The Fallen Revealed

For centuries, I had stood at my lady's side as we sought the cause of the Growing Shadows, the darkness that had already threatened the balance of the world. The Maiden's gaze, usually so full of life, love, and excitement, became increasingly distant, focusing on the threads of fate that only she could see. We all desperately searched for an alternative to the conclusion that we had all begun to dread. While we had feared one of her brothers, one of the mighty Eldrin was this 'Fallen' that was rising against creation, the very thought felt blasphemous. Now, there is no denying that it was Ankow, the Eldrin of the Air and Ambition, who had been conspiring against his siblings and, even worse, the great Athair Himself.

The days following the destruction of Cuanaur College were the worst I have ever seen. For almost a thousand years, the arrogance of House Deigh led them to be unwitting pawns for the Fallen to conduct further dark research into relics and antimatter; all to fuel his machinations. We would never have known about it if the Fallen had not come personally to collect the research himself. Since we were closing in on the ancient being, he decided to tie up his loose ends, it seems.

Now the air in the inner chambers of the The Reflecting Pools is thick with turbulent emotion, yet the waters are unnaturally still. Mauri has been standing over the central pool with raw emotion, with raw sadness, emanating from her in waves. It wasn't the grief of a goddess who had lost a battle, but the agony of one whose own kin had chosen Betrayal. One whose bright blue eyes were staring into the water, seeing things that no mortal could comprehend. Despite the emotion, not a single tear came.

At her command, I sent word to the Forge to begin the Forgining. Our contingency plans are about to become a reality, and I pray that it is enough to protect my world from the coming Storm.

*Recovered from the Journals of Winter Warden Auraden Rylin