Dericost

A Report to the Arcanum Upon the History, Culture and Activities of the Dericost

   Lords and Ladies of the Arcanum, here in this report I submit to you the most complete volume of our knowledge of the Dericost. You are all aware of them, for they have played a key role in both pushing our fragile society to the brink, and saving it as well. However, since the end of the Hopeslayer's assault, they have fallen quiet as a whole. There have been no large-scale movements or machinations that have become apparent. However, as an Agent of the Arcanum, and one who has stalked these beings for years, I cannot say I find that settling. I fear that when it comes to the Dericost, when they are silent, they are the most deadly. So, within these pages I've collected my knowledge of the Dericost, and submit it to you. It is better that you know these things, and not have to use them, rather than need them and have the information out of your grasp. - Osis 

The Firstborn The Dericost story began on a continent far to the southeast, a rugged place with frozen plains, high mountains, burning deserts and festering marshes. History first took note of the populace of this corner of Auberean at the start of the last ice age. A ship bearing the emissaries of the Falatacot people, three tall slender green-eyed priestesses, arrived on the Dericostian shore. The three sought an audience with the Dericost king, and presented him with a strange offer. Their lands lay to the east, and were growing far to cold for them. They needed a new home, and in return, they would share their magical knowledge with the Dericost. As a sign of trust they offered to help restore vitality to the king's son, a dying boy by the name of Geraine.

The witches departed the Dericost shores, taking with them the young prince, and the promise of a new homeland. When they arrived at their homeland, the Falatacot began the education of Geraine. They showed him magics that he had never dreamt of, and whispering to him of the Old Ones that sleep within the earth. The Falatacot performed their Blood rites on the youth, healing him and at the same time, killing him. He was the first Dericost to enter the realm of immortality. The Falatacot gave him life eternal; a gift which Geraine would seek to use upon his return to his kingdom. But, it was a gift that that he did not yet fully understand.

The Rise of the Dericost Empire When Geraine returned he brought with him two things: the remnants of the Falatacot people, and his new found strength. No longer was he the pale, sickly boy of years past. The Geraine that returned was a powerful leader, and fate would treat him as such.

What followed over the next few years is clouded by the mists of time and war. The Falatacot people appear to have fully integrated themselves into Dericost society. But, it is unclear where on the Dericost-dominated continent they lived. The capital city of the empire was on the frozen plateau of Gelid, a place the Falatacot would find inhospitable. But, we do know that they survived, at least for a time. In ancient texts we find Dericost writers referring to the Falatacot as their "brother-sister-kin". While the Falatacot appear to have disappeared, their magic and lingering presence certainly did not. Geraine began to share his gift with other nobles, turning them into beings like him. I can only imagine the horror of that the first nobles he turned must have experienced. Where they were once living, breathing beings, they were now rotting corpses that somehow still had life. Yet standing before them, was Geraine, a man who looked no different than a normal person, but who hand undergone the same process as they.

Geraine had either not known what would happen to those that he turned, or had not cared. The rites the Falatacot used on him were originally healing rites, rites that had a doubled edge to their magic. They take the life from one and give it to another. The recipient is given near immortality, and the giver loses their life. The Falatacot who had died for Geraine had known that they were giving up their life so that their people could live. The Dericost nobles were not so lucky. They were murdering servants and slaves to achieve their ascension. A process that had notably less pleasing results. There was also a hidden curse in this type of transformation, one that would not become apparent for years to come.

The transformation, when done in the Dericost fashion, imbues the body immortality, but does not safe guard the mind. In fact, it actually begins to eat away at the person. Those that are strong of will, such as mages, are able to stave off the consumption, keeping their bodies and minds more intact than others who were not ready for it. Among those that had been turned were many great generals and warriors; they were not ready for the consumption. Their bodies rotted entirely away, leaving only bone and strips of sinew. And once their bodies were gone, their minds soon followed. Here began the great division of the Dericost society. Many of the powerful nobles of the time were turned into undead. The societal elite became beings that could not leave their darkened mansions and palaces. They some how managed to hide their secret from the average populace by using living intermediaries that were ensnared with promises of their own immortality. In a few short generations the Ice Throne became little more than a shadow government ruled by the Undead Lords.

But, not all was peaceful and quiet in this shadow world. The nobles divided themselves into two camps: the Latzimestal, the Lords of the World, and the Filinuvekta, the Winds from the Darkness. The Lords were the power hungry generals of the Dericost, and in many ways, the true face of Dericost. The kingdom had been carved out of a harsh environment by warlords like the Latzimestal, and they felt that it was their right to rule and expand the empire as they saw fit. The second camp - the Filinuvekta - were Geraine's true followers. They were the true power behind the Ice Throne; they felt that secrecy and deceit, as opposed to heavy-handed barbarism were what was required to ensure their power. There was also one other key difference. The Filinuvekta were practitioners of the old Falatacot beliefs and worshipped the Old Ones. The Falatacot had showed Geraine their gods, literally. At this point in the world's history the Old Ones were still awake, and more importantly, still speaking to their children. Geraine, his two closest aides, Aerfalle and her lover Rytheran, may well be the only creatures alive that have actually seen an Old One, others were hinted at, but those three are the only ones we can confirm. The Falatacot practices became integral to the Winds. They believed in the prophecies of the old priestesses, although some were more skeptical than others, as Lady Aerfalle's and the Sand King Anadil's writings showed. The Winds held the key to the secrets of the world, while the Lords held sway over their armies.

It is unclear what eventually ended the power struggle for control, most likely Geraine was unwilling to take the throne, and so the Lords won the position by default. It seemed to matter little to Geraine, he was still the lord of the Dericost, no matter who sat on the Throne of Ice. But, with the Latzimestal's war-like tendencies and desire to expand the empire, strife was brewing on the horizon for the people of Dericost, strife that would threaten the world with ancient secrets and a more ancient terror.

The Millennium War The Lords were set upon expanding the Empire, making the Dericost Empire the power over Auberean. However, there was a catch. The Dericost did not have a massive army that could sweep over their neighbors like the Lords wanted. So, using the dark arts that Geraine had taught them, they made one. In the wastelands to the west of the Gelid plateau there was a strange tribe of people that were known as the Sand Kings. Mercenaries and nomads at best, bandits and barbarians at their worst, they where what the Lords needed to build their empire. They hired the Sand Kings, and took their fiercest warriors and "blessed" them with immortality. They became the Mu-Miyah, undead, like their creators but not equally damned. Their bodies were wrapped and prepared before the ascension, preventing the degradation of their bodies and ensuring that none of their potency in battle would be lost. The Lords also managed to propagandize what was happening to the warriors, making the rites of undeath seem like something that made the chosen warriors into holy men. Soon, all the warriors of the nomad tribes were striving to become Mu-Miyahs.

   Lords and Ladies, at this point I fear I must make an aside to fully explain how the Dericost were able to fight for a thousand years without millions of soldiers. When one strikes down a Dericost undead, they do not die. Their bodies regenerate at a remarkable rate. Look at Lady Aerfalle and Lord Rytheran; adventurers storm their secret redoubts looking for treasure on a near daily basis, slaying all before them. Yet, Aerfalle and Rytheran manage to rise again. The armies of Dericost were like this. You could strike down one of their warriors, but the wound you had inflicted would seal itself. There appears to be a limit to the regenerative abilities of all but the most powerful undead. Anadil fell to us while Lady Aerfalle still endures. The exact nature of their powers are known only to themselves, but it can be assumed for that most part that the Undead you strike down, unless totally destroyed, will most likely rise again. 

With their armies complete, the Lords marched outward, crushing their neighbors. It is unclear how many smaller realms fell to the onslaught, but the Ice Throne was growing more powerful with each victory. Then the Dericost encountered the Seaborn Empire, the alliance of the Yalaini and Haebrous, with their heiromancers and chevarids, and they were given pause. And then pain.

To the Yalaini, the Dericost were an abomination. The Yalaini worshipped the stars and had a strong belief in re-incarnation. The Undead forces of the Dericost were a living horror to them. Not only did this enemy bring to battle cursed warriors who were beyond the holy Ai, or light, of the Yalaini; but they also worshipped the Earth, something the Yalaini saw as pure heresy. With the new conflict with the Yalaini and their Haebrous allies the war took on a different tone. In the Seaborn Empire the Lords of the World thought they had a nation they could easily conquer. Yet, at nearly every turn and in nearly every battle the Yalaini managed to turn the tide and defeat the Dericost forces. However, the Dericost forces still towered over the few troops the Yalaini could bring to bear. The Yalaini and their allies persisted, not willing to let the Dericost and their taint remain in their lands. The war became stuck in the mire of attrition, with the Yalaini slowly beating down the defenses of the Dericost, like the waves of an ocean beat rock into sand.

The Empire of Dericost had faltered for the first time ever, and in this misstep they laid further seeds to their own doom. For not only was there a foe at their borders, but one was also growing within their own ranks.

The Disciples of Blood Deep in the heart of the Dericost Empire another threat was brewing, one unknown to any but the Winds from the Darkness. Seeing that the Lord's Mu-Miyah were unable to stop the advance of the Yalaini, rogue elements in the Winds began to seek out new sources of power. They sought to tap the very source of their magical power, what the Falatacot called "the Blood of the World". They discovered that they could summon near sentient elemental beings. The Disciples first few failed encounters with these elementals convinced them of the power that the elementals held, and Falatacot teachings told them that the elementals had originally been one, and therefore could be combined. The Disciples split themselves into four groups, each autonomous, but working towards a single goal and answerable to a council above them. The groups were the Disciples of Corrosion, the Disciples of Strife, the Disciples of Stasis, and the Disciples of Tempest. They studied the elements of acid, fire, frost and lightning, respectively. Each group of disciples was charged with creating a pure elemental, a creature with sentience, something quite similar to Gaerlan's four elemental generals, I would imagine. They would then combine these beings into a singular creature; a being that would be the epitome of the elemental magic of the Blood. Their road was fraught with failure and disaster. It is unclear how long that they actually labored before Geraine became aware of their machinations, but they were able to create four massive elemental Cisterns here on Dereth to siphon off the magic of the Essences for their own use.

But the Firstborn could not sit idly by as his former followers tempted fate. Geraine decided that the actions of the Disciples had gone too far. He knew what forces they were tampering with, and he knew the outcome if they were successful. He ordered the Winds to hunt down and eliminate the Disciples. With each group that fell Geraine became more intrigued by the discoveries they had made. One group had even found a way to extract a person's mind from their body and implant it in something else. They had tried to implant their minds inside an elemental. Geraine used it to steal the information from the traitor's minds. This same technology would be later refined to store memories in mnenosynes. With their campaign won, the Winds hid the knowledge of the Disciples of the Blood from the world; the only true record of their existence hidden away in Geraine's personal library, the same library that Gaerlan later found and nearly used to destroy us all.

While the Disciples of the Blood may have failed in their mission, they had a great impact on the world. They managed to evade and confound the Winds for a great deal of time, which pulled resources from the battle with the Yalaini. As the long years of the war grew to a close, the blue banners of the Seaborn Empire crept nearer and nearer to the heart of Dericost.

The Fall of the Ice Throne The final battle in the Millennium war took place at the foot of the Gelid plateau, in the heart of the Dericost Empire. The pitiful kingdom that the Lords thought they would have an easy victory over now stood within striking distance of the Ice Throne.

The Lords knew what was at stake, and were determined to not lose their homeland. They had intelligence from Wind spies about the troop composition and leadership of the Yalaini forces. They were prepared to carve out the heart of their foe.

When the battle began on that icy morning, the battle seemed to ebb back and forth like the tide of the ocean, but the Yalaini were the people of the ocean, and they would not be denied.

They say that a single person can change the world, and on that day, nothing could be truer. A Haebrous chevarid, clad in flowing white robes strode calmly onto the field of battle. Her name was Leikotha, and the only weapon she bore was a flaming sword, forged from chorizite ore, inscribed with a single word: Ashbane.

What Leikotha did on that battlefield that day is legendary to two cultures. The Yalaini praised her for turning the tide of battle and slaughtering untold numbers of Dericost soldiers. The Dericost curse her for doing exactly the same thing. No matter what the undead threw at her, she would not give an inch. A lone woman, wielding a single sword and wearing only a robe managed to turn the battle in the Yalaini's favor. Yet, Leikotha was meant only to be a distraction from the true thrust of the Seaborn army. Before the assault had begun, a Falatacot traitor had snuck from the Gelid plateau and provided the leaders of the Yalaini Empire and the Kingdom of Haebrous with the knowledge of how to penetrate the Dericost palace. The leaders of the two nations, Empress Alaidain of the Yalaini and King Jailne of the Haebrous stole into the Dericost keep and slew all they found. It was here, in the throne room of the Dericost Empire that the outcome of the war was decided. Jailne and Alaidain managed to catch the lord of the Lords, Sarvien, off his guard. They killed the Dericost king, and were among the few witnesses to the legendary "Fivefold Curse" that he uttered with his dying breath.

   For those of the Arcanum not familiar with the fabled curse. The text of the curse is as follows:

       "As we were sent by the Darkness
       The Darkness shall be sent again
       An avenging star
       A light to bring darkness
       The darkness shall send then
       A knowledge:
       A power to bring destruction
       For Alaidain's blood shall be
       the death of the people
       And then Darkness shall send yet again
       And once more, and the Darkness shall win" 

   The curse basically spells out the fate of the Empyrean people. It predicts Bael'Zharon, the coming of the Olthoi, and the return of Bael'Zharon. The other two Sendings are still being hotly debated by far greater scholars than I. You can find a copy of this curse inscribed upon Alaidain's Gem in the Catacombs of the Ithaenc Cathedral. 

However, the day was not entirely carried by attackers, in the combat at the palace, the king of Haebrous was struck down and killed. With their leaders dead, the Lord's troops found themselves in disarray. They fled the plateau, and eventually all of Dericost.

With the bulk of the Undead Army defeated, and the remaining parts scattered and hiding, the Yalaini set to work purifying Gelid. They revealed to the Dericost citizens the secret that their lords had hidden for generations. They rounded up the Undead, their servants, and anyone that had the taint of undeath on them. It is said that the fires burned for days. The Yalaini purified the Dericost capital with fire, and then they swept through all of the fallen empire, killing all undead they came across.

The Ice Throne had shattered that day, and in the months that followed the Dericost Empire became little more than a province in the Seaborn Empire. Missionaries came to educate the heathen Dericost about the wondrous Ai, and about how the Undead were responsible for the suffering that had beset them. Even the nomad peoples to the west were affected by these teachings. Where they once saw the Mu-miyah as holy things, they now saw them abominations and refused to give them shelter.

The Undead of Dericost had no choice but to flee their homeland entirely. Many of the Lords found their way to Dereth, or in their tongue: Killiakta. The Lords built a stronghold, calling it Chalicmere deep in what is now the Direlands. Many of the Sand Kings, unable to return home, followed the Lords to this new place. Yet, these refugees were not the first undead to arrive on our shores. That honor belongs to the central figure in their history, Geraine the First.

A Penance of Shadow and a Redemption of Light Geraine had left his homeland months before the fall of the Ice Throne. He had foreseen the defeat, and had fled with his closest followers in the Winds. Among them were Rytheran and Aerfalle. Geraine was most likely drawn here because of the magical confluence the Disciples of the Blood discovered. He and the rest of the Wind created secret keeps hidden with in the dark places of this island, awaiting the end of the war. Geraine had thought that this island with its magical powers would give him a stronghold to rebuild his power base, and reclaim his home how he saw fit, not according to the will of the Lords.

But, his plans would have to wait; fate had other things in store for our island. Four thousand years ago a comet streaked across the Auberean sky. In the days that followed the skies grew dark and the sun all but disappeared. A black rain began to fall, poisoning the ground and the crops that grew out of it. The Yalaini saw this as a punishment for an unknown deed. Being the arrogantly pious culture they were, they found no flaw in themselves. So, they turned on the Dericost, blaming them for the black rains. As their crops failed, the Dericost found themselves without food. They begged the Yalaini to share their stores with them, but the Yalaini would have none of it. Millions of Dericost died from starvation that season, while the Yalaini grew fatter.

The cries and anguish of the Dericost people found embodiment in a single man. His name was Ilservian Palacost, he lived in the town of Daralet in the Dericost Marches, and his son was dying of starvation. He demanded that the local Yalaini prelate give his people the food they needed to survive. The prelate refused, chiding Palacost for not accepting the punishment his people deserved. The Yalaini forced Palacost and his followers out into the wild. It was there that a father watched his son die in his arms. This was something that no man could bare. He vowed vengeance and damnation upon those that had watched his people die. Palacost swore to find the source of the darkness, and to bring it to bear against the sacred Light of the Yalaini.

It is unknown how far Palacost traveled into the wild, or even when he found what he was seeking. For all we know the Darkness may have found him. But, somewhere out in the wild, a broken man was given the tool for what he desired most. And in return, the Darkness was granted a chance at freedom.

From here the Darkness spread outward, consuming all in its path. Many Dericost did not fear it and instead joined the Shadow willingly; they had suffered at the hand of the Yalaini Light, and now felt that it was there turn to blot out the Light.

Palacost was no more. In his place stood a being of godly power. A being that was the paragon of all the anger, hatred, sadness, and grief that the Dericost people had experienced at the hand of the Yalaini. He was a monster, driven mad by his desire to eradicate the Seaborn Empire. The Yalaini called him "Bael'Zharon", the Hopeslayer, and nothing could stand in his way. His forces captured the few remaining Gromnatross, a massive creature sacred to the Yalaini. They twisted them with dark arts, turning them into giant Spires of flesh and bone. The Spires were the living siege engines for the Shadow army. The Shadows pushed on, forcing the Yalaini back at each battle, closing in on their homeland.

The Yalaini were desperate, nothing they could conceive of stopped the horrors. Then, a young mage stepped forward. He was the son of lost Lord Atlan and Lady Malia, and he had a plan to stop the Hopeslayer. His name was Asheron. He had been studying lost geomantic and planar magics, both normally considered as the products of heretical cultures, and had developed a plan to trap the Hopeslayer. He was able to bring forth his plan to the Yalaini Council of Five, the greatest minds in the all the Seaborn Empire, and who his mother was also a member. He told of a plan to create a crystal array to entrap Bael'Zharon. The council agreed on Asheron's plan of action, and began work on the array. But, the Hopeslayer felt what they were doing. The array was supposed to draw him to them, but only once it was completed. Bael'Zharon felt the power pull him. Somewhere deep in his mind, a voice began to command him. The array became his unquenchable desire. He would have it and all those that stood in his way would die.

For all the years of the Shadow war, the Wind from the Darkness and the Lords of the World stood by and watched. Geraine knew what Bael'Zharon was. The Falatacot had told him of the Nameless that writhed in the bowels of the earth. He knew what Master the Hopeslayer served, and that the Hopeslayer was the herald of death for all, not just the Yalaini. Geraine had stood by while the Hopeslayer decimated the Yalaini, but now his old foes stood on the edge of defeat. And defeat for them would mean defeat for all; the Undead did not have strength enough to stop the Hopeslayer if the Yalaini failed. For the first time in history Geraine gathered his forces of his people, both Lord and Wind, to prepare for battle against the forces of the Enemy.

From his spies Geraine knew that they need only stall the forces of the Hopeslayer long enough to allow the Council time to complete their work. But to hold off the Shadows for that long would be the greatest task the Dericost had faced. The two armies met each other at a small grouping of pine-covered hills in the south of Osteth, near Direland land bridge. The Dericost called what followed the Battle of Ayn Tayan. It was the largest full-scale engagement to ever be fought on these shores. Geraine stood at the head of the undead legions, with Rytheran and Aerfalle as their Winds at his side. The Steward of Chalicmere, the highest-ranking Lord, had brought with her the armies of Chalicmere, which included the remaining legions of the Sand Kings. This may have been the first time all the forces of the two camps stood side by side, united against a common foe.

The undead plunged into battle, expecting to face wave after wave of Shadows. Instead, they found themselves facing down their fellow Dericost. Undead that had been left behind after Lord's the flight from their homeland. And, at the head of the undead stood Leikotha, turned undead thousands of years ago by the Sand King Nerash. It was almost as if the fates had set Dericost up for another defeat at the hands of the Haebrous swordswoman. But, the Sand Kings would not be dealt a second defeat by her. With the aide of the Wind's magic they were able rout the traitorous undead. The Dericost scattered them and drove Leikotha from the field, with Lady Aerfalle claiming her sword as a prize. But the day was not yet won. The shadows now moved in to attack, blasting the undead with magic from their Spires. The battle dragged on for three days with neither side giving quarter to their foes. Toward the end of the third day the Sand Kings massed a final assault against one of the Spires, Anadil managed to strike it down with a spell. This triumph in the face of sure defeat helped the Dericost stay the course, holding back the Shadows long enough to give the Yalaini Council the time they needed to complete their array. With their secret deed done, the Dericost departed the battlefield, leaving many of their fallen to litter the pine covered-hill. Their bodies still cover the hill, a perpetual reminder to their sacrifice that saved this world.

The Dericost had done their part in this war. The Sand Kings had redeemed themselves for their loss at the foot of the Gelid plateau, though they were still damned in the eyes of their people, the taint of failure was no longer upon them. But, the price for their victory had been steep. Thousands of undead lost their lives, both from the undead army that served the Shadows, and from the armies of the Winds and Lords. Many of the Sand Kings had entered true death trying to reclaim their honor, leaving Anadil to assume control of the remainder of his shattered people. The undead withdrew back to their secret redoubts, leaving the Yalaini to finish their great plan.

Bael'Zharon regrouped his forces and drove on to the foot of the Jailne Lyceum where the Council had crafted the array. His mind had been destroyed and he was little more than a wild beast driven to claim the power of the array. The last act of the Hopeslayer was to lay his massive claws on the array. The result of that action can be seen out of any window at the Wei Jhou provisioner. The explosion created the Obsidian Plains, and shattered the array, scattering it all over Dereth. The Yalaini managed to recover all but a single piece of the array. The threat of the Hopeslayer was over, and the Yalaini would never know that the their old foes had been the source of their salvation.

The Dericost's victory may have saved the world, but it also threatened their survival. Their numbers had been decimated by the losses they endured at Ayn Tayan, and their culture stood on a slippery slope. Geraine's plans to retake his homeland from the Yalaini had been swept away by the coming darkness. The Firstborn would have to start over again, to rebuild his people before they could strike out again. It would be many years before anyone thought of the Dericost again; the Seaborn Empire had many troubles of its own ahead of it. And another swarm of darkness to befall them, but this one would not be made of shadow; it would be made of Olthoi.

The Gelidites Life for the Dericost living in the Seaborn Empire did not get any easier after the defeat of the Hopeslayer. If anything, it got worse. The public again blamed the Dericost people for one of their own being the Hopeslayer. Whenever they would find an undead the Yalaini would conduct another one of their purges on the local Dericost populace. Several of the descendants from the Dericost royal houses had banded together and started to call themselves "Gelidites", after the plateau in the heart of the old empire. Being of the royal bloodline they were also knowledgeable about the prophecies of the Falatacot. There was one prophesy in particular that made them take note. It is called the "Fourth Sending of Darkness", and it describes an epic cold befalling the world. The Gelidites saw this cold as a means to wipe their oppressors away and rebuild their old cities. The prophecy also spoke of a city called "Frore" where the cold was said to originate. The Gelidites scoured every known map of the world looking for such a city, but there was none to be found. The city of Frore did not exist.

While the Gelidites searched for the city and debated about what to do, the Yalaini discovered an undead hiding in the Haebrous lands. The Gelidites were at once accused of practicing the forbidden rites and many were imprisoned. The Imperial Inquisitor, however, didn't live long enough to question the Gelidites. He was found in the streets, frozen and shattered. The Yalaini's tendency to blame the Gelidites made them speed up their timetable and ultimately agree that they must be the ones to build Frore. The Gelidites again searched, this time for a place to build their home. Finally, they decided upon Dereth's northern mountains. The Gelidites gathered the last of their funds and hired ships to bring them to Dereth. Upon arrival on the beaches near the mountain that would one day be the Lair of Death, and home of the One Queen, the Gelidites thanked the crews of the ships for the safe passage. And then they slew them all. They used the sailors to transform themselves into undead. But, unlike the old Dericost lords who became undead to continue to rule, the Gelidites became undead as a last resort, knowing that they would be unable to complete their work without the transformation.

For the third and final time the Gelidites searched. They needed a suitable location to begin their city. To the east lay Aerlinthe and its busy harbor, to the West was another, although less massive pyreal refinery. As they were exploring, the Gelidites encountered some of the Dericost's old guard. The Wind lord, Rytheran, met them with some of his students from his Mage Academy. He demanded that they define themselves as either Winds or Lords, and that they would damned by both if they refused to declare. To this, a young Gelidite mage replied that they would have no more of the old bickering that caused the downfall of their people and struck the unprepared Rytheran down. The mage's attack nearly managed to kill Rytheran, who was forced to recall away from the battle, leaving his students to be slaughtered by the Gelidites. That mage's name was Frisirth, and he would play a great part in the coming years of the Gelidites.

The Gelidites eventually decided on a location to the west of a large volcano. Here they dug into the mountain, crafting out the edges of what was to be their great city of Frore. Here again Frisirth showed himself to be above his peers. He used geomantic spells to shift the rock faster than their golems could break it apart. As he dug farther and farther into the mountainside, he felt a strange force pulling him. As he dug toward it, the Gelidites discovered a large, multifaceted crystal, quietly humming and rotating, radiating with some kind of inner light. The Gelidites were unsure what to make of this strange find. Frisirth was enamored with it; he spent the better part of a year studying the crystal.

Once he was satisfied, Frisirth presented a plan to the Gelidite Council. They would use the unique powers of the crystal to draw the heat from the world. The crystal itself seemed to be a natural absorber for energy, much like a giant mana stone. The Council was concerned at first about drawing the world's heat into their icy citadel. But, Frisirth eventually won them over, and they began the long and arduous process of readying the crystal. It took the Gelidites many decades to prepare their "Great Work" for its purpose.

But, the Gelidites were deceived. The crystal was the lost 6th piece of the Yalaini crystal array that trapped Bael'Zharon. When the array had shattered the pieces were scattered to the farthest points of Dereth. The Yalani had managed to locate five of them and seal them away in magic vaults, but the sixth one eluded them. It burrowed deep into the Northern Mountains where it waited for someone to find it, or for its siblings to be shattered. The array itself had not done its job as well as the Yalaini thought it had done. Bael'Zharon was sealed, but he still had some influence over the actions of the crystal, and the minds of those nearest to it. Bael'Zharon was using Frisirth to help free him. Through the Undead's actions the crystal itself would be empowered, or some one would appear to stop them and shatter the crystal. Either result would bring the Hopeslayer nearer to freedom.

While the Gelidites labored, the world outside changed, the Olthoi appeared, and the Yalaini disappeared. Then Asheron cast the Sundering that summoned us, and we slew the Olthoi Queen. It was ten years after that great victory that the snow fell suddenly in the Amun desert. Also, far to the north, a knight of Aluvia by the name of Sir Joffre Tremblant also started a great quest. He sought to find the location of a hidden city, called Frore. It is unclear how Tremblant thought to even search for the city, but his quest helped save all of us, even though we could not save him. Tremblant managed to enter Frore and penetrate the labyrinth that the Gelidites had erected around their city. However, it is doubtful he was ready to face down a city of undead. They took him and his fellows, slaying them. Through some unknown Gelidite magic, or maybe through the work of the crystal itself the adventurers were not resurrected at their lifestones. The Gelidites reincarnated Tremblant, but for what purpose I cannot say.

With the call out to both find the source of the cold and the location of Tremblant's party, Isparian adventurers scoured the north, retracing Tremblant's steps. They discovered the standing stones, the same as the ill-fated knight, and they also discovered the portal coordinates etched into the face of the stones. With the help of an aspiring mage in the Plateau village the Isparians were able to penetrate the Gelidite city. The combat inside must have been horrific, with the Gelidites and their golems fighting the Isparians in the streets of their very own city. As the Isparians drove deeper they came across the Gelidite council of Three. The three most powerful of the Gelidites sent many Isparians back to their lifestones, with adventurer's possessions remaining frozen on their bodies. Once they had dispatched the Council, they pushed onward into the largest room in Frore, and beheld something both wonderful and horrible at the same time. Before them stood Frisirth, driven mad by Bael'Zharon's influence over him, the reincarnated Tremblant, who begged for death even while attacking the Isparians. But the most shocking sight would have been the giant crystal behind them, glowing brightly and giving off enough heat to burn exposed flesh. The two undead dispatched many an Isparian before they were overcome. Then a most strange thing happened. The Great Work itself began to assault the Isparians. Shooting jets of flame and crushing the startled adventurers, it forced the adventurers to shatter it. With the crystal gone, the Isparians had released the trapped heat back into the world. They had also released something else. The Hopeslayer was one step closer to being released, and only the Dericost knew what had happened.

The Return of the Hopeslayer With the destruction of the first Soul Crystal, the old forces began to move again. Shadows appeared in number on the surface, shocking the Isparians with their power. It was now that we first began to explore the past of this world. We learned many things over the coming months about the societies and wars that had crafted our new home. And many of our discoveries would come close to damning us.

While we explored and learned, the Winds sought out the Lords. The Winds knew the Hopeslayer would return, it was only a matter of time. They entreated the Lords to aid them and act. But, to their horror, the consumption had destroyed the minds of many of their brethren who had fought in the last Shadow War. Some of the Lords were so far gone that they were unable to even cast spells to recall to Chalicmere. The Lords debated for months. Months the Winds were not willing to stand by idly. Acting either on her own, or at the behest of her master Geraine, Lady Aerfalle sent agents out into the world. Some whispered secrets of magic to us on the wind, allowing us to expand our knowledge of the arcane. Her other agents were sent out to attempt to hasten the Lord's decision, and to attempt to stir the Sand Kings from their desert tombs. The agents met with little luck, so they turned to a more Wind-like route: bribery. The Lady's agents began accepting trades notes to gather funds to spur the Lords to action. In return the agents opened portals to the island of Aerlinthe. Their reasons for this are unclear; they may have thought the local fauna would make quick work of us. Or perhaps the Lady wanted us to explore her island and learn more about the foe that we would soon be facing. Needless to say, the wealth of information we learned on Aerlinthe was invaluable in the coming tribulations.

Still the Lords did not act. From the movements of undead in the Direlands and the appearance of stronger and more deadly forces, it was apparent they were planning something. But, they still did not act. While they debated, the Isparians were exploring, delving deep into the world, seeking out the secrets that were hidden from us. Our own curiosity was going to be our damnation, but we did not yet know that. The Shadows, wondering about these strange new creatures and our potential, struck at our towns and cities. At each front they were driven back. We pushed them all the way back to their Spires, where we took a piece of a key from three different spires. The key was re-assembled and found to fit the lock of a newly discovered chamber in the far west Direlands. Inside the adventurers found another Soul Crystal. This one, the largest of the six, was called the Nexus Crystal. When shattered, it dropped several gems that were a fusion of both shadow and crystal essences. When the largest of these gems were presented to skilled blacksmiths they were able to craft suit of armor that were of an unknown potential. The Nexus armor became the stuff of legend among Isparian warriors.

Only four crystals remained, yet the Lords still debated. Aerfalle, sensing that the chambers of Shendolain, Fenmalian, and Caulnalain were in danger dispatched word to the Lords and sent some of her own forces into the vaults ahead of them. The Lords, finally seeing the need to act, attempted to secure the vaults. To Fenmalain they dispatched a useless commander, Sahoni Arsanc, to defend the crystal. To Shendolain they dispatched their finest warriors and golems to aid Aerfalle's troops, along with a hot-tempered warrior called Lady Ellenia. To Caulnalain they also dispatched troops, but they were butchered upon arrival by the Shadow forces already entrenched. It seemed as if the Shadow General Isin Dule was attempting to prevent his lord from being freed as well.

When the chambers opened, the Isparians flooded in, desiring treasure similar to that of the Nexus armor. In Fenmalain they found Sahoni Arsanc fighting a losing battle against the shadows, but paid her little mind as they tore open the crystal. In Caulnalain the warriors found a way to by-pass the majority of Dule's troops, rendering his defenses worthless. In the final vault, Shendolain, the adventurers were tested the hardest. The Winds had erected a series of doors and levers that had to be opened in a certain pattern to allow one to proceed. These doors, coupled with the Lord' s battle-hardened troops slowed their progress, but they would not be stopped. Within in a few short hours all three of the Soul Crystal had fallen. There was only one Soul Crystal remaining, and it was only a matter of time before the Hopeslayer would be freed.

For the Dericost, the final battle in this Shadow War took place on the Vesayen islands far to the south of Osteth. Here Anadil had encamped the remaining Sand King legions and the troops the Lords had to spare. He was attempting to plan a strategy to protect the final crystal when the final crystal found him. Deep within the catacombs of the ruined Adjanite Cathedral the Undead divined the location of the Shard of the Herald. But, they were not prepared for this discovery, or for the Enemy to make the same discovery so soon. Anadil knew that they could not hold against the Shadows, but he structured his defenses as best he could. But the Shadows crept into the Undead camp and corrupted Kelderam's Path, the only way to the Shard. Anadil had no way to defend the crystal itself, but instead concentrated on keeping the Catacombs that lead to the path sealed. He divided the key into three parts, keeping one part for himself, giving one part to Lady Aerfalle, and one more part to one of his generals. The third part was stolen by a Shadow captain and hidden away in the Shadow camp on an isolated island in the Vesayen chain.

Here the Dericost and the Isparian histories become intertwined. We discovered the portal to the Vesayen isles and began to fight both the Shadows and Anadil's forces. We drove deeper and deeper into the island chain, claiming the key piece from the shadow captain, and then from Lady Aerfalle, eventually arriving at the ruins of the Ithaenc Cathedral. Here, we claimed the third and final piece of the key from Anadil. With his dying breath the noble Sand King entrusted us with the safe keeping of the final Shard. Some heeded his words. Many did not. Many wanted to claim the riches they knew waited within. Others knew what lay in store if we broke the final Shard. We managed to hold back the shadows and the traitorous Isaprians for a few days, but not forever. With the help of a Shadow General the traitors were able to shatter the final piece of the array, freeing Bael'Zharon.

The war was over for the Dericost. They had lost. This last campaign on the Vesayens had cost them dearly. The Sand Kings were all but wiped out, and the Lords and Winds had suffered horrible losses to their best troops. The Dericost culture had given way to the forces of entropy for centuries, ever since the Battle of Ayn Tayan. The battle at the Cathedral seemed to worsen their situation. While we battled the Hopeslayer, they buried their fallen heroes, and disappeared from the bright places of the world.

   That was two years ago. Since those days we have re-imprisoned the Hopeslayer, stopped the Virindi from creating a new Singularity on our world, and prevented a mad Yalaini from slaying us all. But, the knowledge that we gained from Gaerlan's citadel does not sit well with me Lords and Ladies. Geraine spoke of two other citadels under his control, and of some one he called "his love". All the knowledge available to me does not allow me to guess at the identity of this person. We know the Steward is a she, but it is doubtful that she is the love of the one called His Eternal Splendor. She is both too young, and a Lord of the World. He is the Firstborn and a Wind from the Darkness. I will continue my research until I can present you with a more definitive answer.

   As for the current movements of the Lord and Winds, there are none. And that alone is worth worry. Geraine has not been heard from for far too long. None of our scouts or explorers has seen any sign of him, and the Dericost themselves seem at a loss when it comes to his current location. From what we learned in the Library in Gaerlan's citadel we know that Geraine has control over two other citadels. I only wonder how long it is before he decides to bring them to bare against our people.

   The Dericost people are the keepers of the secret history of Auberean, and for years we have played guessing games with them. They see us as barbarians, and manipulate like a puppeteer does with cheap marionettes. This is a position I am most uncomfortable with. I would suggest an active campaign to locate and decipher these secrets these undead hold. We have been in the dark for far to long; if we are truly to claim this world as our new home as the Arcanum wishes, we must step out of that darkness and into the light. And the only thing that will pierce such a blackness is knowledge, knowledge of the unknown.

       In service to the Arcanum,

       Osis, Seeker of the Arcanum