Gartrin & Boria Depart

"As corruption's tendrils crept once more through ancient woods, two gods who had already lost everything made one final sacrifice - they removed themselves from a world their very presence could no longer heal."

- Chronicles of the Last Watch

  In the deepening shadows of Northern Nolavor, as subtle signs of the Black Fire's resurgence began manifesting in twisted growths and corrupted springs, Gartrin and Boria faced an agonizing truth. Their own essence, forever changed by their betrayal of Nolavor and Liet-Nom, had become part of the problem they sought to solve. This realization led to their gradual withdrawal from the mortal realm, a decision that would reshape the future of both their followers and the lands they had sworn to protect.   For five centuries, the divine couple had been slowly retreating from direct involvement, their once-frequent manifestations becoming increasingly rare. Their guidance, once delivered through clear visions and direct communion, gave way to cryptic dreams and half-heard whispers in storm winds. Two hundred years ago, sensing both the stirring of ancient evils and recognizing how their own corrupted nature tainted their attempts at healing, they withdrew completely into the uncharted wilds of Northern Nolavor.  

"Their footsteps left corruption even as they sought to heal, their very breath spread taint even as they worked to cleanse. Such is the price of divine treachery - that even acts of redemption carry seeds of darkness."

- Testimony of the Grove Wardens

  This retreat represented more than mere physical absence. To the Reclaimers, who had revered Gartrin and Boria as living embodiments of redemption's possibility, this withdrawal forced a fundamental reassessment of their mission. The gods' departure created philosophical fractures within the movement, as different factions interpreted this abandonment in radically different ways.   The Mistwatch emerged from this schism with a revolutionary perspective. Where others saw defeat in the gods' retreat, they recognized a necessary evolution. The skull-faced knight and his eternally beautiful queen had not abandoned their cause, the Mistwatch argued, but rather removed themselves as a source of continuing corruption. This interpretation led them to embrace more aggressive methods of safeguarding Nolavor's remaining pure spaces.  

"Between shadow and light they walked,
Till shadow claimed their every deed,
Though pure their hearts, their essence balked,
At healing what their presence freed."

- The Mistwatch Canticle

  The ideological transformation proved profound. While traditional Reclaimers clung to their gods' original teachings of healing and restoration, the Mistwatch adopted a doctrine of preemptive action and martial readiness. They argued that in a world where even gods could spread corruption unintentionally, only swift and decisive action could preserve what remained pure.   As Gartrin and Boria faded into legend, their tragic story became central to Mistwatch ideology. Their fall from grace, their centuries of attempted redemption, and their final sacrifice in withdrawing from the world they loved - all these elements were woven into training parables that taught harsh truths about power, corruption, and necessary action.  

"Every shadow holds teeth now, every darkness breeds corruption. We cannot afford the luxury of hesitation, when even our gods' touch spreads the taint they sought to cure."

- Mistwatch Commander's Codex

  The Mistwatch transformed traditional prayers and rituals into preparation for battle. Where once followers sought divine intervention, now they trained in martial arts and studied corruption's signs. Each action taken in defense of pure lands became a form of worship, a continuation of the work their gods could no longer perform without spreading the very taint they opposed.   This philosophical evolution reflected the Mistwatch's pragmatic adaptation to new threats. As signs of returning corruption multiplied - mutated beasts, poisoned springs, trees that bled shadow instead of sap - their aggressive tactics proved increasingly necessary for survival. In the mists of the Kanonos, they stand ready, knowing that the gods' withdrawal left them as the last line of defense against encroaching darkness.