The Curse
----------

The bells tolled for midnight in Magnagora, hailing the arrival of the
22nd of Shanthin in the year 471, as the Crimson Lady sounded her horn
with urgency, suddenly making way for the docks. Aboard the vessel,
captain Yishka Feyranti was met by Geomancer Sabella, Shango d'Cente,
and Avurekhos Feyranti, before other concerned citizens gathered to hear
her words as well. Hearing that the skeletal captain operating the boat
taking Magnagorans to and from the Spectre Isle appears to be missing
and things upon the island itself are amiss, Magnagorans split into
groups and set off to investigate the matter.

Not knowing yet what she has stumbled upon, Adal n'Kylbar has been
amusing herself with the skeletal captain's drunken antics at the
Wailing Woman Inn when the Fist of Luciphage, Avurekhos, stumbled upon
them, soon joined by a handful of others. The captain, however, was of
little use in explaining his own absence until Aois-Dana Vatul Feyranti
got another round of drinks for the table. At that the captain revealed
that a curse appears to be hanging over Spectre Isle and serfs sent to
recover valuable ectoplasm for the city's Necromentate have been fleeing
white as sheets.

Meanwhile, Sabella came face to face with the very curse being discussed
as a peculiar kind of spectre assaulted her at the Isle. Having heard of
the captain's whereabouts, she brought the ectoplasm of the vanquished
foe along with her to see if he might know more about it. He did not,
but seeing the dreadful thing was all the motivation the captain needed
to get back to his post at speed.

Hunting parties have formed upon the Spectre Isle, amongst them some of
the city's high-ranked citizens such as Councillor Lavinya d'Murani,
Mystagogue Kailanna n'Kylbar, Sohei Eicia n'Kylbar, Commandant Mrak
n'Kylbar, and Kanaya n'Kylbar; soon joined by the young and eager
Penitent Zlo, Maeko i'Vipere, Violinist Ophir, Drauzgot n'Kylbar, and
Hegemone i'Vipere. Right and left were the increasingly more powerful
dark spectres slain to lift the dark pall hanging over the ruins. Amidst
cold, flesh-rending winds, the Magnagorans toiled until they happened
upon the spectre of Rudzine Reltine, who sought to drive them away. They
would not have it, however, as ectoplasm is a vital resource for the
city. The battle that ensued brought forth the last of the dark spectres
and with the final killing stroke, the curse has been lifted and the
isle preserved.

The Prophecy
-------------

Ever the inquisitive minds, Magnagorans analysed the dark spectres with
the assistance of Seritul d'Vanecu and, deeming them safe enough to
utilise, processed them into the Necromentate. Reservations held by some
appeared to have been well-founded soon after when the Necromentate
uttered an ear-piercing wail and sought to break free of its restrains.

Its keeper, Kunthin Shadowarm, has assured the city, however, that it is
a regular occurrence, often resulting from a prophecy brewing within the
Necromentate and needing an outlet. The efforts to coerce the prophecy
have been joined by Urieth n'Kylbar and Penitent Azherani and within a
day Sabella heard the ominous words:

"FORETOLD BUT NEVER FOREWARNED, THE SCIONS OF MAGNORA FUMBLE IN
IGNORANCE, SUBSERVIENT TO THE FATES. ACCEPTANCE IS A SERF'S SUBSTITUTE
FOR CHOICE. WHEN DARKNESS DESCENDS UPON THE BROKEN EMPIRE, THE NINE WILL
MARK THE BEGINNING OF THE END. IN THE BLOOD SPILLED, RUST AND CHAOS WILL
REIGN THE ENGINE AND THE TIME OF EMPOWERMENT WILL BE YOUR UNDOING. IN
DESTRUCTION, TRANSFORMATION. IN FEAR, STAGNATION."

The very mention of "the nine" sent those versed in the old ways into a
speculative frenzy. Marcella n'Lochli argued it must be the Ninth House
come to operate within the city again, despite its alleged ruin. Posts
were written, information spread from mouth to mouth, discussions were
held in gaslit parlours. Even guards were posted at the tutors of each
of the Guilds should the Ninth come after them. But the city was quiet,
save for the bells rejoicing for midnight.

The Ninth
----------

Such is the oft-accursed manner of prophecy that it comes in
least-expected forms and under unfathomable guises. It was the 22nd of
Roarkian, exactly a month since a curse befell the broken empire at the
heart of the Sea of Despair, when the suspicious behaviour of beggars
caught Marcella's eye. Pursued by both her and Rolsand D'Cente, the
beggers kept fleeing, pleading innocence even as they ran in terror.
Managing to pry a location out of one of them, Marcella went looking up
and down Wraith Lane.

There, prominently displayed in the middle of the street, a viscanti
nobleman laid slain. His horn smashed, an illegible brand upon his
chest, and his body drained of all lifeforce, the corpse was a puzzle
for the increasingly sizable crowd made up of Kalas Cyna, Avurekhos,
Azherani, and Kalas Osun. While citizens investigated the corpse on
their own, Urieth set off to alert the Constabulary. Returning to the
crime scene with a constable in tow, he learnt that a note had been
found in the nobleman's pocket, suggesting he was on his way to a
meeting with "M".

While some tried to work out a list of noblemen whose names started with
the letter, others debated the very public and peculiar nature of the
murder. The state of the corpse suggested either it had been drained by
an illithoid or with the use of Necromancy, neither of which were
appealing options to consider. As the constable set up a perimeter to
preserve what was left of untouched evidence, a connection has been
drawn between the letter and one of the statues lining the street -
Regent Muneer of the College of Necromantic and Tainted Arts.

Sabella and Kailanna set off to inspect the college but found the
regent's office empty expect for a fresh bloodstain. Having scoured the
entire College, they found the regent in one of the rarely-used side
tunnels. Unfortunately, much as the unfortunate first victim, he had
been drained of all lifeforce and thus unable to be brought back with
Necromancy.

At this point the city was ablaze with theories about the murders and,
more importantly, the murderer. Could it truly be the Ninth come to
purge the city? Even more concerned, the citizens set to guarding their
tutors and the three noble creators of the Necromentate with renewed
vigour; while others called upon every citizen to complete a rollcall.
But all their tireless work was in vain as more and more bodies were
found, all bearing the same characteristics of a drained and devastated
body.

As a bloody moon rose over the city, talk of anti-viscanti sentiment was
on everyone's lips. Each victim was a viscanti of respectable standing
in the city, their hallmark horns, tail, or wings - shattered, broken,
or pierced. A viscanti girl with crumbs of a crotamine-laced cookie was
the first child found, but there were others. The Constabulary had been
set on high alert and the Commissioner himself, Irumba Shadowarm, had
visited the crime scenes.

While the city seethed, Madame Yith, the illithoid tutor of the
Ninjakari, had been found accosted by concerned citizens at the Wailing
Woman Inn and blamed, as an illithoid, for the murders. Urieth, Kanaya,
and Kailanna diffused the situation but tension continued to grip the
city. Using the occassion, they visited the crime scenes with the Madame
in the hopes she could shed light on the possible illithoid connection
but they had little success.

Joined by Vatul and Maeko, the Magnagorans theorised while the Madam
used her psionic powers to search through the city for anything out of
the ordinary. It dawned upon the city then that eight victims had been
found thus far, one less than the contentious number mentioned in the
prophecy. Just as debate was about to start on the subject again, Yith
announced she sensed another victim, bringing the total to nine and the
discussion to an abrupt and uncomfortable end.

On full alert again, citizens sought high and low until Vatul and Maeko
stumbled upon a shocking scene deep in the bowels of Magnagoran sewers.
Upon a crude altar to Illith, a husk of a body lain spread, barely
recognisable as Rasshid d'Sifal, the crier. Sending Maeko to alert the
Commissioner at once, Vatul paced up and down the tunnel, considering
the dire ramifications should such a discovery be made known to a city
already at a brink of a riot. But she was not to make a choice there as
other search parties stumbled upon her, the number of those in the know
rapidly growing.

The moment the Commissioner arrived, the site was locked down, a warrant
for the arrest of any and all illithoid issued, and citizens sent on
their way. Having little choice at this point, Kailanna, Vatul, Maeko,
and Cyna ventured through the sewers into the Ninjakari guildhall to
confront Madame Yith, knowing well that should she wish not to be
restrained, there was little they could do.

What occurred there is unclear, except that that time a choice was made:
the illithoid had been banished from the city and the Ninjakari Guild
disbanded on the 1st of Estar, 472 years after the Coming of Estarra. In
the wake of this momentous decision, black banners started showing up
across Magnagora with a crossed through symbol of Illith and a call to
arms, "Justice for the Nine! Down with Leviathan!"

The beginning of the end, the ninth victim had sealed the fate of the
Ninjakari.

The Interlude
--------------

Not long into Estar, the Iron Council disclosed a statement proclaiming
the banishing of the illithoid to be a tactical decision, much to the
surprise of the growing anti-illithoid movement. Not trusting what had
appeared to have been a set-up of some kind, the decision was made to
relocate the illithoid for their own safety until the investigation is
over and their reputation can be cleared. The banners, nonetheless,
continued to appear in spite of crews sent to dismantle them.

While the city digested the latest developments, a peculiar incident on
the 21st of Estar called attention to the Tower of Dark Fates occupied
by the Nihilists. Veritus n'Rotri, the renowned first Heresiarch of the
Nihilists, had sighted a figure skulking through the tower and called
upon the Nihilists to join him in pursuit. The figure was long gone by
the time Avurekhos, Urieth, and Kailanna arrived, but they tracked its
movements down to the unlocked office of the Heresiarch, her doors to
the peak of the tower left wide open.

They could not find anything amiss but they were not given long to
search the premises as in the dull, hazy orange glow of dawn, a
constable had been found swaying upon a makeshift noose by the docks.
First on the scene, Rolsand could do little to help the familiar face of
the Constabulary as the constables had never been invested with a seed
of lichdom. He was soon joined by Brauthik n'Kylbar, Yasmina i'Vipere
and her siblings Hegemone and Maeko, and a handful of the city's
officials, all investigating the scene of the crime with varied degrees
of either fury or concern.

The constable who arrived to secure the scene identified the victim as
Constable Maseem but could do little more than stare speechlessly and
leave, clearly in shock. It was with the arrival of the Commissioner
that the investigation truly began, focused on the cryptic writing
pinned to the victim's chest reading, simply, "ten". Magnagorans broke
up into groups to discuss the theories as pale rays of dawn turned into
a grey, grim morning. By the time a team arrived to cut down the body,
the citizens found themselves with more questions than answers.

Why a number on this victim when others did not have one? Why was the
body not drained? Was it a copycat? Was someone trying to subvert
prophecy or mock it?

The answers were not to be found that day as the ground shook underfoot,
resonating from the Tower of a Thousand Hungers. While half the city was
tied up at the docks, Veldrin D'Cente and Sabella were trying to calm
down Mistress Jezebel of the Geomancers who, upon investigation of an
odd noise in the hall, had found a statuette of religious importance
missing. Such was her wrath that the very city shook in the aftermath
but the statuette was nowhere to be found and no additional passageways
had been discovered in the tower despite clear evidence to the contrary.

Meanwhile, in the Tower of Inescapable Damnation, Shango, Alexin
n'Kylbar, and Olwyr were keeping an eye on Captain Avarath and the tower
itself. Given the intrusions reported in the Nihilists and the
Geomancers, and the affair at the docks, they were determined to keep
the Ur'Guard secure. And indeed, their efforts paid off when bloodhounds
caught the scent of enemies within the tower. Joined by an ur'Guard
Grand Marshal, they searched the tower top to bottom but found little.

It was only when the Grand Marshal left to investigate outside and
beneath the Necropolis, that she stumbled upon something that quickly
resulted in her death. Discipline empowered that one, however, as she
rose from the ashes a lich and continued to pursue her attackers with
the fierceness of Nil.

Distracted by the commotion beyond, the Ur'Guard split up, leading to
Captain Avarath encountering assailants on his own. Shango's prompt
arrival sent the figures fleeing and he found the Captain injured but
bereft of his famous black scale armour which the attackers had taken.
Furious with himself and vowing to skewer more of the culprits, the
Captain had been sent off to recover with Olwyr in tow.

Meanwhile the fearless Grand Marshal had been bested yet again, her
spark extinguishing felt by all the Archliches in the city. Certain she
can be ressurrected if found quickly enough, Mrak set off to search the
city but it was Urieth who had found the Grand Marshal's body below the
Silent Cathedral, a hastily scribbled "elven" on her clothes. As
Magnagorans gathered to investigate with Shango's permission, they
beheld the particularly cruel and vehement assault the Grand Marshal
faced as her body bore the signs of a struggle against at least half a
dozen attackers who had beaten her to death.

Furious and helpless in equal measure, Magnagorans departed to consider
the confounding events of the day while the Grand Marshal had been
brought to the Constabulary in the hopes she would yet lich.

The Dark Prince Rises
----------------------

In the depth of the night, an echoing chant resounded from the rooftops
on the 24th of Estar. Magnagora's older citizens recognised the tune for
what it was immediately: trouble. The sound of a flare echoed from
somewhere in the Necropolis as a trail of fire climbed the Tower of
Insufferable Cruelty higher and higher. Orange against the gaslit night,
the flame dramatically swept about at the very top, completing a jagged
circle - a cog - that continued to burn.

Confirming the suspicions, the Cogs in the Smog, Magnagora's infamous
gang, emerged from the shadows of the rooftops in startling numbers.
Atop the smouldering tower, a lone figure stood proclaiming himself the
Prince of Rust and leader of the gang. Staring down the city, he issued
a challenge to the Iron Council to accept the gang as a rightful guild
now that the Ninjakari were no more and a seat free for the taking. He
had but time to give the city a month to decide as the Commissioner
himself forced his way into the disused and locked down tower, leaving a
taurian-shaped hole in the steel doors.

Commissioner Irumba was joined by Eicia, Ophir, Zlo, Cyna, and Avurekhos
in inspecting the premises but all they found was dust, the gang was
long gone and so was the Prince. In their place, a red silk banner flew
at the entrance, proclaiming the formation of the Cogs in the Smog guild
and the oft-misspelled details of their recruitment and advancement
process. There, at the very bottom, the answer to unresolved questions
was written plain for all to see: the sceptre of the Heresiarch,
statuette of Gorgulu from the Geomancers, Captain Avarath's sword or
armour, the mysterious thing from the Ninjakari. All the artifacts
required for one of the gang to be elected the Prince of Rust. All the
artifacts gone missing just days prior. The very last entry, "a swing
across a play's opening night", puzzled the gathered group but Shaddus
confirmed such had indeed happened years ago.

The Cogs in the Smog were back, and with a leader to unite them.

Iron and Rust
--------------

A month had passed, days flying by fast as the Iron Council debated
their choices. On the 21st Urlachmar, the Commissioner met with Eicia
and the Warlady Rideta Feyranti herself to discuss the progress of his
men's investigation. Joined by Vatul and Lavinya, and eventually many
more, they debated how much of what has occurred was true and how much
had been staged by unknown parties. It did not escape their attention
that the last, eleventh, victim, had been kicked to death, the very end
that one of the Cogs in the Smog had met at the hand of Ixion's boot a
few years ago.

Many more high-ranked officials gathered at the council chambers,
including Kailanna, Mrak, Kalas Ixion, Shaddus D'Cente, Sabella, and
Ellowyn d'Murani, and the conversation continued on into the evening,
even as Irumba Shadowarm left to attend to his duties. Then, just as the
Warlady had been planning a ploy to trick the Cogs and the bells tolled
for midnight, a knock resounded on the glass of one of the windows. A
tall lanky figure stood just beyond on the windowsill and the time for a
decision was upon the Iron Council.

Slipping into the room nonchalantly, Ysamal, the Prince of Rust faced
the gathered nobility with wit and charm. The negotiations heated the
moment Ysamal faced Ixion, however, calling them even for the death of
one of the Cogs with the death of the Grand Marshal. A fight ensued in
which a few spectators were injured until the Warlady contained the
situation with an iron fist. The self-proclaimed Prince took it in
stride but the tension was palpable.

Refusing to entertain Ysamal's fancies, the Warlady demanded answers:
What do the Cogs offer and what do they ask for in return? The attempt
to trick the Prince might even have worked had it not been for the final
demand, to oust and behead Ixion, which Rideta would not stand for. Not
fazed in the least, Ysamal argued that the Ur'Guard had little to offer
and half the time claims sovereignity and indepedence of Magnagora,
while the Cogs would be loyal and able. His words rang true as he
extolled the virtues of his comrades, who had been banished as children
into the Undercity, condemned into the darkness and never meant to
achieve anything. And yet, they have risen, having defeated greater
obstacles than any of the privileged Magnagorans ever face.

Still, the Iron Council would not heed his request, refusing to accept
the Cogs in the Smog as an official guild without proof of their loyalty
and goodwill. Cursing their refusal, the Prince began to pace the length
of the council chambers, desperately trying to explain his urgency
brought upon a society of some manner treading on his people's toes. The
Warlady word was final, the Iron Council would bend for no one, and the
Prince left in a blink of an eye, warning them that they shall reap what
they had sown.

Somewhat rattled, the Iron Council and its advisors turned to debating
what to do about the tower the Cogs had claimed when a powerful
explosion shook the entire city. The plan to burn the Tower of
Insufferable Cruelty to the ground had been foiled by the Cogs
detonating it in a show of defiance, ever one step ahead. Those who
managed to stay on their feet rushed outside of the Tower of Midnight
Domination, the seat of the Iron Council, to behold the destruction.

The entire southeastern tower was aflame, rubble blocking the passage
around it. As teams rushed to put out the flames, the foundation of the
tower gave way and collapsed upon the tunnels beneath the Necropolis and
onto the symbol of the Demon Lady Nifilhema. The Nihilists felt that
moment painfully as their pacts to the Queen of Insufferable Cruelty had
dissolved in that very moment, signalling that the symbol broke beneath
the wreckage. With one of the five restrains upon the Necromentate gone,
the dome of darkness shielding Magnagora disappeared, leaving the city
open to attack.

The dark bodies of nighthawks flitted across a suddenly empty and bright
sky, fleeing from the nearby Bell-Tower which had caught fire. In the
wake of their departure, the ancient gargoyles turned to leave but their
bulk and slowness held them fast as the tower collapsed upon itself. The
city stood transfixed as their beloved Bell-Tower turned into a
smouldering ruin, their efforts insufficient.

They fought fires for the remainder of the day but when night finally
came to cloak the city, cool and dark, only silence welcomed it at
midnight.

Rust and Chaos
---------------

A month had past, the city still held fast in a grip of fury and
outrage. Of all the things that have transpired, the destruction of one
of Magnagora's most famous landmarks had felt like the gravest assault
against the city. So much so that Alexin had begun to walk the streets
at night, yelling 'BINGBONG!' to announce midnight, much to the approval
of many a citizen.

The troubling matter pertaining to the lack of Nifilhema's symbol
remained unresolved but the Necromentate managed to be restrained by the
sheer number of spikes hammered in. A solution was, however, on its way
as the Nihilists were called before the Supreme Master Luciphage on the
17th of Kiani and sent on a mission that Urieth had toiled on for the
better part of the month.

Meanwhile, on the 20th of Kiani, riots had started in the streets as the
Cogs in the Smog turned their attention to the city. Fires have sprung
up all over the city, put out with water and elemental ice, but the
sheer amount of incidents resulted in utter and complete chaos. If it
wasn't animals at the Zoo being let loose, it was the docks. If it
wasn't the Constabulary, it was riots on Wraith Lane. The entire city
was on high alert.

Then, on the 21st of Kiani, a mysterious woman came calling upon the
Iron Council and refusing to state her business in public. Even in the
face of Supreme Commander Thalkros' wrath, barely restrained in the face
of his city being on fire, she would not bend. It was Archmage Nefera
who convinced him to hear her out and they left with bodyguards Marcella
and Ixion in tow. Immediately after the Iron Council spoke with Jamilah,
the city was mobilised to gather for an assault on the Cogs
headqauarters suggesting the lady had somehow been involved in locating
it.

The group that answered the call consisted of Azherani, Cyna, Avurekhos,
Veldrin, Maeko, Hegemone, Mrak, Shango, and Rolsand, joining the
aforementioned Councillors and their guards. Into the depths of
Magnagoran sewers did they descend, going further and lower than even
the rats and eels usually go. There, led by Jamilah, they came across a
door marked with a handful of symbols.

With Marcella's and Jamilah's help, the plinths were aligned and the way
in opened but Magnagorans remained on the outside, wary of the vicious
traps they had been warned about. Ixion was the first man in and the
first ghost out, proving the truth of the warnings. Cyna went in second,
attempting to scout ahead in ghost form but multiple monolith-like
mechanisms prevented her from bringing the party further in. There was
little to be done but to attempt to dismantle the traps.

Their first foot in the door, Magnagorans searched the entrance into the
Catacombs carefully. One of the wanted posters for the gang hung over
the entrance, a symbol of pride and a mockery of the attempts made at
capturing them. The traps posed a fair bit of difficulty at first, the
mechanisms entirely foreign to the Trackers who attempted to dismantle
them. It was Hegemone who managed to dismantle the first trap and from
thenon Marcella, Azherani, Cyna, and Maeko all assisted in the process.

On through the tunnels they went, passing rows upon rows of skulls of
various races, until they happened upon a den where Ysamal, the Prince
of Rust, waited with the remainder of the Cogs. It is fortunate the den
was sizable enough as the fight was long and brutal, leaving the
cobblestones stained with blood of both friend and foe alike. In the
end, Ysamal surrendered and taken into custody, cuffs slammed onto his
wrists by Marcella. The assault party emerged from the sewers victorious
and deposited the broken leader into the hands of the Constabulary
where, this time, one of the Cogs would be held in a locked and secured
cell so that none may take justice into their own hands before the Iron
Council passes their judgement.

The Baleful Desire
-------------------

Just as iron bars slammed on Ysamal, Urieth had completed the task
bestowed upon him by the Dominator of the Midnight Legions, Luciphage
himself. On the 22nd of Kiani, Magnagorans joined Urieth at the Throne
of the Beast and beheld the empowered artefact known as the Foul Amulet
of Baleful Desire, once used to cast a curse of Nil upon Supernal
Raziela, the Loving Radiance. Joined by Brauthik, Ophir, and Kailanna,
the group who had braved the Cogs headquarters, had launched for the
Holy Land of Celestia.

Allowing Urieth to carry the amulet forth and do the deed, they sought
out Raziela and, using the amulet to weaken her temporarily, executed a
quick, tactical strike to gain her soul for the Supreme Master.
Celestians were quick to respond with Taevyn Ladyn and Kaimanahi Ladyn
throwing themselves at the assailants despite their numbers, but by then
Shango had already absconded with the body and was on his way to the
Throne of the Beast. The soul now in his hands, Luciphage vowed to have
Nifilhema use the soul as a vessel to craft a new symbol of her dominion
over the Prime Material Plane.

Outraged at the vehement assault, Methrenton called Celest to his side
and urged them to use the Flowing Staff of Sanctification to cleanse the
Shrine of Loathys deep in the mountains to the south. Kreon Zayah,
Kaimanahi, and Tridemon Regalis were quick to respond, purifying and
sanctifying the shrine. Now, working for the first time in centuries,
the shrine was able to be used. Directing his attention to Magnagora,
Methrenton called forth a host of fiery angels to assault the city
itself.

With the Necromentate weakened and already in a berserk state, the fiery
angels pierced through the protective dome over Magnagora and started to
wreck havoc on the city. Duke Ashtorath was set to command his army of
demons to come fight the invader but never arrived, instead vanishing
from Nil in mysterious circumstances along with Nifilhema. Magnagorans,
however were quick to engage the angels but so was the Necromentate,
breaking free entirely and engaging an enemy that challenged its psychic
powers. Ixion chased after the Necromentate but it made off without him,
facing the fiery host at the theatre gardens and falling by their hand,
skewered with lances. The death sent aftershocks throughout Magnagora,
damaging the already fragile architecture.

Magnagorans were successful in repelling the enemy but not without a
cost. More souls rose from beneath the Necropolis, free and vehement for
revenge, and gaping cracks opened up throughout the city, filled with
damned souls writhing within and pleading for the Supreme Master. Unsure
what it is they are dealing with, the city visited the Supreme Master
upon Nil to inquire about the phenomenon. Unsurprisingly, Luciphage had
already been waiting for him, ever one step ahead.

In the conversation that followed, everything appeared to finally click
into place and a prophecy uttered months ago appeared as clear as day.
The cracks in the ground revealed the foundations of the Bulwark of the
Damned, a project which had been put aside in the past due to the
Necromentate being a safer option. After Project Cosmic Hope the city
was in a dire state and chose a path of least resistance and refused to
pay the price the Bulwark demanded.

But the Magnagora of that time was no more, it was stronger, better, and
it had gorged itself in the Times of Empowerment. And so the Warlady and
the assembled Iron Council knew the words of the prophecy to be true:
"In destruction, transformation. In fear, stagnation". It was not the
time for careful deliberation, for council sessions, and gathering of
votes.

It was one of those pivotal moments that change everything, and so the
Warlady simply said, "There is no greater city in existence, none more
powerful in deed and will, than my Magnagora is now. What is the cost?"

And the Supreme Master responded truthfully, "Death and destruction."

"This price troubles my city not," Rideta retorted, setting the city on
a new path.

In Destruction, Transformation
-------------------------------

Guided by one of the Supreme Master's servants and a master of
Necromancy, Seritul d'Vanecu, Magnagorans descended beneath the
Necropolis, seeking out the ritual chamber that had seen better days.
There, led by Archmage Nefara, the Geomancers Sabella, Marcella and
Kanaya made the very earth tremble, casting down walls that hid the rest
of the chamber away from the world. In the long-forgotten alcoves, they
had come across enormous emerald-hued soulstones, one beneath each
symbol of the Demon Lords.

Having explored and investigated the soulstones, the city gathered
around Seritul who had revealed the d'Vanecu to have been behind this
necromantic achievement, even if never finalised. He urged them to
hallow the ground with blood sacrifice before the ritual may commence.
The Necromancers Kailanna, Vhaedryn d'Vanecu, and Cyna were all but too
eager to oblige and so Kanaya, Mrak, Marcella, Osun, and Shango were
sacrificed, each one at a different soulstone and each one a willing
volunteer.

Next, the soulstones were empowered by the Necromancers channeling the
power of those around them into their hungry depths until they shone
with an eerie effulgence and the whole ritual area was bathed in a
spectral green light. Dark chanting began to rise and fall across the
Necropolis as the city gathered at the heart of the ritual chamber to
await the Supreme Master. The dark seeds of lichdom were infused into
every Magnagoran that they may fall and rise again.

At the heart of the gathering, dark mists parted to reveal the Supreme
Master come to stand amongst the citizens in person, walking the Prime
Plane hand in hand with Magnagorans. He urged the city to ready
themselves for the Ritual of Damnation, the subjugation of the Dark
Arts, and uttered the rallying cry of the prophecy, "In destruction,
transformation. In fear, stagnation!" And with that he was gone but his
malignant presence pervaded the ritual room.

A mighty congregation had flocked to the bowels of the Necropolis, come
to herald the dawn of a new age. Amongst them Allyra, Kanora, Eicia,
Avurekhos, Asyel, Ophir, Cyna, Sabella, Osun, Shango, Vhaedryn,
Marcella, Veldrin, Mrak, Vatul, Urieth, Ixion, Alexin, Kailanna, Kanaya,
Jerica, Nefara, and Rolsand.

Come to take the Supreme Master's place at the centre of the room, the
Warlady began the ritual, and the city followed, repeating the words of
the Supreme Master over and over as a fervent prayer, a rallying cry, an
urgent demand. The chanting was low at first but as the ritual
progressed, the voices gained in intensity until they blocked out near
everything else. Above the din, the Voice of Jagrerox played a chaotic
melody, lured by the death and destruction.

The energy continued to build, the air growing thicker and near
tangible. Above ground, a tower had collapsed in a wave of destruction
brought about by the sheer power coalesing underground. The chanting
continued relentlessly, pounding with the force of countless hammers as
hands were clasped and feet were stomped. And just as midnight struck
silently, a blast of unrelenting power burst forth from the depths of
the Necropolis and into the skies above, filling the firmanent with a
sea of damned souls.

And just as it rose, destruction rained back down upon Magnagora. The
Black Towers crumbled beneath the backlash of malevolent energy and
every single citizen beneath the Necropolis had their soul ripped out. A
wave of darkness rippled out across the Basin, filled with the cackling
of the Demon Lords as the very city was being transformed and its Guilds
torn asunder.

Beneath the Necropolis, twenty-four liches reformed from murky miasmal,
rising anew to behold a new age, an Age of Ascension, and at its head
the Supreme Master himself. The souls writhing in the skies above came
thundering down in a vortex swirling about the Megalith of Doom. From
which, thousands of souls, armed and armoured, poured out riding
skeletal steeds - the Midnight Legions had come. Onto the ramparts of
the city did they climb, infusing with the very walls and forming a ring
of darkness about Magnagora. The rest unfurled like a banner of darkness
across the Basin, snaking across the Sea of Despair to attack New
Celest, a trail of barren land in their wake.

The Star of Celest flared brilliantly in defiance, seeking to repel the
dark army. It held for what seemed like an eternity as the Midnight
Legions assaulted the barrier again and again with feral howls until
finally it shattered and the Star shared the fate of the Necromentate.
The undead poured into the city, tearing everyone who stood in their
path to shreds. Bereft of their Star, the city of New Celest fought
valiantly, defending from the swarm, but the shanty town outside of
their walls escaped attention. In the light of the morning, once the
city itself was safe, Celestians found the shanty town ravaged and the
once-pristine shore of the Inner Sea awash with blood of the innocent
and forgotten.

Meanwhile in Magnagora, the dawn of the 25th of Kiani could not have
been more dreadful and beautiful at once. The Necropolis was in ruins,
the scent of sulfur hung in the air, and small fires continued to
smoulder. The Guilds of the Ur'Guard, Geomancers, Nihilists, and the
Cacophony were no more, but the citizens had never felt more united.

The Times of Ascension
-----------------------

In the aftermath of the the Ritual of Damnation, the city gathered to
discuss the future on 15th of Juliary in the year 472. The gathering in
the council chambers was joined by the Lady Jamilah, revealed to be part
of the Society, Jhairus d'Murani, an ancient lichlord found in the
Catacombs the Cogs had seized and awoken by the city, Mistress Jezebel
of the late Geomancers, Mistress Afifah y'Bolgari of the late Cacophony,
scientist Snaikka i'Xiia, High Priest Alaron y'Bolgari of the late
Nihilists, and Duur Thergar of the late Ur'Guard.

In a lengthy discussion that followed, it was decided that the city
would rebuild to house three new guilds rather than return to the same
old structures. The first was to be the Iniquitous Society, suggested by
Lady Jamilah and bent on facilitating progress and ambition in the city.
Then the guild of the Heralds of Dark Fates, suggested by Jhairus
d'Murani and seeking to spread the Dark Faith of Magnagora and utilise
it as a tool of ascension. And finally, they would form the Infernal
Mandate demanded by Nahum, the Grand Marquis of the Legion to honour the
pact with the Dominator to bring about the domination of the Basin.

Penned by My hand on the 5th of Vestian, in the year 475 CE.