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The Punishment for Hubris, Book 2
MarieC90
Nemiisae was a compassionate being, feeling love for all the races of Aegis. She believed they could all escape Iblees' curse and did not wish to deny them the chance to do so. Little did she know that in the end, all who sought her same refuge would be lead to their dooms by it. As soon as Zanunder, Nemiisae and their children stepped through the portal, they realized it had evaporated behind them; They could no longer return to the land from whence they came. At first, this was not a problem to them. They were confident this land would be their paradise, the savior of their children. But their children had spent decades cut off from the light of the sun, while living and thriving within the Verge. They set out immediately for the thickest forest they could find, in hopes of slowly acclimating their children to the light. But this was not to be. This land was rife with dangers, of all shapes and sizes, lurking behind corners, within the trees, in the skies, the oceans, the deserts, the rivers... There was no escaping it. The very least of these dangers were the skittering, venomous spiders of the caverns. And even those were quite deadly. Their children began dying off, one by one, then two by two, then five by five, then by the droves. Finally, Nemiisae chose the least of the threats of this world and blessed her children with that creature's aspects, at Zanunder's request. Her children became a mix of her blood, Zanunder's, and that of the spiders that lurked the caverns. They migrated into these same caverns, living amongst and as the Spiders did, safe from the beasts and terrors lurking on the surface. Vicious, cruel, the children shifted and changed into horrible beasts, preying and feeding upon one another. :: Nemiisae knew she had to bless them in this way so that they may survive, yet still she grieved for their corruption. As well, no matter how hard they tried, Nemiisae and Zanunder could no longer procreate. Horrified, they began to believe it had been a trap all along. A trick by God to punish them for acting out, perhaps?! Or was it just for His own amusement?! Nemiisae demanded that they find a way to re-open the portal and escape from this cruel land. There was no escaping the will of God, or the curse of IBlees, she insisted. But at least their children would prosper and thrive in their original homeland. Zanunder refused. They argued at length, until finally he threatened to take the children and go elsewhere. He firmly believed if they travelled far enough they could survive, thrive, beat God and the Curse. Frustrated and exhausted, Nemiisae knew she had to stop him somehow, or all her children would perish. She remembered the blessing she had given her children, and as Zanunder turned to leave, she took the form of that of a giant Spider. She put him into a deep sleep with her venom and wrapped him within a cocoon. Then, she bade the eldest and closest of her Daughters to watch over the others, before retreating into the deep with Zanunder, to try and find a way to force open the portal and escape this horrid place.