What We Did On Our Summer Vacation
Everyone
Six months have passed since the battle with Abadis on the Blessed Isle.
The Sunlands circle were successful in disrupting the greatest portion of the First and Forsaken Lion's plan: to gain control of the reawakened Abadis and use him to scour the lands of the living. However, during the the hour in which time was frozen in the Underworld, several Deathlords enacted other, subsidiary plans.
The First and Forsaken Lion's circle of Abyssals seized power in Stygia, overthrowing its ghost government and establishing their own new fiefdom on the shadow of the Blessed Isle. From this vantage point, the Lion has been able to further strengthen his assault on the living Isle, carving out significant gains from both the New Realm and the Red Kingdom.
In other regions of Creation, two other previously low-profile Deathlords have joined the Lion and the Mask in establishing footholds in the living world. The Alabaster Baron has clawed out a kingdom in the North, while the Tenebrous Apostle has captured the lands beneath An-Teng in the Southwest. Both have positioned significant military forces in their nascent kingdoms, though after their initial annexation neither appears to have yet sought to continue their conquests.
Worse, in Netheos itself, signs have begun to show that the Neverborn are tossing and turning in their deathly slumbers -- jagged bones as large as entire cities have burst through the ground, rivers of black ichor have begun to flow from the mountains, baleful and shadowy eyes have begun to open in the skies at night -- and within the last month, these signs have begun to leak out into the living world. In seven places, holes have opened in the Shroud that lead not to Netheos, but directly to the mouth of Oblivion; in the regions around these "Void Nexus," the bodies of the newly dead refuse to lie still, and those still living have had to adopt aggressive efforts to remove the earthly remains of the departed.
Furthermore, the disease which the Solars first learned of from a member of Lucent's army appears to be spreading. Reports have come in over the course of the six months that as many as 57 God-Exalts have perished from the same condition, but a physical examination of others (including those who serve in the Deliberative and of Bertrand) reveals no signs of disease, and examination of the remains provides no further clues to the spread of the disease.
In non-dead related news, the island of the Aalorai -- now known across the world as Pelaraja -- has officially become the home of the Hundredfold Alliance, led by Elari and concentrated in a new capital city built on a great structure raised up from metal and glass, to be visible from miles away.
Meanwhile, even in Lucent's absence, the grand works that he envisioned have continued to grow. The Lantern has continued to train under Crow, becoming a focused fighting force. Eden has flourished, drawing in many of the barbarians from surrounding areas, and Imrama has made a habit of checking in on the nascent nation frequently.
Upon the ruins of what was once the city of Gem, the fair folk have built a wondrous dream-city known as Támas. From far beyond its borders, the trackless, undirected, and unsatisfied have wandered, drawn in their dreams by its lustrous wonder, to populate it, and now an odd melange of humans, faeries, unemployed spirits, and even a few Hundredfold have come to dwell within, giving the city a strange and unique flavor.
Cerin
Under Cerin's command, both the Shadows Resplendent and the Terrestrial Bureaucracy have spent the past six months busy at work. Under the leadership of Ahina, the Shadows have created two infiltration networks -- one in the regions surrounding Arcadia, led by Ragara Elos, and one in occupied Lookshy, led by Ahina herself. Ahina's party has been able to provide a variety of tactical information regarding the distribution of resources within Lookshy, but very little on the Mask's actual plans -- until she recently revealed that the Mask is ramping up a small force who appear to be preparing for a mission into the south.
Meanwhile, the Terrestrial Bureaucracy has begun a process of reorganization under Cerin's watch, working to eliminate inefficiencies and ensure that key functions are being handled correctly. Under his advisement, several prominent members of the bureaucracy have begun internal advocacy of the Faith Ecliptic, with a net result that many lower-rung Gods have been swayed to accept the terms of the Faith's arrangement; with a slightly greater level of buy-in, Cerin's advocates believe they can begin to have the Gods themselves speak the terms of the Faith to their current worshippers and thereby further expand its reach.
Cerin has looked into the matter of the Crownless King. Research has revealed that he was considered a hero of the Primordial War, the first Exalt to infiltrate the councils of the Primordials and the war-cities of the Hundredfold, and that the circumstances of his death were mysterious; his body was never recovered, and his soul did not return for years after he was last seen in human society.
Imrama
Imrama has busied himself with nation-building over the past six months. The nation formerly known as Harborhead has come to be known as the "Confederacy of Horns," with much of the Jackal Tribes now integrated into its population and efforts underway to reach out to the Djala lands further west. Similarly, the new nation of Jabal, under Jelter's leadership, has expanded its boundaries further, creating a strong new anchor in the Hinterland Corridor.
Imrama's outreach efforts have also produced promising leads in a variety of other international political arenas. At his suggestion, the Atomnosi enclave (now known as Iksir) has committed forces to the defense of the Blessed Isle, and the power of Alchemical Exalts has helped the New Realm avoid yet further losses; Isabel has taken personal command of the Fire and Steel Brigade, composed of Atomnosi forces fighting side by side with Realm Soldiers.
Similarly, Arathi has served as a diplomatic envoy for Imrama, both as an envoy to ex-Shogunate nations (with the result of a tentative relationship forming between the exiled Lookshy forces and Tara Zhan Keep) and as a special agent in creating an allegiance in the Southwest to combat the Deathlord forces in the region; through his efforts, Oronusia has chosen to join the Deliberative and is preparing to send a representative, while Calin and Gethemane have done similarly under Imrama's personal attention.
At Imrama's suggestion, a newly-lucid Vanileth has been working with his Haslanti neighbors to establish a new system of long-distance air-flight beacons which are now ready for deployment across central Creation, as well as assigning daimyos to work with several Deliberative nations interested in constructing flying vessels.
On a tip from Spring, Imrama journeyed to a specific spot in the deepest ocean where he was able to meet with Leviathan, who tentatively chose to return to Creation; he also met with Tamuz, who provided a far more ambiguous and difficult answer. Ka-Kusho has yet to agree to a meeting.
Imrama took a long journey into the Wyld, emerging at its end with an Oath forged from pure chaos itself which he bound to his own being.
Imrama introduced a First Age hedonism festival to the other members of his Circle, with hilarious results.
Imrama also selected a pretext to accompany Arathi on a diplomatic visit to Tara Zhan; as a result, he and Jinanna have now been romantically involved for three weeks.
Lucent
Phoenix
Phoenix has graduated a first class of courtiers from her training program, and has begun to place them in useful locations. One particular graduate, a Raptok named Erilaka, has been presented by Phoenix's friend Qiu of the Fa'la'ta'rena as a candidate for seating in the Hundredfold Alliance, a decision which is set to be made soon. Through her contacts formed in her journeys around the borders of the world, Phoenix has begin to sow the seeds of a non-conflict-oriented bloc of Hundredfold aimed at crafting a working relationship with Exalts and humans, although groups predisposed to conflict form the largest representative group.
As part of her ceremonial efforts, Phoenix has dedicated the lion's share of her graduates to assisting Bertrand in crafting a demonstrative public face for the Sunlands as the cultural capital of Creation. As a result, a formal calendar featuring 13 high holy days and 36 subsidiary holidays has been implemented, as well as an aerial culture fleet: five groups of three air-barges, each color-coded to an element, and each bearing an Empress' Special Envoy as well as a selection of artisans and cultural representatives from the designated portion of the Sunlands, in order to increase the exchange of cultural ideas between the Sunlands' diverse regions. Another group of graduates have been hard at work on a grand work of history entitled The Arc of Existence, but referred to internally as Three and a Half Ages of Cakes, whose manuscripts have been distributed to Deliberative member nations in an effort to increase knowledge of Creation's accurate history. (Similarly, Phoenix has worked with Cerin to ensure that the Faith Ecliptic has been effectively and properly communicated to the members of the Terrestrial Bureaucracy.)
Phoenix has determined after some effort that the Northern Circle are operating from a base within the air-sea of the far north, in a floating vessel that floats almost two miles beneath the bottommost floating islands of the area to avoid detection, but she has not yet actually gone to find this vessel. She has determined certain facts about the items she gathered in her journey which will be revealed shortly.
As a result of their busy schedules in combination with the latter's "engagement" with Thorn of Night, Phoenix and Spring have only just now had a chance to exchange words.
Spring
After a great deal of tense, charged time spent as her prisoner, Spring was able to escape using a clever trick at a key moment and capture Thorn of Night while evading pursuit from the remainder of the Dark Sabres. Once removed from the region in which she was imprisoning him, however, Thorn became wracked with harrowing, indescribable pains that only the constant application of Spring's healing arts could soothe. At the moment, she rests in a magically-induced sleep while Spring works with others to determine how best to aid their former friend.
Spring engaged in a covert attempt to learn more regarding Akuna's past with Zahara, and together they uncovered his shocking secret! In the process, Spring came into contact with Downy Emerald, a dragonfly Lunar with connections to a mysterious group of Lunars known as the Argent Path, and who has (after several tricky meetings) promised to bring him to a meeting with her organization's leader, the mysterious Lars. He also received a tip which allowed him to helpfully direct Imrama to the place where he might meet with the great admiral Leviathan.
Spring's connections on other planes have paid off. Belladonna has worked to bring modern living to Wasirru, while Mnemon has continued a harsh but fair rulership of Xara; both planes have begun rapidly-grown trade agreements with Creation, and with the Sunlands and the New Realm serving as the key nexus for such trade both nations have profited both monetarily and culturally from the exchange. With the Spearfolk free of conflict, they have drastically improved their quality of life, while in Xara, the hierarchical system has begun to adapt to the twin shocks of the Bone Dagger Kings' arrival and the removal of the Fifth Lineage.
Harel has remained undetected within the Lion's forces, although his ability to gain access to greater levels of intelligence information has remained limited in his efforts to balance against the threat of being revealed; he has assisted the True Realm in winning several major victories against the Lion's forces.
Spring's school has continued and now accepted more students, with the young Solars learning a great deal from him and improving in both the use of their powers, their view of how to use their powers responsibly, and their role in the Sunlands and the world. Spring has selected several subordinate teachers (who are not identified here) who now aid in transmitting a curriculum of his design to the quantity of Exalts who participate in the school.
The Thunderdome is an extremely popular attraction and draws travelers from across the Sunlands to witness the training exercises within.
Spring's doctor squad have been tirelessly engaged in cataloging instances of the mysterious God-Exalt disease, have successfully identified several candidates just before full onset of symptoms such that their deaths could be prevented, and are on the verge of a breakthrough into its true causes.
Innocence has become a worrisomely competent user of her own powers; she now possesses abilities nearly on par with the power level of any of the Solar circle, but with a far broader applicability. She has also become a voracious student, learning of Creation's history, geography, the study of magic, and other areas as quickly as she can. With her further studies have come both a slightly sardonic shift in her personality (which is largely seen by others as adorable), as well as occasional, odd moods of detachment (which is largely seen as worrisome.)
Spring's efforts to locate Erevel have been largely frustrating and unpleasant, but a recent tip has led him to what he believes may be the solution -- one that he hopes his conversation with Lars will help him implement.
Varanim
In the aftermath of the fight with Abadis, Varanim has made a great effort to locate Lucent, but it has been to no avail. Lytek confirms that his shard has not yet been reborn in a new Solar or returned to his cabinet, but all other indicators (including life-and-death divination of the Third Necromantic Circle) provide results indistinguishable from if he were dead.
Varanim has made a habit of occasionally visiting Abadis' skull, which has taken root in the earth and become a death-shrine of sorts in the spot where it fell. At night, thirty days precisely after Abadis fell, she came to find that the hekatoncheire known as Algorab awaited her there, clearly communicating in an unspoken fashion that it awaited the arrival of one who had cast that skull to the ground. Varanim bound it to herself as a familiar.
In the city of Hezed, Varanim has worked to craft a vast city of the dead. Under her tireless efforts, and after repeatedly smacking down attempts to deify her or cast her in an inescapable leadership position, she has settled into the custom-created role of the Darksun (ceremonial founder) of the city, while the ghosts have crafted their own government to rule in her absence. Especially with the fall of Stygia, the new Hezed has become the primary location in Netheos which is safe from spectre predation, with no direct routes into the Labyrinth, and ghost refugees from areas now ruled by Deathlords or roving bands of Ija spectres have poured in towards the region.
In conjunction with Lytek, Varanim has engaged in a long-term plan to ensure the Exaltation of a custom-selected Shadeborn target in the Arcadia region, and within the last two weeks, a soldier by the name of Courteous Lian provided just such a target.
In one effort she has engaged in during this time, Varanim has sought out news of Luc's descendants. As an individual who, in the First Age, produced a great many offspring, a number of lines existed at one time, but many terminated either in the late period of the First Age or in complete die-outs during the Contagion. In the present day, Varanim has managed to locate four families whose descent traces back to Lucent's descendants -- and just recently, the singular ghost of an individual who seemed to match the description of one of Luc's great-grandchildren.
Varanim assisted Zahara in the process of retrieving Ebon's monstrance from his deathlord in a harrowing but entertaining adventure.
Piercing Ivory has (after a great deal of difficulty) arranged for Varanim to speak to Pluto, and Verbena has produced a fairly comprehensive catalog of mid-Creation's Shadowlands, indexed by size and accessibility.
On the day of resumption, Varanim finally overhears something interesting on her bug of the Mask of Winters: a conversation between the Mask and the voice of the Green Lady, with the former exclaiming that he's "found it," and discussing his intent to launch an expedition to the far south in pursuit.
Zahara
Zahara has, in conjunction with Cerin, Phoenix, and Imrama, engaged in an active process of beautification and cultural advancement across the Sunlands. Presented with the option, every region between the Yellow River and the Sunlands proper except Great Forks and the two Deathlord-controlled regions have chosen to be absorbed into the Sunlands. A grand cultural exchange and initiatve towards education have been launched; Kingsfield has begun to gain a reputation as a center of great learning to which scholars from other nations seek to journey.
Under Zahara's direct tutelage, Cathak Tojiro has risen to become the new Treasury-Master of the Sunlands, working in close concert with Bertrand in directing economic activity within the Sunlands. Kialo, a Dragon-Blood Outcaste who arrived in the Sunlands a year previous, has similarly risen to serve as the director of a newly-unified system of justice managed by Zahara and Cerin in concert, which integrates directly with the Sunlands police and a series of traveling magistrates to provide fair, honorable judgments to all citizenry of the Sunlands.
In addition, especially with the addition of a cultural exchange program led by Phoenix but aided by the use of Zahara's rumors and bureaucratic abilities, the Sunlands has become the beacon of the East, a shining example of a near-paradise in a world largely gone to hell. On the positive side, these efforts have produced a measurable improvement in the satisfaction of Sunlands citizens and an increased dedication to the Sunlands military, which now numbers more strongly than ever before; on the negative side, the Sunlands has become a magnet for refugees, and some difficulty has been encountered in settling them.
Zahara has sent Reaver to Pelaraja to meet with his kin, and although she knows that he yet lives, she has learned nothing else of his experience on the island.
In her personal time, Zahara has begun to make semi-regular trips into the Wyld with Riordan, where he has begun to guide her in constructing a villa of the mind, intended to aid her in constructing the shape of her future, in absence of the stresses of Creation and rulership of Creation's greatest nation.
Zahara teamed up with Spring to find out more about the history of Akuna, to use against him in the inevitable conflict to come; together, they learned the shocking secret of his past!
Zahara had arranged with Varanim to assist Ebon in recovering his Monstrance, and after a harrowing adventure (the details of which are yet to be told), succeeded in doing so.