While the Darkenwood Forest faced what seemed to be imminent doom,
Feliss, Miriyan, Khalid, Estach, Shakti, Aneila, Karyn, and others were
helping Eris, Goddess of Chaos, conduct a private experiment in the
creation of the Living Spire in the center of the crater in the
Savannah. Shortly before completion of the Living Spire, Slith was
spotted investigating its construction. However, even a search by Eris
Herself could not reveal Slith's location. When the Living Spire was
finally raised, a bolt of energy was sent up to the heavens and created
a vortex of power. Eris approached the vortex, Her own power increasing,
before the vortex imploded, sending Eris flying out of the sky. In the
wake of the implosion, a globe of chaotic energy spread through the
land, and upon touching the Darkenwood Forest, none other than Slith was
revealed.

Incensed by the unveiling of the kidnapper of Her son, Eris threatened
to destroy the Darkenwood in order to find Slith. Demeter, Goddess of
Nature, intervened and convinced Eris to allow the mortals to take the
matter into hand. Eris finally acquiesced and the mortals gathered an
enormous force to seek out and destroy the Prince of the Undead Legions.
When Slith was found underneath the Darkenwood, the first wave drove him
back underground. Once he revealed himself again, Hachaeva, a brave
Runewarden, tried to defeat Slith one-on-one. But finally, the angry mob
searching for Slith at last overcame the Undead Prince, with Vealen,
another Runewarden, striking the killing blow. Before Slith's demise,
however, he revealed that he had been working for Sartan all along.
After kidnapping the divine child of Aegis and Eris, Slith allowed
Sartan to split his being in two, sending one to lead Aegis off to the
unknown and the other to hide within the Darkenwood, draining the
Darkenwood of its essence.

Sartan laughed at Slith, calling him a pawn, and did nothing to save His
minion from the angry mob. Instead, Sartan produced the child of Aegis
and Eris, and revealed a fissure hidden beneath Baelgrim Fortress that
had been draining the power of the Darkenwood for ages. With the power
of the fissure at its height, He bound the divine child to the fissure
for His own nefarious scheme. Enraged, Eris tried to free Her child, but
the powerful magicks of the Lord of Evil thwarted the powers of Chaos.
Indeed, Sartan threatened any attempt to free the child would meet with
the child's demise.

Powerless to help Her son, Eris confronted Twilight and Demeter as to
why They were concentrating their efforts in Cyrene while the Darkenwood
was being drained and while Slith could be discovered. The Gods of the
Darkenwood adamantly stood by Their visions of a cure resting in Cyrene.
At this point, to the shock of mortals and immortals, Valnurana, Goddess
of Dreams, interceded and asked Eris not to blame them for They were
manipulated by visions from Sartan. Valnurana was asked how Sartan could
have power to send such visions to another god. To the horror of all,
Valnurana admitted using an ancient artifact to help Sartan in His
scheme to destroy the Darkenwood. Sartan gloated and laughed during
these revelations. Valnurana hinted that Her part was to seek vengeance
against Twilight but was horrified to see that Sartan's scheme was part
of the kidnapping of the divine child of Eris and Aegis.

But when the extent of Sartan's machinations was known to Valnurana, She
stole the ancient artifact, known as the Eye of Proteus, from Sartan,
promising to use it to help free the child. And so Sartan gloats hidden
in His domain, while the other Gods gather in Their Garden to see what
hope, if any, the Goddess of Dreams may provide.

Penned by my hand on the 10th of Daedalan, in the year 326 AF.