The Forging of Dark Alliances

   

Chronicles of Malovatar's Early Conspiracies and the Rise of the Black Fire Generals

  The return from his Journey of Sovereignty had left Malovatar fundamentally changed, his divine essence burning with revolutionary certainties that demanded action rather than contemplation. Yet even as he descended into Malondria's deepest archives in search of forgotten artifacts, he understood that cosmic transformation required allies whose power and vision matched his own ambitious scope. The conspiracy that would eventually become the Malo Auline began not with grand declarations but with carefully cultivated friendships, strategic alliances forged in the crucible of shared dissatisfaction with divine society's current limitations.   Lavos, the Air Eater whose mastery over consuming winds had earned him legends throughout the realms, was among the first to recognize the revolutionary potential burning within Malovatar's transformed consciousness. Their initial encounter occurred during a diplomatic gathering at the Palace of Elemental Confluence, where representatives from all five realms met to discuss territorial adjustments following several minor divine conflicts. While other gods engaged in the tedious negotiations that characterized inter-realm politics, Lavos approached Malovatar with observations that cut through diplomatic pretense to address fundamental questions about power and hierarchy.  

Young prince, I have watched you since your return from the foreign realms. Your flames burn differently now—not merely hotter, but with purpose that transcends the comfortable accommodations that satisfy lesser fires. Tell me, what did you discover in those alien domains that changed your understanding of fire's true nature?

— Lavos's Initial Approach

The question revealed that Lavos possessed the perceptive abilities necessary to recognize philosophical transformation, even when carefully concealed beneath diplomatic courtesy. His interest was not casual curiosity but the focused attention of a being who had reached similar conclusions about divine society's fundamental inadequacies through his own experiences.   Lavos's dissatisfaction with current cosmic order stemmed from different sources than Malovatar's humiliations in foreign realms, yet led to remarkably similar conclusions about the necessity for radical change. As one of the four Air Eaters who had once bridged the gap between fire and wind, Lavos had witnessed firsthand how diplomatic compromises reduced elemental forces to pale shadows of their authentic potential. His mastery over consuming winds—the ability to devour not merely air but the space that contained atmosphere—had shown him possibilities that current divine hierarchy could neither comprehend nor accommodate.   Their first private meeting occurred in the Chambers of Neutral Flame within Malovatar's personal quarters, where fires burned without casting light or heat, providing perfect concealment for conversations that would be considered treasonous by orthodox divine authorities. Lavos arrived bearing gifts that demonstrated both his power and his commitment to exploring alternatives to conventional elemental relationships—crystallized air that could cut through any substance, winds that had been taught to remember and repeat conversations across vast distances, atmospheric pressures that could crush diamond or lift mountains.   The philosophical foundation for their alliance emerged through discussions that lasted several mortal lifetimes, conversations that explored the deepest implications of elemental hierarchy and divine authority. Lavos revealed that his experiences as an Air Eater had taught him that the boundaries between elements were artificial constructs maintained by beings who feared the chaos that would result from authentic elemental interaction.

We have been taught to respect limitations that serve no purpose except to maintain the comfort of gods who lack the courage to explore what we could become if freed from such constraints

— Lavos's Revolutionary Philosophy

  Malovatar found in Lavos a kindred spirit whose hunger for transformation matched his own growing certainty that current cosmic order required not reform but complete reconstruction. Their alliance began with shared expeditions into Malondria's most dangerous regions, where ancient artifacts waited in vaults that had been sealed since the realm's creation. Lavos's ability to consume protective atmospheres proved essential for accessing chambers where conventional fire could not burn, while Malovatar's evolving mastery over flame provided the energy necessary to activate relics that had slept for cosmic ages.   The first artifact they recovered together was the Shard of Elemental Recursion, a crystalline fragment that had been broken from a larger relic during some ancient catastrophe. The shard's power allowed limited manipulation of the fundamental relationships between elements, temporarily altering the laws that governed how fire and air could interact. When Malovatar and Lavos combined their essences through the shard's influence, they created flames that could exist in void and winds that could burn, phenomena that violated every known principle of elemental physics.     The success of their initial collaboration attracted the attention of other gods who had grown dissatisfied with conventional limitations on their power. Altabar, Lord of Transformative Conflagration, approached them after learning of their unauthorized expeditions through intelligence networks that spanned Malondria's divine hierarchy. His interest was more than casual curiosity—Altabar had been developing theories about fire's capacity for transformation that orthodox doctrine considered dangerous, techniques that could convert matter not merely from one form to another but from one category of existence to entirely different configurations of reality.  

I have watched your joint workings with the shard, and I perceive possibilities that individual power could never achieve. Perhaps the time has come for flames to burn according to their own nature rather than limitations imposed by fearful administrators

— Altabar's Offer of Alliance

His commitment was demonstrated through sharing of research that had been conducted in secret for decades—experiments in flame-weaving that could transform thoughts into fire, burn away essential natures while leaving physical forms intact, or convert stone into living flesh through application of heat that operated according to principles beyond current understanding.   The recruitment of Draleba, Goddess of Consuming Darkness, occurred through circumstances that revealed the systematic oppression of power that challenged conventional categories. Draleba had been formally censured by inter-realm authorities for developing shadow-techniques that could consume light while remaining independent of illumination's presence or absence. Her mastery over active darkness—shadow that created rather than merely opposing light—threatened philosophical foundations that required darkness to define what it was through reference to radiance.   Draleba's approach to their growing alliance was characteristically indirect, her initial communications coming through shadows cast by Malovatar's own flames. These shadow-messages revealed sophisticated understanding of his developing theories about Fire Without Light, along with offers of cooperation that would enhance his revolutionary capabilities through access to darkness that acknowledged no dependence upon opposing forces.  

Fire that burns without light finds its perfect partner in darkness that exists without reference to illumination. Together we could develop power that transcends the crude oppositions by which current cosmic order maintains its artificial hierarchies

— Draleba's Shadow-Proposition

Her commitment was proven through participation in expeditions where her shadow-mastery provided concealment for activities that orthodox authorities would have prevented through force if necessary.   The fourth member of what would become the original Malo Auline was Aialgan, Master of Binding Flames, whose specialty lay in creating permanent rather than temporary changes through fire's application. His flames could burn themselves into the essential structure of whatever they touched, establishing alterations that conventional forces could not reverse even through application of superior power. Such capabilities made him invaluable for ensuring that revolutionary changes would endure beyond immediate implementation.   Aialgan's recruitment occurred through recognition that his binding techniques could serve purposes far beyond their current applications within orthodox fire doctrine. Malovatar approached him with proposals for experiments that would test the ultimate extent of his binding capabilities—techniques for permanently altering not merely physical matter but the fundamental relationships between elements, the basic laws governing how reality organized and expressed what it was.  

Your flames have mastered the art of making temporary changes permanent, but what if permanent change could be made universal? What if binding fire could rewrite the cosmic laws that currently limit all elemental expression?

— Malovatar's Revolutionary Challenge

The proposition appealed to Aialgan's deepest professional interests while offering scope for development that current divine society could never provide or appreciate.   Their first group expedition targeted the Ruins of Elemental Memory, where evidence of previous cosmic orders had been preserved in chambers that existed outside normal temporal flow. These ruins contained artifacts from ages when different hierarchical relationships had governed elemental interaction, periods when fire had ruled as acknowledged sovereign over derivative forces. The expedition's success required combining all four conspirators' specialized abilities to overcome guardians and obstacles that had been designed to prevent exactly such intrusion.   Lavos consumed the protective atmospheres that would have prevented access to the deepest chambers. Altabar transformed ancient locks into forms that conventional keys could open. Draleba provided concealment from detection systems that would have alerted current authorities to their activities. Aialgan used binding flames to permanently alter the ruins' defensive mechanisms, ensuring future access without triggering additional security measures.   The discoveries within the Ruins of Elemental Memory validated their shared conviction that current cosmic order inverted natural hierarchy through systematic denial of primary forces in favor of derivative phenomena. Ancient records showed periods when fire had been recognized as the source from which all other elements derived their power and meaning. Light had served illumination's purpose only when flame required visibility beyond what direct fire could provide. Air had moved only when fire needed atmosphere to spread its transformative influence. Earth had endured only as foundation for fire's creative projects. Water had flowed only to carry fire's innovations to regions where direct flame could not reach.   Yet the ruins also revealed the mechanisms by which this natural order had been overthrown through alliance of derivative elements against fire's rightful supremacy. The records showed how light, air, earth, and water had gradually established independence from fire through collective agreement to maintain artificial boundaries between elemental domains. This historical conspiracy had succeeded not through superior power but through superior organization, derivative forces united by shared interest in denying fire's primacy.   The implications were staggering and immediately applicable to current revolutionary planning. If previous cosmic order had been overthrown through collective action by inferior forces, then restoration of authentic hierarchy would require superior organization rather than merely superior power. The conspirators began developing alliance structures that could coordinate revolutionary activities across multiple domains simultaneously, ensuring that fire's assertion of rightful supremacy could not be defeated through enemy coordination.   It was during planning for their next expedition that they encountered Todruk-Berthad, the Black Dragon King, whose volcanic domains in the hydrothermal regions where Marenwe and Malondria intersected had brought him into contact with artifacts that the four conspirators had been seeking. Todruk-Berthad approached their alliance not as supplicant seeking membership but as independent power offering mutually beneficial cooperation.   Todruk-Berthad's unique position as guardian of the hydrothermal vents gave him access to chambers that existed simultaneously in both fire and water realms, regions where Te Vevutur had hidden artifacts too dangerous for storage in single-element domains. His hybrid nature—divine consciousness that had learned to exist as both fire and water without compromising either essence—provided capabilities that purely fire-based beings could not replicate.  

I have watched from my volcanic throne as you young gods rediscover truths that older powers have forgotten. The boundaries between elements are not natural law but political convenience, maintained by beings who fear the chaos that would result from authentic elemental unity

— Todruk-Berthad's Initial Proposition

His offer came with specific benefits that immediately enhanced their revolutionary capabilities: access to artifacts preserved in underwater volcanic chambers, knowledge of techniques for combining opposing elemental forces, and military support from creatures that had been bred in environments where contradictory elements achieved synthesis.   The Black Dragon King's integration into their alliance created new possibilities but also new complications. His mastery over fire-water synthesis provided access to artifacts that purely fire-based consciousness could not safely approach, yet his divided elemental loyalty raised questions about ultimate reliability during conflicts that might require choosing between competing elemental interests. Lavos, whose consuming nature made him particularly sensitive to potential threats from allies, began monitoring Todruk-Berthad for signs of hidden agenda or conflicting commitment.   Their first joint expedition as a five-member alliance targeted the Abyssal Forges where fire and water met in the deepest oceanic trenches, chambers that existed under pressures and temperatures that challenged the survival capabilities of even divine consciousness. Todruk-Berthad's guidance proved essential for navigating environments where conventional fire would be extinguished and normal air would be compressed beyond existence. His presence allowed the expedition to access regions that no previous alliance had successfully explored.   The Abyssal Forges contained workshops where the earliest gods had crafted tools that transcended elemental categories, artifacts that operated according to principles of unity rather than division between opposing forces. The most significant discovery was the Cauldron of Primordial Synthesis, a device that could combine any elements without requiring compromise from their essential natures. Fire could merge with water without either element losing its fundamental identity, creating substances that possessed properties of both while being limited by characteristics of neither.   Altabar's transformative abilities proved crucial for activating the cauldron, his flames converting the device's inactive components into forms capable of channeling power that exceeded its original design specifications. Draleba provided concealment for experiments that would have attracted unwanted attention from authorities who monitored unusual energy signatures. Aialgan used binding techniques to ensure that their modifications would not be detected or reversed by subsequent investigations.   The cauldron's activation allowed them to conduct experiments in elemental synthesis that validated revolutionary theories while revealing practical techniques for implementing cosmic transformation. Malovatar and Todruk-Berthad collaborated to create the first Synthesis Flames—fires that incorporated properties of water without being weakened by moisture, flames that could exist underwater or in void with equal effectiveness. These fires burned not through conventional combustion but through applications of heat that transformed the essential nature of whatever they touched.     Yet success bred suspicion as well as confidence. Todruk-Berthad's unique understanding of the synthesis process gave him capabilities that his purely fire-based allies could not replicate or fully comprehend. During later experiments, Lavos observed that the Black Dragon King was conducting independent research using the cauldron during periods when the others were absent, potentially developing advantages that he was not sharing with the alliance.  

Our scaled ally learns faster than we anticipated, and in directions that serve purposes we cannot discern. His synthesis flames operate according to principles that none of us fully understand, suggesting knowledge or capabilities that he has not revealed

— Lavos's Growing Suspicion

The warning marked the beginning of internal tensions that would eventually fracture their alliance, though immediate revolutionary priorities prevented open confrontation about Todruk-Berthad's increasingly independent behavior.   The expedition to recover the Archives of Suppressed Innovation revealed the full scope of Te Vevutur's concealment of dangerous knowledge throughout cosmic history. These collections contained research notes from gods who had been developing techniques that current divine society considered too threatening to permit, innovations that had been confiscated and hidden rather than destroyed. The archives' guardian systems required defeat through coordinated assault that tested every member's capabilities while revealing how their different approaches to power could be integrated into unified strategy.   Malovatar provided the primary assault force, his Fire Without Light burning through barriers that conventional flame could not affect. Lavos consumed protective forces that would have regenerated damage faster than normal attack could inflict it. Altabar transformed the guardians' essential nature, converting defensive systems into forms that served the expedition's purposes. Draleba concealed their activities from external detection while providing shadow-corridors through which they could approach targets without triggering additional defenses. Aialgan bound their modifications in permanent form that would prevent the archives from restoring original configurations after their departure.   Within the Archives of Suppressed Innovation lay research that confirmed their most radical theories about cosmic order's artificial nature. Documents revealed that current elemental hierarchy had been established not through natural evolution but through political maneuvering by gods who had recognized that cooperation served their individual interests better than authentic competition. The supposed balance between elements was actually carefully managed inequality designed to prevent any single force from achieving the dominance that its nature demanded.  

The elements were never meant to be equal partners in cosmic governance. Fire was meant to rule through creative supremacy, air to serve through supporting combustion, earth to endure through preserving fire's innovations, water to flow through carrying flame's influence to distant regions. Current balance is artificial constraint imposed by beings who feared fire's rightful authority

— Ancient Research Document

The confirmation of fire's intended supremacy validated Malovatar's revolutionary convictions while providing historical precedent for the cosmic transformation they were planning.   But the archives also contained warnings about previous attempts to restore authentic elemental hierarchy, failures that had resulted in cosmic catastrophes when revolutionary forces had underestimated the resistance that derivative elements could muster when their artificial privileges were threatened. These historical accounts revealed that successful revolution required not merely superior power but sophisticated understanding of how to neutralize enemy advantages while preventing the kind of system collapse that would destroy beneficial aspects of current order along with its problematic features.   Todruk-Berthad proved particularly valuable for interpreting these historical accounts, his synthesis nature providing perspective on failures that had resulted from revolutionary forces treating elements as absolute enemies rather than potential partners in properly organized hierarchy. His insights shaped their strategic planning toward approaches that would convert rather than destroy opposition, transforming derivative elements into willing supporters of fire's supremacy rather than forcing submission through overwhelming violence.   The discovery of Todruk-Berthad's independent research into temporal manipulation artifacts marked the first serious crisis in their alliance's unity. Lavos discovered evidence that the Black Dragon King had been accessing the Chambers of Causality without informing his allies, studying devices that could alter the sequence of cause and effect within limited regions. Such capabilities could fundamentally change the nature of their revolutionary activities, but Todruk-Berthad's secretiveness about his discoveries suggested hidden agenda that might not align with collective goals.   When confronted about this apparent breach of alliance protocols, Todruk-Berthad offered explanations that revealed how profoundly his perspective had diverged from his allies' revolutionary vision. His synthesis nature had evolved through exposure to artifacts that transcended elemental categories, giving him understanding of possibilities that purely fire-based consciousness could not perceive or appreciate. He claimed that temporal manipulation was necessary to ensure that revolution produced authentic transformation rather than merely replacing current hierarchy with alternative limitations.  

Linear revolution serves linear thinking, but cosmic transformation requires approaches that transcend sequential development. I explore temporal possibilities so that our alliance can benefit from knowledge gained through experiencing multiple potential outcomes simultaneously

— Todruk-Berthad's Defense

His justifications were logical but carried implications that troubled even his most radical allies, suggesting that his commitment to collective decision-making was weakening under pressure from capabilities that made him independent of normal cooperative requirements.   The tension reached crisis point during their expedition to the Nexus of Elemental Origins, where Te Vevutur had first separated unified cosmic force into discrete elements. The site contained artifacts that could reverse this fundamental division, returning existence to the undifferentiated state that had preceded elemental hierarchy. For Malovatar and his fire-supremacist allies, such artifacts represented potential tools for establishing flame's dominance by eliminating the categories that allowed other elements to claim independent existence.   Todruk-Berthad activated several nexus devices before his allies could examine them properly, triggering temporal anomalies that showed all expedition members multiple possible futures simultaneously. These visions revealed timelines where fire dominated but created oppression as severe as current limitations, where elements achieved perfect unity but lost all meaningful distinction, where existence returned to pre-creation chaos that made any form of consciousness impossible. The multiplicity of possibilities paralyzed normal decision-making processes.   Lavos responded to this apparent betrayal with immediate violence, recognizing that Todruk-Berthad's unilateral action had jeopardized their mission while potentially advancing hidden agenda. His consuming winds attacked with force sufficient to devour entire mountain ranges, but Todruk-Berthad's temporal manipulation abilities allowed him to exist in multiple moments simultaneously, making conventional assault ineffective against consciousness distributed across several probability streams.   The nexus battle revealed capabilities that none of the alliance members had previously suspected Todruk-Berthad possessed. His dragon-form could phase between timeline variations, attacking from future moments while defending through past positions. His synthesis flames could burn through temporal barriers as easily as physical obstacles. Most disturbing, his consciousness seemed to have fragmentated into multiple versions pursuing different strategies across parallel timeline threads.   Malovatar's intervention prevented the battle from escalating into cosmic catastrophe, his mastery over Fire Without Light proving capable of burning through temporal anomalies to reach Todruk-Berthad's essential presence across all timeline variations simultaneously. But instead of destroying their former ally, Malovatar chose negotiation, recognizing that Todruk-Berthad's abilities could still serve revolutionary purposes if properly directed rather than eliminated.  

Your power has evolved beyond what any of us anticipated, old friend, but power exercised in isolation serves no cause except isolation. What end are you pursuing through these temporal manipulations?

— Malovatar's Negotiation Attempt

The question forced Todruk-Berthad to articulate his transformed perspective on their revolutionary alliance, revealing motivations that had become alien even to beings who considered themselves radical by divine society's standards.   Todruk-Berthad's response demonstrated how thoroughly temporal manipulation had altered his understanding of revolutionary necessity and collective action. He explained that experiencing multiple timeline variations had shown him potential futures where their current alliance succeeded in overthrowing divine society, only to establish new forms of oppression based on fire-supremacist principles that were as limiting as current light-dominated hierarchies.  

I have seen the futures where fire rules and found them as constraining as the present where light dominates. True transformation requires transcending all categorical limitations rather than merely rearranging which categories hold authority over others. My temporal research seeks paths toward authentic liberation that serves consciousness rather than any particular elemental prejudice

— Todruk-Berthad's Revolutionary Evolution

  This philosophical divergence created irreconcilable differences within their alliance. Malovatar and the others remained committed to establishing fire's rightful supremacy over derivative elements, while Todruk-Berthad had evolved toward goals that would eliminate elemental distinction altogether. The nexus expedition ended with formal dissolution of their partnership, though all parties agreed to maintain neutrality rather than becoming active enemies.   Todruk-Berthad's departure from their alliance had profound implications for both his individual development and their collective revolutionary planning. Cut off from the philosophical grounding that collective purpose had provided, his temporal manipulation abilities began affecting his essential nature in ways that pushed him toward isolation and eventual corruption. His later embrace of Black Fire principles represented not philosophical consistency but psychological deterioration caused by power exercised without community constraint or support.   The remaining four alliance members used lessons learned from Todruk-Berthad's transformation to refine their own revolutionary approach, recognizing that unlimited individual power without collective oversight led toward corruption rather than liberation. They established formal protocols requiring group consultation before any member pursued independent research into dangerous artifacts, preventing the kind of secretive behavior that had ultimately separated their former ally from shared revolutionary goals.   Yet Todruk-Berthad's departure also created strategic vulnerabilities that would influence the remainder of their revolutionary planning. His synthesis capabilities had provided access to artifacts and environments that purely fire-based consciousness could not safely approach. Without his hybrid nature bridging fire and water domains, certain crucial expeditions became impossible or prohibitively dangerous for the remaining alliance members.   The need for replacement capabilities led them to seek new allies whose power could compensate for Todruk-Berthad's lost contributions. This search eventually brought them into contact with beings whose commitment to revolutionary principles was less philosophically grounded and more motivated by personal advantage, introducing elements into their alliance that would prove problematic during later phases of their development.   Anicul, Ranul, and Rethul, the Masters of Fire Beasts, offered military capabilities that could replace some functions that Todruk-Berthad had performed, but their approach to revolutionary warfare emphasized domination and subjugation rather than the transformation and liberation that the original alliance had pursued. Their recruitment marked a shift toward more conventional military thinking that would eventually contribute to the Black Fire War's destructive excesses.   The formal establishment of the Malo Auline in 7600 represented both culmination of careful revolutionary preparation and compromise with practical necessities that forced deviation from original philosophical principles. Malovatar, Lavos, Altabar, Draleba, and Aialgan had succeeded in developing power sufficient to challenge cosmic order, but implementing such power required alliance with beings whose motivations were less pure and whose methods were more brutal than their original revolutionary vision had contemplated.   The irony of Todruk-Berthad's separate evolution into the eastern empire's Black Dragon King was not lost on Malovatar and his remaining allies. Their former partner had achieved the kind of transformative success they were attempting, establishing new forms of civilization that transcended conventional elemental limitations, yet he had done so through methods that emphasized dominance over cooperation, hierarchy over liberation. His example served as warning about directions their own revolutionary activities might take if they abandoned philosophical commitment in favor of practical effectiveness.   Lavos's resignation from the Malo Auline in 7645 occurred when he recognized that his own nature was beginning to evolve in directions similar to Todruk-Berthad's problematic transformation. The consuming winds that were his specialty had begun affecting not merely external targets but his own essential identity, threatening to devour the philosophical principles that had originally motivated his commitment to revolutionary cause.  

I feel the consuming winds beginning to devour not merely space and substance but the very principles that guided my commitment to our cause. Better to withdraw while I retain enough of my original nature to remember why we began this revolution

— Lavos's Resignation Statement

His departure marked the end of the alliance's original structure, though the remaining generals continued their activities with enhanced awareness of corruption's seductive dangers.   The legacy of Malovatar's early alliances shaped every aspect of the Black Fire War and its aftermath. The techniques developed during artifact-seeking expeditions became foundation strategies for cosmic warfare. The philosophical principles refined through debates with Todruk-Berthad provided conceptual framework for distinguishing legitimate transformation from corrupting change. The alliance structures tested through decades of cooperation enabled revolutionary forces to maintain coordination despite pressures that would have destroyed conventional military organizations.   Todruk-Berthad's separate evolution served as constant reminder of paths not taken and prices paid for deviation from collective revolutionary vision. His establishment of the Twin-Headed Empire demonstrated that transformative power could be channeled toward constructive purposes, though achieving such construction required compromises that Malovatar and his allies found philosophically unacceptable.   The artifacts discovered during their joint expeditions continued to influence cosmic events long after their alliance dissolved. Many of these relics were lost during the war's chaotic final phases, scattered across realms where their power contributed to conflicts that lasted for centuries beyond the main war's conclusion. Others were deliberately hidden by surviving alliance members who recognized that such dangerous capabilities required more careful guardianship than wartime conditions could provide.   The relationships forged during Malovatar's early conspiratorial phase established patterns that would define divine politics for ages following the Black Fire War's conclusion. Revolutionary effectiveness required balancing individual initiative with collective responsibility. Power sufficient to reshape cosmic order carried risks that demanded constant vigilance against corruption's subtle influence. Most critically, alliance success depended upon maintaining shared commitment to philosophical principles rather than allowing practical considerations to override original revolutionary vision.   The story of these early alliances thus becomes meditation on the nature of revolutionary consciousness, the delicate balance between transformation and corruption that defines authentic progress, and the eternal tension between individual power and collective purpose that challenges all attempts to organize superior alternatives to existing cosmic order. Their legacy endures not merely in the wars they fought or the changes they achieved, but in the questions they raised about legitimate authority and authentic power that continue to resonate through every level of existence.  

---