In the months following the discovery of the seal beneath the Great
Rock, many strange and unusual events transpired. The small jade token,
then worn by the Prophet of Babel, Flair, immediately demonstrated a
close connection, leaping from the prophet's forehead to bind itself to
the seal. Though it was soon removed, from that point forward it
consistently returned to the cavern at regular intervals, and many of
those brave enough to wear it began to report seeing more frequent
strange visions or hearing an eerie, hollow voice speaking in their
heads. Some were driven mad by its touch, their minds so disturbed by
what they had seen that only excessive herbal remedies could restore
their sanity, while others told stories of it suddenly becoming too hot
to hold.

The voice spoke with special clarity to those who claimed to be
followers of the lost Chaos god, Babel. Under its direction, one balmy
afternoon, a messenger arrived at the temple of the elements bearing a
forged letter.

Melkor, Agatheis's Steward, was initially very suspicious, but the
signature gave him pause: "Anksheptut." Who could know that name? The
line of rajamala kings had lain in utter secrecy for centuries,
protecting the crystals that the Elemental Lord had created in the
ancient days before the Great War. Unwilling to dismiss such a
revelation, the Steward summoned a small group of Agatheans to the
temple and dispatched them to locate and assure the safety of the
current King Anksheptut.

The Agatheans departed for Adryn's Keep, where the royal family was
known to survive in secret. Unbeknownst to them, however, their
movements were closely observed by a party of Occultists in astralform.
The letter to Melkor had been created specifically for the purpose of
inspiring such a reaction, and their intent was now to follow the
Agatheans to King Anksheptut and retrieve one of the crystals he
guarded. Having been instructed by the voice in the token to avoid
attracting the attention of Agatheis at all costs, they watched in
secret as the Agatheans negotiated with the painfully slow Lord Adryn,
who eventually produced a dirty, rag-clad rajamala serf named Ank.

Meanwhile, the Occultist Amunet was exploring other options. Exploiting
all of the charm at her command, she made contact with some of the
seedier elements of the Keep's underground, eventually making her way to
the hideout of a notorious fence. After further bargaining, she was
informed that, yes, Ank was known to carry some strange crystals in a
little bag around his neck and, yes, one of those might have happened to
accidentally slip out of his possession at some point, and that, yes, it
might be found again, perhaps, for the right price. More negotiation
ensued, a considerable sum of money changed hands, and Amunet returned
to Ashtan in possession of a single fist-sized rock crystal.

Some time later, in response to a dark ritual focused on a strange new
relic known as the Eye of Golgotha, a group of Occultists succeeded in
bringing life to the Living Spire, that towering monument of Chaotic
power established by Eris Herself in the early days of the hunt for lost
Pandemonium. That same hour, a nameless and plainly dressed priestess
arrived at the seal beneath the Great Rock.

The priestess aroused much interest and more than a little suspicion.
Claiming to serve the Light and announcing that she had come to watch
over the seal on behalf of that force, she refused to reveal anything
more about her loyalties, her origins, or even her name, while at the
same time occasionally hinting at vast knowledge of subjects confounding
to even the most learned of Church scholars. Her sharp tongue and
haughty attitude succeeded in offending most who spoke to her, but her
fierce criticisms did succeed in generating a more formidable Church
presence at the seal than had been previously.

The priestess was given more excuse to heap scorn on the head of the
Church when Amunet succeeded in approaching the seal while the guard,
Zaoria, slept. The human Occultist held in her hands the stolen crystal
of Agatheis, and as she lifted it into the air, it took flight and began
to hover over the seal's surface. At that point, the priestess called
Zaoria to attention with a sharp blow, but the damage had been done. As
Amunet retreated, crowds of alarmed Church members poured in to stare in
dismay at what she had done. The crystal was very clearly having an
effect on the seal, which occasionally shuddered and buckled beneath its
hovering facets, and there seemed nothing they could do to dislodge it.

Penned by My hand on the 19th of Aeguary, in the year 476 AF.