[Estarra]

In Lusternia, the Nine Seals holding the Soulless Gods were weakened in order to combat a threat to creation from a mysterious entity. Now, the only way to recharge the seals is for one mortal to ascend to godhood! Join us for Ascension Event 2007 where challenges throughout January will culminate in the ultimate reward: the Gift of Divinity.

[Estarra]

Congratulations to Shorlen who won the first of the nine challenges and received the Seal of Chaos!

From the event post:

Originally Posted by Reality shook as the thundering form of Avechna the Avenger stirred from His immortal slumber and rose into the skies above the Basin of Life. With a booming voice that reverbrated throughout the firmament, He announced to the mortals gathered below that the first of the Ascension Trials was to begin! Just before the Seal of Chaos was to go into play, the villages of Rockholm, Southgard, and Ankgrag decided to revolt against their masters, making for a very interesting and chaotic setting indeed! Fortunately for the participants, New Celest quickly marshalled their forces and took the entirety of the dwarven kingdom, while Glomdoring shocked the Basin with their victory over Angkrag. Just as the last village swore their fealty, Avechna unleashed thousands of hamsters upon Lusternia and marked the beginning of the trial. The greatest of them all was the Purple Hamster of Chaos, who was rumoured to severely disrupt the mental capabilties of the one who held her as time went on. In the beginning she passed through several mortal hands, before ending up with Spinner Morshoth Noctis of Glomdoring for quite some time. But it was not meant to last, as Morshoth soon fell victim to Krellan of Serenwilde. This time the Purple Hamster ended up in the hands of the demigod Kaervas d'Murani. Kaervas escaped into the mountains and was able to avoid the others for over half the day, despite the almost overwhelming effects of the Hamster on his mind and body. With less then a minute left in the trial, just as Kaervas was expecting victory, he was overtaken by a Serenwilde hunting party and despite his best efforts was slain, again by the hand of Krellan. The Purple Hamster vanished from the scene, and when she reappeared Shorlen of Hartstone was there to seize victory. Shortly after he was marked by Chaos and given charge of the seal by Avechna Himself, who then returned to His resting place until the next trial. Meanwhile, Vix Talnara, Thoros La'Saet, and Daganev Treeripper were able to take first, second, and third respectively in the regular hamster hunt. How will the Seal of Chaos, now in the shape of a Medallion, affect Shorlen? Will he be able to handle the power and responsibility in the coming year before the Final Trial, or will he be consumed by it? Only time will tell.

[Estarra]

Congratulations to Shamarah of the Celestines who won the Challenge of War!

The challenge consisted of a series of wargames conducted by Avechna the Avenger. Shamarah's teammates who supported him in this event were Forren and Aesyra.

The other competing teams in the final wargames challenge were:

- Visaeris, Ildaudid, and Sintor
- Richter, Bauto, and Malarious
- Daevos, Thoros, and Revan

[Richter]

More proof that Lusternia is an awesome game!

[Estarra]

This was a busy weekend in Lusternia as three Challenges were completed for the Ascension Event.

Forren of the Aquamancers won the Challenge of Justice through excellent use of his debating skills through which he claimed the Seal of Justice.

Kaervas of the Blacktalon Druids won the Challenge of Nature, exhibiting his superb knowledge of the realm during a complex scavenger hunt and claiming the Seal of Nature.

Hallen of the Geomancers won the Challenge of Knowledge by dominating an extremely difficult quiz that tested his knowledge of the realms.

Congratulations to the winners!

[Estarra]

The final four challengers for Ascension were chosen this weekend!

The Challenge of Beauty was won Amarysse of the Wildecraft Cartel, submitting a gorgeous woodland tapestry. Amazingly, Amarysse was extremely young and unknown!

The Challenge of Life was won by Aquamancer Soll of New Celest, who healed many furrikin who were inflicted by a foul, mutating disease.

The Challenge of Death was easily won by Daevos Feyranti the Warlord of Magnagora, who killed so many that rivers of blowed flowed through the streets.

The Challenge of Harmony was taken by Exarius, the self-proclaimed raja who bows to no commune or city, through his skill at influencing others.

And thus the final Seal Bearers are chosen, and of these one will ascend to claim the great gift of all: godhood!

[Estarra]

CONGRATULATIONS TO SOLL, WHO WON THE FINAL ASCENSION CHALLENGE!

The final challenge was an exciting four hours of non-stop action! The event post tells it all:

Originally Posted by As the final trials drew to a close, Nine Sealbearers had been chosen by their respective seals. Avechna, the Avenger, appeared atop Avechna's Peak and bound the Nine Seals together into the Staff of Ascension, an artifact of sublime power which could be used to re-charge the Seals and mend the weakness in Almighty Kethuru's prison. The Soulless God, sensing His weakness, ravaged the Astral Plane with vicious assaults as He attempted to break through from His prison. The Nine Sealbearers fought to hold the Staff of Ascension, each backed by his or her own coterie of loyal followers. In the beginning, Shorlen, Bearer of the Seal of Chaos, reigned supreme, defended zealously by the Serenwilde Commune. Hordes of vile monstrosities formed from Almighty Kethuru attacked in endless waves, and many fell, but through it all Shorlen managed to continue holding the Staff, re-sealing the holes in Kethuru's prison even as his mind slipped into gibbering insanity from the wrath of the Soulless God. However, the forces of Magnagora, led by Daevos Feyranti, the Sealbearer of Death, overwhelmed the Serenwilders and slew Shorlen, seizing the Staff of Ascension from his grasp, even when it seemed that Shorlen's victory was all but assured. The Staff was entrusted to Hallen Mes'ard, Sealbearer of Knowledge, who struggled to keep it within his grasp against the tides of monstrosities and Lusternians who did not support the Magnagoran's bid for ascension. The Staff of Ascension continued to switch hands, but it was Soll, Sealbearer of Life, who eventually maintained a firm hold on the Staff of Ascension, nimbly avoiding his attackers and marshaling the armies of New Celest to defend him. In a nail-biting finish, Soll emerged triumphant over the other Sealbearers, wielding the Staff of Ascension to re-seal the prison of Almighty Kethuru. However, the burning divine energies of the Staff consumed the mortal form of Soll, reducing him to naught but ashes, to the dismay of his allies. Avechna, the Avenger, mourned his passing, but bid Lusternians never forget the sacrifices made for the salvation of all creation. It was Estarra, the Eternal, who announced that Soll was not forever dead, as some had feared. His mortal flesh and consciousness had been blistered away, but there remained the divine spark of his inner soul which had been fanned by the powers of the Nine Seals into true divinity. Thus it was that Ayridion, the White Flame, was born from the ashes of the mortal Soll, the first of the Ascended Gods to tread upon the Planes of Lusternia.