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Amidst white rocks singing,
The seventh Sun of Taph,
Will battle for the House; warring,
The Guild's blackened staff.

Prologue: The Birth

It was a night from hell. Seemingly endless quantities of rain fell from the enraged sky; thunder billowed and lightning bolted in illuminating streaks, revealing swollen, pallid clouds. Wind uprooted saplings and stripped the larger trees bear of their foliage, the roar was all encompassing.

Inside their weather assaulted home, a married couple struggled against a more private storm. It wasn't exactly an ideal night for the labors of giving birth, but neither wind nor rain could prevent it.
After two years of being unable to conceive, The Creator had finally granted Egas a child, some nine months ago. She'd prayed for this day for countless nights, now she merely prayed for the night to end. Contractions ravaged her body; sweat drenched every inch of her brow, legs and underarms.
She let loose stifled screams through clenched teeth, gripping the bed covers in her fists until nails bit through cloth and into skin; droplets of blood formed where her nails pierced through flesh. The pain didn't register, it was nothing compared to the birthing.
The husband was kneeled between his wife's stretched legs, trying his best to deliver the baby. The midwife who should have been in his place had refused to travel during the storm, leaving the couple to fend for themselves. He knew nothing of proper child birth; uncertainty due to ignorance caused a cold sweat to bead his body. Despite his lack of knowledge on the details of the ordeal, he had a basic idea, as well as an iron determination to help his wife.
"Be strong now, I can see the head!" The man was given hope by the first glimpses of his child.
Over the course of what seemed to be an eternity, with Egas pushing and crying, the child emerged, and a new life entered the home.
The man separated his infant from it's mother with a tender fascination. "Egas, darling, we have a son."
Like blowing out a candle, the birth of the child broke the storm. The wind ceased its movements, as did the rain and thunder. Neither parent gave more than a glance out the window; focusing on one miracle and ignoring the other.
The child cried unexpectedly little, accepting the change in environment with only a few wails of protest. The husband retrieved a blanket and wrapped his son snugly into it before passing him to Egas.
"What are we going to name him?" the man whispered.
She stared into her child's eyes.

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