In the Lone Tower of the Nameless Land, amid the trophies of all the great nations of the world from the days when he still exulted in his power, stood Aureate. Like Auric his hair was golden and his features were delicately beautiful. But his eyes were far paler and he never smiled in mirth, only in cruelty.

Auric had the Gift to let others know their true selves, to draw out that in them which could further the Great Work. Aureate had the opposite Gift: to cloud the understanding of others and keep them from their true selves. He had been imperfect and therefore hated his father and his Work since the moment he was forged. And so he had led Hermes to his own destruction. After centuries of pursuing the Work, Hermes trusted too much in his own wisdom and power. And so Aureate led him to try to rebuild his failed experiment Aphotic, to give form to Chaos itself. This led to the death of Hermes, his homeland, and almost all of his own House. The Word was all but forgotten. Now it would be finished at last.