The Star of Truth

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.