Dendara stood quiet. Not the calm, soothing silence of a Plane in peace, but that poised, pregnant stillness that hangs in the air before a storm breaks. Thundering groans emanated from the Core of the Great Oak in the beginning days of Niuran, alerting the Duiran Council to its strife. It sounded a gong within the Council, and suddenly all focus worriedly turned to the various possibilities before them.

One of the most striking concerns at this time was the absence of the Hunter, Haern. Many attempts were made to contact the Immortal, He who guards against what might seek to strike Dendara down, but no calls were answered. It seemed that the Council was alone. Using their only resource at the time, Raest, the Councilors exhausted various avenues in attempting to diagnose the issues within the Core, but at the end of the day, these hypotheses were only just that - guessing and conjecture. Weeks passed, and these days seemed only to bring the true agony of the Core to fruition, these deafening outbursts growing in strength and number.

Then, the beasts began to come. Manifesting free from the Core itself, enormous beasts of twisted, mutated energy began to tear through the Core, viciously attacking all in sight. What began as a shock and panic, very soon shifted into stalwart defense as the Councilors awake during these moments took to battle, defeating wave after wave of these corporeal beasts. This carried on for weeks still, the numbers of these intruders and their intensity varying, but always the Council took to arms to fight them back. Here the Duiran Council sat, weeks with only the knowledge that these incursions would continue, the Hunter still unseen and unheard.

Finally news came. Vras, Praadi an-Kiar to the Raven Guardian of Dendara, bade Duiran come to him as soon as possible. As questions began to be answered, shouts rang out through the ancient valley that the an-Kiar call home: "Find Vras! The High Priest demands his tongue brough to him!" The Cult of Kaarn, after years of seclusion and secrecy, made itself known once more. They flooded into the valley, the same mutated, defiled beasts that besieged the Council at their heels. But they were met with a fury. Alongside the Councilors of Duiran, citizens of Enorian entered into the fray, and soon any hint of these warped priests was wiped away.

Finally, Vras was able to share his story. Imparted upon him in a vision, he had witnessed this very cult barricaded away within the Prophet's Hollow, home to Kaarn's prison. Haern, in attempting to dislodge these intruders Himself, fell into a trap specifically designed for Him. Using ancient knowledge imparted upon him by his master, the High Priest of Kaarn's cult was attempting to pool the essence from the Hunter, and use it to break the barrier Dendara had enacted to keep Kaarn sealed away. What was more, Vras added, is that Dendara, in its slumber, was unconsciously reacting to this possibility by further sealing away Kaarn's prison, as well as the very doorstep to it, where the ritual was taking place. After much more discussion, a decision was reached: both Councilors of Duiran and citizens of Enorian would enter the Hollow through a gateway held by the Praadi an-Kiar, to rescue the Hunter, and put and end to Kaarn's cult.

The day came, and the an-Kiar gathered beside the impressive numbers fielded by both Council and City. The Maelstrom was also seen in attendance, though assurances were made It would pursue soon after, as It had to prepare Itself to enter into a place where Its power meant little. The gateway opened, the rescue party charged through, and were immediately met with attack from all sides. Hours passed, the fighting bloody, brutal and long, but soon the initial perimiter of the cult was defeated, and the mortals of Sapience delved further into the Hollow. Next they came to face a trio of beasts, the High Priest's own menagerie. While similar to those they had fought thus far, the fight proved more intense than any other so far that day, and many fell. The rescuers perservered, however, and finally the beasts were felled. They moved forward, towards the Hunter, towards the High Priest, towards Kaarn.

Jalak, High Priest of Kaarn met them, standing at the altar before a massive, opaque barrier of energy - Kaarn's prison. The Hunter, kneeling at the center of the ritual, attempted to call warning to His rescuers, though it was soon cut off. When the mortals attacked, Jalak devastated the group with one massive burst of power, knocking down and stunning each person. Deciding to add each mortal to the ritual, and add their essence to the Hunter's own, Jalak turned back to the altar, preparing to finish his work, and release his master. At that last second, Slyphe arrived. Cocking back one mighty arm, It hurled the trident, Undertow, at the cult leader, impaling him and sending him careening over the altar and out of sight.

The ritual broke. As mortals climbed to their feet, that bright, verdant pool of essence slammed back into the Hunter, regaining what was almost turned against Him, and Dendara. Conversation began, the hint of rejoice and praise for the Maelstrom's timely arrival, but it was too soon. Jalak rose up, Undertow in hand. The smell of burnt flesh quickly filled the air as Jalak's skin began to melt away, but it did not deter him. Near death, he began running towards the barrier, trident outstretched. Though the party attempted to stop him, it was not enough. Jalak slammed into the barrier, immolating both himself, and destroying Slyphe's signature weapon, the act sending a spiderwebbing of cracks shooting across the barrier that held Kaarn imprisoned.

As the smoke and haze cleared, a single, massive eye could be seen through one fragment of the barrier. Slowly, Jalak's still-burning corpse began to sink into the barrier, and at the last second, something yanked it through. Unblinking the eye watched, before some hulking, monstrous form slowly moved away, further into the prison. The cry soon rang out from the an-Kiar that the gateway could be sustained no longer, and so they ran. All made it out, and none now remain trapped within that portion of Dendara that do not belong there. Little is known now about the integrity of this prison now, though the Hunter has confirmed with the Council that something will need to be done to ensure it remains intact. For now, at least, Dendara still slumbers, and Kaarn remains locked away.


Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 5th of Haernos, in the year 473 MA.