The Night-Sun Event
History — Defining Moment
The Rising
Occurred during a major Archfiend rising attempt, approximately 10 AF. Took place in the middle of the night, while most of Farshadow slept.
A vast black cloud was observed traveling toward the Crossing — not forming above it. The cloud followed along the Worldline until reaching the Crossing, then struck the ground with soundless black lightning.
The lightning appeared to breach or empower something beneath the Crossing. From the struck ground, the dark form of the Archfiend (Umbra) began to rise. Fires at the time were sparse and widely spread. The watch was positioned at the settlement's perimeter. The manifestation occurred within the center of the village, effectively bypassing defenses.
The Response
Panic followed: some of the watch fled, others ran to protect their families. A single member of the watch acted decisively. He gathered burning branches and logs and cast them repeatedly onto the Crossing at the Archfiend's base.
The darkness consumed the flames and light at first, as if swallowing them whole. The fire was relentlessly increased until the dark form faltered and receded back into Deepmere.
As the man acted without hesitation, his example was seen and followed. Members of the watch abandoned their posts and joined him. Scrap wood, broken furnishings, and disposable structures were torn apart and hauled to the Crossing. What began as scattered flame was rapidly built into a bonfire, fed by collective action. The black cloud dissipated only after the Archfiend failed to fully rise.
The Flame of the Night-Sun
The Night-Sun refers to the great bonfire maintained at the Crossing after the Archfiend event. Its flame was kept burning through the night as a defensive and symbolic light. Central to early Farshadow ritual and night defense. Served as both warning and reassurance.
Decline of Vigilance
Over years, no further Archfiend events occurred. Oslog continued to be rarely seen. Maintaining the Night-Sun required constant labor — the bonfire had to be fed heavily each night and kept smoldering through the day. Fuel gathering, tending, and ash clearing became part of daily life.
As years passed without incident, this immense effort began to feel routine and burdensome. The Night-Sun flame became predictable and uneventful. Stories of darkness and past horrors were increasingly treated as metaphor rather than record. Vigilance gradually relaxed.
See also: The Interval · The Archfiend · Temple of Knowledge