96
edits
Changes
no edit summary
The battle for the Moon, coupled with the introduction of masterless Knock power weakened the seals on the crypt of the Butterfly Hatching. Taking the infusion of power for her own, the Butterfly partially resurrected itself. But its spirit returned from the lightless realms beyond the House... wrong. It was twisted and broken, warped by the energies of chaos and enthropy: First of [[The Gods-From-Nowhere]]. Before it could be re-interred in its crypt, the undead Butterfly struck the boundary between the Second History and the Halls. Instead of a portal they could control, the Second Flood rended forth a great Wound in the world. And upon swallowing them whole and stranding them in the Realm of the Dead, it disgorged an endless tide of maddened Dead and impossible chitinous monsters, driven only by the desire to consume all the world. [[The Blight]] had begun.
Upon witnessing the devastation being wrought below, both sides immediately abandoned the conflict to restore order to the Second History. As the Ferryman worked to regain control of the Hall and reseal the Nowhere contained within, the other Hours as one emerged into the Second to fight back the seemingly-endless tide of souls. Regretting the role it played in causing Adonibaal, with great sorrow, at last returned to the loss History of so many lives it had sworn to protect, the Caladrius worked in tandem his birth. Gazing with disgust upon the Names evidence of his people's excess still visible among the ruins, he led only the Great Serpent worthy among his people to safety. Those soldiers who were loyal to stitch closed him and not the gaping wound allowing treacherous priests were allowed to follow him even further when he returned to the Dead into Mansus, becoming the worldDeep Guard that attend his divine throne. To their horrorWhile the History itself was largely saved, what little rubble remained of the Levant made it was discovered clear that the damage done by this new power called [[Nowhere]] was ''irrevocable''Empire of Bayal would never rise again.
Regretting the role it played in causing the loss of so many lives it had sworn to protect, the Caladrius worked in tandem with the Names of the Great Serpent to stitch closed the gaping wound allowing the Dead into the world. To their horror, it was discovered the damage done by this new power called [[Nowhere]] was ''irrevocable''. They could reduce the tide of Dead returning to the History to a trickle, but never would the barrier between worlds be able to fully heal. [[Nowhere]] was henceforth declared the enemy of all that was, and a power the Great Serpent decreed they must defend the world against.
When the tide at last was stemmed, the Hours returned to the House. They'd been "victorious", but for most there was no satisfaction to be held in the terrible price of the Bird's experiment in "eternal life". But while the fighting had ceased, the divisions between Hours that caused the fighting remained, only deepening as the differing sides found blame for the disaster in their enemies.
For the first time, the divisions in the Hours' ranks began to coalesce and solidify. Those Hours who sought freedom, whether it be endless change, sensation, exploration, or simple liberty became known as [[The Keys]]. The Hours that wished to maintain order, even if that sometimes meant stymieing progress became [[The Doors]]. The Doors resolved to prevent any further conflict in the House, even if that meant resorting to violence.
As much as the Hours wished to pursue their grievances further, the presence of the Great Serpent prevented the Hours from warring. Both sides knew that if they were the ones to attack their rivals first, the Great Serpent would certainly intervene to punish the aggressors. And so history marched on, and the tempers of the Gods slowly cooled over the course of ages. If given enough time, it is possible that a peaceful settlement might have been reached between the two sides.
But the uneasy peace was not to last, however. Ever a free-spirit, the Great Serpent one day decided to explore [[Nowhere]], to better understand what this new power was and how best to defend the Mansus against it. But like the less Hours and Bayali priests that had suffered before it, the Serpent fell victim to its own hubris there, underestimating the power of nonexistence. It did not return intact. What ''did'' return were two Hours; the Hour of the [[Snake Tail with Appendages]], a God-from-Nowhere, and the Hour of the Bright-Delver, a God-from-Blood. To the Snake-tail, reality itself was pain, and it sought only to destroy all that restricted it. To the Delver, reality was beautiful, and the world and the Glory should be available to all to make the world even nicer.
The disappearance of the Great Serpent was felt throughout the Mansus and the Histories. Some Hours felt that their ability to experiment with the world and steer the Histories in the direction they felt they ''should'' be going was restricted unduly by the Serpent, and were eager to "rectify" this perceived wrong with the 21st Hour now absent. [[The Anaconda]], which would now become the Hour of stealth, ascended to take up the responsibilities of the Great Serpent and keep the peace.