As has been told, a net woven by the three Visages of the Lady of the
Moon proved instrumental in capturing the mighty nychtaur, dispelling
the enchantment upon him and returning him to his stallion form. The God
of Death then appeared to ceremoniously relinquish his claim upon the
stallion to the Goddess of Dreams, in fulfillment of an ancient promise
(events #206).

Along with the stallion, the ethereal nightmares that had of late
roamed Sapience returned to the Dreamrealm, and it was later revealed
that they were the shades of the unicorns that had perished during the
War of Humanity (events #205).


The next month, in the early summer of 426 A.F., five ritualists
gathered on Mount Nicator: Goldberry Winterhart, Silas Maynard, Zenui
Ruthras, Najara Sa'Rithven, and Aneevah Acacia. They vowed to penetrate
the ward of power around Tavarius and end the eclipse. The Mitran
priestess Aerilius took part also, shielding the onlookers for their
safety. What follows is a faithful transcript of the ritual as it
occurred:

Zenui prays for a Rite of Cleansing, and is granted it.

Zenui lays a morningstar upon the ground within the bounds of the rite
of cleansing. An inky white aura begins to slink up the morningstar's
handle. The writhing aura works its way up the chain of the weapon and
to the ending ball where it is quickly absorbed.

Zenui takes up the now glowing morningstar and begins to swing it above
his head. Strands of intense white light fly from the glowing ball to
meld into the atmosphere around the ledge. Panting lightly, Zenui stops
swinging the now normal weapon.

Goldberry gestures to the earth deftly, causing a ruddy glow to suffuse
the ground around her feet.

Goldberry motions into the air, causing a strong breeze to whip her
hair about.

Goldberry opens her hand, cradling a small white flame in the palm. The
flame writhes haphazardly, changing back and forth from white to blue
to orange, before stabilizing somewhere between all three.

Goldberry trails her hand in the air lazily. The air begins to thicken,
taking on a misty form before it collapses onto the ground in a splash
of water.

The water drains down into a circular crevice, forming a makeshift
scrying pool. As the image in the puddle sharpens, you see a glowing
figure behind a wall of light. The water darkens and then becomes a
crystal blue.

Najara links hands with Aerilius, gazing up into the sky as the
circlet upon her brow begins to glow with primeval fire.

Najara touches the tip of her spear against her circlet and
otherwordly fire slips around it, bathing it in an angry glow.

Aneevah links hands with Aerilius, gazing up into the sky as the
circlet upon her brow begins to glow with primeval fire.

Aneevah taps her spiritual mace against her circlet and the pulsating
glow of the mace changes to a deadly red.

Aerilius, Priestess of the Solstar raises her eyes to the darkened sky,
two tears forming in the corners and trickling down her face.

As the tears continue down her cheeks, they eventually drop off to
touch the ground. A luminous outline begins where the teardrops met
the ground and soon encircles her.

Aerilius, Priestess of the Solstar raises her hands and places them
directly in front of her, above the dual beginnings of the outline.
She begins to croon a hauntingly beautiful song, weaving melodies and
power together above the shimmering circle.

As the song ends, Aerilius, Priestess of the Solstar's eyes glow like
the sunrise, and she begins to whisper prayers of protection to Lady
Sol. The shimmering circle, infused with power from the hymn, expands
to surround the ritualists and the ward, sealing those present outside
of the barrier.

Aneevah calls out for the aid of her guardian angel. A flower of white
light blooms in the air beside Aneevah, and a shimmering figure emerges
from within.

Aneevah nods gravely at her Guardian Angel as she hands her a fiery
mace, beseeching her to wield it against her foes.

Silas crinkles his brow in concentration as he reaches deeper into his
Devotion. His eyes close and his lips move silently as he empowers the
arisen angel. The guardian begins to glow more brightly, no longer
visible behind the brilliant sheen of light.

Silas's eyes flash open as he gestures grandly at the ward, creating a
path of light from the angel to the ward. He maintains his focus, and
begins to recite the holy verses, chasing away potentially disruptive
magics that could affect the angel.

As the angel rushes the ward, the elements imbued within the area
begin to swirl around her. Water, Earth, Fire, and Air coalesce in a
myriad of colours and lights upon the angel, invigorating her.

Najara cocks her arm back and with a forceful cry, flings her spear
like a javelin at the ward, its coruscating essence lashing out
fiercely.

As the respective powers come into contact with the ward, a ripple
forms in the roiling ward energy. The places where the elementally
infused angel hit seem to compress slightly.

The crystal-blue scrying pool turns completely black. Upon the black
surface, a reflection of the ward appears, an image of the man
Tavarius within it. The reflection of his face distorts and mutates
within the scrying pool, his eyes replaced by orbs of flaming crimson
- the eyes of the undead prince Slith!

An instant later, the real ward swells hugely outwards, warping the
elemental essence directed towards it in an explosion of light.

The attacking angel's essence scatters on the breeze as her ties to
the plane are sundered, the spear shatters, and the ritualists are
killed instantly!

Goldberry has been slain in the backlash of a failed ritual.
Zenui has been slain in the backlash of a failed ritual.
Silas has been slain in the backlash of a failed ritual.
Aneevah has been slain in the backlash of a failed ritual.
Najara has been slain in the backlash of a failed ritual.

Aerilius, Priestess of the Solstar is thrown violently backwards to
the floor, and the barrier wavers. Within moments, her last breath
escapes her body and the barrier fades entirely, leaving behind only
silence.

Aerilius, Priestess of the Solstar, has been slain in the backlash of
a failed ritual.


Though the ritual backfired dramatically, it did have the unexpected
side effect of revealing the true face behind Tavarius: the ancient and
crafty Slith, Prince of the Undead Legions, he who had opposed the Elder
Gods along with the Triumvirate in the War of Humanity!


Late in the autumn of 426 A.F., a nightmare returned to the material
world, alone and heavy with foal (events #207). Having been conceived in
the material world, the foal she carried was half-real and half-ethereal
and thus unable to remain in the Dreamrealm. The nightmare had been
driven back to the material world to give birth. She wandered the Sangre
plains, consuming only the night-growing orchids that bloomed there,
constantly besieged by giant white bats that attacked her everywhere she
roamed.

At last, in the spring of the second year of perpetual darkness, the
nightmare gave birth in a hidden cavern, where the missing prophetess
Apollonia was also discovered, unconscious and wounded terribly (events
#207). The enigmatic lamassus of the northern Ithmia appointed
themselves as caretakers of the newborn foal and Apollonia both,
advising adventurers to return for the foal in early autumn-time...

Penned by my hand on the 6th of Lupar, in the year 428 AF.