The Fallen Star

Xylophagous powers shone their mark, beckoned for us to look--a streak through the sky, marring the gentle night's darkness. It shone bright in blue; a tear through the black void from whence it came. Though, it did not come from the depths of the sky--far from this, in fact. The projectile originated from the Fragments which are held so dear--gentle boulders to aid in our world's navigation. This was different, coming as an aggressor.

Oh, its landing was violent to juxtapose the calm of the 'Woods, an outlash of the stars' rage unto our world ruled with peace. It fought and struggled to the very last step as it wore itself bare upon the scraping stones. Nor was it calm in volume; its breath of agony tore through each of the skies, screaming its admission into the ocean's very depths, and echoing still further through the forest itself. Roars of still blue flame, blue as the hue of a magnificent eye, to inspire fear in the woods themselves--although the trees would not catch.

Vagabonds of blue fires, those burning as hot and as bright as the fires of the hells, scalded--though dared not burn. The incendiary tendrils lashed out upon any that came near, inflicting pain--but dared not cause harm. Those engulfed within the star's radiance were mystified, dared not struggle against the might of its alien force. Their minds were broken, not to move too close or venture afar--if at all.

Hundreds of such tongues licked at the bases of the trees, steadily rising unto the once clear skies. The crater in which the meteor now resided was large, its impact reaching nearly to the waters upon the island's shores. And such did the rock's own mind; it truly did have its own mind, determined to convince us all of something. Regardless of what it told, it drove through many of our mortal minds, whether eldritch secrets best left kept, or corruption through and through.

Ere long, panic and dispute caught upon the winds--broken minds now upon each other's throat. Madness spread as pollen, seeding the rage that fuelled the aggression of each and every one of us. It could not be escaped--no, it knew this, took it to an advantage. Even the strengthened bonds of family were soon broken, having turned in upon themselves. Most fought, others collapsed, and very few were left in sound mind. These hid, holding worthless hope deep within their hearts. Others ran, none managed to escape to even the shore's tide.

Remaining minds, though few in number, holed up in churches and fortified structures, praying to their gods for safety from this impossible storm. Their gods, however, could provide no such safety; many of these hideouts were quickly found and destroyed. Some, however, continued to survive. The managed to fend off the mindless husks and fortify their defences further, strengthening walls, building weaponry, and training to fight for their lives.

--However, many soon lost hope, knowing that others were not coming to save them. The woods themselves seemed to sway to block the path of fleeing survivors, walling the borders of the continent. At least the flames had died down by then, whether burning off into ash or dissipating by other means--too much was at stake to focus on this.

Long did the corrupted wander across the island, searching and scouring for life to end. A tenday passed, they consumed no water or sustenance. The flames sustained them, far beyond natural life. Their corpses fell one at a time, dirtened and worn, husks without their donours' souls. Bodies plastered themselves across the roots of the forest, painting their own through the blue roots of their veins.

Ivory towers were toppled by the corrupted who yet lived in death, running slowly rampant. They who did not fall rose yet further, shifting into creatures of legend unseen-- either losing the hues of their skin and half their weight, or falling to their knees becoming animalistic such as how would a shifter. They chased and searched for those who ran or hid, biting and tearing into them to convert them or kill them.

Vigilant souls began to hear the eerie calling, whispering, howling into the sky and fro the wood. Some heard the calls of long dead family, others the mournful screams of those singed in the blue flame. These noises would haunt the hearts of survivors as they whisper their eveningly vespers, which upon deaf ears they would fall. No place was safe for them, not even concecrated grounds. Shrieking would grow only louder as each night grew older, signalling their approach as the singed only grew closer.

Echoes of broken minds would ring out through not only the forests, but especially the vaulted ceilings of the cathedrals, almost if to mock the gods they worshipped. These they seemed to flood and prey upon in particular, carving through the pious folk en masse. Those that did not attack the churches would attack instead the cabins and abandoned towns to massacre any peoples unlucky enough to have been abandoned by their own. This left only few towns with a moderate populus, which had borne the whole of those who remained.

Soon after the horrors of the night, the dawn breaks day; the remnant of Thaekrin reared above the trees' canopies, its golden light bathing the forests in joyous triumph. Horns blare to celebrate another victory against the wrath of night itself, as the survivors move to count their fallen. Bittersweet tears are shed upon each day, and the hope of every heart is again restored. Deep fear is still seeded in the hearts of all, but to have survived against the face of death itself, a true, pure joy shines yet deeper in their souls.

'The Fallen Star' is a short story / artistic account written about the events directly preceding the Snow Swallow Invasion. It was written a tenday before the beginning of the invasion, the events detailed having foreshadowed the invasion itself, and still prove to be the most recent widespread piece of knowledge of the Snow Swallow Woods' current state. The author's name is unknown.
Many historians who have researched this story believe there to be a hidden message within, though none could decipher anything legible--nor could they understand how this work of literature was able to make it beyond the bounds of the Snow Swallow Woods if it was written after it had sealed itself away from the rest of the world.

Related Locations

• Snow Swallow Woods

Summary:
Proceeding a mysterious projectile falling from the sky and crashing into the woods, a blue flame began to burn through the forest, corrupting the inhabitants of the continent. Those who were corrupted became known under two names: Singed [SINJD], as in the past tense of the word singe, or as Singed [SING-ed].