedented manner. It was Sarapin, in the year 304 AF. |
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