Within the Ayhesa cliffs along the eastern coast, a group of Spellshaper
students gossiped in hushed voices. Their master, Saayar, was plotting
something.

Irruel du Vallianse was the first to discover Saayar's plan, after much
snooping and questioning, and confronted Saayar with his knowledge. A
tense conversation took place, as Saayar strongly denied the accusations
and Irruel threatened to intercede. Others soon discovered the plot, the
most notable being the members of the Magi Guild.

Saayar's plot was of grave concern to the Magi, for it involved the
elemental links of the Silver Spire deep beneath the ocean in the Kelki
city of Kelsys. His plan was to harness the power of the links, so that
he might achieve his goal: Destruction of Spinesreach and its citizens,
whom he believed to be hiding knowledge from the world.

The Magi interrogated Ireia, the Spellshaper Enchanter and ex-Magi, who
was quick to realize the risk the Magi offered to the plan. She conjured
up a lie, deceiving the Magi into thinking Saayar was mentally unstable
and was merely a figurehead. She offered up her own plan to the Magi,
which involved going along with Saayar's plan long enough for him to be
weakened by his own workings and then disposing of him. The Magi were
untrusting, and after much debate amongst themselves, they grudgingly
accepted.

On the 2nd of Severin, year 276 of the Midnight Age, Saayar was ready.
Annica, Cariv, Esylana, Mazzion, Tralendar and Yarel, all of the Magi
guild, arrived at Saayar's office disguised amongst the other
Spellshapers. There, Saayar unveiled the latest in Spellshaper
innovation - a modified portal wand with enchanted golden rings looping
it. He went on to explain that the golden rings would allow the portal
to be cast from one location to another, without needing a target to
focus upon. Moreover, the actual portal created by the wand offered a
vast improvement over the normal sonic portals. It would distort time
and space to physically connect the two locations, as if they were part
of the same place. One could, in theory, create a portal from a city to
deep under the ocean, and the water would flow straight through the
portal to flood the entire city.

In shock, the Magi looked on as Saayar proceeded to demonstrate the
capabilities of the portal wand by connecting his office to the Silver
Spire. The portal wand glowed and vibrated violently as it established
the connection, burning away to ashes while the golden rings clattered
to the ground. The group proceeded gingerly through the portal,
following Saayar, Ireia and the other Spellshaper Masters as they set
themselves up inside the Spire. The next stage of Saayar's plan involved
casting a protective ward around the Spire, protecting it from both
damage and intruders while he manipulated the links. This part of the
plan was important to the Magi, for Ireia had told them it would
significantly drain Saayar of energy when he cast the ward, and that
would be time for their betrayal. Spellshaper and Magi alike worked
together to channel the elements into a crystal orb constructed to
contain the energy. A flash resonated through the Civic Dome of Kelsys
as energy exploded outward from the crystal orb. The light cleared, and
it became evident to all present that a glowing magical field surrounded
the Spire, cutting it off from the rest of Kelsys. An equally intangible
glow surrounded each of the Spellshapers.

Smirking, Ireia informed the Magi, "You may attack. Much good may it do
you." As the rest of the Magi struggled to comprehend what had just
happened, Mazzion angrily ordered an attack upon the Spellshapers as he
realized their fears of deceit were well-founded. A desperate battle
began, as the Magi unleashed their combined elemental forces towards the
Spellshapers. Their attacks landed upon the Spellshapers to no effect,
neutralized by the shield surrounding each one. Realizing the futility
of the attack, Mazzion ordered a retreat from the Spire.

The Magi regrouped, heading back to Saayar's office in the Ayhesa Cliffs
with hope that the portal was still open. To their luck, it was, and as
they stepped through the gloating voice of Saayar could be heard, "Magi!
Stop me if you will, but this Spire, this Silver Spire - it grants me
power beyond what even you did!" Infused with the power of the elemental
links, Saayar gathered more and more energy to him as he prepared for
his strike upon the city of Spinesreach. With his voice amplified by his
new-found power, he shouted "Your doom is at hand, Spinesreach! At last
we have won, thanks to the idiocy of the pitiful Magi!" as he began to
direct the energy into a powerful attack.

A great influx of energy surged through Saayar as he arrogantly gathered
more of the powers of the five links to him. Horror filled the leader of
the Spellshapers, for he had made a terrible mistake - he had harnessed
more power than a single man could handle. The Silver Spire exploded as
uncontrolled elemental energy swept across Kelsys. Domes shattered and
the ocean poured in, greedily flooding the city. Raw primal forces
ripped apart those closest to the source of the explosion, shredding
both Spellshaper and Magi alike into nothingness.

No longer stable, the elemental links collapsed as a giant, swirling
vortex of elemental energy rose violently out of the ocean. As the great
forces tore about city of Kelsys, a giant tidal wave formed from the
explosion. It bore down upon the village of Shastaan; looming over the
small fishing village with an indomitable presence before it brutally
broke itself upon the shores of the hapless settlement - everything
within its path decimated.

However, that was not all that befell Sapience on the fateful day, for
deep beneath the ocean near Kelsys, a monstrous creature stirred, awoken
from its slumber by the giant explosion...


Penned by my hand on the 1st of Variach, in the year 277 MA.