Shade and the Dark Forest

Long before Kime was fully created, the Gazer worked tirelessly to finalize his creations. In doing so he also created a lot of by-products in his experiments, the worst and most devastating force being called Void. Usually in his experiments, the Gazer could disenchant the elements that he created. However, this time Void grew sentient much quicker than he could have ever predicted. The Gazer kept observing Void as it grew, with hopes that he had discovered his next creation. As Void grew, the Gazer began watching his other creations (aqua, sol) start acting strangely and very uncharacteristic. He noticed that as the other creations were exposed to Void, they became hostile and aggressive. Void was very clearly intent on taking control of other lifeforms.

After careful deliberation and much turmoil, the Gazer finally decided that it was in the interest of the greater good to disenchant Void; he could not risk his other creations. As the Gazer prepared for the disenchantment process, Void separated himself into three different parts. Void knew what was to come and devised a plan to escape. Void was able to cloak one of its parts and stay inside of its enclosure while the rest of it was disenchanted. The process destroyed most of Void’s essence and it was just barely able to escape and make its way down into the core of Kime. Void was then able to begin the process of using Kime’s life force to regain its essence, with the Gazer none the wiser.

Over the millennia that followed, Void was able to begin regaining its essence and took a new name, Shade. As his essence returned and he grew stronger, he was able to slowly take hold of larger and larger lifeforms. As Void grew his army, he worked to begin sapping power from the fragments and ethereals that roamed Kime. The mermaids and elementals took note of the strange, evil phenomena that was taking place throughout their kingdoms. The rulers of both kingdoms created a diplomatic alliance setting the ground rules for their combined work investigating these phenomenons. Shade was well aware of the growing suspicion around him and struck at the heart of the kingdoms to cause unrest. Rotting crops, poisoning water supplies, anything to cause havoc as he readied his assault. This eventually contributed to the fracturing of The Paragon which fed his supply of evil essence and a growing army. In the coming years the kingdoms of Atrona and Trite would report more and more citizens missing and coming up with very few answers.

Eventually, as scouts from both kingdoms were on patrol, they discovered a portal deep in the Dark Forest, Nozzic. It was well hidden deep within a labyrinth known as the Nozzic Maze. The dark forest was so treacherous that none dared enter into it until matters became dire.

Both Kingdoms sent their forces into the maze in hopes that they could find their lost citizens. What they found was much much worse. They had never seen anything like the magic that Shade was using, and their armies were mowed down, dropping one by one. The bloomlings that were corrupted by Shade were able to overrun the onslaught and passed through the portal into Kime.

As he spread his army out from the portal, so too did the corruption of Kime. Animals became hostile, plants and crops became poisonous. The rulers knew their demise was inevitable if they stood by and did nothing. With the help of the sirens of both tribes, they were able to create a barrier around their walled cities, with the knowledge that the bloomlings would soon grow strong enough to break through their defenses. In desperation, the rulers gave their essence to the great monk of the mountain, knowing that they would perish in the blast. Through one final alchemical blast, they were able to destroy the bloomlings and the portal to the core of Kime. With his source of essence eradicated, the kingdoms rejoiced in the death of Shade. He was not in fact destroyed, but sitting in wait, trapped within the mystical core of Kime preparing for the next time that he would be able to emerge.

*Shade’s assault took place after the Queen’s war and was part of the reason that peace was sustained for any amount of length.

* The Ruler of Atrona at this time was King Tempest, Luna’s father. The Ruler of Trite at this time was King Lumis, the uncle of Sol.