Eighteen years ago I, along with diverse others who had separate
interests, declared war on the city of Ashtan in an attempt to free it
from its cyclical curse of apathy, poor leadership, and a failure to
thrive. In My declaration I detailed the problems I saw in Ashtan, and I
commented that Ashtan has always made great claims, yet never fulfilled
them when the time came to work.

This cycle has repeated itself yet again.

Ashtan has again fallen into stagnate inactivity. It has had several new
patrons, and yet nothing changes within its walls. The citizens continue
to stall, they do not progress, and there is no lasting growth.

Through all these long years, the only common factor in Ashtan's
problems has been its citizenry and the walls of which it is built. They
have had more patrons than any other organization in this realm. Nearly
all of Us have attempted, at one time or another, to help Ashtan grow.
When you change every variable except for two, and you still get the
same outcome each time, then one of the two variables is the culprit.

Eighteen years ago I tried to wipe out both of those variables by
destroying the walls, and thereby freeing the citizens to move on to
real, productive lives. Thus breaking the cycle. I failed at that time.

I watched the war Enorian entered into with great interest and a fair
amount of skepticism, wondering what the outcome might be. I see that,
even though Enorian has made a great start, those who defend the status
quo in Ashtan are still fighting desperately to maintain the stagnation
that keeps the city from flourishing. I feel that Enorian's citizens
have done all they can, but that something more is required to truly
cleanse Ashtan.

Some of you may recall that Severn and I were at odds over the
disposition of Ashtan. I felt that it needed to be expunged from the
world; He continued to feel it could be saved. This conflict has caused
some rancor and obstructed flows of energy, as well as ideas and growth.
I saw here a chance to end both the conflict between Myself and My
Brother, and to finally address one of the variables that seems to be
contributing to the Curse of Ashtan.

I will not bore you with the details of the conversation, or Who called
Who names first. Suffice to say that in the end, Severn and I have
reached a compromise, and have decided to lend Our divine benevolence to
Ashtan in its time of need.

In the interest of true scientific exploration, we are removing one of
the variables, rather than both. It will be a grand experiment. The city
walls will stand, and will possibly be renovated. All of the citizens
will be removed, then the population rebuilt from a fresh beginning.

If Ashtan falls into stagnation and fails to thrive again, then We will
finally know that there is actually a Curse upon its stones, which
should be sufficient information to finally deal with the Curse once and
for all. If it does not, if it flourishes and thrives, then We will know
that the Curse lay in the citizenry, and that the cleansing has broken
it.

Penned by my hand on the 5th of Lleian, in the year 140 MA.