Blessings of Tainted Nil upon the Basin.

I write today to discuss the truths of the Taint, and the Five of Nil.
There are unfortunate misconceptions about these forces, due in no small
part to the lies spread about them. In truth, the Taint is a catalyst
for transformation and power, and the Five, exemplars of this catalyst.

In times long before mortalkind, as any who know their history can tell
you, the Elder Gods walked the world freely, creating many things, and
enjoying that which Godhood had to offer. When the Elder God Xyl
discovered the Heralds of Magnora, known commonly as the Soulless,
returning to Lusternia, the world was thrown into chaos and war. Many
Elder Gods lost their lives fighting the Heralds, and the war altogether
was lost, with the Elder Gods either flinging Themselves deep into the
Void, or splintering Themselves, ending Their existences to create the
mortal races.

But indeed, it did not need to be so. History notes that it was Lord
Fain, of the First Circle, and His Coterie that did take unto themselves
the Elixir. This draught, composed in part of the Soulless themselves,
brought the Coterie great strength and power, and the war was nearly
won.

When those who feared transformation and power banished these Gods, the
war was lost, for the strength of the Cotiere, and the Elixir, could no
longer protect Creation.

Eons later, Emperor Ladantine released the Essence of Kethuru, now known
as the Taint, upon the Basin through Project Cosmic Hope. Though not
prepared in the same way, and far more diluted and weaker than Lord
Fain's Elixir, the principle remains the same. We of the Taint follow in
the footsteps of Lord Fain's Coterie, allowing the Taint into ourselves
in order to grow stronger, better, more capable. It will be those who
have taken this power into themselves that will serve as the end to the
Heralds, as history has shown. Those who reject and harm the Taint act,
at best, in fear. At worst, they actively serve the Soulless by
destroying the weapons we have against them.

The Five, the Demon Lords and Lady of Nil, are aspects of the Taint
personified. Lady Nifilhema teach us to embrace pain, for what we do not
fear or shy away from cannot truly hurt us. Lord Gorgulu teach us to
embrace hunger, but to consume only that which we may properly handle,
for too little hunger leads to stagnancy and complacency, and too much
consumption leads to losing oneself. Lord Ashtorath teach us the value
of wrath and rage, so that we may never hesitate to act when actions are
necessary. Lord Baalphegar teaches us the values of patience and
subtlety, so that we may strike true when the opportunity is primed. And
the Supreme Master Luciphage, the Master of Nil, teaches us the value of
combining these teachings, and directing such towards leadership, so
that those who have not fully embraced them may still serve vital
functions within the world.

The Taint is not evil or wicked, Basin. The Five are not terrible
creatures, as some would have you think. The Taint is strength. It is
our weapon - the Basin's weapon - against the Soulless. Enemies of the
Taint would call our values harsh or unforgiving. To them, I offer a
reminder: We live in a world under siege, where our continued existence
is not guaranteed. Is it lovely to believe that one may envelop
themselves in a blanket of ignorance and be perfectly fine, but history
has shown time after time that this is simply not the case.

Do not fear a thing simply because you are told to, Basin. Come to the
Engine. Learn of the Taint and those who serve it. Learn how you may be
made stronger through the gaze of the Five.

In service to Them,
Supervisor Cyna

Penned by my hand on the 15th of Kiani, in the year 443 CE.