At the request of the Prophet of Khandava, Roudimus had finished his task in finding a method to warp the fabric of the Redwood forest to properly reflect Khandava's current philosophy. Unsure of how the territory of the council would be affected, Roudimus informed the Deacons of Khandava about his findings and allowed them to begin the process of transforming the council and forest. What began as a single entity in Monarch square has quickly expanded, within days covering the majority of the council in green spores.
Unintentionally, a Druid passing through one of the few parts of the infected Khandava Forest became a carrier of the spores and spread the parasite into the Western Celidon. Khandava had been warned against stopping the spores from getting a taste of the fir and evergreen as it had been cultivated to assist Khandava's transformation.
As Western Celidon saw more and more people come to investigate the forest, they too began infecting other clean forests with little care taken in their hygiene. Within a week of the start from Monarch square, all forests were touched by the spore parasite, causing despair in all mortals.
As the spore took root in the forests, Ithaqua was ill with this green blight as its touch had twisted its dark forest within the council. Buoyed with fear, they rushed forward to find a cure. Seeking knowledge on how the spore functioned, Ithaquans found Kinsarmarians studying the spores deep in the forests. Pooling the knowledge together, they found out the spores also failed in their own defence against those who would seek to harm the forest.
Meanwhile, the Khandavans noted that the extermination in their forests was absolute in stopping the spore spread. Fearing that extermination was due to the spores, a Kinsarmarian Animist thought to rejuvenate the Khandavan forest, which only served to twist the redwood further and benefit the Deadwood Council.
Many fires were started across Aetherius with some mortals hearing whining sounds emanate from hot spores, yet it had little effect on the growth. Quickly did Celidon decry such actions against the very heart of the forest and worked hardest in trying to find a cure that did no harm to the undergrowth. As mortals tried to find a cure, they sought out various knowledgeable guardians within the confines of their cities, and although many tried to help, only the research of Ineli, the academic, has revealed clear that the spores were infested with demonic taint and that only extreme heat could cure Aetherius of this disease.
With renewed vigour, the inhabitants of Ithaqua cleared their council and the surrounding forests, and also spread the news to their allies within the desert city of Antioch. Despite the efforts of some who, ignoring their personal hygiene, began spreading the spores in unaffected areas, the combined efforts quickly cleared forests of this menace. Not satisfied with a cure that involved walking and meticulously examining every tree, the dwellers of Celidon, aided by Rythanis, were able to concoct together an air-borne attack against the spores. As Ithaqua toiled, Celidon added the finishing touches to the smoke that was carried in the air and caused all spores to fall to their deaths, unable to reattach to their host trees.
The damage, however, has already been done. Assaulted by both the spores and the neverending fires, the spirits of the forest have diminished. Greatly weakened, they lost their ability to rally nature against those who would seek to harm it. Likewise, the once proud redwoods of Khandava are now gone for good, replaced by twisted abominations of the Deadwood.
With the spirits of the forests now dormant, will the mortal defenders be able to step up and protect the nature that they have sworn to protect?
Ithaqua sought to prove their worth with a ritual that would strip the infestation out of their twisted dark forest. With ritualists gathered, green-tinged ooze came out of the infected trees and congealed within one of the Idrasi. Seeing the plague leave their dark forest, the Ithaquans quickly shred the Idrasi's body to pieces and burned it, destroying the last remnants of the spores.
With the threat of the spores repealed and its mark lasting for years to come, the present times are proving to be truly desperate indeed. Will the mortal-kind be able to vanquish the next threat?
Penned by my hand on the 8th of Fas, in the year 658 AD.
