The verdict was a unanimous one: "Guilty!" thrummed across the network of the gathered K'Bah. Though the taint was not initially their fault, and allowances were made for that, the subsequent and wilful spread of disorder was a crime most heinous, and therefore intolerable.

"The members of the rebellion are sentenced to execution. There is no appeal, there can be no second chance allowed."

The judgement of the Jade Empress rang through the auditorium, dispassionate and cold. Her proclamation was joyless, and Her exquisite countenance remained unflinching as She declared the rank and file of K'Thek Thalls to be set to death, sparing but two of the rebels. Those unfortunate beings would be subject to justice of a different sort.

Elsewhere, just as serious, but ultimately more productive, the labourers of the Sapphire clan were engrossed in tests of resonance and crystal properties. Periodic calls for silence would argue with the chime and song that reverberated through the workshop as busy Thalls cleared away shattered failures and others fervently discussed sympathetic vibrations. In the very centre of the Tl'Wee compound, polished to a gleaming shine, stood a colossal steel, two-tined fork: the resonant bident. Perfectly balanced, it was an object of awe for the labourers, and a revered culmination of the nobles' industry.

In a moment of macabre inspiration, it was suggested, tested, and proven that the energy expended upon death would further empower the great bident, extending its range and strength. The Empress had set a task, and failing Kx'Karfa simply wasn't a comprehensible notion.

A small force of soldiers, engineers, and robed escorts was dispatched from the Crystal Plane; their destination was Sapience: a remote location in the grasslands north of the village of New Thera. A camp soon arose on the perimeter of a small hill, upon which stood the resonant bident.

~ ~ ~

Somewhere within the deadlands of Nishnatoba lies the site where Bal'met, the Worldreaver, made his epic final stand. There, hidden amongst the wreckage, rested a legendary relic: a broken piece of the Sceptre of Divinity, kin to the two Lorielan relinquished in Her repentance to the Logos long ago. And it was this artefact that the minions of the Jade Empress were charged with obtaining.

Nishnatoba is known for its bleak expanses, a near maze to all who walk it, and so each time the Ruby soldiers sung, causing the bident to vibrate, the escorts focussed their minds upon a specific, small location, narrowing their search with each death-powered pulse of the monolith.

The coming days would bring frustration for all at the camp, whose denizens were close-mouthed in response to questions, but dissatisfaction was brightened by a few redeeming jewels. Displaying gratifying wit and logic were Mhaldor's deaconess Kei, whose ability to listen quietly and then produce concise, reasoned conclusions made for occasional leaps in the witnesses' understanding; and Harbinger Halos Vorondil, who surprised the escorts as he set aside his religious proclivities and personal enmity to conduct minor experiments and further his knowledge of the situation.

After nearly an entire month at camp, a robed woman stationed upon the hill once more ordered a coffle of prisoners to be chained to the bident. This group would mark the sixth score executed: one hundred and twenty fed to the song, serving the Empress in their demise as they refused to in life. Everyone was tired, and steps were slow as the rest of the escorts made their way again to Nishnatoba, in preparation for the pulse of power that would hopefully direct them to their goal.

Minutes waiting for the soldiers' song and the commencing resonation felt like the passing of an age. But there it was: first, a thickening in the air, then a head-aching, squeezing sensation. The discomfort faded as pressure was released into a blast of sound that jangled the standing Icons of the Achaean Houses like chimes. The barely audible bass throbbed in perceptible waves, and as each tone faded a tiny, glassy response called back, the smallest toll of the tiniest bell. As each robed escort acclimated to the reverberations and analysed their meanings, they stared at one other with barely restrained elation. They had found it!

As the thought passed between the group, a seventh, robed figure appeared from a tear in the ether to join them. Straight of bearing, and moving as if without footstep, she nodded to each of the search party, who swelled with pride, blushing, bowing, and curtseying in response to the simple gesture.

Moments later the jubilant crowd returned to Sapience, and the soldiers of the Tl'Fah lifted their voices in an entirely different song: celebration! Lingering behind, cradling the sceptre piece in her hands, came the newest member of the expedition. Pausing before the camp, she stared upwards and slowly rose into the air, drawing the clouds to her as she ascended.

Broadly stroked gestures painted a pointed history upon the accumulated canvas, telling of Elara's departure and the advent of Bal'met before cumulus and robes were cast aside to reveal Lady Lorielan, the Jade Empress.

With the sceptre piece recovered, the Elder Goddess turned Her critical eye back to Achaea.



Penned by My hand on the 23rd of Glacian, in the year 666 AF.