With Her self-obliteration, She fell beyond the scope of mortal
comprehension, and beyond the tangible existence of the world. Haziness
and obscurity consumed Her mind, infuriated Her every thought. Time had
no meaning in this place, and the eons of solitude turned reflection to
silence, and silence to infinity. She fell off the face of Her own
comprehension.

Glimmering lights evolved, somehow appearing, and they were the only
things. For through these rippled, water-like shards seemed to move
another world all unto its own. A world where time and season passed, a
world peopled and littered with all those things that would never be in
the void where She had abandoned Herself. With rapt addiction She
watched through the looking glass.

The world She had locked away in Her mind was there once more, and all
those solitary, consuming thoughts that She had strained away from to
survive once more asserted themselves.

Only snippets of the world we know became visible to Her, as mortals and
other creatures passed by the windows into the eternity She had become
locked in. It seemed as though a great conflict had been occurring, a
conflict which would ultimately lead to Her release.

The darkness of the void beyond time stretched on, until the resounding
shattering of a mirror echoed through all of its existence, and a laugh
rose in Her. The infinite prison began to lose cohesion, as did She, and
the eternity beyond time slipped beyond grasp, leaving Her upon the
shifting emotions of another.

Meanwhile, turning amid many mortal minds as they slept, and were
welcomed into the ethereal world of Lady Omei, came the haunting visage
of a beacon, exalted by the city leaders and desired by all for the
awesome power that seemed to radiate from it.

Having been stopped by one of the guards in the Tower of the Sword,
Asilient Windrayn and Tanbiere Du'Lunai became curious regarding the
dreams that had been puzzling his own mind as he slept. Speaking at
length with numerous citizens throughout the city, Asilient promised
them he would further look into the possibility that such a thing was
out there.

The dreams grew in frequency, and more citizens spoke of a beacon within
their hands, working to destroy all their enemies with its mighty power.
The months passed, and still no path revealed the light that shone from
the beacon in their minds.

Like fire on a dry prairie the rumour of a historical relic flooded the
world, and was on the lips of every guard, child and denizen. Murmured
words of zeal regarding it became commonplace amid the cities and the
forest council of Duiran. It became apparent to all that this temptation
of power was proffered to all, an offer unlike any other.

In Enorian, the beacon rested within the hands of a beautiful lady,
speaking with the rising sun of all the enemies that would fall, the
beacon held in her hands. Spirean citizens spoke of it clutched within
their grasp, and brought through the gates of the citadel by the
Ard-Dhasani himself. Liberating dreams of civilization crumbling as the
beacon lay within the Heartwood stirred the hearts of many Duiran
councilors. With such a relic of power in their hands, the guards of
Ashtan swore that their nightly visions gave way to the balance of the
Globe. Within the depths of Bloodloch, even the most poorly spoken
Nazetu envisioned the city's liberation with the Beacon in their grasp.

Numerous citizens from across the lands ventured to the prophet Orechnai,
hopeful that his eyes would once again be given foresight to what truth
lay behind their dreams. But action would come slowly, for as promising
as visions can be, their cryptic undertones hid at every turn where the
true location of such a relic would be. A thousand gold sovereigns fell
from the sky, and tomes spoke of histories that could not be written.
But never did the hints of power leave, and a particular group in
Enorian became frantic at who might lay their hands upon such an
artifact.

Their lengthy discussions stretched on, and Asilient trekked about the
world trying to find answers to the obscure hints within his dreams and
within the prophecy that Orechnai had granted. Visiting the wizard
Hycanthus, he was directed back to the Grand Aetolian Library that he
had briefly visited in a previous scouring of the land.

Arriving at the office of the Head Chronicler, the Enorian Knight
immediately learned of a lantern that had been in her possession for as
long as the Monastery had been standing. It seemed that a lantern had
been passed down from her predecessor in the Order, and had indicated to
her that it had originally been found abandoned in the hills along with
a scroll, and its flame had been burning ever since.

Returning to his city, Asilient spoke with Tanbiere once more, and
through the night they worked to decipher the words of the badly damaged
scrolls. Intriguing their curiosity more then any of the broken words,
though, was a passage in the ancient tongue of Kalsu. The Aetolian was
soon deciphered by their quick minds, and they realized that it spoke of
a ritual to gain power - a ritual that involved a number of innocents,
and the lantern itself.

Asilient hastily returned to the monastery, wary that such an article of
power would fall into the wrong hands. Speaking at length, Asilient
convinced the Chronicler to bring the lantern to his city for a time, so
that he could study it and the text from the scroll that it accompanied
it with.

Word had spread within Enorian of the beacon, and as the Chronicler
accompanied Asilient within the city walls, the guards, and many of the
citizens rose in a chorus, exalting the beacon and praising its
discover. Indeed, as Asilient entered the gates he drew a crowd,
Tanbiere amongst it once more. Traversing the city, they searched for
the pinnacle where the Chronicler might be able to place the beacon so
that all may see it.

By now, all within knew its presence in the city, and it drew the
attentions Vizier Iereas Aruvar. Upon the rampart, a heated, furious
debate erupted between the citizens present, as possibility upon
possibility was brought forward, and the origins of the beacon and scroll
were heavily questioned. Most notably, the ritual outlined therein was
brought under scrutiny, for it detailed the sacrifice of an innocent's
inner strength. Even the ramparts shook, as the Kalsu upon the scroll
was read aloud, a testament to the clout that the language holds.

Holding true to their ideals and to their name as the Beacon of Light,
the leaders of Enorian decried that the ritual could not be performed,
and having had quite enough of hints at her being locked up, the Head of
the Order of Chroniclers left the city with the lantern still in her
possession.

Months passed by, and the dreams of the beacon still echoed within the
minds of sleeping mortals, and talk still chattered upon near every lip,
and numerous rumours spread regarding what it would grant, and what had
happened to it. Many worked through the prophecies, and learned from
others as well, and trekked to the Grand Aetolian Library to see the
lantern with their own eyes, and read the words writ upon the scroll.

It seemed that the revelations of the beacon would even reach the
underground city of Bloodloch, circulating amongst the living population
and causing gossip amid the streets. Most particularly, the guards
gained the attentions of Prince Decaelis Bahiran, a dark sage who had
been working through ritual to grant himself dreams. He too had been
able to gain access to dreams of a beacon of its flame burning through
the seasons and being found amid the hills.

Traversing to the Monastery in the Putoran hills, Decaelis too came to
the Head Chronicler and learned of the lantern she had kept all these
years. Speaking with members of his city, they traversed to the Grand
Aetolian Library as well. Together, they convinced the Chronicler to
bring the lantern and scroll to their city so that it could be studied
further. Overlord Prince Serivalis Dbaen sanctioned where it might be
placed, and the Chronicler placed the lantern upon mountain summit
before the Iron Citadel.

Gathering the necessary components outlined in the scroll, and
assembling upon the mountainside, encouraged the children who had come
to place their hands upon the beacon. The appropriate enunciation of the
Kalsu took a few moments, but once Strung Cardinalis had spoken the
first line properly, cracklings of power erupted from the lantern.

The cries of the children filled the cavern as smoke issued forth from
the lantern. In no time, it was flooding the city and escaping from the
caverns into the sky. Progressively it could be seen that the three
innocents were being transformed by the emerald energy of the lantern.
One began to reek and rot with decay, the second fell ill to a peculiar
illness, and the third, the most violated, cried out at the voice within
his mind. Those present too noticed tightness within their chests, as
the noxious, emerald smoke issued forth.

A sultry laughter filled the air as the smoke gained cohesion, forming
into the svelte visage of the Lady Chakrasul. The Mother of all
Corruption had returned.

In the months since that fateful day, the lantern that sat upon the
mountainside has disappeared, and wild speculations arise at where it
may have gone, and whose possession it may lie in. What power it still
holds is unknown.

Penned by my hand on the 21st of Lanosian, in the year 168 MA.