The Cauda Pavonis hummed with activity as the alchemists studied the
revealed surface of Nurazar in detail, but still no progress was made in
amending the pervasive influence of lead in all things. Then, at last, a
clue was given from an unlikely source. Dusk, the Keeper, often known
for his half-mad ramblings in service to Darkness, had submitted a
letter to the public eye.

"Great, so we have an onion in the sky," quipped the ever-sarcastic
Rubedan Master. Shaking their heads and turning their attention upon the
writing, the group puzzled for a day's time before finally discovering
its true meaning. The third message, hidden within the text and hinted
at by its author, held the crucial key. Imperator Khunrath drew a quill
from his robes and began to mark his copy of the document while the
masters exchanged uncertain looks. Underlining the first letter of each
sentence, Khunrath sat back with a knowing and victorious smirk. One by
one, understanding touched the features of each master, and the group
began its work in earnest. The heart of one world - the fallen planet
Noxtra - pulsed away within the shell of another, setting in motion a
burgeoning cataclysm that would destroy all if unopposed.

When the Imperator and the masters returned to Sapience this time, their
confidence was as solid as before, though the faith of the people in
their work was far less so. It took convincing, and it took threats, but
at last, efforts to restore the alchemical balance were underway. In his
customary demeanour, Khunrath explained as little as possible, but made
it clear that failure would mean death for all. Each anchor would need
to be empowered and fortified once more, but only the first two cities
to accomplish the task would find themselves attuned to the alchemical
energies and protected from the inevitable blast that would result.

Two days passed, and finally Cyrene succeeded in the exhausting task,
mere seconds before Ashtan. The rest followed slowly, but at long last
it was done. The air thrummed with intangible power, and Khunrath
summoned Imperiate Chryseas Ashaela to his side. She, as leader of the
first city to complete their work, had the unenviable duty of deciding
how precisely the now concentrated energies would be directed at
Nurazar. Either the heart of Noxtra must be targeted, or the whole of
the planet. While it was certain that both solutions would restore the
balance, it was unclear what may occur on the surface, and the
alchemists felt that those who dwell within this plane should be
responsible for the consequences, whatever they might be.

In perhaps the swiftest decision in Cyrenian history, the senate voted
to focus the energy directly upon the heart of Noxtra, in hopes that the
otherwise beautiful work of their beloved patron could be preserved.
This sentiment seemed lost upon the Imperator, who simply began to
direct the energies as indicated. The sky was suddenly alive with
energies never before seen: heat and fire, shimmering distortions,
thunderous roars. When the planet was struck it reeled and shook, unable
to contain the destabilisation of its core, and it broke apart in an
explosion both terrifying and awe-inspiring. The anticipated result upon
the living Sapients struck true: all but the members of those cities who
had secured their link to the alchemical energies perished in the mighty
shift of power. Our world as a whole was protected from the damage,
however, and the debris slowly spread across the heavens, separating and
twisting in the firmament to become a series of three concentric rings.
Even now, the triune rings blaze in the burgeoning dawn and reflect the
stars at night, and will mark for an age the birth and death of a planet
and all that it has wrought.

Aching for knowledge in the wake of the Nurazar's destruction, Sapients
were at last granted a glimpse of the talents displayed by the
tight-lipped Imperator. Detailing the stipulations and costs of gaining
further understanding that would cause economic and political upheaval
the world over, Imperator Khunrath finally disclosed the route by which
an adventurer might become a master of the ether: an Alchemist.

Penned by My hand on the 23rd of Aeguary, in the year 583 AF.