The First Land Herald/427-04-34

Article Number: BI-71

Dateline: 427-04-34

PREDICTED CATASTROPHE COMES TO PASS Despite many strong objections, rogue mages Aerathor and Aaoskar went ahead with their foolhardy plan to perform a group prediction within the Astral Plane. According to Mistanna, who was present at the event though not participating, the mages at the Taisgath gathering began by studying the sky together to better understand the celestial portents. They then proceeded to the Pillar of Convergence within the Astral Plane, whereupon the attempt was made to look upon the Web as one, still with the puzzling aim of looking to the past. During the ritual, Mistanna felt disturbing ripples in the Web of Fate. She heard a voice that she described as "a thrumming buzz with metallic overtones" insert itself into her mind: "Defilers could never resist walking through an open door, and now your insolence compels you further. You dare attempt to break every window in a house that was never yours! Hopeless children can only corrupt all that they encounter. These desperate circles have only ever had one end. This path is already perfectly set, as it is for all things, and it leads rightfully to your much deserved suffering!" Mistanna then detailed a pale visage with striking red hair, which flashed into her mind before manifesting in excruciating pain. It was as if two crossed daggers were stabbed into the back of her skull, exiting through her eye sockets. (Of some note, Pelag ai Aldam is said to have red hair.) Simultaneously, a starlight harbinger hauled its way through air that had become porous, its ten luminous limbs stretching for purchase. Most or all of the mages present were slaughtered by the being and fell out of the Astral Plane. Mistanna reported that those who participated in the ritual circle said they did not receive any visions. Unfortunately for those of us in the Plane of Abiding, Court Mage Miskton was mistaken about the danger being confined to the Astral Plane. The Crossing Moon Mage guild was invaded by zenzics, starcrashers, and the starlight harbinger, which was reportedly a creature of immense power. Aashja said that the harbinger "blew to shreds... more than ten of us all at once... People that are far beyond capable... just destroyed." Thankfully, Mother Whiteburn's group was poised at the altar to Harawep in the Crossing Temple. Although at first we were set upon by two foul Necromancers, these were either dispatched or removed by the guards, and we were ultimately able to focus on our prayers in peace. Mother Whiteburn gave a sermon in her usual, bracing style, and we prayed continuously as the rogue mages were preparing and entering the Astral Plane. As time passed, we began to see disturbing ripples pass over the silver cobwebs inlaid into the altar. Just as the webs seemed like they would shatter, a cluster of spiders, representing myriad species, emerged to stabilize the fragile design. A particularly large black widow centered herself upon a web above the bloodwood altar. We took heart from these apparitions and redoubled our efforts. Some time later, just about at the time the ritual was beginning, we saw a flash of light and shadow forming into a hand, which quickly faded. I am uncertain if this vision was related to Harawep, though I must confess I do not know what else could have caused it. Shortly after, we saw a web form of nearly solid shadows. A silvery disc passed behind the web, gleaming within the shadows like a moon amidst the clouds. A red sphere followed the silvery disc, its path a jagged series of twists and turns. Then a roaring sound vibrated the web, causing it to shiver and shimmer, and the disturbing ripples started anew. We heard a series of muffled shrieks, voices rising and falling in agony, and then the air became still and very cold. We sensed the Moon Mages had begun to die. Olave said she felt a strain, like "pulling on the Web, only it's pulling back." It was then that we heard of the incursion onto our own plane. Several of the skilled warriors with us went to do what they could against the formidable beings, but enough of us stayed to continue on. We heard a haggard, haunting voice echoing in the chamber, "The decision is not yet made what you should do: Live or Die." We prayed that Harawep might tell us what we should do in order to live. She followed by saying to us, "The penitent give themselves to spare the many." Those of us present agreed wholeheartedly to offer up our lives in exchange for saving those under attack in the Crossing. And as we prayed, the black widow spider exploded, immolating us all. We endured this burning, which gave a pain with the intensity of a white-hot sun. I am proud to say that most of us were able to remain upright, accepting it rather than following our instinct to extinguish the flames. Several times more would this suffering be visited upon us. Finally, after what seemed a small eternity, the flames died down for the last time. We heard reports on the gweth that the harbinger was gone, and later Aaoskar would say that he witnessed a spider-like entity swoop down and take the harbinger away. I rejoice that Harawep heard our prayers and spared our Plane the ravages of those titanic beings. I am left now wondering why this disaster was allowed to occur, what foolishness could have possessed these mages to think that they might succeed where only calamity had fallen in the past. And why did the guild do nothing to stop them? Sentinel Captain Cierzen, a Moon Mage, commented after the event, "[Grandmaster Taramaine] thought it was worth them learning the lesson first hand instead of being shut down... he would have undoubtedly seen it all along." Mazrian asked the captain who would be held accountable for events, and his response was, "For what? The sensations the populace never felt or the harbinger that never made it past our gates?... Who saw any of this?" To the captain I would say that this accounting stands as testimony to these events. I call upon the guild of Moon Mages to hold an inquiry and punish those responsible. Praise to Harawep, praise the spider, who holds the threads of Fate inside Her, and through Her shimmering, lucent Web our souls are held in rise and ebb. Navesi Daerthon Zoluren's Herald Editor in Chief of the First Land Herald

Real Date: 05/31/18

Subject(s): Aaoskar Aerathor Astral Plane Cierzen Crossing Crossing High Temple Harawep Miskton Mistanna Moon Mage Necromancer Pelag ai Aldam Plane of Abiding Starlight harbinger Taisgath Taramaine Whiteburn

Author(s): Navesi