Lithe she was, an elfin maiden, and her blades were like lunes shine
yet her heart was for me barren, she longed for darkness, was not mine
- Alinastro of Skystone
Some sovereigns prefer a different sort of tax from their subjects - whether freely given, or taken by force.
Within the chest of a wizardly tool, there beats a Shard heart, deeming the master a fool.
“Swiftly, repent! The Saintmaker is coming!”
From beyond through veils sublime
Pass ghostly, o umbral shine
Illuminate in shadow, fade colors, so fallow
Dark dreaming does bidding thine
Belsethra, the Mother of Sin
An evil that nurtures evil, a dark mother that is cradle to shadow.