Laroth sensed a change in Kylorin's heart before the Emperor himself knew he was soon to repent.
Laroth fled the empire in anticipation of the Kylorin's rebellion.
Laroth hired a mercenary band led by Arak the Erkling and took them to the Isle of Nemora, presumably to fortify themselves there to resist Kylorin's eventual attack.
After deposing of most of his disciples, Kylorin followed Laroth trail to Nemora. He found the island uninhabited. Its most notable feature was a seemingly bottomless well, easily wide enough for his largest galleons to fall, with perfectly vertical flawless walls of a stone that looked like granite but was far stronger. The island was a pristine paradise, the most beautiful place Kylorin had ever seen. It seemed more like heaven than Erebus. Kylorin declared it sacred ground and ordered that his troops leave and never let anyone come back to disturb it.
Laroth had in fact descended into the well with his mercenary band. Haerlond Gossam and his younger brother Varn, who were but young children (by elven standards, which could mean 80 years old) at the time, descended with their father Arak.
Arak began treating his mercenaries as slaves. (Perhaps during this time or perhaps during their initial employ, they forget the Elven language and adopt the Patrian language and customs instead.) After spending centuries in the Otherworld without aging, Arak started a revolt.
Arak stayed behind to fight Laroth, providing a distraction and holding the portal back to Erebus open for his sons to lead his followers out of Laroth domain. They bring several artifacts with them, including the Heartstone and the Books of Laroth. (Laroth probably let them go so that these would find their way back to Erebus.)
Haerlond becomes a king and presides over the building of a great city within the Shadow Rift. The Once Elves build a grand bonfire in front of the portal back to the Underworld, which is atop the Malachite Palace. The rest of the city it lit only by a faintly luminescent fungus.
They build a grand library, which housed The Books of Laroth as well as other numerous masterpieces by Erebus's greatest authors who could not complete them during their lifetimes. The library is small compared to that of most elven cities, but all its works are invaluable. It is lit with lots of fungus and mirrors, making it almost blinding bright by Once-Elven standards but still lower than average light by the standards of surface dwellers.
They establish a code of laws which prevents anyone who has seen the Otherworld from ever returning alive to the world of the living. The Obsidian Guard is formed to enforce this.
A powerful curse is placed on the the area surrounding the Well of Shadows (the Erebus-side entrance to the Shadow Rift) that confuses and disorients anyone else trying to find the well. Actually, this might have been naturally occurring. What is important to note is that lThe Once Elves create a few special charms to counteract the curse and give them to some friends in the outside world. It is not clear if some few Ljosalfar wandered into the rift first, or if they waited a generation and sent Once Elves born in the rift to the surface to make contact.
Guests who never venture into the Otherworld are free to study in the library, make copied of books, and leave undisturbed, so long as they. Most bring good to trade for this privilege, but those with nothing are allowed to. Those who have seen the land 0f the dead may never leave alive.
Sandalphon was one of the Once Elves guests, perhaps the first human allowed in. He was the first to discover the tome containing the Waning ritual. He made a copy of it and brought it back with him to share with his people. His copy was not perfect, but was good enough for use in that one ritual. The original remained in the Archives in the rift, perhaps for centuries before Auric brought the vale down.
A certain Necromancer whose loyalties secretly lie with Laroth becomes Haerlond's most trusted adviser, and tries to turn the decent but often harsh and overly pragmatic king against his brother.
Talia and Rathus Denmora were guests in the library at the same time. Rathus was already a shade, but wanted to study the original text rather than a copy. This may have let him perform the ritual more perfectly, gaining the ability to become completely invisible.
Gossea the Dwindling was there at the same time, and used the opportunity to steal the Heartstone. As someone saw a woman steal it and Talia was the only female guest supposed to be there, Haerlond (at the necromancer's insistence) accused and imprisoned her.
Gossea passed though Brigdarrow during her escape. Their Theign had her belongings searched, and some saw the Heartstone before she left. She hired 3 goblin tribes to destroy the village and kill all inhabitants to keep it a secret. Only three children (including Auric) survived.
The children made it into the Rift, as Auric's magical affinity made his hear the curse as voices trying to confuse himself instead of being disoriented.
They were briefly imprisoned with Talia, but Haerlond let them go. During this brief time Talia begins training Auric to be a mage, and is astounded with his rate of progress.
They spent some time in the library, where Auric studied an anachronistic tome by a high priest of Mulcarn who had witnessed his god's death. (Note that the Once elves had left the Otherworld before Mulcarn's death and never went back, so there is no way they could have had this book. This part has probably been rewritten.)
The necromancer encourages Dain (one of the Illian children, not the Casawallen) to go see his father in the Otherworld. Before reaching what appears to be the home where he grew up a dead man warns him that he does not belong, that he will get caught up in an eternal dream if he continues, and that without his help the necromancer will murder Talia and steal her soul in a ritual meant to force her to confess to stealing the Heartstone, as punishing her is easier than finding the real guilty party.
Rathus Denmora uses the Dain's passage into the Otherworld as cover for his own.
Dain returns and tells this to Varn. They break Talia out and try to escape.
When about to be overtaken by Obsidian Guard Chariots, Talia damands that Auric do something.
Auric begins to channel the Sun itself. He would not have had the time to do so had not the guards been briefly distracted by the reopening of the portal to the Otherworld as an invisible Rathus steps out of the Netherworld with the Netherblade.
Auric succeeds to do far more than he intended. The Sun breaks the vale, unites the Shadow rift with Erebus, and crashes the Obsidian Guard Chariots as they are driven by summoned creatures incompatible with the physic of Erebus.
Varn sees Lugus in the Light.
Some of them make it out alive.
Varn wanders into the Desert of Myrh, is taken in my the Malakim, unifies the Lightbringers in worship of Lugus, finds the Mirror of Heaven, and codifies the doctrine of the Empyrean.
Auric Ulvin finds the site of Mulcarn's death, take command of the Illians, and comes very close to becoming a god.
Rathus uses the netherblade in a vain attempt to kill Ethne before she can make use of secrets which the Elohim monarchs have held since the Age of Dragons and summons Basium.
Decius kills Rathus, takes the Netherblade, forces Sandalphon to reveal its secret, and takes it to the final battle against Auric rather than freeing Ethne's soul or giving it to Os-Gabella.
Rhoanna and Falamar together wield the Netherblade to slay a mostly-ascended Auric.
Auric's soul meets Ethne's in the Netherworls, where they are recruited by Laroth.
Laroth defeats Arawn, ascends to godhood, and ends all life in Erebus???
