The Darkness
The Darkness: an ancient being of immense strength, the "god" of the Coven of the Echt. According to legend, it is able to easily destroy the City.
History
THE DARKNESS COMES
Nearly beaten back, the Coven needed to resort to their final weapon: The Darkness itself. Only by releasing The Darkness was the Coven able to defeat Bashir. While they did so easily and immediately, this victory came at a great cost. The legend I heard states that upon the release of The Darkness, a wave of blackness instantly spread over the City, obliterating all living things (dreamer and mare alike), destroying portals, and collapsing the Gates of the City. This was a catastrophe that rendered Idoaclesia "dead" for many centuries. Only a few protected Coven members survived along with the immortal Echten Knights and the Yissen. With Bashir defeated and returned to the Palisade, the Yissen were bound to guard Bashir specifically for all eternity. *I don't know how or why, but somehow The Darkness returned to wherever it "lives" after this event.
UPDATE: The Darkness has returned to Underlight. The battle begins....
The Darkness: The Beginning and End
by Sadara
One piece of the city's history that is ever so important, is the capture of The Darkness. This recount will be from my point of view, so I might miss somethings in the story however I will start at the beginning of how this all started.
While in Thresh with several Dreamers around, an eye appeared in the middle of the room, looking around. Now from my experience I thought it was one of the dear Lowborn that uses eyes to scout. However this eye... didn't go away so quickly. And it held a very interesting aura around itself that made one spin in horrible dizziness. An art called Chaotic Vortex that was the Darkness's signature art in the coming months. Within a few moments a Revenant appeared in the middle of the room. It said.. nothing. Just stood their in the middle of the room as us Dreamers tried communicating, tried giving things to it, and began running around with curiosity and overall excitement at the site of a Revenant. After several minutes of the being standing there it dissipated, and even more questions rang around the room of us Dreamers. The eye that first appeared also dissipated right after. Within the next couple of days, we learned about the Yissen, via whispers confusing whispers from the Darkness. To save or to kill her.
The Revenant that appeared, was the soul of a Yissen, Alina Sedros, the first Yissen to be created, a Dreamer who was given immortality. She was coming free from the Darkness's control to warn us about the Darkness, an entity that wishes to destroy; about the Coven of Echt a group of three Dark Dreamers who summoned The Darkness and commit atrocities; and their army the Echten an army of Dreamers who were corrupted by the Darkness and turned into powerful Darkmares by the Coven. Her pleas were in regards to other Yissen who were in captivity within the Lower Palisades, a plane that had yet to arrive within the city. Alina spoke of how many times shes done this, how the timeline within this city was different. Eons and Eons of the same plight, in each timeline she did something different. Alina sided with the Darkness or helped the Dreamers, however each timeline ended the same way. The reset of the city by the Coven of the Echt. This timeline was different however, she told us that this was the first time she was turned into a Revenant by The Darkness.
With such a high toll on the line, we did what we could. Battle after battle with the Echten Army, the Guard, the Knight, the Medic, the Squire, the Trooper, and one that I cant seem to remember. I was confronted by the Echten and the Darkness themselves this one evening within the Chasm of Souls. They asked for her return, Alina, if she was not returned the city would be reset. The reasoning for The Darkness to ask for her return, was to place her upon the Throne within the Lower Palisades to fully corrupt her and imbue her with the power to destroy the entire city. Instead... we sided with Alina, and helped her to regain herself fully. Within the journey we met the Yissen. Vivian Fraine, Elysea Fraine, Thea Bloom, and Harmon Sedros.
Keep in mind the name Harmon Sedros.
Within several months the Lower Palisades arrived from the Dreamscape into the City. And it was our chance to rescue the Yissen imprisoned and bring an end to the Darkness, and defeat the Coven of the Echt. Once within the Lower Palisades however, we also met many prisoners within. Rouge Wraith, Dr Grave, Grimleigh, Stephen, and Bloody Teeth. The months after were led by sorrows, victories, and stories. From the Darkness once again invading Alina's mind, who was still the Revenant at that point, and striking Eldrck Venym. Turning him into an Echten. The Echten General. The Darkness's attack on the Harrow Glades, setting it ablaze.
During all this happening, my guild, The Coven of Amaranthine merged with The Chosen. We became the Temple of Abundant Soul. Our Ruler at the time, Magnilia, came up with an idea. Alina spoke of how the Throne worked, once someone sat upon the throne, they gained not only powerful abilities powerful enough to destroy The Darkness they also ruled over the entirety of the Lower Palisades. However the throne also amplified ones weaknesses. Alina's strength and weakness, was raw power. Her strength, and desire for more power. She refused to sit upon the throne, in fear that the Darkness would fully corrupt her once again. So Magnilia came with the idea of creating the Crown of Parity, a crown that gave the wearer the same power as the Throne would without the side effects.
So as a new house, we began working on the Crown together. Alina at this point was slowly separating from the Darkness's control and became herself once again. She opened The Protectors of the Radiance, a house she said was in the Dream a long time ago, when the Yissen roamed the Dream freely. A house of the Yissen.
The Crown was finally complete however, and we were contemplating on who to give the crown to. Around this time, Mandus, my husband, had befriended a Kotoken. Ssun-Kith. The Darkness had taken Ssun, and Mandus was planning to get him back. Now my husband I knew would do this successfully as before The Darkness also captured and took Us. An Egregore that Mandus was in constant contact with and grew a strong bond with. He devised a plan months before to raid the Palisade, dressed in Echten garbs, to sneak into the Palisades without detection. We were successful in the raid and got Us back to the Temple safely. So when I sensed him within the Lower Palisades along with Ssun, I knew that he was rescuing Ssun. However once I arrived into the Lower Palisades, there was a prisoner chained next to Ssun.
Prisoner 442.
Since Mandus was busy with Ssun, I decided to free the Prisoner. A slow escort through the Lower Palisades later, we arrived on-top Illaspe. Mandus at this point went to help Magnilia finish up the Crown, and I stayed to tend to the Prisoner. He asked me to help take off his bandages and underneath was a skeleton. Bloody Teeth. He was the perfect candidate for the Crown. So, once the Crown was finished, and he gained his glaive once again, the day came for the opening of the Throne Room in the Lower Palisades. The Crown was placed on his head, and the throne room opened.. the Echten came and tried to stop us. They were easily overthrown by Bloody. However the next step needed to happen, and that was the defeat of The Darkness.
Purple Lace who was in the Radiance at this time, had came up with an idea of capturing the Darkness within her Guild's Vault the Kabal within the Lost Caves. We aided in such and were successful. In the process however, the Darkness rampaged against the Yissen who were there slaying Vivian, Elysea, and Thea. Harmon showed his true colors however and used his own sister as a shield against the Darkness, having Alina Sedros get hurt by the Darkness in his stead. Harmon was in fact sided with the Darkness, or Coven... something that we still don't know yet. Bloody Teeth was there and destroyed the Dark Altar within the Lower Palisades, setting free the souls that The Darkness with held. Weakening its power. He placed the Crown of Parity on top of the altar sealing it.
Later however, the Echten Guard who was still around at the time released the Crown from the Altar... in some manner we still don't know how. Mandus created a blade to destroy the Echten Guard and did so. However the Echten Guard's soul returned back to the Lower Palisades where it is now. And has formed its own egregore.
The Darkness however is captured finally and under proper watch by the Radiance and Purple Lace.
This account that I have just spoke of doesn't go in all the details as somethings I dont recall to mind at the moment. If anyone has more details of what happened, I would love to hear more. -{S}
The Matronette
Protector of the Conclave
The Restorator
