House Histories
Lady Calenture: By Ghazgkull
Calenture is a type of fever. And that fever is where House Calenture’s tale begins. In the days when the city was new and the first wave of dreamers began to discover the Dreamwright’s creation, a young woman fell ill in Cloudsbreak. Confined to her bed and racked by calenture, her fevered dreaming led to her Awakenening. The city was a miracle to her. Although she was weak and limited in Cloudsbreak, in the Dream she was strong and free. So when debates arose about the nature of the Dream State and the role of the Awakened, she sided with those who advocated enjoying the full potential of the dream without limitations or self-imposed burdens-those known as the FreeSouls. When the Dreamer Wars erupted between the Illuminated Front and the FreeSoul Knights who opposed them, she took up arms as a Knight. Although she was not the greatest warrior, she was an inspiring leader. Her words could rally the Knights and embolden them to continue their fight. And her story reminded them why it was important to defend freedom in the Dream. After the Dreamer Wars ended, the lady became a prominent philosophical leader of the Free Souls. As her body was seccumbing to calenture, she taught that the Dream must be preserved as a place of freedom for the Awakened. With the coming of the nightmares, the groups retreated even further, building fortresses and studying the nightmares. The FreeSouls who believed in banishing built their house atop Evernight Plateau. The Lady of Calenture, as she was now known, came with them. Over the years, although she barely clung to life in Cloudsbreak, she continued to be a spiritual leader for the house, eventually becoming a kind of oracle. House Calenture was named in honor of her. The name commemorates her struggle and is the reminder of how important our city is and why we must always defend it.
History of Union of the Covenant Emblem as told by Nokomis
When the Nightmare wars began Orondal and his followers took to the city once again. The Nightmares threatened the entire dream and the peace that he and his followers strived for. The group was not well received however, House politics overrode the desire to heal the dream and Orondal once again returned to Edgeward. The small band of dreamers built their own house. It was a place to rest from the fight and share knowledge. They developed their own rank structure, armories and branches. A symbol was created for the house façade, a shield to stand for the Covenants desire to protect the dream, and a flame, for the fire like passion with which all believed in the house. The shield's fine point at the bottom stands for the unyielding beliefs of our great house. The first plateau from the bottom represents the first members of the house. The flame rising forth is their passion for what they believed, and for all of us who followed after. Second and largest plateau is for all members present and future who will gather together to once again defend the dream city with the Passion of the ages before.
History of the Union of the Covenant as told by Serianth
The DreamWright Orondal first led dreamers to build the Union of the Covenant. We know, like us, he loved the dream. He was an avid supporter of all that benefited the dream, and a warrior against all that harmed it. When the other dreamers began to fight and form houses, he tried to help keep the peace. When the battles and wars broke out, he protected the weaker dreamers, but it became increasingly harder as the houses grew more powerful and arrogant. Knowing things looked grim, he gathered those together that believed as he did and made a covenant with them. They vowed to protect each other and offer a place of sanctuary to those who grew tired of the fighting. He took them to an area of the City called Edgeward. It was an empty wasteland that few traveled. The other dreamers avoided it, as it was an inhospitable and harsh land. Orondal, with his followers, remained in this area for many years. They built two great shelters, known today as Gold and Earth Sanctuary. They kept to themselves and were rarely seen in the city, preferring to live a secluded and peaceful existence. Their area was an oasis for peace during the Dreamer Wars. Then when the DreamStrike Masters created the horrific art of DreamStrike, the members of the Covenant gathered what was left of the stricken dreamers and lay them to rest in their peaceful lands. Edgeward was renamed Edgeward Barrows as the number of dead grew. Once again, others avoided the area as it was considered bad luck to travel where the dead slept dreamlessly. This all changed as soon as the nightmares appeared. These aggressive monstrosities attacked and destroyed all they could. Orondal could no longer keep out of the fighting because the nightmares posed a threat to the very dream itself. So he and his followers went back to the city and took up the fight to rid the dream of nightmares. While most of the houses respected him and his followers for their efforts, none of the houses would help him. They put their own beliefs and members first before the good of the city as a whole. So the great Lord went back to Edgeward Barrows and created a great house. A place for his followers and all others to seek refuge and peace. While his efforts were rejected and scoffed at by the other houses, eventually through constant vigilance and effort the other houses finally grew to accept them.
Dreamers of Light History: by Guardian Watcher.
I had heard stories of a Great Debate between two powerful Guardians who had survived the Great Loss and found their way back to the City of Dreams. It was told to me that they stood for two recently rebuilt houses known as House Dreamers of Light and House Calenture. These two DreamSmiths, known as Mithrandir and Kelrith, had expressed their views on the exact nature of the Dreamstate. Mithrandir, who was Illuminated, seemed to be convinced in his theory that Nightmares contained the trapped souls of the Unawakened; Sleepers who had not yet discovered the Awakening. Kelrith, a FreeSoul, thought otherwise. This information was told to me by a Dreamer known as Kasumi Keda. Upon hearing it, I immediately saw that I believed in everything Mithrandir had said. Kelrith was obviously a fool. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be a member of the Dreamers of Light. I sought out Mithrandir and asked him if I could be Initiated. I swore to uphold our ideals and a few moments later, I was an Initiate. As an Initiate, I sought out others who believed as I did. Together we worked to rebuild our House and the City. One of these Initiates, a brave and honorable Dreamer known as Valourin, lost his House ID after Horron, the most terrible of all Nightmares, collapsed him. A warrior known as Smoke, then a Free Spirit, came upon Horron's lair and killed the vile Nightmare. He then picked up the ID and later refused to give it back to its rightful owner, Valourin. Soon after, Smoke was Initiated into House Calenture, a House of the FreeSoul. He gave Valourin's ID to Calenture, who then used it to propose a trade. They would give us, the Dreamers of Light, Valourin's ID and in return, we had to give them their Prime Artifact, the Orb of Calenture. We had come to possess the Orb a few days before this trade, and did not know the full extent of its powers. Myself being caught in the storms, was not able to make my opinions on the trade known until after the deal had been made. Shortly after this, our Prime Artifact, the Dreamers Stone, was found missing. We believed that the Storms had taken it from where Kasumi Keda and I had hid it, behind a fake wall in Celebration Hall. We searched the City and found it in the Gold Sanctuary in Edgeward Barrows. Relieved that our Artifact was not hurt, we returned it to our House. Later on, Kasumi Keda and I were made the first Guardians of House Dreamers of Light since the Great Loss. Struggling to prove we were worthy of this position, we sought for ways to increase the power of our House. Time passed and the storms grew every day. One fateful day, the Orb of Calenture was taken in a Storm. We, as Dreamers of Light, were all very excited about this, and searched high and low. We could not let Calenture find it, for by then we had discovered that it was used to Banish Nightmares. It was found on Illapse Path, on Mt. Illapse, by Initiate LMBE. LMBE, escorted by Guardians Artamor, Kasumi Keda, and I, was taken to the House, where the Orb was placed within the Knight Entry; a safe area where the Orb could not be stolen. Calenture was not told that we had found their Orb, and they continued to look for it. About a week later, the Guardians of House Dreamers of Light, including myself, decided that it would be best to return the Orb to Calenture, else there would be talk of war. By that time, Calenture was almost certain that we had the Orb in our possession. Kasumi Keda and I traveled to House Calenture and offered Guardians Ghea and Mufassa the Orb in exchange for a small tribute of 200 Nightmare Essences. We thought this a small price for the Orb, as we believed that many more Unawakened Sleepers would be forced into an eternity of suffering, Banished within the Orb. Calenture refused this offer and began to throw other deals on the table. We refused all of these, none being acceptable or fair to the Unawakened Sleepers. I pointed out that they needed the Orb, we did not. About a week of negotiations followed. During this time, Kelrith, no longer a Guardian of Calenture but a servant of the City, proposed a Tournament of the Spheres. Everyone was excited, arguing over who would be the first Champion. During the time after the announcement of the Tournament, our own Dreaming Stone was taken by the Storms. I spoke to Kelrith about this and he, using his awesome powers, returned it to Me. Shortly after, though, I was taken by the Storms myself, and dropped the Dreaming Stone where I stood. Unfortunately though, a member of House Calenture was in the room. His name was Draigon. It is my understanding that he took the Orb and gave it to the Guardians of Calenture, who then hid it within their House. The Tournament began with many Dreamers participating; it was an exciting event! Our own Kasumi Keda came in second place! Later on, the Guardians of Calenture came to House Dreamers of Light to continue the negotiations. They said that they had found our Dreaming Stone and were willing to return it to us IF we gave them the Orb and signed a Treaty in the process. The Treaty stated that if we find their Orb, we give it to them immediately; if they find our Stone, then they give it to us. No games. We could not accept this, knowing how evil the Orb was. They threatened us with war. Artamor and Kasumi just wanted a quick and easy trade. The Orb for the Stone, and that's that. Calenture refused! I, while in a party with Kasumi Keda and Artamor, was used as a bargaining tool. Kasumi and Artamor refused to sign any treaty without me being present. I was hiding in the Green Room. We stalled long enough for the Guardians of House Calenture to eventually leave. The next day, negotiations resumed, and it was agreed that we would hold a tournament to see if we would sign the treaty. The Prime Artifacts were exchanged and we went our separate ways. The tournament never happened. Time passed and our House grew. Eventually we were in need of two new Guardians. These were to be Valourin and LMBE. Both were very active within the House. After this, Kelrith told us all that there was an evil Prime Artifact within the City, known as the Corrupter of Souls. We all searched for it, and Initiate Tanar of Dreamers of Light found it in the Umbric Plains. He later gave it to me, where, with the blessings of all in the City, I took it to House Dreamers of Light for safekeeping. A week later the Corrupter of Souls was transferred to House Calenture. We could not stand its evil in our halls. Around that time, much evil began to fill the City of Dreams, and a powerful Nightmare known as Tehthu was discovered. Three Guardians from House Calenture and three from our House, plus Kelrith, called Tehthu to battle, and the whole of the City fought it. We all worked together. Later that day, all Guardians were given the burden of being Teachers, and we continue to spread knowledge throughout the Dreamstate. As of this writing, both the Orb of Calenture and the Dreaming Stone are missing, taken by the Storms. We can only hope that it will be a short time before they are recovered and BOTH are placed within the halls of our House. House Dreamers of Light. Now the City has grown, nearly doubled in size! We continue to wander and rebuild that which was once lost.
-Watcher, Guardian of House Dreamers of Light
Dreamers of Light Emblem: by Dr Carl G Jung
Brothers and Sisters of Light: Some days ago, a respectful and inquisitive member of Sable Moon sought me out at the Front Entrance of House Dreamers of Light, to learn something of our House's history. On the chance that some of you may not have heard the tale of how our House Emblem was created, and what it symbolizes, I reprint my recorded memories for you here:
08:48:50: You Say: Hello Chandra. You needed to see me about something?
08:48:51: >Dr Carl G Jung bows
08:49:17: Chandra: Yes, if you have a little free time, I am in desperate need of stories, histories, and any info you can give me
08:49:31: You Say: Hmm.
08:49:42: >Chandra smiles brightly hoping the Dr can help
08:49:46: You Say: What kind of stories?
08:50:10: Chandra: Anything of any significance to DoL and it's great history
08:50:25: You Say: Do you know the story of the pulsing spike in Corrupted Way, in Threshold Pits?
08:50:46: Chandra: And the IT
08:50:50: >Dr Carl G Jung nods
08:51:05: >Dr Carl G Jung rubs his chin & plumbs his memories
08:51:28: Chandra: Maybe what your emblem means, that would be nice
08:51:59: Chandra: Or how your house policies were formed
08:52:01: You Say: There are a variety of stories about the DoL emblem.
08:52:41: You Say: Not all of them fit together, but I can relate to you the one I personally believe is most likely to be true.
08:52:59: You Say: If you'd like, that is.
08:53:12: Chandra: I would most appreciate that
08:53:17: >Chandra smiles very warmly in thanks
08:54:04: >Dr Carl G Jung turns to gaze at the emblem on the staircase, to renew his memories and inspire his tale-telling skill, such as it is
08:54:49: >Chandra grins merrily and gets comfy on the floor, reading herself for the fine tale ahead
08:54:51: You Say: Chandra, as you view the DoL Emblem, in its full representation (as shown on the staircase), you'll note it basically has two distinct parts.
08:55:02: >Chandra just loves a good story
08:55:13: You Say: The first, deepest image is the oldest.
08:56:05: You Say: And what you'll see there, essentially, is a stylized representation of a head ... two faces in profile, one looking to the left, one to the right.
08:56:23: Chandra: Oh, neat!
08:56:30: You Say: This dates back in time to the founding of the House, during the first debates between the Illuminated faction and the Freesoul faction.
08:56:40: >Chandra had never even notices that before
08:56:41: You Say: And you'll recall from your histories, of course, that this debate long preceded the Great Loss, or the opening of the Rifts.
08:57:00: >Chandra nods solemnly
08:57:13: You Say: Dreamers of Light was the first Illuminated House. It was founded, initially, as a bulwark in the Chaos, where the Illuminated Dreamers could meet, band together.
08:58:41: You Say: I know you'll take no offense as I tell this, Chandra, even though I must be partisan in expressing why the FreeSoul philosophy is negatively portrayed in the Emblem.
08:58:50: You Say: And even though the debate continues to this day, we don't let it interfere with our good relations with our FreeSoul comrades, like those of the Order.
08:59:17: Chandra: Of course not, I deeply appreciate this
08:59:21: You Say: But at the time this first part of the Emblem was created, the happy, smiling face that looks to the left was devised to portray the Illuminated philosophy.
08:59:53: You Say: The smile represents the inner joy, the tranquility, of one who is at peace with himself, one who has accepted responsibility for his actions, for good or evil, in the Dream.
09:00:11: You Say: Because he realizes that the good works we do here, illuminate and glorify our souls.
09:00:24: You Say: And those good works carry over, have effects, in the waking world of Cloudsbreak.
09:00:39: You Say: The face looking to the right, by contrast, is distorted, confused -- at odds with itself.
09:01:13: You Say: It is the face of one who cannot come to grips with the connection between Underlight and Cloudsbreak.
09:01:29: You Say: One who hasn't yet realized that our actions here affect the waking world, and so is troubled, confused.
09:01:41: You Say: And yet --
09:01:56: You Say: Both faces are portrayed in a single image, a sphere (no accident there!)
09:02:36: You Say: Because both the Illuminated and FreeSoul philosophies exist among Dreamers who, at bottom, are brothers and sisters, sharing this Dream as they share Cloudsbreak.
09:03:10: You Say: The newer part of the Emblem, set out in sharper relief from the older background sphere shape and the faces, represents the House's views on saving souls.
09:03:38: You Say: And of course, that philosophy is a newer one, that was developed as the House, along with the rest of the City, tried to cope with the Nightmare Wars, before the Great Loss.
09:04:02: You Say: As the Nightmares first began to attack the City, in force and in great numbers, the debate arose as to how best to fight them.
09:04:11: You Say: Clearly, the key lay not just in battling the mares' avatars.
09:04:19: You Say: But rather, in trying to find out WHY the mares were attacking, where they came from, what they truly represent.
09:04:59: You Say: As the early Master DreamWrights studied and debated that topic -- members of the Order prominent among them, I should add --
09:05:03: You Say: Again, two camps quickly developed.
09:05:39: You Say: (I say two. Actually there are three: Imprisoners, Banishers, and Drainers. But the last category every sensible Dreamer shuns as being barbaric, selfish, and cruel.)
09:06:14: You Say: The scholars-warriors of Dreamers of Light concluded, after studying the question for a time, that there is only one sound explanation for the attacks of the mares.
09:06:21: You Say: They represent Chaos, Evil Incarnate.
09:06:44: You Say: Not evil in a vacuum, but the evil for which there is a potential in all of us.
09:06:44: You Say: Our "dark side," if you will.
09:07:01: >Chandra nods slightly shuddering
09:07:04: You Say: And it is this capacity for evil and chaos in us, which the mares use to trap innocent Dreamer souls that float adrift in the Chaos.
09:07:18: You Say: Those souls have yet to find their way into the Dream.
09:07:44: You Say: They have yet to achieve the level of enlightenment and skill necessary to find their way to the Courtyard of Awakening, and thence to the City.
09:08:29: You Say: And drawing upon the bits of evil within those souls (for every soul has both the capacity for good and for evil), the mares wrap themselves around those innocent souls.
09:08:37: You Say: They entrap them.
09:08:58: You Say: Then they come here, to the City, where -- continuing to draw on the evil portion of the trapped Dreamer soul within them -- they do battle with us here.
09:09:24: You Say: Thus, our fight against the mares is indeed a continuing, never-ending struggle for good and evil.
09:09:26: You Say: When we succeed, temporarily, in each such battle, the forces of good have triumphed.
09:09:48: You Say: The mare avatar is collapsed.
09:09:52: You Say: Its fragmentary "soul," or what passes for a soul in mares, flees back to the chaos.
09:10:10: You Say: And what is left behind is the mare essence, filled with energies of the sort that we Dreamers recognize as our own.
09:10:31: You Say: (That of course is what the barbarians who drain essences are extracting, selfishly, for their own temporary benefit -- those Dreamer soul energies.)
09:10:57: You Say: Our scholars, in conjunction with those of the Order, developed the art of Imprison Mare.
09:11:21: You Say: For different reasons, true, but 'tis the same art.
09:11:23: >Chandra had no idea that it was so entailed but is absolutely enthralled by this story
09:11:27: You Say: And later, each House developed their Prime Artifacts, to expedite the Imprisonment process.
09:11:54: You Say: The Order, of course, continues to "study" the imprisoned mare essences.
09:12:04: You Say: But with all due respect, we believe we know what the mares are, and what happens when we imprison:
09:12:09: You Say: We separate the innocent, trapped dreamer soul from the corrupted residue of the mare avatar that's been collapsed.
09:12:28: You Say: We imprison that mare essence.
09:12:34: You Say: And the innocent, Unawakened Dreamer soul is freed to return to the Chaos.
09:12:44: You Say: There, we hope, it will eventually find its way here to the City --
09:12:57: You Say: To become a productive citizen, to aid us in rebuilding the City, and to help in the struggle of good against evil.
09:13:14: >Chandra smiles deeply
09:13:33: You Say: And this belief -- that Imprisoning mare essences saves Dreamer souls -- is what explains the second part of our House Emblem.
09:13:40: You Say: For what you see there, in those two sharply defined, slashing curves, represents that moment of glory, of triumph, when the mare essence is imprisoned.
09:14:06: You Say: The lower curve, with its opening pointing down, represents the mare essence being imprisoned.
09:14:46: You Say: The upper one, with its open side pointing to the heavens, represents the Dreamer soul being freed.
09:15:25: You Say: And the fact that both are open represents the ongoing, continual nature of this struggle between good and evil.
09:15:39: >Dr Carl G Jung lets out a long breath.
09:15:46: >Chandra nods solemnly
09:15:53: You Say: So I was instructed, and so I believe.
09:16:24: Chandra: Thank you, Dr, that was more than I even hoped to receive, I am in your debt
Yours in the Light, Dr Carl G Jung
History of the Order of the Sable Moon: Unknown Author
Before the destruction of the DreamCity during the Great Loss, it is known that the Order of the Sable Moon, like the other houses, was very prominent within the Dream. After the Great Loss, Kelrith made his way back to the DreamCity, reopening House Calenture, then opening the Dreamers of Light. Soon after opening House Calenture, he underwent a journey to retrieve the powerful Orb of Calenture. Then he opened the Dreamers of Light, going out on another journey to retrieve the Dreaming Stone. These first trials of the start of re-building the grand city, along with the fact of his struggle to re-awaken, took its toll on Kelrith, making his stays within the Dream short and to the point. Soon, the first wave of Dreamers awakened, and joined the two re-opened houses. But, we look to the Order and the other houses. What will happen to them? As the houses continued to bicker and fight due to the conflict in beliefs, other DreamWrights and DreamSmiths rediscovered the awakening. Caladar, the first ruler of the Order, soon entered the Dream and with the help of the DreamWrights started to prepare the Order for re-opening. The Order soon opened its doors to the free spirits of the Dream, blocking out visits from those of other houses, except for their ambassadors. Soon, their beliefs were revealed to the Dream, but they continued to remain isolated from the other Houses’ affairs and conflicts. As the doors of the Order opened for the first time after the Great Loss, Caladar soon prepared many free spirits on the beliefs of the Order and for initiation. Soon the first of the dreamers were initiated into the Order. These included Amygdala, Roland, Gray Wolf, Hemphop, Nirva, and Snowblind. Soon many others were initiated into the Order and within a month of its opening, it boomed from about 6 initiates to about 40 initiates. Soon, Caladar decided it was time that Dreamers worthy of the honor would start the trials for guardianship, as he could no longer effectively manage the house by himself due to his short time within the Dream. These Guardian-Candidates were Amygdala, Roland, and Snowblind. As the Order started to bloom, six unique dark mares have appeared. They have consistently attacked the Order and the other houses as they rushed from the rifts with other dark mares. It is rumored that the tide of dark mares has only begun. As protection, dreamers within the Order can quickly access the Order’s house at the end of Trinity Walk, but can not access the Threshold, unless they walk down Trinity Walk to Trinity Rise to Trinity Plains to Trinity Fields, then into the Order’s threshold hall. With the small group of initiates, came three teachers, Hemphop, Moon Teacher of FateSender, Kyane, Moon Teacher of GateKeeper, and Snowblind, Moon Teacher of DreamSeer. Soon, under the training of Snowblind, Amygdala and Roland became Moon Teachers of FateSender. These five teachers should become involved in the teaching of those of the House, through daily classes in history, use of arts, and combat training. But, even with these teachers, there was no teacher of SoulMaster within the Order, making initiates of the Order having to run teachers of the Dreamers of Light or House Calenture. When Ruler Ghea of House Calenture, kidnapped the wife of Valourin, Tiger, hostilities sharply rose between House Calenture and the Dreamers of Light. As they conflicted within the halls of House Calenture, the Order was attacked by the some of the uniques and dark mares. The Order fought off the attack and remained in their house just in case they reappeared. With House Calenture and the Dreamers of Light fighting and bickering, problems arose. The SoulMasters within OoSM were having harder times receiving training on their focus without somehow having to involve themselves within House Calenture and Dreamers of Light conflicts. Soon the teachers within the Order had to train more and more students as the conflicts arose. House Calenture banned their teaching to other houses, while Dreamers of Light kept it open to all. The Order did not want to get involved with the other houses’ conflicts, but wept as this discord ran throughout the Dream.
Gathering of the Entranced History: By Darkfan
Back in the mists of time, each house was faced with the difficult task of creating their houses and the planes upon which they reside, through the great art of Forge Plane. The Order of the Sable Moon did so with great care and study, as is their nature, while the Dreamers of Light did so through their knowledge. House Calenture, as is typical of them, did so through sheer force of power, and unfortunately there are no records of how the Protectors of Radiance managed their task. The Gathering of the Entranced was faced with a unique problem, however, as their numbers were few, and no one had sufficient power to master the art of Forge Plane. One of their group, Aethir, researched the problem and found a lesser version of the plane-forging art, that did not require a massive amount of elemens to start, but rather evocations. Unfortunately, he found that even with a pack full of elemens, he could not evoke the art fast enough to forge the plane for the house to reside upon. Imagine his surprise, when he turned to his companions, and found nine of his best SoulMaster each with elemens to spare, each evoking the art of Drain Self to aid Aethir's evoking of Forge Plane. It is rumored that, with the support of his SoulMasters, Aethir's evoking of the arts necessary to forge the House and the plane was so effective that Aethir actually managed to double the size of the House. No one can confirm this as truth, however, as the house is still shut, and awaits the next Gathering of the Entranced.
History of the House as inscribed by Darkfan
Protectors of the Radiance History: By Machiavelli
The Protectors of the Radiance have a long and honorable history dating back to the early days of the city. In recent times since the Great Loss however the house was badly damaged by the during the formation of the rifts and only a few scattered Lyran Protectors survived in various ways to start the rebuilding of the house. The following history will contain two sections, Pre-Great Loss and Post-Great Loss with much of the latter one being an eyewitness report from myself as I have seen the house develop and grow to this present day, July 10, 1998. The accounts contained here are a combination of hearsay and personal observation and the truth of this history as always remains to be judged by the reader of it. Let the Radiance Shine Forth!!!
Pre-Great Loss
The early days of the Protectors of the Radiance were times of great hope for the DreamCitys' future and the roots of this house go back to the Illuminated Front and its members. After the nightmare wars however was when the clan that would later found the house took real form as they banded together in solemn oath's that are still used for initiation to this day. The oath was a vow to protect the city and its inhabitants from mares which threatened to destroy the peaceful pursuit of knowledge and to help further the city's growth. They also vowed to protect the Unawakened from the nightmares by banishing their essences to the chaos which had spawned them. The early records of the house were mostly destroyed in the Great Loss however the struggle of several Lyran Rulers of Radiance to survive was recorded. In the greatest days of the house there were over 1200 Protectors all told, with a Circle of Rulers 20 strong which determined the course of the house in equal votes. Tybarian was among these Rulers and he was the first to return to restore the house. He was one of the few who was not dreaming during the eruption of the first rift and so returned to his fair house one day to find the essences of his fellow dreamers slaughtered friends scattered across the house. In hopes of gathering the necessary strength to begin the task of rebuilding the shattered remains of the house Tybarian went forth and found a sanctuary which he then further fortified and then locked himself within to begin the research and meditation into the ancient arts of the DreamWrights to carry out this task alone, for he had seen no others as of yet who had survived. This choice was fortunate indeed for so interned he was sheltered from the eruption of the second rift which then wiped out a few remaining Protectors who had gathered at the remains of the house. Thus in ignorance of the rebirth of the city following the Great Loss, Tybarian, DreamSeer and DreamWright, studied and regained the skills he would need to reopened the house doors which had been sealed tight by the chaos which swept through the house from the rifts. At this same time, a few other Rulers of Radiance such as Pontifex Maximus, Ka'Lana, Raylen's Soul and perhaps others remained trapped in various forms of chaos, all seeking desperately to regain entrance to the city and continue the Crusade.
Post-Great Loss
One day late in the month of March 1998 Tybarian came forth to find the city alive and bustling with new and old dreamers. The houses of Calenture, Order of the Sable Moon, and Dreamers of Light had been restored by DreamWrights of the past and Tybarian set about to reopen the house which he had served for so long and with so much passion. The early gathering of new followers to the Crusade began with the initiation of a newly awakened by the name of Auger. Many others soon followed and within 3 short weeks the first knights of the newly reopened house were announced. Guardian Auger, Protector Herald, Guardian Cyberkid, Minister of Teachers, and Guardian Ritterwulfe. Tybarian took his time in these early days as he sought to establish the house, hoping to find among the newly awakened and others some dedicated dreamers who would share his crusade in the honorable and devoted fashion of Protectors past. The ability of one dreamer to establish the house was a tribute to Tybarian as he sought to find those trustworthy and honorable to pass his responsibilities and power to as he became burdened with the heavy task of rebuilding a house government. In mid-April the house had grown to some 40-60 members with a core of perhaps 20-30 who dreamed frequently. The waking world had claimed Cyberkid for awhile at this time and so the need for new leadership became more urgent. At this time Machiavelli was named knighted for services rendered and assumed the position of a Guardian of Radiance. A few short days later, Tybarian made a decision to ascend 9 Protectors to become his equal as fellow Rulers. This first Circle of Rulers was taken from a wide variety of dreamers, both young and old in the hopes that in discussion the house would never become one where a few ruled with absolute power. These first Rulers were Auger, Ritterwulfe, Swazette, Ren-Rael, Raze, Vanin, Hemphop, Machiavelli, Rasputin. The early days of the power transition were filled with conflict as some rulers such as Ren-Rael and Raze found themselves unable to abide with the restriction of allowing their fellow rulers equal say in all house matters. Some of the new rulers were still unsphered, while others like Raze were 3rd sphere already. The new responsibilities were thrust upon these dreamers and some rose to the challenge while others fell beneath it. Like any new organization the choosing of its future leaders to help further the crusade was an enormous task with so many dreamers still untested in many ways. Over the next month Tybarian faded away slowly letting the Circle of Rulers choose and re-choose its guardians and positions with trial and error to find a steady balance in the house. Around early May Raze and Ren-Rael were demoted for their actions in leadership and so the house numbers fell again. Raze choose to lash out against his demotion to initiate and attempted to use violence to abate his wrath. Ren-Rael on the other hand chose to take the Soul of Radiance, the house's prime artifact for banishing, and to force the hand of the other rulers in choosing a new ruler to fill some of the vacant spots in the Circle. Shortly thereafter, in the early and then later May, some new rulers were ascended from those considered worthy by the Rulers remaining. These were Saruman, Novgorad, Plato, Lanik, NORGalthanos, Shai'tan and Razaak. The Loss of May 14 also took away Rulers Hemphop, Vanin, Saruman, thus changing the appearance of the Circle greatly. Early conflicts and poor decisions in knighting also led to confusion during this time as the house struggled to find some balance. Various guardians were knighted and then demoted as time passed. Near the end of May another momentous occasion arose, a Lyran Ruler by the name of Raylen's Soul found his way back to the house with the intention of taking up some of the badly needed teaching which Tybarian had not been able to find time for. Alas, the chaos claimed Raylen after one brief day thus frustrating many Protectors. It was in the early days of the house, late April I believe, that Tybarian also gave his very heart as a sacrifice to allow his wife Sabra to create the Soul of Radiance to banish the mares. Thereafter Tybarian's Soul appeared at intervals but was rarely able to dream and was confined to the presence of the Soul of Radiance at all times. So without ready teaching the house continued on its own, struggling to find among the free spirits those who would teach and help our members learn and grow. Near the middle of June another Lyran Ruler sent a message from the chaos on the back of a dark mare which he saw dropping essences of Protectors he recognized by instinct and his connection with the house itself. A ceremony successfully recalled Pontifex Maximus to the dream, however once again the chaos devoured a Lyran in one short day as his research into his return was uncompleted and resulted in the loss of his avatar. Near the end of June the Circle of Rulers had become somewhat solidified until the beginning July when NORGalthanos and Rasputin found themselves unable to abide by a ruler vote and were asked to resign and leave the house if they would not bend to the will of the Circle. Shai'tan was also removed from his position as a ruler slightly before this as he was found to be an unproductive member of the house during his time as ruler. During this time the waking world also claimed Zik-Zak, Lanik and now most recently Auger. Thus, leaving Razaak, Ritterwulfe, Machiavelli, Swazette, Plato, Novgorad and now the newly ascended TalbotX as the Ruler of Radiance for July 10, 1998. The most recent addition to the house has been the Lyran Ruler Ka'Lana who recently appeared from the chaos to rejoin her house at long last, thus bringing a new sense of stability to the house as the long undermanned teaching positions begin to emerge finally to benefit the house's members.
Thanks to Machiavelli