The Disappearance of Sterne
"The Time of Tribeless"
After years and years of prosperity the changelings destroy themselves from the inside out. They almost completely rid history of the changeling race and all they accomplished in a single night.
~Massacre at Grundar~
Sky-watchers had known this would happen for many, many years from reading the stars, but knew they had to keep quiet in order to hold off fear. It had been prophesied that there would be a time where the stars would disappear, and so would the great tribes the changelings had built. Outcasts, angry at being pushed away, shunned, and rejected from their tribes began making criminal tribes of their own. These tribes were monstrous, and built on the desire of revenge. The Outcasts of these tribes, like many true tribes, wore a special garb piece that signified them as the Tribe of Verlangen (Desire). This tribe, knowing that there is a loophole at the Trials of Sterne in Gundar plotted to ruin the tribes from the inside out. The Loophole was that at Grundar and Grundar alone, all were welcomed to participate in the Trials. This included any race, tribe, and even Outcasts. The Outcast “tribe” came to the Trials where changelings and others alike all gathered for an exciting celebration. Only the sky-watchers knew that the Time of Sterne was coming to its close. During the trials Outcasts were more brutal, and tended to target anyone who was not a changeling. Many went as far as murdering the other races participating in that year’s trial. Obviously the other races became wary, and some left. Unrest spread as word of the Gundar Massacres reached the other tribes. As the third day came to its end and the great night-long feast got to its height the Outcasts attacked. Some were wary of the feast happening at all, but the chieftain of Grundar at the time wanted to uphold the tradition that Grundar had set before them, refusing to cancel the feasts despite the worry of his advisors. As most at the feast were intoxicated and many were tired from the long fighting event anyone beside the Outcasts had not stood a chance for what happened this night.
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The Sterne's Hand of the Grundar had made a decision and pulled the Historians aside before the event. Sky-Watcher Keera of the Elven changelings had seen the fall of the changelings, and worse foresaw the possibility of all of the changeling history being wiped from memory. She decided to break her vow to not interfere with the stars’ destiny and to keep the changeling history alive in some way for the future of her race. The Head Historian, Dezzath of the Dwarven changelings, struck with despair, gathered his team of Historians and found all of the scrolls he could. The team brought all of the scrolls into a safe holding cell that only the Council of Gundar knew about: the burial tomb of Gundar himself. There they hid the scrolls in hope that one day the surviving changeling society would find them in the future. Keera had warned that it may be years, eons even, before any changeling would find the scrolls to their past. She spilled everything of what she had seen in the stars of what was to come. The stars had shown Grundar being ransacked, all who were there massacred by Outcasts. She explained that was why changelings becoming Outcasts took so much deliberation and was so rare. Sky-watchers always knew that the Outcasts would be their undoing and though they were forbid to change the future they had aided in preventing it for many many years. Unfortunately they always knew that one day the stars would win out.
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Six days before that year’s Trials of Sterne the Sky-watchers had watched every star disappear from the sky in a celestial event never before seen. It was then that the sky-watchers realized what was about to happen. Keera also explained that the stars had shown uprising of the allied societies within the tribes attacking and massacring their changeling allies, after the Trials of Sterne. Changelings that would survive would find no welcoming from the other races due to the massacre. Many changelings would have to go into hiding becoming nearly non-existent. Some would even believe changelings extinct, but Keera also saw hope. One light had shined brightly during the celestial event, and a name had been said loudly, Kreash. It is believed that this changeling would be the most courageous of all changelings and begin bringing the race back into the light. After Keera made the decision to tell the Historians she also had seen multiple other stars begin to fade back, and it grew and grew until by the time the Trials of Sterne began the stars shined brighter than they ever had before. One word spoke to her. Hope. What will actually happen is not written down, for when the Outcasts attacked as destiny said they would, Dezzath, ran to write his last words onto a scroll explaining what was happening above him in the tomb where Gundar now slept. He was afraid, scared that the stars may have been wrong and that all of this had been in vain. That when all was said and done the victories of how changelings became so strong would be not even a legend told to children. He cried and morphed into his natural form knowing that he would never be able to see the light of day again. For if he did he could risk all of the hard work being destroyed. No one of Tribe Grundar will ever know what came in the coming days, but Dezzath knew that his Sunset had begun, and that the Father of Stars welcomed him home in the coming night.
~The last Scroll of Grundar, Keeper of Grundar Dezzath
~Tribe of Verlangen~
Tribe of Verlangen were the allied outcasts who massacred the other races during the Trials of Sterne. To them changelings were the master race and no other race should stand in their path. They were barbaric and kept the remaining tribes from having any chance of recovery due to their brutal nature. There were many disagreements that played a role in the formation of Verlangen. One such disagreement was with the worship of Cennad Sterne over the worship of Cennad Erde. Some Changelings believed, since they had the ability to shift into a ‘perfect’ being, that Sterne was the greater of the two and should be the only god held higher. To these changelings, the Stars came first and created the Earth, so Sterne was better than Erde, and their true ‘Mother’. This began the rift between the remaining changelings. This belief also lead to the priority of changelings over other races, but without a hate to them. It was more a superiority complex. Since the ‘Mother’ bestowed the gift to shift upon them, they were the only race that could answer a greater truth. They felt they should have independence from the other races, and didn’t need them as the tribes had previously thought. Of course this was not entirely true since they had to learn to shift from the other races, but these less barbaric changelings believed they could overcome that in ways previously not utilized.
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As the plan to brutally massacre the Grundar Tribe formed, many changelings opted out feeling that it would cause a backlash that needed not to happen. The Verlangen saw these changelings as traitors to their race, and chased them from their ranks, keeping only the most loyal to their cause in their highest positions. Through disagreements, great loss from the massacre, and a newfound hatred for changelings in outside society, the Verglangen Tribe began to shrink. The loss of stars and the loss of their history also caused further trouble for the Tribe. Eventually the tribe truly split into two. While Verlangen fell due to inner turmoil and loss of numbers over the years the split group survived and became known as Tribe Pryde.
~Tribe Pryde~
The Tribe Pryde, a group that broke from the Verlangen before the massacre, felt that such extreme actions against their own race was too much, and to desecrate the honorable trials of Sterne was unthinkable. Many changelings left becoming a semi-nomadic clan. Still believing in their Changeling pride they kept together, and after the massacre welcomed those who like them had split from Verlangen. They believed that they should not hide who they were. Pryde’s mission is to gather Changelings, their history, and other information in order to create and preserve their culture. To them Changeling culture belonged to changelings. The Tribe mainly uses their Spies/Scouts to recruit fellow changelings and obtain information. Tribe Pryde is the sole surviving tribe after the Disappearance of Sterne.
Pryde First Changeling Chieftan – Reinmar
Early Pryde records indicate that Reinmar was the first Chieftain, and played a large role in the separation from Verlangen. They knew the Verlangen were bitter, and felt their actions to shamefully attack Grundar during their trials were too vicious. There are similar beliefs between the two tribes, and a mild bitterness to Grundar, but Pryde had found their own way.
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Unfortunately the Disappearance of Sterne had a greater backlash than they had expected, and made the early Pryde years chaotic and harsh. Due to much moving around and being hunted, many records were lost. It took much time before the Tribe was able to stabilize.
Pryde Chieftan- Kamon