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In the rest of the ranks were such names as Ulf, Glimi, Rizzen, Ravane,
Wolfbane, Makyo, and many others whom I am sure that I have unduly
forgotten. I managed to obtain the Silver Clan Ranking... a sub-leader
status, certainly my proudest achievement.
I learned a valuable lesson in these days, which all of the newer folk
would be wise to heed. At the time, World was seeking a new Clan
Leader... FReAk had just left us (for more on that see Kayal's entry,
she was closest to him of us). I felt, and not without justification,
that I was the one that would be chosen for the post. And when it
didn't happen, I was angry. I spoke harsh words without thinking, and
made an utter fool of myself. Politics, I said. I was of course wrong.
Blaming politics may be all fine and dandy in the outside worlds which I
have seen first-hand, but it has no place in Thera. And it certainly
was no factor in the decision made. With the wisdom of age I see this
now. I only wish I had seen it then.
And shortly thereafter... the First Great Cataclysm. All those that
lived were devastated... their lives crushed. And all had to start
their climb to the top over again.
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Few were more devastated than I was... in fact, I would go as far to say
NOBODY was. For all the rest of the populace recovered quickly, but I,
a non-native to Thera, was far more affected by the Cataclysm.
To this very day I have not recovered in full.
My 'second' tenure with World was easily my LEAST successful and
enjoyable. I was still angry at the imagined slight of before, though
it was in this period that I began to see where I was wrong. New faces
popped up, and many older faces were Ascended to Immortalhood. Most
notably our own Kayal; rarely has anyone been so deserving, especially
for putting up with me during my whining stage. Others included Chipper,
of Rose, and Qwerty, of Darkness.
Of the new faces of this time I remember Eirin most clearly. It was
hard not to notice her, with the silly accent and the near-constant
pouncing. Others included Helpist, Elrond, and Talamar. More notable
than the arrivees were the departures. Many disappeared during this
time.
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Of course, the most important happening of the First Great Cataclysm was
the arrival of three new clans to Thera. Crimson, which has since been
disbanded; Music, and Sylvan... now known as Old Sylvan.
Old Sylvan came into being, and immediately decided one thing; that
World Clan was it's sworn enemy and must be destroyed. While the
Darkness wars had been the largest and most prominent in World history,
the World-Sylvan war was easily the most heated. We hated each other.
While there was some occasional camaraderie between Darkness, Rose, and
World; there was none here. The war did not last too long... within a
couple of months, Sylvan had expended itself, and slunk away to recover,
in what would inevitably be an unsuccessful recovery.
At the tailend of this, it was time for me to face a demon from my past.
And doing so meant leaving Thera. I said some sad good-byes, and
disappeared from the face of the World. I had given a date when I said
that I would return... this date passed, and I had not. So Zoracc was
thought gone forever. For an account of the happenings from the time of
my departure, see Darksabre's entry. He came into power at about the
time of my departure.
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I returned much later, an older, wiser mantis. And things had changed.
I daresay that the clans of this day and age are weak images of those of
the past. This is not necessarily a bad thing; it makes for less
conflict. The era of wars is long passed, and a relative peace has
settled. Certainly, the unity of clans is all but vanished, remembered
vaguely in occasional public statements of power. I discovered this
when struck blind, with no way to return to the World Garden. Many
clanspeople passed in and out... none helped, and some belittled the
situation. In the old days, there would have been a helping hand for
sure. I would like to think that the World Clan is trying to return to
the days of close-knit unity... alas with the wars over there seems to
be little impetus for that. Perhaps to you I sound like a bitter old
mantis. Though you may not like what I say, I say it objectively.
And of the Second Great Cataclysm, and the events following... most of
those that are at the time of this writing have full account of these
days; I need not speak of them. For my pen is running dry, and much is
to be done to give the future generations something to write about...