Political Turmoil on the Hive Continent
Despite the short lives of the Hive, they developed conscious awareness and intelligence quickly within those years. In the Hive time that is referenced by the grimoire, the Osmium King ruled Hive society, and was nearing the end of his lifetime. Upon his death, one of his three daughters, Aurash, Xi Ro, or Sathona was to succeed him. However, the children’s teacher Taox, a sterile mother with political prowess, had concerns about this succession.
“None of these are suitable heirs. None of them will protect the Osmium Court from the howling Fundament. Xi Ro can fight, but not lead. Sathona can think, but not fight. Aurash’s curiosity will draw her away from duty. I fear for all future children.
Gather your knights, o Helium Drinkers, and invade our continent. Kill the three heirs. I will rule the Osmium Court as your regent, and build engines for you. And if I fail, let the Leviathan in the deep eat me.” – II: The Hateful Verse
So she betrayed the children and the Osmium King. Despite her best attempts, the sisters manage to escape on a ship, igniting the spark that would create the burning, rotting, decaying, conflagration of the Hive with which we are familiar. Eventually, the sisters found another ship, designed with high technology for ancient purposes, and they took command of it. The three sisters were now filled with hatred for Taox, the desire for vengeance, and a mission take back their homeland.
While they traveled through space, trying to plan their revenge, the sister Aurash was worried about not only their lives, but the fate of the Fundament as a whole. Before the Osmium King was betrayed, he had told Aurash about strange planetary movement he observed. He mentioned that a syzgy, which can be described as a celestial alignment of planetary bodies, might alter the Fundament’s gravitational pull in such a way as to effect “A wave big enough to swallow civilizations. A God-Wave,” – IV: Syzygy.
Aurash shared this concern with her sisters. And she was convinced by Sathona of what to do:
“We three will die here, in exile. Taox will outlive us. And Aurash, brilliant-eyed Aurash, you will die of old age long before you have proof of your God-Wave, or any way to stop it.”
“We have to dive,” Aurash said. “That’s what this ship is built to do. Dive into the Fundament, the world below us… towards the core.” VI: Sisters
