Elenina, the astrologer of Kalebb has charted the stars from the heights
of the Tarea mountains for years. She took great interest in the
appearance of the Star of Truth, and learned from travellers how it came
to be. This particular star was intriguing, as it did not move in the
night sky as all others do.

In the year 81 of the Midnight Age, Elenina watched with great interest
as the constellation Eurimines, seven stars arranged in the shape of a
turtle, passed close to the Star of Truth. She consulted the scholars of
Kalebb and began to fear the worst. Packing up her belongings, she
sought out the wisdom of Averroes, the Prophet of Shallam, who shared
her concerns. Other learned minds were consulted but the only agreement
between them was that this celestial event could not be a good omen.

In the Midsummer of the 81st year, the largest star of Eurimines crossed
over the Star of Truth. That night passed uneventfully and the
stargazers let their worries settle. The next morning however, when the
sun outshone all other stars, the Star of Truth still burned brightly in
the sky. The day continued and the light of the Star grew. Mortals
consulted their elders and prayed to the Gods for guidance, ever
watching the sky. Some feared the return of the shadows, others prayed
for Lanos, yet others travelled deep into the earth lest the sky fall
upon them.

With the Sun's daily journey complete, the Star of Truth took over the
role of lighting the world from high above. It now appeared that the
Star was not just getting brighter, but in fact plummeting closer and
closer to Aetolia. As the hour grew and the sky brightened further, the
Star flared suddenly into a blinding, burning ball hurtling towards the
ground. As it neared the ground it became apparent that despite its
great light the Star was actually quite small - the Sword of Truth in
fact, slipped from its perch in the sky.

Two things then occurred in one great moment of realization. The first
was the sword slicing through the sky and landing in the Aalen forest,
setting it aflame and gouging a deep crevice in the earth where it
became embedded and cracked in two. The second was the darkening of the
sky, for without the Star the normal night returned. But the darkness
this time was different - where the Star used to be, Eurimines was now
strangely absent as though a black void filled its place.

The blackness swelled in the night sky, consuming all light in a matter
of hours. Indeed, when daybreak was finally due no Sun or light appeared
over Aetolia and much of the world began to panic. The rift to the realm
that Lanos had once sealed was now reopened, and a hissing feminine
voice grew ever louder across the world. Shadow beasts began to appear
and consume all in their path. A fight for survival was underway.

Meanwhile, the fires in the Aalen forest had been quenched. The broken
Sword of Truth lay embedded deep in the earth and the quest for its
repair began. Gods and Celani alike fought great winged shadows that
besieged the Garden high above, attempting to wrest Their hold on
Aetolia away for their queen. The queen, or the Mother as she was simply
called, led her children across the earth itself searching for allies
among the darker creatures of Aetolia.

In time, the Sword was repaired by the alchemy of Tsellias, but still
not lifted from the earth so deep it had been embedded. It pulsed with
the power of Truth, the power to defeat even the Mother, but it could
not be withdrawn by mortal hand. Forces gathered and organized to lure
the Mother to the Aalen where she was consumed unwittingly by the power
of the weapon of the still-absent Lanos.

With the last of the shadows defeated, the darkness seeping through the
rift still blanketed Aetolia in perpetual night. Hycanthus studied what
little remained of the Mother and his ancient texts. With the help of
Apollonia, the Oracle, the remaining pieces of the Sword were found in
previously uncharted areas of the world and its full power was restored.
A ritual was devised to cast back the darkness, and the cycle of light
and darkness returned to normal at last.

But as for Lanos, the mystery of His whereabouts still remains.

Penned by my hand on the 10th of Haernos, in the year 82 MA.