Spirits were low within the Village of Eleusis as the year came to a close. The Lady Artemis and Lord Lupus had fallen by one another's hand as Villager, Goddess, and Nature alike mourned in unison.

The harsh chill of winter eternal was biting, but such effects were trivial in comparison to the void left in so many hearts.

And so the Earthmother prepared a service - a final passing and memorial for Her Brother and Sister, a chance to say goodbye.

Titania, Queen of the Dryads approached the Village to inform them she spoke on behalf of the grieving Goddess. Early in the hours of Sarapin, they would embark on a Hunt like no other to honour the fallen Wildfather. Utilising a ceremonial urn of yew and doeskin, the results of the Hunt would be turned to ash and scattered on the four winds to induce the Cataclysms, honouring the fallen Great Wrath.

Eleusis set off with a contingent of volunteers and death ensued. For the last time in their tortured history did the Village slay for their Father, their temporary allies throughout Sapience offering support and encouragement along the way. Though pensive, a murmur of the old joy returned to frozen hearts. Prey escaped predator, the roles reversed and then back again, but the Hunt carried on in a glorious display of visceral carnage, and so Lord Lupus' essence was drawn back from the shattered Plane of Anachai.

The Hunt complete, Tane, Emissary of the Cataclysm led a ritual to draw the Great Wrath's essence back as well by scattering the ashes to the four winds. At each location, they called down a fresh Cataclysm as an aureate radiance filled the sky, and so Lady Artemis' essence joined that of the Wildfather, drawn back from the fractured plane by the efforts of the faithful.

Mortal and Divine alike gathered beneath the verdant canopy in the Western Ithmia, just outside the Earthmother's Temple as She formed a cyclone to draw the essence of the Fallen about Her. As ash and energy swirled, the funeral could now begin.

Divine and mortal spoke on the passage of Lord Lupus and Lady Artemis. Lady Gaia began, followed by Lady Lorielan, Lord Phaestus, Lord Twilight, Lord Tlalaiad, Lord Sartan, Lady Aurora, Lord Aegis, Lord Vastar, and Lady Pandora. The Realms of Lord Scarlatti, Lady Ourania, and Lord Nereaos sent Their regards from afar as They were not present. Following the words and displays of the Pantheon, mortals were permitted to speak. Once the words and emotions were laid bare, the Wildwood Queen continued.

Winds swirled as the essence of Both flowed into She Who is Nature. The Earthmother's frozen features flushed and thawed, and so rose Gaia, Goddess of Nature, and Nature Incarnate. The First had become the Last as all of the Wilds rested beneath a single canopy once more. The call of fauna rose to the heavens amidst the cacophony of volcanic eruptions in welcome.

At the memorial's conclusion, Lady Gaia knelt to retrieve a handful of fertile soil. Squeezing it between Her fingers, crimson and amber energy poured forth as the loam hardened. A single seed was born, which She proceeded to plant and water with a final, thawed tear of grief. The Goddess of Nature rose and the Pantheon dispersed.

~

Summary: Following a ritualistic Hunt by Eleusis and sympathetic individuals, the essence of Lord Lupus and Lady Artemis was drawn from the Plane of Anachai. Lady Gaia drew the lingering essence into Herself following a funeral for the Two, while planting a seed She created in the spot of the memorial.

Penned by My hand on the 14th of Aeguary, in the year 845 AF.