Angela was the first one to notice the rifts into the world. It was constantly disrupting her balance and her meditation. This all had to do with what a certain fallen god had talked to her about… Or did it? Angela peeked one eye open and looked up at the fake sky above her realm. She could see the cracks on the outside world. “So troublesome.” She pushed herself up and dusted off her skirts.

“Well… Time to get to work I guess.”

By this point, Angela was pregnant with Adraejen and her’s next time. Her belly was large enough to show she was at least six months at this point and sometimes it was affecting her judgment. This wasn’t one of those moments as she appeared within the grasslands of the conclave.

The voice was looking at her and he nodded. It was time for a conclave.

”This is an emergency. I need all gods to come to the conclave at once. This is about the rifts opening up. Please get here as soon as you can.” As the eldest goddess in the Conclave it often came down to her to call these meetings.

Everyone showed up… Well almost. Her eyes went from seat to seat until it landed on the Reaper’s throne… she was nowhere to be found and Angela couldn’t quite figure out where she was. It was almost like the Reaper was blocking her. That was very unlike Dalanesca since they were so close.

“Hmm…” Angela sat down and rubbed her pregnant belly. She appeared to be in thought. They waited several hours with Angela insisting that Dalanesca would show up and that it was important that they all be here. Luckily for them… They were immortal and time flowed differently for sure.

Finally, she saw her good friend and a relieved smile came to her face. “There you are…”

A strange rumbling sound had occurred within Luxuria Mortiferum, and it shook Dalanesca to her core. She wasn’t entirely sure what had taken place, but within moments, the ground beneath her had begun to crack. She took a quick step backward, narrowly avoiding falling into the strange, glowing chasm that had opened up. The crack pulsated, as though something was trying to get through - and soon, something did break through - and beyond that, the goddess was enveloped in darkness.

-

Messages from Angela lay discarded all over the realm - she had sent messengers, couriers, Dalanesca’s own servants - but the Reaper discarded each and every attempt of communication her sister goddess had sent to her. Soon, however, Angela sent the call for a meeting at Conclave, and when the Reaper had felt this call, a smile spread over her ruby lips. She bided her time for a while, sipping on the last of her reserves of whiskey blended with a bit of blood that had been donated by one of the mutum.

Eventually, she knew it was time for her to make her appearance - and she did so with gusto. She vanished from her own realm, materializing on her throne of bones in Conclave. She could feel the eyes of her fellow deities on her as she appeared, and she smirked slightly as she noted a faint annoyance from some of them.

Angela seemed happy to see her, and Dalanesca got up from her throne, sauntering towards the goddess, as was her customary walk. Her skirts flowed beneath her as she made her way to her sister goddess. ”My apologies for my late arrival… I had something occupying me back in Luxuria Mortiferum,” she said, rather nonchalantly. She did not seem particularly concerned about why Angela had called everyone for a meeting, but this was not unlike her - her attitude tended towards apathetic at most times.

When Angela moved to embrace her, Dalanesca threw her arms around the pregnant goddess, holding her close. Angela said something along the lines of having been worried about her, but now being relieved that she had appeared and that nothing was wrong. Dalanesca held Angela close, stroking her hair in a loving fashion as would be customary, and whispered in a voice that sounded heavily unlike her own - almost demonic in nature. ”You should be worried… you should be terrified.” With a swift motion, a dagger streaked with hellfire appeared in Dalanesca’s hand, and she plunged it directly into Angela’s chest, burying the blade in her heart to the hilt. At the same moment, some sort of ward surrounded the two, which would stop any of the other gods from attempting to stop the events unfolding.

The Reaper gave the blade a twist, blood seeping from the wound. Dalanesca gently laid Angela down, the pregnant goddess now sputtering a copious amount of blood from her mouth as well as bleeding profusely from the wound in her chest. As the redhead was laid to the floor, Dalanesca wrenched the blade from her chest, allowing even more blood to seep from the stab wound.

The blade clattered to the floor, and Dalanesca’s eyes became pure black voids. Black veins streaked her pale skin, and she reached with her delicate hands to smear them in the blood coming from Angela’s chest. With a sinister smile on her lips, she leaned down and placed a strange, intimate kiss against her lips, coming back with the goddess’s blood smeared about her mouth and cheeks. She ran her hands up and down her arms and turned towards the other gods.

With a flourish, she walked towards them, as close as the ward surrounding the two would allow her, the same hellish smile on her lips, her eyes still black abysmal pools. With her right index finger, she drew a strange symbol upon her forehead - a rune of some sort, but something never seen in the land of Revaliir. ”She is only the beginning,” Dalanesca said, though she sounded unlike herself. Her voice seemed to be a demonic low mixed with a screeching high, blended into some unworldly sound. ”I am the beginning. I am the end.” She jerked her head to the side, her neck contorting rather strangely with a sick cracking sound. ”I will SWALLOW THIS WORLD and all who LIVE in THIS WORLD,” she exclaimed, her voice increasing in volume at strange points in the sentence. ”Y’ ah Azhizheth!” she screeched, words flowing forth from her mouth in some strange tongue. With that, she let out laughter that spoke insanity. The ward dropped, and in an instant, the Reaper vanished, leaving Angela on the floor behind her, quickly bleeding out.

It had been some time since Conclave had been called, and the moment the command went out, Adraejen materialized upon his throne, lounging easily, looking more like the roguish man Angela had married some decades earlier. The change in domain from Knowledge to Trickery had definitely agreed with him. 

He stood and strode over to Angela, greeting her and kissing her affectionately before he gently placed a hand on her belly, feeling the tiny new life inside. 
"Hello love," he said softly. As the others arrived he returned to his throne, casting glances around at everyone and nods in greeting. 

Dalanesca was late. Very late. Something nagged at the back of Drae's mind and he half wondered after the first couple of hours if perhaps one of them should go personally to Luxuria Mortiferum to call upon her. He didn't voice this though. When she did show up, Dalanesca seemed like her normal self. At least until she embraced Angela. The nag came back. The bear inside him growled, and his eyes flashed. He was out of his seat the moment the unfamiliar voice escaped Dalanesca's lips. Magic whipped up around the conclave as he flew from his throne, only to bounce off the barrier as the blade plunged into Angela's breast. 

Drae roared and slammed himself bodily against the shield, the world turning dark with clouds of roiling arcane, purple and green lightning flashing in the world of the living as well as there among the Gods. Even his power could not break the shield, and he continued to pound on the barrier with fist, magic and claw to no avail, only able to watch as Dalanesca all but bathed in Angela's blood. 

"DALANESCA!" he roared, runes of purple and green appearing on his skin as his magic threatened rampancy as the very possessed Goddess of Death spoke in a voice so unnatural it made the bear inside him rage fiercer than ever before. The entire scene burned into his skull. There was only one thing that was on his mind.

Not again…. please, not again…

The barrier dropped and Dalanesca vanished. Drae was by Angela's side, holding her in his arms. Her life was fading fast, but so was that of the tiny one she carried. Drae's anger bubbled into absolute panic and fear. He had saved her once, he could do it again… but both?

He looked up at the Voice, who held form of a once love… someone he had loved as much as Angela. 
"I-I can't— not both…"
There was something desperate in him. 
"I'll take her injury, but the baby MUST be saved too!"

That was the thought Shiloh had in mind when Angela called everyone together. This was her second time in a Conclave meeting, but even if it wasn't she didn't expect good news. One by one everyone showed up, everyone except Dalanesca. She saw faces that weren't new and the latest individual to take up a former deity's mantle. Come to think of it, last time Dalanesca was late too. Ever since her ascension Shiloh never really had a moment's peace. Disasters from gods and monsters alike, handling the aftermath of all that destruction and ruin. Every time the ground so much as moved she feared the worst. Sure she and others managed to stave things off for a while…but for how long? Nothing lasts forever. She came in the same disguise she had used the first time she came to the Conclave, even if most of the people here probably already knew her face by now. It was a convenient mask to hide her gnawing anxiety from warning bells that screamed and never stopped. Her functional, metal chair was here in the ring of thrones. 

That internal screaming would only get worse. Right away Dalanesca stabbed Angela in front of everyone, making a gruesome display by twisting the knife. Angela's husband charged forward enraged but even he couldn't break through and he was the deity of magic. Amidst the howls and screams, she fell into despair as she could do nothing to stop it. Adraejen's feelings were palpable; she could feel his fear, grief, and anger. Helplessness paralyzed her body as she was drowning in a quicksand of emotions. Struggling to keep her head from being overwhelmed, her fists clenched until her knuckles went white and her nails dug into her own skin. 

No I can't scream–I can't fall apart. They may be crying and screaming but I cannot. I'm so afraid that I can't even move, I can't do anything at all. This feeling of helplessness, I hate it so much! Even though I felt something bad was going to happen, I couldn't prevent it.

I couldn't save anyone.

When Dalanesca turned to them smeared in Angela's blood wearing that wicked smile, faces from the past flashed in her mind. The arrogant face of the Kougetsu progenitor. The cruel sneer of the vampire Logan Blackwood. That mocking cackle of the Mad Fairy. The haughty gaze of the old men who called themselves magi. That was all it took to turn hopeless despair into a seething rage.


The shadows inside of her psyche shrieked together into a single voice: 'We will remember; we will not forget this humiliation! Your mock, your ridicule, how you spat in our faces!' Beneath the illusion of her metallic visage her eyes burned as her teeth were set on edge. At first her anger was directed at Dalanesca, then it changed course and set its sights on the unholy force that made her its puppet. She would find a way to return the favor. She would take the same dagger they had used on Angela and twist it in them.

Picking up the bloodstained dagger, her disguised voice quivered in hushed tones as she finally found the words. "I will chase you to the ends of the earth. I will make you bleed! I will repay what you've done a hundred times over–for no one insults me with impunity!" For making them look like fools, for making her feel like a fool–she would return it all, with interest.

He hadn’t been to a meeting here before, but this wasn’t Lokir’s first time here. He had come once on his own not too long after ascending to see the place, but that was the only time. Now there was an official meeting being called by Angela and he, like the others, had answered and arrived. Lokir sat upon a throne of iron and steel with sword hilts inlaid in it, Strength and War together. As the others arrived Lokir nodded in greeting to them all, yet Dalanesca was not among them, delaying the start of the meeting.

Lokir had see the rifts like everyone else and was concerned, so he was interested to see what the others had to say about them once Dalanesca arrived. When she finally arrived the werebear God watched as she went to hug Angela, the friendship between them was known to him of course, despite their opposing Aspects.

However things turned sour and fast when Lokir heard the change in Dalanesca’s before a moment before he registered the dagger the Dalanesca drove into Angela’s chest. The blade was twisted and Dalanesca gently laid Angela down. Lokir was up from his throne, up on the table they had been seated around and launching him off of it. In that time he did see Drea attack the barrier to no affect, but perhaps the pure raw power that was behind Strength would allow Lokir to break through?

As he came down against the barrier Lokir called up all of the raw Strength he could and brought both fists balled together, down on the barrier. There was a thunderous roar from the strike, but the barrier held, and it didn’t even seem to register the strike. Lokir roared and hammered strikes against the barrier even as the possessed Dalanesca spoke, he knew her voice, and the voice that was speaking now was not her own.

As the barrier dissolved and Dalanesca vanished Lokir watched as Drea went to Angela, and the blade was picked up. Lokir looked around and then to the Voice. ”What the hell was that?!” He questioned. ”What the hell is Y’ ah Azhizheth?!”

~I’m going to have to tell Basse what happened here…~ He thought privately, not knowing what to do right now to help, he was no healer after all.

Having been the most recent deity, Nemesis was still coming to terms of how his position worked. \ His time split between his home in Kurayo and spending time at the Bastion, and not much was worried about on his end.

That was until he felt the call while he was feeding on a young girl that had came to his realm, requesting a dark favor in exchange for her blood. He had been deep in savoring the sanguine treat, his arms wrapped around her as what he would describe as a ping came to him. He thought nothing of it but when it continued to play into his mind, Nemesis begrudgingly released the woman and wiped his mouth clean of the crimson. “Your prayer will be granted, make your leave.” His voice was laced with irritability but nothing could be done about it. Apparently, this was the very thing that had often drove his maker mad in her reign, having to attend irrelevant meetings that often ended with those of power tethering on the edge of war with one another. Angela had stated that here on Revaliir, that wasn’t the case, but the vaewolf wasn’t an easy trusting man.

Vanishing from sight, he appeared where he was needed as if his power knew the destination like it was home. From the moment he set foot into the conclave, he felt the eyes of strangers on him, aside from the redhead devil he knew. Where the throne that had hosted Xunatar once was, in its stead was a seat made of gothic design much like the architecture that laid in the Bastion. A pair of bat-like wings folded made up its back and its armrests carried the claws of a wolf on its ends. He took his place and waited (albeit with some understandable impatience) for a latecomer so that they could get this meeting started.

By the time the Reaper have came, he watched her come up to Angela who waited with open arms. Given that he knew next to nothing of her unique relationships with any of those presence aside from the poor bastard that she was with currently through (and that conclusion was only made through reading the context clues presence), he assumed that they were close. “Were” being the keyword as the moment she sent the blade through her, he smelled blood.

His hands tightened around the armrests as the scene unfolded and others stood and went into action, only for it to prove futile. While he couldn’t say that he was as fond of her as some of the others were, she had blessed his wife and before that, was the mother of their twins. He held some respect for her, which was evident from her statue being among those that helped pathed his way. Beneath his indifferent look and especially beneath his feet, the shadows danced wildly, betraying his angry demeanor. Anger was towards this raven-haired woman whose name was shouted by the man by Angela’s side.

Nemesis rose up to his feet only when Dalanesca spoke, and her ramblings made no sense to apparently any of them. Still, an unprovoked attack like that made no sense but then again, nothing of the last few moments had. Crimson orbs latched onto her form for memory before the scene was left with the shattering conclusion she left.

His eyes fell onto Angela, and it didn't dawn on him until then that she was with child. A pained look came over his face as he forced the shadows to come down. He felt the emotions of the other gods around him, anger and of course, fear taking over the very air in the conclave. There were too many variables left in mystery. Whatever entity or madness had affected the goddess, its work wasn’t quite done yet from its very own words. The attack that targeted the redhead specifically, the symbol she drew…those haunting statements followed by a language that didn’t seem of this world.

“Whatever this is”, he stated, letting his voice chime into these sacred grounds for the first time. His eyes fell from Drae to Lokir to Shiloh and finally, the Voice disguised as his mistress long ago. “It must be found quickly. This situation left us two goddesses short and clearly is a threat to the realm. Stay and watch over her if you wish, I’m more of a hunter than a mender.”

His mind called out to Maalk and instructed him to learn everything he could of the Reaper, especially of her realm which would be a good place to start.

Ever since he had ascended to godhood, he had never once stepped foot in the Conclave. Though he had met most of the gods that it contained never once were they all together in one place such until now. He had heard Angela’s call for them all to gather to discuss the rifts that have opened up. He knew that they were trouble, never would’ve guessed it was in such a scale that they all had to gather. Though he had his own issues to deal with at the current moment, he knew better than to not answer the call.

He appeared in the conclave’s grasslands, after reassuring his wife and son that everything was alright. Few of the other gods were already there or had appeared at the same time as he did. He walked over to his chair, acknowledging the others with a nod of his own. Sitting down he ran his hand over the woodwork raven engraved into the armrest and felt the warmth of the pelts that adorned it. Symbols that showed who he was, yet the sensation was still odd that he was part of this.

One chair remained empty still as every other god and goddess had appeared, the one that belonged to Dalanesca. He found it strange that she would be one that was late, she seemed like one that took the role more seriously. They had to be patient, there may have been something that came up that was more urgent, yet to Zanar nothing seemed more urgent than this. In slight annoyance at one of the few where he could consider a friend, Zanar rested his chin upon his fist and closed his eye. Nothing more they could do but wait.

Hours had passed before the goddess showed up and Zanar’s eye snapped open as he watched Angela go meet her. He had to admit he was getting more worried rather than annoyed at this point but it seemed like that his feelings were for nothing. His feelings would be betrayed though, as during their embrace Dalanesca stabbed Angela.


He immediately bolted from his seat, his face in complete shock and disbelief. He was not the first to react as both Adraejen and Lokir had thrown their powers into the ward that no surrounded the two Goddess. Zanar’s heart raced as he tried to figure out why amongst the chaos. He knew better to throw anymore at the barrier, for who knew what would happen if it did reach the breaking point. He just stood there, waves of confusion, anger, betrayal and even fear flow over him.

The goddess then spoke after laying Angela down upon the ground. He body covered in the Mother’s blood. Yet the voice that came out of her mouth didn’t sound completely like her own, and not to mention her eyes were nothing but black. Ya’h Azhizheth? What in the world… He thought to himself trying to compose himself. This wasn’t the person Zanar knew, this wasn’t his friend. It just couldn’t be. She had to have been possessed by something, but what in the world could have possessed those blessed by the tree?

Yet before the god could say anything Dalanesca disappeared and the ward fell. Zanar looked around trying to catch a glimpse of anything. Though in the back of his mind he knew his powers did not work on his fellow deities, yet emotions were causing him to lose his composure.

Breathe damn it, this isn’t like you! Compose yourself!

The god looked over to where the Voice was, its form shifting from fallen members of his group. It did not help his anger, why such a powerful being would allow things like this to happen. ” It will be found, and it will be made to pay for what it had done here.” Anger laced his voice clearly.

“I was getting worried about you Dear… With all the rifts.” The Mother hugged her dear friend. It took Angela only a few moments to realized something was very wrong as she felt the sinister aura coming from her sister goddess. Wide green eyes held terror as she felt the blade pierce her. There wasn’t a scream from her. She gurgled blood as Dalanesca twisted and turned the blade into her immortal heart.

This wasn’t her Dalanesca. Her Dalanesca would never do this to her. She felt her body being laid down but Angela’s mind was in full motion. The plant life was reacting to her and she could feel Wis… OH GODS WISTERIA. Her mind flooded to her babe who had never been gifted her first breath to the world. This wasn’t Dalanesca at all… No, the Reaper understood what children meant.

Tears came to her eyes as the raven-haired goddess kissed her. She could feel Wisteria dying more with every second. If a child dying for a mortal for bad then for this Goddess of Life it was infinitely worse as she felt her child slipping into the stream of death. “Wisteria…” She gargled the blood out of her mouth towards her husband. She should have been conserving the life of Revaliir. She should have been trying to save her own life but all of it was trying to go to the child. Dalanesca’s abilities, however, were too strong.

When Angela knew she was going to lose Wisteria she began to weep. The blood, the pain, the damnation finally made her pass out as she was held by her husband. “Damn you Dalanesca…” Even if she hadn’t been responsible… The feelings of rage were there.

The Voice moved quickly with Drae. If they lost Angela at that moment they would lose not only her but also the spheres she held. He could see down into Canelux and see the aftermath. “I will do so this one time… If to prevent calamity into this world. I will save this child.” It looked odd as the Voice physically reached into the Goddess. He pulled out a tiny being and left immediately. Wisteria was not welcomed to this holy place.

Angela gained conscious just for a bit as Adraejen started to take her wounds on. “I want to go to Sularia.” It was in gasps of breath. She couldn’t feel her child anymore. She couldn’t save Revaliir at the moment. She wanted to go to the one place where her children were and be with them. She would need time but when that time was over all hell would break lose. She didn’t even know Wisteria lived for the moment. Adraejen nor anyone was able to tell her.

The Voice reappeared after she passed out the second time. “I’ve given the child to Angela’s Bonded. Time magic aged her to make sure she survives and I healed her wounds from Dalanesca.” He straightened out and took a look at his conclave. He could feel their fear and anger. “For now, keep tabs on her if you can but do not engage. We don’t know what’s going on. Adraejen look up as much as possible about everything you have seen. Angela is best at home with her children. Shiloh, Lokir, and Zanar go to Sularia and help keep up a barrier to keep her out. The last thing we want is Dalanesca to finish what she started. Nemesis, you are a hunter consider Dalanesca your hunted. Just keep tabs on her for the right time. If she has severely gimped us taking Angela out first. Probably all part of whatever plan the thing in her has. We need to make sure Angela recovers without fail. I will see what the world has to offer.”

With that, the gods were thrown from the Conclave into the streets of Sularia. They had their orders after all.

Was it naive to feel a sense of relief when the projected embodiment of a World Tree managed to put things under control? She should've expected it, where did they get their power from after all? Right now she didn't have the time or right to be emotional. Even if it wasn't good for her in the long run, she would force those feelings down and focus on what needed to be done. By the time the Voice was telling them what to do she had already come to the same conclusion. Keeping Angela alive was critical, no matter what the cost. There was a nagging doubt that a divine barrier would be enough to ensure Angela a safe recovery though. If that thing that possessed Dalanesca was able to make a barrier two deities couldn't breach, then anything was possible. Without any formalities, they were promptly booted from the Conclave to wherever they needed to be. 

It was a cruel but effective tactical maneuver–using Death to attack Life first instead of anyone else. Doing that would severely reduce their capability to fight back while the order of the world was thrown out of balance. It was ruthlessly insane, but intelligent. And that was the frightening thing. Right now they couldn't take any risks and grab whatever chances they could get to take full advantage of the fact Angela wasn't dead. Angela's husband could handle the barrier, obviously Nemesis was going to be monitoring the Reaper's hijacked shell, Lokir and Zanar she assumed would do what they thought was important. As for her, she would begin with damage control. Shiloh wasn't a front-liner like the other three, but those who weren't strong had their own ways of fighting back. Her entire body felt numb but she ran to find Nerine's house. Everybody was going to stay in Sularia where she could see them; she wasn't leaving anything to chance.

Her automatons would help wherever they were needed, all the healers in Antikythera would be rounded up to get Angela back on her feet. Information from across the world would be assessed to determine its current status in real time and they needed to know what in the name of heaven they were dealing with. With Adraejen's shift losing the domain of Knowledge, she would have to find other sources. In order to win they needed to know their enemy and how to exploit their weaknesses. Being an 'other-worlder', her first guess was something from another plane of existence. The deities had protection from any mortal influence thanks to the Voice, so the logical answer would be something from beyond the World Tree's reach. It was the same principle with the infamous Godslayer–something foreign to which they had no immunity.

At this point any hope of saving Dalanesca was abandoned as Shiloh figured the unholy force had supplanted her consciousness completely. They would need a double-headed approach: take down Dalanesca's body and remove its divine empowerment while bringing Angela back to full health. Once that was done they could gear up to take out the one pulling the strings.

Lokir felt helpless once it was clear he wasn’t about to break down the barrier. Lokir turned his attention to the Voice now as he watched it take the baby from Angela and vanish. Angela awoke and spoke some, before passing out again just before the Voice appeared again. When the Voice gave him his command Lokir nodded. ”I’ll send word back to Scarwood. I’ll have my best scouts head out to follow whatever trail is left behind.” Lokir replied, he would make sure to give them all express orders to not engage with the Reaper if they spot hr, but to keep their distance and follow the trail.

~I need to find Basse and tell her what’s going on with her mother. If she’s not already in Sularia then she’s probably at the Fort.~ He thought to himself moments before the Voice threw them all to Sularia. Lokir looked around at the city and then to his fellow Deities. ”Guess we have work to do.” He cracked his knuckles, he was ready to do whatever it took.