Sarapin, 527 AF:
Night falls upon Ulangi. Nothing more than a slave running errands, few
notice the handmaiden Kavaya hurrying through the fortress corridor, and
later, none will recall her presence. It is this very facade of
invisibility that allowed her to observe the guards passing through
their secret exit, and now brings her freedom.

Clinking softly, the gold sovereigns drop into the ferryman's palm, and
she steps into a small rowboat. Her white robe billows in the wind as
she looks back at the tower that looms over the shore. The courageous
look in the Lion's eyes haunts her; even as he endured the most vicious
of tortures, his body breaking, those eyes remained strong and defiant.

"I will return," she whispers to the wind as the ferryman begins to row
toward Sapience, and toward freedom.

~ ~ ~

For nearly a year Kavaya waits, discreetly gathering information and
penning letters to those she hopes will be sympathetic to her cause.
Behind a closed door at the Brass Lantern Inn, she speaks of Haidar, the
Lion, and his fight for the freedom of all people. She cautions against
the ruthless heirs to the Kashari throne, Megara, Kyar, and Oswain,
whose search for a stolen artefact has brought them to Sapience. She
tells of her own people, the Hatha-yin, enslaved in Kashar for
centuries. A Hathai prophecy, she says, has foretold that a lion will
one day reawaken lost knowledge and bring an end to the old ways. And so
she entreats those who will listen to aid her in freeing Haidar,
believing him to be the fulfilment of this prophecy.

~ ~ ~

Glacian, 527 AF:
Sitting dangerously low in the water, a ferry glides over the sea
between Shastaan and Ulangi, bearing Kavaya, Goryllin Dawyn, Soopay
Winterhawk, Quoren Ironson, Delphinus Windancer, and many of their
peers, all intent on freeing the Lion. The group numbers more than
fifty. As they disembark they are led by Delphinus, his familiarity with
the island an advantage as he swiftly guides them to the barren hive of
the absent horkval. Stopping the group at a sharp bend in the cavern,
Kavaya motions for silence and points to a crevice in the wall. On the
other side lies the fortress, the Lion - and countless Kashari willing
to die to prevent his release.

The battle begins, and the liberators are hailed by arrows, pikes, and
crackling bolts of energy the moment they step into the fortress.
Well-prepared for their assault, the party suffers few casualties,
dispatching groups of ten Kashari and more at a time. Barging their way
through doors they clear the fortress room by room, until the voice of
Warlord Kyar sounds over the din of battle, ordering a retreat.

Encouraged by their victory, the party searches the fortress for a means
to open the locked doors of the dungeon. A heavy strongchest draws the
group to an austere chamber where the mage Veldrin is able to puzzle out
the combination for the lock, revealing a much-needed key. The fearless
group moves onward, into the sooty dungeon, opening cells and freeing
the slaves locked within.

At last the cell containing Haidar is opened, but the Lion is not alone.
Startled by the intrusion, Megara, a princess of Kashar, gives a sharp
hiss. Sheathing a small knife, she drops the wrist of the shackled
prisoner and motions quickly to the sorceror at her side, who turns away
and makes some hidden gestures. A golden portal opens in the air and the
remaining Kashari make a hasty departure.

Using a key retrieved months ago from a slain Kashari warlord, Rinzai
Da'Navi unlocks the shackles of the Lion, and a small group gathers near
to work their healing arts. Haidar is freed, but their safety not yet
guaranteed, and as soon as he is able to stand they depart the island.

~ ~ ~

Despite pleas made by adventurers to rest and recover, the Lion refuses
to stay in the comfortable room at the Brass Lantern Inn. He sets out
toward the highway, stumbling and growing faint with exhaustion.
Acknowledging his resolve, Quoren offers to lead him to his destination,
and the Lion gratefully accepts the assistance.

A group now gathers within the southern Vashnar mountains, in a
sheltered grove of trees where the Lion has unearthed a chest. Buried
years ago by his own hand, it contains a staff of acacia wood, given to
Haidar long ago by his mother. As he wields the artefact the transparent
figure of a slender woman begins to fade into sight, becoming the image
of Himalia, daughter of Sinope and Callisto. Wordlessly she gestures to
an oak that stands at the centre of the grove.

A long vertical split mars the otherwise healthy exterior of the tree,
and a blade can be seen within the scar. The blade is impossible to
move, however, as one adventurer after another attempts to draw it from
the arboreal sheathe. Kavaya moves forward from the back of the crowd,
where she has watched quietly until this moment. Pressing one hand flat
against the trunk of the old oak, Kavaya grasps the blade with the other
and pulls firmly. Surprisingly, it slides out easily in her hand.
Onlookers instantly recognise the broken blade as Three Moons, once
wielded by the legendary hero Lucaine Pyramides.

As the blade is drawn, a blinding flash of light suffuses the glade, and
the oak suddenly blackens, becoming a dark silhouette within the
resplendent corona. The light fades and a distinct chill enters the
glade, depleting all warmth, and tiny crystals of ice begin to form on
the surrounding trees. Visibly trembling in the icy wind, the blackened
oak gives a final shudder, disintegrating into dark flakes of ash that
drift to the ground.

Before anyone can speak, the Kashari are upon them, having followed the
party at a distance. The narrow entrance to the grove puts them at a
disadvantage, and only a handful are able to attack at once. They pour
into the grove with increasing numbers, and the adventurers fight
bravely, but even they begin to tire.

Features contorting in anger, Kavaya's entire body grows tense as a
flickering yellow corona surrounds her form. The aura suddenly sputters
and blinks out, and an all-consuming wave of blazing heat explodes
around her. Dozens of Kashari attackers, annihilated by the explosive
wave of blazing heat, lie dead at her feet.

Kavaya stands, bewildered, as a soft voice whispers through the icy air,
addressing her as the descendant of Lucaine Pyramides. The voice of
Himalia speaks of the lost arts with which Kavaya has now been gifted,
and charges her with reviving the knowledge among those willing to train
as Blademaster.

"The Two Arts have been reawakened in you... With this, you herald a new
hope for the Hatha-yin."

Penned by My hand on the 15th of Glacian, in the year 528 AF.