An excerpt from page 6 of
"They Thought Themselves Clever: The Baelgrim Tragedy"
by Grandue Xeh'ria

----[A gilt-edged parchment is affixed here with a pin]----

"Ashtan." The Regent's answer came with a finality that all in the private gathering felt deeply. A single word, but it carried more significance than a thousand books could contain.

The new Tyrannus had asked what obstacle stands in the way of Hashan's Progress, with the promise that the West would crush it in order to assist the Court of Shadows. The Regents and Seneschal were suspicious of the small man's sudden interest in 'Progress'. He had droned on for an eternity, poorly attempting to liken 'Progress' with the goals of the West. The crude attempt at diplomacy would have normally drawn amused snickers and muffled laughs, but any offer of salvation from the Seat of Chaos could not go unaccepted, so now they drank his words deeply.

Or so he thought...

And so it came to be that the Red Shadow was cast, the union of Mhaldor and Hashan.

~ ~ ~

Back in Mhaldor, the cries of the disgruntled rose against their child leader. The multi-faithed nation of miners grumbled and complained. This new leader was unraveling everything they had spent centuries slaving away for and rumours spread like a disease.

"This is something a Darkwalker would do..."

"I saw a glimpse of what looked like a Mark of the Twin on him."

"He wasn't even appointed to the position of Tyrannus by one of our Gods!"

"I guard told me the Tyrannus was a defiler of virgin nanny goats."

The Tyrannus reassured them this was all a part of the plan. After all, they were only pretending to be long-lost 'brothers in purpose' with the Court of Shadows. He boasted about how clever he was to think up this cunning strategy. Hashan is such a fat nation, bursting at the seams, you see? He explained that his plan could not fail. They would use this ripe city of many citizens as both a weapon against an enemy the West lacked the strength to crush on their own, while also converting their youngest and less rooted citizens to the Seven Truths (or however many truths they would need to create in order to accomplish this task). In this way, none could claim that the West had sacrificed its core tenets upon the altar of tolerance, because it had always been a clever ploy to dominate the weak nations of Hashan and Ashtan. The proverbial cake will be both held and eaten!

"All hail Lord Sartan and Lord Aegis!"

But by Sartan's hoary balls, the diminutive man had not been the only one in their alliance planning to use the other...

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Penned by my hand on the 17th of Daedalan, in the year 936 AF.