Heroes and Villains Lore Primer

An OOC Note:Welcome to the lore doc for the Heroes & Villains campaign of WU. Here you will see the context of what characters who are native to this timeline understand to be true. Some of it will be phrased in context of what’s changed from the canon WU timeline simply so it is easier to follow. If you have any questions - please feel free to reach out to Stacey or Dan (Cerigosa/Dearheart or Lyodormu/dansierraboreas)

Prelude

They say that if a butterfly flaps its wings in a pandaren forest, its echoes can change the way the winds blow half a world away….Maybe you were there as it unfolded.. Maybe you’ve only come to understand since being enfolded into the safety of the Everguards.. Maybe you still don’t fully understand how one person could go to the lengths Omnior Ultimos has.What could cause someone to want to break a world? To break a timeline? To break all timelines - as long as there is a Unity among them.

What happened?

Once upon a time, a red butterfly flapped its wings. Ripples of fear, of pain, of horror washed over the Unity. They were forced to endure the schemes of Revanthos as he attempted to lure the Unity to the Gate - but in the end they prevented him from most of his machinations. That was not without sacrifices…Amongst those was the loss of Cerigosa - first to the possession of Celysagosa, and then a second time to the kidnapping of Revanthos as he intended to sacrifice her life force to the gate. Through heroism and a united front, Wyrm Unity arrived in time to stop that from happening. They made a choice to go down and save Cerigosa.In this timeline, that did not happen.Yuegos, keeper of the Oathsworn, was an important guide along the way as the Unity attempted to face the Dragon’s Wrath. That gentle man was beset with grief at the loss of first his wife and son, and then again at the kidnapping of Cerigosa. He made a proposal to the Unity… use his life force instead. Place his spirit into the remnants of Revanthos’s shattered sword, forge him into a necessary key - let them save lost loved ones that way.Standing upon the Ouroboros, in a circle meant to symbolize how they all were part of one another.. The Unity argued, and debated, and voices became bitter. How could they sacrifice a leader? How could they say it was worth the cost? Is this what the Unity was, to trade one life for another?In the end, nearly split in half, The Unity here in this timeline chose to sacrifice Yuegos.And it all fell apart.Without a firm but gentle hand to guide them - anger, fear, betrayal… the Unity began to crumble.They could not rally themselves to go to the gate. To go save Cerigosa.And that anger, that fear, that feeling of betrayal grew stronger moment by moment in Lyodormu’s heart.His love was dying below. He was alone, and no one would listen to each other. Each moment grew darker, like the setting of the sun.No one saw him go down to the gate.
No one is quite sure how he stopped Revanthos.
But the man who came back up was not Lyodormu. A battered and broken Cerigosa would not speak of the horrors she witnessed below, but she could speak of one thing with certainty. That man who had held her in his arms as he ascended the stairs from the Gate was not her love, and he had started to change things around him - to do unspeakable things to those he felt had betrayed him and his love for Cerigosa.Fleeing the person she now called Omnior she began to gather former allies around her to try and stop him; he had become fixated on vengeance against the world because of a love that first he had lost and then spurned who he became.

How has the world changed?

It was subtle at first. Some people simply disappeared - this happened even before Lyodormu went down to the gate. Was it so strange, really, that Pyliphra, with her own concerns of the Nightmare, simply stopped coming by? Was it so odd, truly - that Zaelinastrasza took Yuegos’s sacrifice hard to heart and one day was simply gone?Then one day, Cerigosa reappeared, shattered and broken and trying to warn whoever would listen that something was terribly wrong with Lyodormu. That same evening, the sun set and never rose again.Things go on but nothing seems to change. The trees do not wither and die, held in a state of waiting. The oceans still move but the tides do not go in and out. Crops remain but they cannot last forever…A stillness fell over the land, and the infinite rose. Beyond that - Omnior closed the Timeline. No bronzes that remained could get word out for help. Many bronzes that tried found themselves succumbed to the rising infinite themselves, and chaos slowly started spreading throughout the world. Enough so that it was easy not to hear one voice seeking aid amongst it all. Dragon Queens and mortal nations had their own issues to deal with as former aspects turned, and the darkness in the land led to the uprisings of various cults and dark factions.Even when someone COULD get word to someone that might prove an ally - Omnior always seemed to find a way to be one step ahead.Able to rewrite history as he saw fit, he could change the way former allies might see people. Make them forget they’d been asked for help. Make them forget themselves… some of the Unity were discovered as such. Rewritten to be shadows of their former selves. The powerful Oathsworn of Strength who now only remembered how to hold the blacksmith’s hammer, and could not recall ever having been in a battle at all. The once fierce half nightmare now a shy, quiet emerald. And changes within time’s ripples echo on, when something is rewritten it changes much around them and through the timeline.And not everyone wanted to stop Omnior. Some found it easier to join him. Some found it simpler to bargain with him - spare themselves and those they cared about. But the world remains shrouded in an unending night, and one by one the Unity was shrinking…The world will not last in this unending darkness.

What’s to be done?

In a small hidden valley within Pandaria, Cerigosa created a powerful ward to hide people from Omnior’s ability to see them. She did so with all she had left of the Lyodormu she loved - a single bronze scale embedded within her side. An exchange once made of love.She was aided in this ritual by a new ally, who appeared just at the right time. Perhaps those of the Unity - no matter the timeline - will always find each other. Kothar knew a thing or two about secrets, and how to keep them. Any who enter Dawnsgard Hollow will keep that secret safe, knowing how to get here, but unable to divulge that secret to those who would do its inhabitants harm.Now shielded from Omnior, in the Dawnsgard Hollow a resistance began to spring up - named The Everguards and led by Cerigosa and her friend and now closest ally Aterius Jadewind.Together, Cerigosa, Aterius, and Kothar found any of those who had been of the Unity or other allies they could and brought them to sanctuary here within their small Hollow. Some were ready to fight. Some had already been rewritten and needed to be protected. Others simply were offered refuge in a timeline that was crumbling.Cerigosa still believes firmly that Lyodormu can be saved from what he is. It is that she is fighting for, the return of her true love. She knows the truth of Omnior’s existence.Not everyone agrees with her - some think that after all Omnior has done, he should be destroyed instead of suppressed.Together, the Everguards will need to make a choice.

Where does the start of the Campaign find you?

In an already dark world, things have been getting darker. Losses have been piling up, this was most keenly felt when one of the original Everguards, Kothar - was caught by Omnior. This presents both a terrible loss and a threat if Kothar’s will and ability to keep a secret is broken.But not everything is bleak - in the darkness a lantern of hope. Recently, an unexpected arrival occurred. One Lyridormsa Dawnscale found her way into the Hollow - something that should have been impossible given no one had divulged the secret of its existence to her and she shouldn’t have been able to enter or exit the closed timeway. Yet, find her way she did. She professed to be a daughter of Lyodormu and Cerigosa. That she had felt whispers along the timelines of a terrible darkness and threat to the Unity, and found herself here.She told the Everguards she was going to get help - to ask her allies in the Unity of her timeline - to see what they could do in the fight against Omnior. If she could bring them here, she would.She once made a promise to protect the Unity no matter where or when that threat was.And once you make a promise… you have to keep it.

Session 1: The Closed Timeline

And so Lyridormsa Dawnscale did - with great effort - make her way back to the Unity to seek their aid. Many agreed to try and help, though Lyridormsa with regret asked Solun Whitegrave to refrain from coming, her face full of concern.All Lyridormsa asked of the Unity was a meeting, a short one, just to see what aid could be offered to the Everguards. That was all it was supposed to be. Yet when her sand funnel began something unexpected happened.A small bracelet upon her wrist shattered - given to her by a beloved “sister” with a promise that it would only break in a time of great danger, as a way to warn of impending trouble.Lyri’s voice trembled with fear as she looked across the Ouroboros, calling out to Caereaux - and then infinite lightning struck her directly in the chest.The chaos that ensued dragged most of the Unity into the funnel, and threw others whom had intended to help outward.Those that had found themselves pulled through the timeline were in a state of disarray, torn to distant corners of a bleak abandoned former farming community. Above a cold moon hung in the sky. Scared refugees spoke to the Unity of the troubles of this world, and then a roar echoed across the valley.Lyridormsa Dawnscale was in desperate trouble.The Unity rushed to the noise, and found themselves face to face with Lord Omnior Ultimos - who had Lyridormsa locked in time herself, frozen in an infinite moment.The battle that ensued was desperate, and Omnior himself seemed in particular to target the other bronze and infinite amongst them. During the battle Chandrei called out to one who had not been seen amongst them after their entrance into the new timeline - Kalej. With that name upon her lips, a portal suddenly appeared amidst the fighting - heralding the arrival of the Everguards. Amongst them was the High Priestess of Alarei'shinu Kalej, the emerald songbird Juhira, the grass snake Nanfeng, the guiding star Boreliagosa, and a cold taciturn azure known as Boreagos. The call came from each to retreat - this was not a fight they could win.Shortly after that - Omnior launched himself at Lyridormsa Dawnscale and she vanished in a whirl of black sands. Not before he turned his eyes to Caereaux however, with an ominous curiosity. With his prize in hand though, Omnior left, and the Everguards ushered the Unity to safety.Now finding themselves stuck in a land of eternal night, and told they must remain in the safe shroud of Dawnsgard Hollow, the Unity found themselves face to face with one of the leaders of the Everguards - the half nightmare Aterius Jadewind. He bid them to rest and take comfort while they could - when Cerigosa returned there would be much to discuss.

Session 2: The Everguards

Within the week a meeting of Unity and the Everguards began - heralded by the return of Cerigosa in her search for Lyridormsa, a pursuit she admitted she’d had frustratingly little success in. Whatever Omnior had done, Lyri seemed well hidden from them for the moment.As the meeting progressed, Cerigosa explained the state of their world to the Unity, and also the downfall of Lyodormu. A downfall that seemed to be entwined with one man - Whitegrave. The cultist had encountered Lyodormu in his darkest moments, as he tried to find any way he could to go down to the gate to save Cerigosa, and an offer was made. To take pieces of his soul away and help him become effectively immortal. To steal himself for what he would have to do to face Revanthos and save his love.And so he did… and with each carve into the fabric of his being, Lyodormu became a darker person. One that Cerigosa could not accept as she was carried up from the gate. To know the things he’d done in order to rescue her filled her with fear, and she fled him.And the rage continued to grow in Lyodormu’s heart - that it was the Unity’s fault that she had gotten to this state. The Unity had betrayed them both, and it was the Unity that she now fled to - continuing to fill her head with lies that he’d done anything other than what he’d had to. They would pay - as Whitegrave said - with their very souls.Cerigosa, however, had not given up hope. She professed her belief that Lyodormu could yet be saved, his soul restored. Over the years they had made calculated determinations as to the locations of each shard of Lyodormu.Juhira stepped forth, explaining that Kaldrion - the Crown Jewel - likely was a guardian of Lyodormu’s soul now.Having left the Unity shortly after the sacrifice of Yuegos and never looking back, he was the keeper of the Goldhorn. He ascended to become the Crown Jewel itself - a myth among the Goldhorn about a chosen savior from the black dragonflight; Who would drench themselves in saronite and azerite both and become the pinnacle of balance between them both.Omnior was seen visiting Kaldrion some time ago - and the rumor Juhira had gathered was that Kaldrion accepted a proposal. It was with warning that Kaldrion himself was immensely powerful that they proposed they approach their former friend and see if they could determine why he’d made the choices he’d made - and if at all possible get him to ally himself with them once more.The second orb Aterius explained was believed to be within the ocean - near where they’d pursued Amphrivus and the Rift of Aln many years ago. Omnior had been seen talking to Pyliphra, who had originally guided them there - and it was a spot that held deep personal meaning to him as it was the place Cerigosa was ultimately lost to him at the hands of Revanthos and the means of a terrible choice the Unity had been forced to make.Getting to the rift would be no easy task however, as it was within the Leviathan territory, and the Leviathans were known to all be mad now. Save for one… Hamachi. Hamachi keeps to their reclusive selves on the Veiled Isle, the guardian of the Ghost Lotus Springs. If they wish safe passage to the depths below.. They’ll have to seek Hamachi’s aid, and that means making sure tongues are gilded and offerings to the self styled God.Cerigosa’s attention turned to the third soul orb - reporting with a heavy tone they believed it to be in the hands of their friend Kothar. Kothar had been captured by Omnior and Whitegrave as he searched out secrets for them. He’s been spotted, half mad in his raven form, streaking across the lands with a golden bauble believed to be the orb attached to a collar on his throat. Cerigosa and Aterius believe that he’s meant to be a trap to lure the Everguards to them - but part of Kothar is resisting it - flying ever onward and away to try and keep them safe. It has been a heaviness on them for far to long - Kothar needs to be rescued, and perhaps with the Unity’s aid they can finally do so.That left only one other orb - and Boreagos was not hesitant to keep it succinct and to the point. Whitegrave, as the one who had done it in the first place, no doubt was holding onto a piece of Lyodormu’s soul still. They would not be able to finish this without going to face the Soul-Warper himself - one way or another.With all the pieces laid out before them - save the largest, that within Omnior himself - Cerigosa hoped they would be able to find a way to put Lyodormu back together. She had faith he would spend the rest of Ever trying to repair what atrocities he’d done to these people and these lands.But Aterius quickly interjected that wasn’t the only choice. They could simply kill him. Omnior had done to much to to many - he’d never ever be Lyodormu again knowing all that. Nor, he thought, would many welcome him - Aterius chief amongst them. Restoring Lyodormu would not bring back the thousand’s he’d killed. No - kinder to end it and let this world heal on its own.Cerigosa’s shock was swift and evident - and her already frail health seemed to deteriorate quickly before their eyes at the very proposal - and Unity and Everguards both fell into a tense debate. What was to be done with Lyodormu’s soul…This was only interrupted with the arrival of Ananke.The reincarnated goddess of fate had a warning for them."The bells will toll three times, and one chime will fall - the purest tone. Death is coming, you can't stop it - it's simply the way it is. But in that sacrifice, the Hollow will be spared. His gaze will turn away, foiled at the loss of the foe, and turn instead to the blood.”The Everguards thanked Ananke for her council, though there was some tension evident amongst the Unity who knew Ananke as her other self.Warning in hand, there was not much more to be done for the night. Rest was proposed, if for no other reason than to let everyone cool off after the powerful but short argument between Cerigosa and Aterius.Cerigosa ended the meeting with one request - that as soon as the amulets that Boreagos and Zanrigos were working upon to give the Unity safe passage outside The Hollow were complete - they be ready to fly for the Isle of the Goldhorn and seek out a lost brother.

Session 3: Black Sheep, Come Home

With the work of Zanrigos and Boreagos complete, and the amulets tested, the Unity prepared for the flight to the Isle of the Goldhorn. Their landing was met with suspicion, not with the arrival of the Crown Jewel - but instead his sister, Myraexes.Telling them the Divinity had foretold of their coming - she made clear that she held no love for the Everguards. That if they wanted to prove they were even worthy of speaking to Kaldrion, they must follow the traditions of the Goldhorn and pass the trials. She demanded tales of them - wanting to know of them and what made them think they had any chance at success in their crusade against Omnior.The Unity and Everguards did not disappoint. Many were willing to step forward - to tell tales of their past. What they'd endured. Why they kept going. Of their faith in each other. Of their faith in the coming Dawn...Myraexes remained stern, but finally a clapping sound did reach their ears - the Crown Jewel had been listening all along, and seemed satisfied at what he'd heard. Did he trust them? No - but he was willing to hear them out. He led them across the Isle of the Goldhorn, where they witnessed the endurance of Kaldrion's tribe. Many did note though.. the form of Tenebria within the Lava, overcome with Azurite after her failed trial of the Crown Jewel.Kaldrion led them to the Weeping Rock, where he laid out several further conditions if he was to assist them. The soul shard remained his - they would return it at his demand. All they had learned and were to learn here were secrets - to be spoken of to no one. They would come for aid if he called for it, without hemming and hawing about it. His siblings would be allowed safe passage within the Hollow, if they desired it. And lastly... they needed to drink. One final test - the Heart's Trial. He offered forth a waterskin filled with tears of the pool beside him, and bid them sip.Each and every one of the Everguards and Unity did so.Kaldrion seemed well pleased at this, and showed them one final truth. All with the tears of Saronite now in their blood were shown a vision - of what happened when Omnior approached him. Why Kaldrion had made the choices he'd made. Kaldrion confessed he was well aware that those who drank the Saronite tears were protected by Omnior's ability to rewrite individuals - something about the different strains of Void preventing him from doing so. Kaldrion had dropped everything to become the Crown Jewel in order to protect the Goldhorn and those he saw fit to do so. Omnior threatned the Goldhorn, knowing that Kaldrion was now a dangerous enemy - but he'd spare them if Kaldrion agreed to his bargain. Protect a shard of his soul, and he wouldn't simply wipe the Goldhorn off the map. After all, Kaldrion always was a cunning individual - who better than to hide something as important as a shard of soul? He'd consider not simply killing Kaldrion a favor to Cerigosa - who he claimed had always had a soft spot for the former Oathsworn.And so the bargain was struck, and Kaldrion had kept the secret... until now. Now - instead, he chose to trust the Unity again. The Goldhorn also would no longer endure this endless night. Retrieving the piece of Lyodormu's soul from deep within the pools of the weeping rock - Kaldrion returned it to Cerigosa, and agreed to assist them henceforth as they attempted to bring back the Dawn - as long, of course, as they kept to their end of their bargains...

Session 4: Beneath the Waves
Part 1

With offerings prepared and treasured gifts at the ready - the Everguards and Unity ventured to the Isle of Hamachi to appeal to the God to grant them safe passage down to the Rift of Aln. There within Amphrivus's lair far beneath the waves, their theory was that Omnior had hidden a shard of Lyodormu's soul there - had been obsessed with the place ever since Cerigosa was kidnapped there. Omnior had been seen talking to Pyliphra - who had brought the Unity there many years ago... but with the Leviathans carnivorous, mad, and circling in the waters they would never reach it now without divine intervention.And so Hamachi greeted them - knowing they would come. They smiled pleasantly enough - as they sat within their temple, and watched with eager intent as the Everguards and Unity prostrated themselves before them and made offerings of importance and sacrifice.Tokens of lost fathers, lost wives, unremembered lovers. Promises of Union and nervous kisses. Trinkets that warded off impending doom. Works of art created from the heart that may be the very last that heart was able to give.In a moment of surprise to many - especially Cerigosa - Boreagos stepped forth and offered a confession as his sacrifice. That he was not of this timeline. No, he had come here because of a promise he had made to himself - never to let the tyrant Omnior take anything else precious to him. That on only his twelfth day he had watched his Ann'da and Minn'da destroy each other - as the Omnior and Cerigosa of that timeline clashed at they both fought over his fate. He would defeat the Omnior of this timeline as well, the strongest of all. He would always protect Cerigosa. He had made a promise to himself.. and he would keep it.Cerigosa was well and truly in shock that yet another of her children of the timelines had found their way to her - and that Boreagos had kept this secret all this time... but she barely had a moment to process it before Hamachi instead turned to her with eyes bright with interest. They stated with intense firmness that from Cerigosa.. they wanted everything she had to give.Cerigosa attempted to give them the diadem of Lyodormu, one of the few things she had left of her truest love, but Hamachi's gentle scolding came. No - no trinkets would suffice. What they wanted from Cerigosa was to show the truth of how far she would go to save Lyodormu. Hamachi leaned over the slighter woman, studying her as she lamented how Cerigosa had been lying to all. She was not the same woman that had been taken by the red butterfly - no, weakened, diminished, dying.. and letting herself do so, trying to maintain the illusion. Hamachi could see Cerigosa's path before her. She was dooming herself, and by extension them all. She could not fight a war on two fronts, trying to save Lyodormu and still maintain what she was now. No... if Cerigosa was to prove to Hamachi that they could once more find the Dawn, she must embrace the path of the butterfly... embrace the unknown, and be transformed.Without another word between the two - Cerigosa quietly reached back and removed the tattered remnants of her neckerchief - the only thing that had been holding the fel shard that had been in her heart since birth at bay. The Unity and Everguards had no time to act before Cerigosa let herself go - ensconced fully within green flame as the fel lept to life - roaring throughout her body.Cerigosa could not fight a war on two fronts - and she knew who she would choose every time. If letting her heart burn was the only way to save Lyodormu, than let that be the light to guide him home.Hamachi's cold laugh filled the room even as Cerigosa burned - satisfied they agreed to take the group down to the depths where the shard of Lyodormu awaited.

Session 4: Beneath the Waves
Part 2

The Rift of Aln, where the Nightmare breaches Azeroth. A maddening place that hungered - and had long been empty. Many years ago, the Unity had been forced into a battle there with Amphrivus - one of the spirits of the swords that would have opened the Gate. Now the Unity and Everguards had to confront it again, and many within the group swam before the entrance down to the Rift with trepidation.Still - if they were to see the Dawn, they must persist, and so swim down they did into that dark nightmarish place. It was worse than they could have imagined... full of the Nightmares influence, the Rift swirled silently before them. Directly below it was the massive corpse of Amphrivus, long dead and petrifying now. Curiously, he was stabbed through with two swords that many recognized - the shells of Saraphynos and Yuegos - which had once been the sword of Revanthos.It did not take long for Solun and Zaelina to sense other presences. Both were coming directly from within the mouth of the dead behemoth. One, unsurprisingly was the shard of Lyodormu's soul that they'd come for. Still Solun could also sense a spirit waiting for rebirth... a wildseed? Only moments later Zaelinastrasza knew exactly who it was.Pyliphra.And as the Wildseed sensed them back - all present were overtaken by a vision. Pyliphra had indeed brought Omnior down to the rift - without being aware that it was no longer Lyodormu - and Omnior murdered her in cold blood to ensure she could never bring anyone else back down here. He shoved the shard of Lyodormu's soul and her body both into the corpse of Amphrivus, and then vengefully stabbed both swords into the maw of the creature to rot with it.But as Pyliphra was reunited with her mother Ysera at last in the Shadowlands, she knew the truth of it. She could not leave the Unity - her Unity - to face Omnior alone. Omnior could not steal her dream. And so she had struck a deal with the Winter Queen, to come back and warn the Unity. To be reborn. How cruel a misfortune then that her Wildseed remained trapped within the monster.. languishing in its captivity.As the vision faded, something else sensed the group - the Rift of Aln itself. It roared to life, began to play tricks on their minds, whispering in their ears.In horror the group watched as one of their own, Mythria - began to be pulled into the Rifts swirl. And so a desperate struggle began, with some trying to coax Mythria back, some trying to pull open the jaws of Amphrivus to free the shard and the wildseed, and yet others trying to push back the rifts influence on the group as a whole.With teamwork and good fortunes, time and time again the Unity managed to coax back those who had fallen prey to the Rifts attentions; though it seemed for one heart stopping moment that Kelrion was about to be consumed by it. Yet in a desperate effort Solun used his own ability to communicate with souls to beseech the shard of Lyodormu to help them - to act - and the chamber filled with a blinding Light that redeemed the fears of Kelrion and allowed him to escape at the very last second.Finally - the Goddess Chandrei managed to wrench apart the jaws of the petrified Amphrivus - and the Wildseed drifted forward on a current. Before their very eyes it began to flourish with life, pushing back the Rift once and for all - as Pyliphra was reborn. She greeted them with both love and sorrow, lamenting her past life and what she had done to them. The influences that had pushed her to betray them and hurt them. She would never be that again, and instead swore her service to them to make up for all that had come before. The Unity had been formed by her and Ryxtria - she would guide them again once more.Cerigosa carefully retrieved the shard of Lyodormu's soul from within Amphirivus's mouth, though it had fallen silent again after its mighty effort to save Kelrion.This time.. the Unity all swam up from the Rift together - no one was left behind.And so with relief they found themselves in Cerigosa's tower again. Another piece of Lyodormu in hand, a powerful ally gained. Quickly though they found their heads pounding, their ears ringing... something was calling them. The Rift had allowed someone to glimpse them - and Omnior's cruel voice whispered in their ears. He taunted them, just for a moment. But someone else was calling too... and that call was more powerful still."I'll find you.... find me....."Ronsard was struck most strongly with it.Kothar. Kothar was reaching out to them after all this time...Could they free him now? Where was he exactly? They were all caught in the loop of unending night.... but what if it wasn't a loop? What if it was a spiral. They had to change the trajectory - climb up again. Find him....Kothar was waiting.

Session 5: The Secrets We Keep

The week was long for many, and despite searching and scrying - Aterius and Cerigosa had gotten no farther in figuring out how Kothar had reached out to them - where he was. Together they called a meeting to discuss what other steps they could take to bring their lost friend home.Their words faltered, their brows furrowed - and then a great caw burst through the silence. A spectral raven appeared and sped toward one man - Ronsard. Instantly the Doctor was struck by a vision, of Kothar - flying through a cemetery - many others chasing at his heels to capture him as he tried to break free - to reach the Unity. The vision faltered, Ronsard to shaken to speak before Boreagos stepped forward and pulled the lingering magic back out of the man and teleported them all instantly to Kothar's location.There they were met with a tumultuous scene. The mad Raven flying above a graveyard, one eye kept steady on the Unity and Everguards below.. but they weren't the only ones there. Instead many of the Rewritten and Omnior's chosen had come for Kothar - they faced off against the Ice Lich Kelrion, The Black Hole Spira, the Umbral Force Raumigos, The Bandit Prince Duestrasz, and in the back.. the Artificer Kha’uun.The two squared up against one another. Both had come for Kothar - neither would leave without him. So the battle ensued. Unity and Everguards struck against those who would do harm to their loyal friend. There was ferocity on both ends. The battle only got more dangerous when they realized Veiltorn's trained assassin Ruinclaw was also on the field, as he mercilessly stabbed Caereaux. Shayir attempted to call out to her brother, Kha’uun - but save for him telling her once that she had to leave - NOW - he did not draw his eyes up from whatever he was working on in the back of the fighting. It did not take long for some of the Unity to realize the Rewritten were redirecting any attack against the Artificer.. and soon they came to know why. Kha’uun almost sadly held up an expertly crafted bomb within his palm, he looked at his sister as it began to detonate. Within that moment the black hole Spira scooped up the Rewritten - pulling them away to safety.. but as for the Unity.. they heard the detonation of the blast... and then a thundering Caw. Their last vision before everything turned white was of the mad raven suddenly shifting forms, becoming larger than ever they could have imagined.....Before they found themselves within a demi-plane where Kothar had been tethered by Omnior. The Keeper of Secrets was held by the whispering of a thousand thousand secrets of others.. driven down by the weight of them all and barely able to keep control of himself. How could the Unity set him free...? Ronsard knew the answer. They had to break the tethers once and for all.. a few more secrets of their own - to sacrifice for Kothar's freedom, and he could be their ally once more.So they did.. but not without trepidation. Secrets of their lives in the SI:7. Secrets of sisters, brothers, loved ones murdered. Secrets of worlds devoured, and secrets of true identity's...Boreliagosa Dawnscale stepped forth in Kothar's moment of need and revealed the truth of herself. She too was one of Lyodormu's and Cerigosa's children - but of the Unity's timeline - not yet born where they were. That to save her sibling Lyridormsa as well as parents that did not know her, she'd come. She'd hidden herself away here for four years - and she would make sure this timeline had a Dawn. She was their Guiding Star.And as each secret spilled forth, the tethers binding Kothar did indeed weaken. It did not come without risk, the platforms that bore the Unity began to break - but time and time again they aided each other to getting to safety... until finally one more secret was revealed by Kothars love - though not of this timeline... Ronsard revealed he had not been mortal for some time now - no indeed he was now Elétéyézének'vow - the fixed point in the Well of Stars - and as he flew close to the last tether on Kothar it snapped and their long lost friend was finally free...They suddenly all found themselves back where they'd left from - the devastation of the bomb seen in the distance - but more importantly... the Everguards Kothar. He was not the same person he had been.. haunted in ways beyond imagining. But he slowly removed the third soul orb of Lyodormu from around his neck as he tried to speak.. a repeated noise.. tick tock.. tick tock... and once Cerigosa took the soul shard from him he was finally unbound. He managed one last bloodied smile, a hand raised in farewell. "Sweet dreams, chickadee..." and then he took his raven form and flew away, nevermore.Things do not always go as we wish them to... Kothar could not remain with them after all he had been through.. and all their secrets had now been laid bare. None so large as....
Their communicators flared to life. Kaldrions's voice was harsh. Omnior's army was approaching the Goldhorn and they'd made a promise to him - he demanded they get there. Before they could even process that.. their communicators flared to life once more. Hamachi warned them that they were under attack - the Leviathans finally having allied with Omnior. They needed aid now. Things were now desperate... But to which should the Unity go to? There communicators flared to life once more.. Nanfeng was shouting - warning them that Omnior and Whitegrave had come.. the Hollow was safe no more. Three bells had rung.. and death had come. They could not avoid it.Juhira's communicator line opened. It was Omnior's voice that came through it... "It's time to make a choice Aterius."Omnior had long blamed the half emerald half nightmare for all that had befallen Cerigosa. It was irrational.. and now he began to prove why. Why did Cerigosa still trust Aterius when she'd turned from Omnior himself? Why did she stand by Aterius when he'd left her at the gate - and Omnior had given everything for her... No - he wanted Aterius to prove he was no different than he was. He wanted Aterius to make the same choice he'd had to make. He expected Aterius to spare Juhira by dooming the others. Aterius almost did so.. before Juhira's pleading voice reminded him that this was not who he was. "It doesn't matter what he thinks you are. What they think you'll choose. Love doesn't move us to cruelty It's the fear-- the fear. You're afraid. But I'm not. Don't be scared. It's going to be alright.”Aterius could not deny his daughter... in the background Whitegraves crooning voices noted with interest the turn of events as his counterpart Solun let out a defeated noise.Omnior would permit them a farewell, but it was Omnior himself that Juhira addressed in that moment. That Cerigosa still loved him, and love wouldn't hurt him. That Lyodormu shouldn't be scared... Cerigosa was coming for him, they all were. That they'd save him. And in that moment Omnior faltered.....They all heard Whitegrave's sudden approach - The thud of a hand on Lyodormu’s chest, as if wrenching the heart beneath his breastplate. Solun and Juhira both begged him to stop, to leave Lyodormu alone, as Whitegrave crooned that he'd be willing to do the killing, to help spare Omnior the mercy he was hearing creep into his voice. Omnior instead tried to convince Juhira to join him... but it was far to late for that. They all heard as Solun attempted to break free - and the swift and terrible noise of reproval from Whitegrave, crunching bones and sobs...No. there would be no more mercy. Whitegrave would see to it, and Juhira began to sob, knowing this was indeed the end...Omnior asked for it to be painless, and Whitegrave stepped close, prepared to do the deed. Instead of letting Whitegrave do it on his terms, Aterius told her to Dream... and when she asked if he would help her, he did the only thing he could to say goodbye to his daughter...He sang... a soft lullaby that soothed Juhira's heart. Until they were all forced to listen as it began to stutter... and stopped.They were left with Whitegrave's soft murmur of "Love is..." as he took the very soul of Juhira, and Omnior's somber reminder of a one week reprieve for the choice made. Thereafter the time freeze that had blocked them from the Hollow lifted.. and Boreagos teleported them back...To the lifeless corpse of Juhira in the middle of the Ouroboros. Aterius said nothing. Would look at no one. Eyes only for Juhira... whom he tenderly scooped to his chest before stalking off.Eleven children.. each gone. What more was left to be taken from him? No... there was no more reason to keep it back.. all these secrets we keep. No more reason not to be what he'd been fighting all along.Those around the Ouroboros could only watch as the Hollow began to simmer with a negative energy, and then each green tree within the Hollow turned a vivid blood red as Oleander took flight.

Session 6: The Root of All Evil

The week had been long and impossibly hard. Grief was like that.. though not all was for ill. A memorial was held for Juhira, her statue joining the others on the path to the graveyard as the Hollow found solace in each other. More than that - a group led by Sairissa and Cerigosa went to find Aterius. He agreed to return with them.. and he also agreed to let Lyodormu live. No - there was no punishment in death - and he wanted to be sure the man never knew peace. Still.. in the end, he did not succumb to the name Oleander, nor did he stand by being Aterius. He simply told them to call him as they viewed him. And all agreed, to them Aterius he remained.Now, Cerigosa and Aterius stood before the Everguards and Unity - planing the attack against Whitegrave. Their week was almost up.. they had to take the fight to him. They believed they knew where he was, but the flight to him would be dangerous and likely they'd be harried by spirits the entire way.That is when Chandrei explained what had happened to her. What she had seen. What she knew now, the clarity she had been granted in the beating of twin hearts within her - joined to Alarei’shinu. Solun was suffering. Whitegrave preparing. She would be able to take them immediately to him. There would be no desperate flight to get there - they could take the fight directly to him.And all are prepared to let her do so... to end the one who has been such a threat - who had facilitated such cruelty. And with a touch of autumn's feel - Alarei’shinu, Rei - brought them all to Whitegrave's necropolis.He didn't seem so shocked at their arrival. No - always a level one, Whitegrave. He calmly explained that he understood their rallying cry had become "love will set us free." He certainly expected it to become a phrase that haunted them.. Well - that was their lesson to learn. He had a second one to teach them as well, and for the first time they all saw the incredible power that the Soul-Warper could bring to bear.Thousands of spirits flooded the area - anguished cries reached the Unity's ears as those spirits re-lived their last moments. Worse than that came the moments that Whitegrave would summon forth one of their own - which he did - again and again - trying to force them to attack the ones they loved. Alythadora Jadewind, Aridia Runesong, Wiccana, Chlorigosa Jadewind, Belfort Ronsard, Lazugos, Zexitztlia. Each was summoned before them.Still - there were many skilled with the knowledge of the Soul amongst the Unity and Everguard, and when a lost soul was summoned - the Unity fought viciously to wrest them from Whitegraves grip, so that one more time each spirit could stand joined with the Unity upon the battlefield.Eventually Whitegrave deemed it time to go to his well of souls - and summoned up the ghost of Revanthos - forcing that red butterfly to unleash the Mindbreak upon the battlefield so that he could get into the Necropolis uninterrupted. Once they were able to move and think once more, the Unity saw they'd been left to face four of the most powerful souls at his disposal. Aren, Vox Ira, Vycerion, and Zaelinastrasza.The Unity knew they could not hesitate, and swiftly took to trying to suppress the four powerful spirits that could not help but give their all against them. Mint and Kelrion both took point on drawing their ire. Powerful blows matched each other - until eventually all four were felled with shouted apologies to the Unity. A last cry for them to bring back the Dawn.With the way to the Necropolis opened - the Unity and Everguards rushed forward. They heard as Whitegrave called to Omnior - that the Unity had arrived, and now was the time to stop hesitating and end them once and for all! And they listened as Omnior spurned him - discarding him once and for all - saying that he'd have cared if only Whitegrave had not carved out his compassion. Whitegrave again showed no fear... with a soft sigh of disappointment he discarded the last soul shard of Lyodormu - containing his love - into the soul well. Now instead he embraced the truest power he had - stepping between realms and assuming his spirit guardian form, prepared to kill them and likely knowing he would die as he did so.The battle continued, and amongst it Ronsard set to finding the man who had been kidnapped - Solun. Though he should have been well shrouded - never underestimate the determination of a doctor to save a patient and friend - he was able to pierce the veil that Whitegrave had shrouded Solun with to find the broken and unconscious man - his legs twisted at terrible angles.In a rage at what Whitegrave had done.. at all that Solun had suffered, at the loss of Juhira, and with the encouragement of his other self whispering in his ears... Kothar finally struck the killing blow - devouring Whitegrave whole.The Unity and Everguards watched as in that instant, the spirits who had been held by Whitegrave were freed. They drifted amongst them, ascending to the Shadowlands. No more fear.. no more torment. And as the rush of souls trickled to a stop, three remained behind - to say goodbye.Alythadora, Chlorigosa, and Juhira Jadewind. Juhira gently held forth the soul orb of Lyodormu that Whitegrave had discarded, giving it to her father Aterius. In her other hand she held the soul of Whitegrave, gently removing the pall of the corruption that had been laid over it by the Cult of the Damned and restoring the soul of the spirit healer back to its full self - ready to join her in peaceful death.And the Unity and Everguards were able to say goodbye, to one they'd held so close to their hearts. Love - indeed - had set her and all those who had come before her free.Aterius said a last goodbye to his daughters.. and holding hands they all ascended upward. Juhira left them with a last song, and in the end... the feeling that in the Afterlife, they would all be fine.As Juhira, Alythadora, and Chlorigosa faded from sight - Aterius gently put the soul shard of Lyodormu into Cerigosa's hands. They were one step closer to the Dawn. And the Unity one step closer to home.In the end Love had not proven to be the Root of All Evil - but instead simply the Root of All.

Session 7: The Way Home

Cerigosa and Aterius stood before the Unity and Everguards one last time - explaining the battle plan to all before them. The time had come to take the fight to Omnior. Fifty days. Fifty days the Unity had been trapped within this timeline. Not another night - It was time for the Dawn.The four soul shards of Lyodormu were safe with the Unity, and the week had been spent empowering them and restoring the strength of Lyo's Faith, Hope, Empathy, and Love. Now... all that remained was to get to Omnior himself, and make Lyodormu's soul whole once more.But where had he gone to...? The answer had become painfully clear through both Dream visions had by Lyodormu's and Cerigosa's children from alternate timelines - Boreagos, Boreliagosa, and Caereaux - as well as a prophecy from Shayir. Omnior was at the Gate - where he held one Lyridormsa Dawnscale, attempting to break her will and turn her infinite in the same place he had lost everything.Their arrival was met by a horrible sight - Lyri trapped in time and forced to face the Gate as Omnior pushed her to understand that the Unity was the enemy, had always been. The Infinite was slowly creeping up on the poor girl, she would not last much longer. Upon seeing the very object of his enmity arrive, Omnior devolved into full madness. He cursed the Unity - and Cerigosa for breaking her promise. With no sanity left in his eyes he insisted that if the only way to get Cerigosa to be with him was to drag her Home to the other side of the damned Gate - that's what he would do.A frantic skirmish began as Omnior attempted to open the Gate before them. Several rushed to free Lyridormsa from her trapped state, while many tried to keep the Gate from opening - both by holding it physically shut and others distracting Omnior from getting it open.As Light was fed back into Lyri and the Timelock unwound, at last she broke free as her sister Caereaux pulled her out of the dark sands.Omnior refused to yield, he intended to destroy the Unity. In an instant the dark sands that had surrounded Unity instead lashed out around the room, becoming a terrible dark sandstorm, and when the Unity was freed from it they found themselves in a place between timelines. He snarled that he had seen the Unity's Past, Present, and Future. And that they would learn their own hubris as they were forced to look each in the face.Within moments two gates nearby began to activate... and from each came a foe; one from the past and one they currently were at war with. The Singer and Anakrmi. Neither hesitated to once more unleash their full prowess against the Unity in tandem. They seemed all too comfortable with each other as they sought to maim and rot those before them. After a tremendous battle Shayir dispersed the Singer with a Light empowered bullet and Elinastrasza burned away Anakrmi with a healthy burst of flames, and the two returned to the Sands.Still the battle was not over..From a third Gate came a new face, one the Unity could only believe would be trouble in the future.. something called The Withered. She attacked with Void and Nature - and cryptic words of the spaces between stars were hinted at as she fought them. Eventually a Light empowered arrow nocked by Mythria felled the creature at last, leaving only Omnior to face them.And so an intense battle began as he descended upon the battlefield proper. Aterius wasted no time in issuing a challenge and the two dragons quickly came to blows as the rest of the Unity joined in. Tooth and claw, spell and sword, everyone knew they could not hold back or they may never see home again. And it was Hyuehue, who finally felled the massive infinite - with the help of their Light touched ethereal mother's spirit - with one mighty last bite to the snout of Omnior.As Omnior went crashing to the ground, stunned by the blast of Light, the Unity found themselves back in the Temple of Kinship - long abandoned though it was. They were no longer alone. Juhira, Tenebria of the Goldhorn, and Whitegrave were all here in their spectral forms. Quickly each of Lyodormu's children surrounded him - holding aloft a shard of his soul. Whitegrave attempted to assist them in knitting the man back together.It was not enough.No, Lyodormu had always relied on others to maintain himself - he needed that reminder now - of what the Promise of a new Dawn could truly bring.. for each of them.And so the Unity and Everguards all made a promise. To themselves. To the future. To what they could change of their past. To what brighter days they could bring.. would bring. For once you make a promise... you have to keep it.And as each person spoke forth their promise, and as Whitegrave and his children each reinforced Lyodormu's soul... the man known as Omnior was finally banished and Lyodormu stood before them once more.Lyodormu knew there was little he could say to make up for all that he had done. The terrible choices he'd made. He could only make a promise of his own.. that he would work for the rest of Ever to try and set right what he could. He would know no peace, take no rest, until he had done his part to make this world a place of joy once more.Cerigosa walked forth as if in a daydream. After one thousand nights without him.. was he truly at her side again? He softly took her hand, and apologized for losing his way. That he had never meant to cause her so much worry and pain. Cerigosa told him that though what he'd meant and what he'd done were two separate things.. but in the end - she'd known that they were always fighting their way back to each other. After all.. they'd made a promise of Ever to each other, hadn't they? To always be one another's - a love eternal. And once you make a promise.....They resealed that vow with a kiss, one that lasted three long heartbeats... and with it? The Dawn finally came....And so too.. did the end of the story. The Unity had done it, they had restored Lyodormu, and brought the sun to finally shine down upon the Everguard again. The Everguard that would now be a Unity once more, rejoined in purpose - to see the world set right. It would take a long time.. but they would walk this path together.Now too, the time came for the Unity that had been trapped within this timeline to return home. And so Lyridormsa gathered them, and in a gentle wash of sands that no longer felt cold and terrible, but instead contained the warmth of the sun - they found themselves standing within their own Ouroboros once more.They'd barely had time to register their own return before a joyful squawk of a much much younger Lyridormsa Dawnscale greeted them. She had an announcement she was so enthusiastic to make that she'd stolen her Minn'da's communicator in the excitement! She was a sister!And so the wheel had turned one more time... but there was joy in that too, yes?At long last the Unity was home.