Difference between revisions of "Elder Wars"

The members of Fain's Fifth Circle Coterie gathered - [[Thax]], [[Raezon]], [[Gheasia]], [[Mugowumpois]], [[Mililiki]], [[Yomoigu]], and [[Oshterel]] - and brought with them a viscous elixir of emerald fire. They poured it down Orlachmar's throat and a terrible transformation followed. The Gods' skin turned grey, His body was regrown with larger muscles and thicker skin, His hair fell out, and His nails and lips turned black. His teeth were sharper and shaped like tusks, and His eyes glowed emerald green. He was, undoubtedly, the first being to become undead.

It wouldn't be long before another Soulless broke through the defenses of the Gods. It was [[Zenos]], the Silent Death this time, and He descended upon the [[Sakarich Forest]] and brought forth a fiery inferno. He attacked [[Volkh]], who was [[Loboshi|Loboshi's]] mate, and although Orlachmar was able to fight Zenos off, Volkh was still fatally wounded. While Loboshi went off in search of Fain's elixir so that Volkh could be saved, Volkh pleaded with Orlachmar to end His life. Orlachmar at first resisted, but then caved to the pressure and absorbed the God's essence.

To protect the forests from future attacks by the Soulless, the [[:Category:Sixth Circle of the Divine|Sixth]] and [[:Category:Seventh Circle of the Divine|Seventh]] Circles gathered in the Fields of the Maeve to attempt to create a "hive soul" for the first time in history. The [[fae]] were given a collective consciousness that would come to be known as the Maeve, and in the following weeks the Gods would create other [[Great Spirits]] to protect the forests, such as [[Spirit Sun]]. These Spirits took on a form similar in appearance to their Awakener, so [[Spirit Moon]] resembled [[Lisaera]] and [[Spirit Night]] resembled [[Nocht]], and Spirit Sun appeared much like [[Rahm]] the Radiant.

And, indeed, the transformation was difficult. Spirit Sun raged, filled with a ravenous hunger to consume the other Spirits. Eventually, the Gods had to use Their power to put the Sun to sleep for a thousand years, chaining it to the physical manifestation of the Sun. But the real damage had been done; the Gods now saw that Fain's Elixir corrupted the spirit of whomever drank it, and so Fain and His Coterie soon found Themselves defending the use of the elixir once again. There was another fierce debate, but this time, the Elders voted against the use of Fain's elixir. Furious, He stormed away, what remained of His Coterie following Him.

As Krokano lay on the operating table, He witnessed another gathering led by Fain, this time with Morgfyre, Raezon, and Gheasia. An unintended side-effect of the treatment of Krokano's blindness had been that He could now see through magical illusions, and so He saw through the dampening field that Fain raised to keep Their congregation a secret. Fain's Coterie had been secretly injecting themselves with His elixir, or in the case of Morgfyre, drinking the essence of the Soulless directly. Furthermore, Krokano learned that the elixir was causing the Coterie to hunger for the flesh of the Gods, and Malmydia had actually consumed parts of Him while He was under Her care.

As the tide turned in the Elder Gods' favor and more battles against the Soulless were being won, the [[Crimson Eyes]] - a cadre of Second Circle warriors led by [[Kalikai]] - and a small contingent of Elders met on the Cosmic Plane of [[Continuum]] to discuss a grave concern. Krokano had brought Meridian the proof He needed to launch an investigation into the secret affairs of Fain and his Coterie, who They suspected were using His elixir despite the decision that had been made earlier in the War to prohibit its use.

Lisaera, because of Her bond with Fain, was chosen to infiltrate a meeting of the Coterie. Her sibling-mate, [[Elfenehoala]], would remain in the Continuum and, just as They had once done with Amberle and Meridian, They would watch the proceedings through a viewing crystal linked to the Sisters. It was also revealed that the Gods suspected Fain's Coterie of feeding upon some of Their siblings, driven by the same hunger for Divine essence that was a characteristic of the Soulless.

The plan to spy on the Coterie hit an obstacle early on; to protect the identities of His allies, Fain enchanted masks that They each wore when meeting. Lisaera's mask was made of porcelain and was decorated with emeralds, while Fain's was blood red and embellished with gold. The masks also allowed Fain to transport Lisaera to the meeting place without revealing its location.

There were twelve Gods gathered there, not counting Lisaera, which was a relief to the Elder Gods back in the Continuum, as They had worried that Fain may have gathered an even larger force to back Himself up with. They were taken aback, however, when a lesser Soulless appeared before the Twelve, who Fain had been secretly protecting and keeping hidden from sight. In exchange for essence from the Soulless, Fain's Coterie also offered [[Nemach]] some of Their own, and as guest of honour at this particular meeting, Lisaera was selected to sacrifice some of Her essence to fulfill the pact.

The group then mixed a new batch of the elixir, presenting Lisaera with a drink to commemorate Her membership in the Coterie. Instead of drinking it, She crafted a careful illusion that made it only appear that She had drank some of the elixir. Back in the Continuum, the Gods, at the urging of Kalikai and Her Crimson Eyes, decided to track down the plane where Fain's Coterie was meeting.

With the help of the Fifth Circle, Kalikai's Crimson Eyes began searching all known unborn creches, spots on the Cosmic Plane where there were no half-formed beings and no Elder God had chosen to inhabit it. One of these unborn creches, [[the Vortex]], was where the team of [[Igaso]], [[Ologri]], [[Panamandius]], and [[Braun]] was sent. They walked right into a trap devised by [[Morgfyre]], and soon the entire Coterie was there. Driven wild with hunger, the Coterie approached the members of the Crimson Eyes with the intent to kill Them, but the Eyes had prepared an emergency plan and put it into action. Kalikai quickly appeared with an entire formation of Warriors behind Her, causing the Coterie to scatter. Their escape was halted by a dimensional scrambler created by Xyl and [[Roark]]. Roark even succeeded in trapping Nemach, the Soulless. The Twelve Traitors and Nemach were transported back to Mount Dynara to await trial.

Five times throughout history, a Triumvirate of the Gods was necessary. Fain's treachery was the sixth crime worthy of such an elaborate proceeding, and soon the Third Circle had decided on the Gods who would act as judges for His trial: [[Hoaracle]], the Forest Dreamer, [[Mysrai]] of the Mysterium (appearing in the form of a short, shapely female), and [[Jadice]], of the Ice Plains. The Triumvirate's investigation lasted several weeks, but eventually They were ready to pass sentence on the Twelve Traitors.

The Triumvirate quickly declared that Fain was guilty of performing a Rite of Abomination: the use of a forbidden elixir capable of perverting One's very nature. He was also guilty of coercion, conspiracy, and treason, and it was even revealed that He had murdered several members of the Pantheon, whether because They would not support Him, or just to supply the Twelve with the Divine essence they needed to sate Their unnatural hunger. The Triumvirate sentenced him to a lifetime of exile in the Void.

Raezon and Gheasia were also found guilty for conspiracy and partaking in the Rite of Abomination. In the course of the Triumvirate's investigation, it was discovered that the pair had created several artifacts of great power that were used at various times for treasonous purposes, including: the [[Hyringex Collar]], used to trap and restrain Elder Gods; the [[Morokeche Seat]], used to torture the Elders; and the [[Singoah Weaponry]], armaments fueled by the essence of the Soulless. For their crimes, They were sentenced to exile in the Void.

Jadice recused Herself from judgment on the next member of the Twelve - Manteekan - because of Her close connection with the Awakener. He was accused of using the Rite of Abomination to create the dark and twisted beings like the grimalkin, bogies, spriggans, and slaugh. They also found Him guilty of corrupting the entire [[Icewynderkel Forest]] in His pursuits. His sentence was exile in the Void, with His fellow Traitors.

Finally, the last of the Twelve Traitors was brought before the Triumvirate - [[Drocilla]], an Artist from the Fourth Circle.  In the course of Their investigation, the Triumvirate uncovered reports that Drocilla had helped Fain by luring many Elders away from Their homes, many of Them never having returned. Those that did return reported faulty memories and amnesia, and it was highly suspect that Drocilla was present for each of those encounters. She tried to use Her enchantments during the proceedings, but Jadice used the Hyringex Collar to stifle Her powers, and entrusted the key to Hoaracle to hide it deep within the Basin.

For the first time since They began to splinter, the Elders actually desired this for Themselves, as it was becoming clear that Their efforts could change the course of history and finally present the Soulless with worthy adversaries. Mugowumpois was the next God to splinter, creating the [[mugwump|mugwumps]], and Xyl and Trillillial soon followed, becoming the [[lucidian]] and [[trill]] races, respectively.