Chapter 5: The Lords of Herophet
Gort and Voln were now the masters of Herophet and their hellish minions now populated the vast wastes, which was ravaged by the harshest of the elements, with fire and ice covering the land in equal measure. For a brief period the new lords of Herophet laughed at their isolation and found comfort in each other. They set themselves the task of filling their lands with foul beasts of their own design, to protect themselves from their Aslah brethren. Voln was given the frozen, ice packed lands that she called Pakara, which she populated with the demons of her own nightmares, while Gort filled the fiery lands of Herophet with more of his demonic creations.
When both were pleased with their labor, they once again cast their thoughts upon Damarkan and wondered what might be occurring there. Gort, still wracked with the rage that had afflicted him since Desdemar's rejection, thought of her beauty and felt his rage once again burn within him. So they made themselves busy and made new monstrous inventions, which they sent as spies down the River Mothex and Gort and Voln were now aware of what was happening in Damarkan.
To Gort and Voln, during this period, were born Hakkan and Xagraxsus, their sons, and a daughter, Setsop.
As time passed, however, so Gort began to think more and more of the beauty of Desdemar and felt the burning desire to possess her take a hold once again. As his rage and darkness grew, so Voln found herself increasingly on the end of his spite. Fearful of what he might do, Voln retreated to Pakara where she had built herself the great ice citadel of Juota and took with her Hakkan and Xagraxsus, but not Setsop, for she would not come, such was her love of the deep halls of Herophet. Gort no longer gave any thought to Voln and took no interest in her affairs or those of his children, for his thoughts were fixed on the memory of Desdemar and Onnus and their love for one another. He had long since received news of the rebuilding of Damarkan and of the new child of Desdemar and Onnus, Aras, a daughter for which all of Damarkan rejoiced. It had also come to his ears that Olmus and Pittok had a son, Olgden, and two daughters, Thim and Qayoba.
Disguised as one of Shylar's Veshwe, Gort secretly began to spend time once again in Damarkan, with the Aslah unaware of his comings and goings. He watched as Aras grew into an even greater beauty than her mother and saw, with bitterness, the unwavering love of Onnus and Desdemar. Damarkan was now a place of such exquisite magnificence that it pained Gort to look upon it. From atop Pittok's aerie, the great Light of Vaalea cast away the shadow and made Damarkan shimmer under its golden glow. Henipur had grown magnificent, with all manner of creatures now dwelling under the canopy of trees that reached up towards the Light of Vaalea. As well as the Veshwe, who tended to all the gardens of Damarkan, Henipur was alive with trees that walked and talked, with sprites and all manner of fey beasts.
Talokas, Voln's citadel of old, had been sundered from Damarkan after the murder of Dayn, with the River Mothex alone maintaining its ties with Damarkan, as it also tied Herophet. While Gort spent his time in Damarkan, returning only occasionally to Herophet, Voln dug deep below the frozen wastes of Pakara and there built a new citadel, unknown to Gort, which was called Sota, a place of raging fires and exploding volcanoes, where the ground trembled. Voln filled Sota with more of her evil creations and gave Pakara over to the command of her greatest servant, the demon Naberru.
