I arrived in Sanctuary on the eve of the offensive. The heroes graciously allowed me to witness as a neutral observer, so that I could record the events for posterity, that history might know what truly transpired, should their endeavors fail and all present perish. I agreed to be Bound by an Ironclad Fate Scribe contract, under pain of Death, should I reveal their plans to the enemy and was there after allowed to attend the War Council of Sanctuary.

Blood-Eye Dragonlords amassed in the shadow of the Great Tree as an unrelenting tide of fierce, soldiers, who would with single-minded determination for their possessed Empress. The glowing might of the Archon stood at the vanguard of the opposing army. The Sorceress, along with her Effigy minions, protected the Empress.

The heroes of Sanctuary called upon all of their remaining allies: the legions loyal to the recently slain Imperial Emperor within The Seal, the Wardens attempting to reclaim the Great Tree, and two of the Erunes. Yet, even with such powerful friends, it was clear any attempt at a direct attack was akin to suicide without a way to turn the battle.

The heroes of Sanctuary had devised a bold plan to give some glimmer of hope against such impossible odds. They would first send the bulk of their forces to directly assault the vastly larger army of the Fiend. While Kubilajiri’s army was engaged, a small group of stealthy heroes would sneak into the heart of the enemy territory within the roots of the Great Tree and steal the artifact responsible for the enthrallment of Blood-Eye Dragonlords, an object known as The Black Shield. Based on previous experience with a smaller yet similar item, known as the Black Buckler, it was theorized that this artifact could be used to trap the spirit of Kubilijari, as well as her Archon and Fiend lieutenants.

With the Archon neutralized, the allies of Sanctuary rallied and pushed back against the enthralled army of Dragonlords. Rivers of blood streamed across the battle field. The heroes and their allies fell two enemies for every ally they lost, and even still, the numbers were overwhelming against them. Unless something changed, the armies of Kubilijari would win by sheer attrition.

As I pondered the scene before me, a concern began to gnaw at the back of my mind. Where were the other Fiends that were expected to fight with the Empress? As I would come to learn later, the heroes sent to retrieve the Black Shield had discovered the answer to this question.

While the battle thundered outside, a contingent of heroes snuck into the hidden passages beneath the roots of the Great Tree. Among this group was Percy, a Fiend, who had turned against Kubilijari. The tunnels twisted and turned with unimaginable complexity. The group became disoriented in the narrow passages and lost several precious minutes trying to reorient themselves.

Fortuitously, the infiltration party met an injured Warden. This brave soul had snuck ever deeper into the tunnels, after narrowly escaping the enemy herself. Though seriously injured, she had located the Black Shield and was able to lead the party to it through a more direct, yet unpatrolled path, helping recover precious time. (The name and ultimate fate of this brave and determined guide was unknown to those with whom I spoke after the battle.)

The heroes slipped unnoticed through the passages, into the secret chamber that held the Black Shield, only to find it guarded by the Empress’s most elite soldiers. With their allies engaged in battle outside, and no time to form an alternate plan, the heroes made the decision to attack the elite soldiers directly. The fight was fast, brutal, and bloody. The heroes prevailed, but in the process more than half of them went to meet the Candlemaker. Those still standing seized the Black Shield and attempted to flee back through the tunnels, intending to use their newly acquired weapon against Kubilijari. As the party neared the surface, two Fiends and a host of fiendlings managed to block their escape. Percy engaged his peers in combat to give the heroes a chance to try to find another path out of the Great Tree.

Lead by the Warden, the heroes reluctantly left Percy to his fate and fled through the tunnels, desperate to get the Black Shield within range of Kubilijari and her lieutenants. They pushed hard, fighting through several pockets of encamped Blood-Eyes and fiendlings, before ultimately ending up trapped in the tunnels. They were caught between the two Fiends Percy had engaged a few moments earlier. Looking that the injuries the Fiends bore, it seemed that Percy had come near to winning the fight, despite being outnumbered. With regret they realized that he must have been overcome. They knew no one among them could stand against two Fiends, even when the enemies were so severely injured.

With no way out, and the Fiends about to reclaim their greatest weapon, the heroes of Sanctuary did the only thing they could do to potentially change the tide of the battle: They destroyed the Black Shield, releasing all of the souls it contained in the process. A roar of thunderous sound erupted from beneath the Great Tree cutting through the din of battle like the voice of a great beast. For an instant, the Fiends were stunned and the heroes took the opportunity to resume their desperate flight towards the surface.

Above the ground, the battle raged. The unrelenting waves of the Blood-Eyes threw themselves against the dwindling forces of Sanctuary and their allies. As the sound of thunder marked the destruction of the Black Shield, the bloody eyes of Kubilijari’s enthralled forces became clear and saw the world as it really was.

After a moment of disorientation, and in a sudden wave of realization and abject horror, legions of Blood-Eyed Dragonlords knew they had been used. Tragically, many turned their blades against themselves, committing suicide in an act of atonement for their tarnished honor. Those few Dragonlords who did not end their lives by their own hands (and the smattering of other races that had been enslaved), changed sides and began to fight back against the remaining enemies. Thus, more former Blood-Eyes sacrificed themselves in a final act of courage, revolting against the evil that had controlled them. Former Blood Eyes of all races fell in swathes as the fighting resumed, but still more of their enemies fell to their blades. It was enough to shift the battle back in favor of the allies of Sanctuary.

The Archon who had betrayed his own kind could see that whatever had happened had changed the outcome of the battle. He must have known his peers were now free of their prison. With a sigh of defeat, he abandoned the body he possessed, leaving it to be torn apart by the Erunes he had been fighting. By driving off the Archon, the Erunes had fulfilled their obligation. They returned control of their borrowed bodies to their Erubi hosts. In short order Maruna also recognized that the battle had been lost. She and her Effigy minions turned and fled the field of battle, abandoning Kubilijari without a second thought. A group of heroes, mostly led by freed Effigy, broke off and pursued her.

A piercing cry, one that I could feel vibrate my breast bone, broke the silence. It was the rage-filled scream of Kubilijari. Even her Fiend lieutenants had fled after the Black Shield was destroyed. She now stood alone and abandoned against the allies of Sanctuary.

Those still able to stand and fight charged her. The plans she’d been pursuing for centuries had been destroyed in an instant. She ran to meet her foes, consumed by rage. Though she fought alone, scores fell beneath her spear. The heroes of Sanctuary managed to overwhelm her, finally beating her to the ground. Yet still, she screamed in defiance and mocked them, calling them pathetic creatures for thinking themselves her equal. A circle of Exorcists surrounded her and began to earnestly chant in unison. Her screams and insults grew silent as their power rose, grappling her very soul. She knew she was defeated, and in one last act of defiance she threw herself upon her own spear, depriving the Dragonlords of the Empress they had so long and so valiantly fought to free.

The field of war that had been filled with a thunderous cacophony now stood as silent as a tomb. The battlefield shaded by the Great Tree stood quiet, almost peaceful, despite the slaughter that had taken place only a moment before. The scent of blood and death hung heavy in the air. The battle was over.

The Great Tree, no longer inhibited by the corrupting influence of Kubilijari, began to shake off the rot that had been consuming it. Verdant green leaves sprouted forth in a lush canopy as fruit of every type began to bloom and ripen upon it. A single bite of this bounty completely restored those who were wounded. Roots and vines sprouted forth from the ground and wrapped around the bodies of the dead, sanctifying and pulling them beneath the soil to ensure they would never rise as hungry undead. Wherever a corpse had lain, a sapling now sprouted, marking the beginning of a sacred new forest. Those present began calling it the Grove of The Fallen and not some few made plans to return there to mourn lost friends.

Those who had pursued Maruna told us of her fate some hours later. It seems the Sorceress had an escape plan all along. She had bolted to a secret vault to hide out, when the battle turned against her. The moment she stepped into the Vault and the door closed behind her, her connection to her Effigy minions was severed, allowing even her most trusted thralls a moment of autonomy.

In that instant, her cruel puppetry came back to seek its vengeance. Her army of Effigy, freed from years of enslavement and filled with frustration and resentment, opened the Vault and overwhelmed her before she could regain control over their minds and bodies. Her once beautiful porcelain body was smashed to pieces by the very creations she had wrought, at last bringing some measure of peace and justice to those she had harmed.

The allies had beaten the odds and won against nearly invincible enemies. But the heroes of Sanctuary had much left to do. Now that the threat was ended, they needed to ensure order was restored. The leaders of Sanctuary returned to town to begin planning for the rebuilding that inevitably follows war. I followed in solemn silence.

After much debate, it was agreed the first logical step would be to attempt to bring down the Great Seal and thereby resolve the problem of dwindling magic and elemental power. A female Trumar with fiery red hair and a determined countenance brought forth a glorious flaming Staff. At her command, a flame Spirit emerged from within the artifact, and stood watching her expectantly.

“Staff, we have decided. I command you to destroy the Seal,” she said.

“As you wish, though doing so will be my last act. My power will be depleted, I will be destroyed.”

“It must be done,” the woman said.

“So be it,” the Spirit replied with a solemn nod.

An arc of blinding white light erupted from the Spirit’s chest, searing the eyes of all present. When our vision cleared, the staff lay shattered and the Spirit lay at the feet of the Trumar woman, steadily fading before our eyes. We could yet perceive the shimmering of the Great Seal in the sky still lingering at the edges of the horizon. “Why does it remain!?! I thought you were going to destroy the Seal!!!” the Trumar cried.

As the Spirit faded into nothingness, it whispered, “…It is destroyed, Mistress…it is gone…”

Whatever else the Spirit would have said must forever be mysterious…for it was that was when the Cataclysm overtook us.