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The Determined were a group of mortal heroes prophesied by [[Ioun]] to lead Echelon in the Ultima War against Vecna. During the Median Timeline, the Determined were elf wizard [[Alastaire Breowan]], dragonborn warrior [[Casimiri Pickles]], halfling rogue [[Wollyn Diggenplump]], human cleric [[St. Raelyn Lionni|Raelyn Lionni]], and half-elf sorcerer [[Kevice Dryadson]].

== The Prophecy ==
The clerics of Ioun maintained a nine-chapter book, ''Mythos'', which chronicled (among other things) the prophecy of the Ultima War. The fifth chapter first introduced the idea of the Determined; parts of the eighth and all of the ninth chapters specifically dealt with this prophecy. Thoughout the short text, the Celestials were chronicled debating the composition, future choices, and desired abilities of the Determined.

Initially, it seemed [[Corellon Larethian|Corellon]] sparked the idea of a calculation of a future war between the good Races and the [[:Category:Prime Evils|Prime Evil]]. He feared Vecna, lord of secrets, would breach the Seal and conquer Echelon in order to attack the Upper Planes. [[Avandra]] and Ioun, hearing this, came to the same conclusion:<blockquote>"The Races will surely be destroyed by the powers of evil and of Vecna, without any who are Determined to lead their people." -''Mythos'', ch. V</blockquote>In the very next chapter, the text continued with a prediction of Vecna's breach:<blockquote>"The Seal of the Celestials will one day open, and an Ultimate War descends upon Echelon. These things will be the end, if none who are Determined fight the darkness." -''Mythos'', ch. VI</blockquote>The book also discussed the event from the perspective of the Prime Evils. Vecna was the only one who mentioned the Determined by name, indicating the Prime Evils were aware of the Celestial prophecy. While many of the other Prime Evils seemed hesitant to confront the Celestials in Echelon after the Sealing, Vecna pointed out that Ioun did not have the foresight to predict magic entering Echelon. He boldly declared that the Determined would not save the world as the Celestials hoped.

== Historical Events ==

=== Prelude to Prophecy ===
In early spring of 855 ME, the airship ''Agree to Disagree'' set sail from Calogero, headed for the Strongwater Isles. Among those aboard were Wollyn Diggenplump, performer emeritus to the court of Strongwater. He was returning from a tour on the Mainland coast. A dragonborn warrior called Pickles and a cleric of Avandra called Raelyn were traveling independently, but for similar reasons; neither had seen the elven homeland before. Alastaire Breowan, a wood elf from Shadowfield, was on his way to search for medicines in order to help alleviate the Drywell Fever outbreak caused by Nix the Black (though this was unknown at the time). A fifth passenger was the illegitimate son of King Verros Eular of Strongwater, Kevice Dryadson, who was returning from a diplomatic mission to Calogero on behalf of his father.

A few days after the ''Agree to Disagree'' left Calogero, it ran into trouble. As Wollyn sang songs from the crow's nest about his roguish exploits, Kevice, Pickles, and Raelyn became acquainted. The halfling's singing abruptly ended, and he announced an unfamiliar ship on the approaching horizon. Fearing the Crimson Fleet, Captain Kieran Starwind ordered the ship to combat alert.

His fears were well warranted. The lone galleon, flying a blood-red flag and sailing with the westerly wind, intercepted the tacking ''Agree to Disagree ''within the hour. Pickles, Alastaire, and Kevice set up a staunch defense aboard the smaller ship as the cannons were brought to bear. The galleon, however, had no intention of firing on the ''Agree to Disagree''. Hoping to use their superior numbers, the pirates of the Crimson Fleet ship boarded the ''Agree to Disagree'' in droves. Wollyn, Pickles, Alastaire, Kevice, and Raelyn-- along with Captain Starwind's first mate Vixen and hired swords, Wilter the dragonborn and Blaster Stoutleaf-- managed to fend off several waves of pirate boarders.

However, outnumbered and significantly outgunned, Captain Starwind opted to use his secret residuum engine. Rising over the galleon and tearing off two of its masts with her heavy undercarriage, the ''Agree to Disagree'' managed to escape. Owing in large part to the would-be Determined, the crew of the airship only took minor wounds with the exception of cook Grace Brockenheimer, who survived and was treated later at Strongwater Lagoon.

=== The Determined Arrive ===
Acquainted and battle-tested, the five expressed interest in briefly traveling together. Wollyn and Kevice both had "ins" with the Strongwater Court; Alastaire wanted to search high and low for curatives for the plague. Pickles and Raelyn joined up as well, one seeing an opportunity for adventure and the other for a mercy mission.

After meeting with the court, the five were sent to the isle of Tanjetto as a favor for the King. A local ferry took them to the Great Library, which had not been heard from in several days. Shortly after the adventurers' arrival, it became clear why. An unknown assailant-- later revealed to be the Vecnan cultist Dubaku-- had killed the caretakers and stolen several forbidden texts.

Before the five could report back to King Eular about the attack, the Great Library mysteriously grew dark. Devils stepped out of the Nine Hells and into the Library, drawing the adventurers into desperate combat. They were nearly overpowered by the infernal enemies, but survived the first attack in the Ultima War.

A dimensional anchor had settled on the five adventurers, binding them together and centering the cracking of the Celestial Seal on them. None of the Determined ever found out (except in the Temporal Plane during the Melding) that the anchor was the doing of [[Alhamazad]], millennia before, as a specific countermeasure. What they did understand was that Vecna's cultists had begun to breach the Seal, and that they would be plagued with attack after attack as the Seal deteriorated.

=== The Vision and the "Marks of the Determined" ===
Back in the infirmary in the elven capital, the wounded heroes each shared a dream. The four Creative Celestials announced their appointment as the Determined, and that they were now responsible for preparing Echelon for Vecna's invasion. Reportedly, after the dream as each sat up in their respective beds, Wollyn quipped, "So, no pressure."

What was more, each of the adventurers awoke with markings on their bodies. These were the Marks of the Determined, as described in the prophetic ''Scrolls of the Forgotten Flower'', a holy text used by worshipers of [[Corellon Larethian|Corellon]]. These Marks quickly cemented the newcomers as the Determined among the elven peoples; Mainland religions were less accepting due to the socio-political divide of the faiths at the time.

=== Gathering Information ===
The newly-appointed Determined accepted their status with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Wollyn and Pickles were reportedly quite excited, whereas Alastaire attempted to reject the call at least once. Raelyn, the religious expert of the group, made clear the gravity of their situation, and both Kevice and Alastaire's senses of the dimensional anchor quickly forced all to capitulate to the appointment. Another demonic attack en route across the ocean once more further solidified their resolve, and sources rarely differed on each member's commitment after that.

The first step for the Determined was to research the Ultima War from every available source. As many of the books had been stolen from the Great Library, their resources were somewhat limited in Strongwater. Employing Captain Starwind once more, they set out on the ''Agree to Disagree'' for the Solar Cathedral at Icon on the Mainland. It was in the Solar Cathedral's library that Raelyn and Alastaire devised the formula for what would later become known as [[Lionni's Divine Shield|''Lionni's divine shield'']]. Furthermore, local rumors and Blaster Stoutleaf pointed them to the hideout of Dubaku, sorcerer and cultist who had previously stolen the materials from the Tanjetto library.

=== Confrontation With Dubaku ===
The Determined traveled from Icon to Sheylas, another city in the former Velgassi Empire. The ghost town, heavy with undead presence, was the perfect spot for Dubaku's surreptitious experiments. In the hollowed-out shell of a seaside inn, Dubaku and the Determined fought to a bitter standstill. Blaster Stoutleaf was killed attempting to draw the sorcerer's attacks, which allowed Wollyn Diggenplump to sneak up and stab Dubaku in the back. A powerful foe had been defeated, but it was a pyrrhic victory; most of the Tanjetto materials were destroyed in the fight, and the Determined had failed to protect Stoutleaf. However, the Determined did recover one critical item-- the Calico Stone, previously stolen two years prior. The residuum-infused astral diamond, a national treasure of Vyetka, was immediately taken back to the capital city.

=== The Calico Stone ===
The Determined hoped to convince Lord Tilus Zerell, Regent of the new Vyetkan state, to allow them to borrow the Calico Stone. Raelyn was certain it could be used as a focus to amplify the spell she and Alastaire had been working on-- enough, perhaps, to protect an entire city from a demonic assault. Vyetka, she hoped, would be the first city to be protected by ''Lionni's divine shield''.

Unfortunately for the Determined, the crew of the ''Agree to Disagree'' had other plans. Seeing a way to power their airship without using incredibly rare residuum, Kieran Starwind and Vixen used the ''Agree to Disagree'' to gain access to the Imperial Castle while the Determined were discussing their plan with Lord Zerell over dinner. Wilter, still under the employ of Captain Starwind, captured Zerell and held him at sword-point, while the Vyetkan authorities were forced to hand over the Stone. As Starwind, Vixen, and Wilter escaped with the Calico Stone, the Determined were left with only one solid option: delay the Ultima War as long as possible.

=== The Five Chromatics ===
The literature pieced together from the libraries at Tanjetto, Icon, and Vyetka helped the Determined uncover the identities of Vecna's three remaining Harbingers: Nix the Black, Astorwratha the Blue, and Ryrrotil the Red. Keela the Green had previously died in the Pennant-Velgassi War by Emerald Company's hands, and the overconfident Golghenna the White had been slain near Talharn Fortress the year prior. With all Five Chromatics dead, the Determined hoped time could be bought to allow the fractured nations of Echelon to mobilize their armies against an apocalyptic threat.

By that time, word of the Determined had already spread across many lands. The Avandran Alliance and the city-states of Sirocco and Calogero were publicly declaring support for the Determined. Other powers were not so quick to jump onto the Determined's bandwagon. The Church of the Tetrarchs was publishing literature denouncing what they perceived as Seldarine blasphemy; very little of this reached the eyes of the Determined themselves. Lord Zerell of Vyetka, still reeling from the theft of the Calico Stone, was not altogether convinced that the so-called "Determined" were not accomplices of Captain Starwind. He did not publicly support the Determined until much later, when Raelyn and Alastaire successfully used the Heart of Moradin to erect ''Lionni's divine shield'' over Kodonholm.

=== Battle With Nix the Black ===
The Determined tracked Nix the Black, and the source of Drywell Fever, to a bog near the Hundred Rivers Wetland in Shadowfield. Alastaire fought tenaciously to end the dragon who had killed his wife and daughter with the plague, finally destroying Nix as he collapsed from wounds sustained in the battle. Raelyn attempted to use her healing powers to save Alastaire, but it was too late; the Drywell Fever was running its course.

If not for the timely arrival of Chaka Unas, the Determined might have lost one of their most powerful members. Chaka-- a paladin hero of old living as a hermit in Shadowfield-- was able to use ''lay on hands'' to expel the disease from Alastaire's body; from there, Raelyn's magic brought the wizard back from the brink of death. Alastaire's mind was only saved after she used a ''commune ''spell to help the others repair the mental damage from the fever as well. The Determined were able to travel into Alastaire's mind, helping him temporarily set aside his sorrow for the loss of Yukko and Tinuviel Breowan.

For Chaka's part, the hermit agreed to return to the world and spread the Determined's message; the Ultima War was imminent.

=== Battle With Astorwratha the Blue ===
From Shadowfield, the Determined headed south into the Elsir Vale. Chancellor Floria of the Pennant Alliance welcomed the heroes despite the recent outbreak of civil war in the Vale. She hoped to use the Determined as political clout; for Floria, the Determined presented an opportunity to sway recently-independent cities like Calogero and Galvanheim to join her rebellion against the Pennant Regency. The Determined eventually swayed her to see the bigger picture of the prophetic Ultima War, and used the residuum-infused astral diamond Heart of Moradin to successfully cast ''Lionni's divine shield'' over her capital of Kodonholm.

The Chancellor allowed the Determined to take the residuum-powered ''Ace of Infinity'', the airship prototype on which the ''Agree to Disagree'' was built, to the first Forgotten Continent. There, they pinpointed the lair of Astorwratha the Blue, a dragon terrorizing the fledgling Republic of Calitha in efforts to soften Racial defenses before Vecna's invasion.

The battle with Astorwratha did not go well for the Determined, as she proved a far more cunning opponent than Nix. She successfully divided the Determined into two groups, engaging them with aerial attacks in her coastal cliffs. Concurrently, it was on these cliffs that Mr. Chompers, Wollyn's beloved goat, was eaten by her brood.

Only Kevice's wild magic prevented total disaster. He channeled his powers into a single point and, by tearing the Weave, teleported himself and Astorwratha into the Astral Sea. Astorwratha's brood fell to the others, but it seemed that Kevice Dryadson was lost.

=== Battle With Ryrrotil the Red ===
The Determined had lost a valuable part of themselves in Kevice, but had to press on. They had saved the Calithan frontier and acquired another residuum-infused astral diamond from her hoard. With promises to return to Calitha City to erect the ''shield'', the Determined left aboard the ''Ace of Infinity'' to engage Ryrrotil.

In the Sirrocan desert, Ryrrotil had been busy. He had used his massive treasure hoard to bribe orc chieftains, barbarians, and other opportunistic groups to attack towns in the Red Desert. By the time the Determined arrived in the Red Desert, only Phoenix, Sandgate, Oasis, and Sirroco itself remained. What was more, the slaver-king Redshackle had been plaguing the desert peoples for decades, and had declared open war on Sirroco years ago.

Knowing Sirroco could not stand against both Redshackle's army and Ryrrotil's forces, the Determined engaged both in the field. The ''Ace of Infinity'' led Sirroco's clockwork air force against Ryrrotil, and the red dragon was shot down by the arcane demiculverins of the fleet. Seeing their figurehead fall from the summer sky, the tribal clans following Ryrrotil scattered. Meanwhile, Sirrocan desert knights and zauberins beat back Redshackle's forces near Oasis.

=== Pickles Fights Redshackle ===
Redshackle decided to play a cunning move, retreating his army to the Carapace, a gigantic surface grotto north of the town of Oasis. He then sent word to Pickles that he would meet her in single combat in Oasis; the winner would assume control of the town. Sensing a trap but fearing the loss of life to the people if war was to continue-- not to mention the loss of time in preparation for the bigger War-- Pickles accepted. Alastaire and Raelyn advised against it, but Pickles claimed it was a matter of honor and that, truly, she could not refuse.

The mysterious Redshackle arrived with a small escort, and he met Pickles in the Oasis town square. He revealed his true identity as a dragonborn himself-- a psychological blow to Pickles, as she (and nearly all) people thought dragonborn incapable of practicing slavery. The impact of the revelation put the warrior off-balance, and Redshackle used that to his advantage in the ensuing duel.

As the hot summer sun of the Red Desert beat down on the combatants, it became clear that Redshackle, despite his efforts at psychological warfare, was no match for Pickles. He turned to the use of poison-tipped daggers-- another violation of the dragonborn code of honor-- and Raelyn decided she had seen enough. The cleric violated the terms of the duel and cast a ''heal'' spell to relieve Pickles of the debilitating poison, sealing her wounds in the process. Redshackle cried foul, but Raelyn countered that he had already violated the terms of the duel by using poison. Redshackle retorted that poison was not explicitly mentioned; Pickles agreed.

At that time, Raelyn made her own revelation that she had previously encountered Redshackle on a mission of healing during his desert campaigns against Sirroco. He told her who he was, knowing his confession to a cleric could not be broken. Unsure of herself but feeling it the pious thing to do, she had treated his injuries and kept his secret, allowing him to continue inflicting suffering. Raelyn, feeling an overwhelming guilt, declared that she would not allow Redshackle to manipulate her again. When the slaver-king went to stab a disappointed Pickles in the back, Raelyn attacked him with her mace, crushing his skull and killing him.

=== Return of Kevice Dryadson ===
With the Five Chromatics dead and the desert peoples relatively safe, the Determined flew to Kodonholm to plan their next move. As autumn approached, the Determined felt Vecna's arrival in Echelon was imminent. They found themselves with many allies and a new outpouring of support from the people. However, one thing they were desperately short on was time. 

It was then that Kevice returned from the Astral Sea, drawn back into Echelon from the void by the same temporal anchor that linked the Nine Hells to the Determined. Astorwratha, with no connection back to the Material Plane, was lost in the Astral Plane forever. The others were overjoyed when Kevice appeared in Kodonholm; his return was a much-needed morale boost for the Determined at that time. 

=== The Final Preparations ===
Kevice, Pickles, Raelyn, Alastaire, and Wollyn worked extensively over the course of the next few weeks to brace Echelon against the coming assault. They were provided with tactical information of every supporting nation, from the fractured remnants of the old Velgassi Empire to the isolationist Island Nations of Strongwater. The kingdom of Sel'an and the city-states of Stray and Volkenburg did not support the Determined's leadership, and refused their help despite several pleas. With the burden that not everyone would-- or could-- be saved, the Determined set about with their plans.

Sirroco and Kodonholm had already been set up with ''Lionni's divine shield''. With only six more residuum-infused astral diamonds available as focuses, Raelyn and Alastaire began raising the magic barrier over major metropolitan areas. Strongwater Lagoon, Vyetka, Aegis, Calogero, and Icon were the first to be shielded, owing to their initial support of the Determined. Elder City was set up with the sixth after Chancellor Redwine of the Pennant Regency acquiesced. When Kieran Starwind had a change of heart and returned the Calico Stone to the Determined, Calitha City was also to be prepared; however, time expired, and the frontier Republic had no ''teleportation circle''. Lionni and Breowan had no choice but to hastily erect the shield over the nearest, next-largest city. With its proximity and population, Galvanheim was the logical choice. However, refugees in the Barstow Valley were also pouring into Mathar Falls by the hour, and were relatively weak militarily. They chose Mathar Falls, counting on Galvanheim's trained dwarven shock troops to protect the city without the advantage of a shield.

As the wizard and the cleric went raising their magical barriers, Wollyn, Kevice, and Pickles split the known world into three sections: the northern Mainland, the southern Mainland, and the Strongwater Isles and Forgotten Continent. Their mission was twofold: first, to prepare the armies for demonic invasion; second, to evacuate as many people as possible into the protection of the soon-to-be shielded cities. Wollyn worked with St. Chaka, Lord Zerell of Vyetka, and General Corvalo of Icon to prepare the north. Chancellor Redwine and Chancellor Floria set aside their political differences and joined forces with Graff Thulun of Sirroco to follow Pickles' leadership. Meanwhile, Kevice Dryadson and Admiral Arturo of Strongwater helped gather the Island Nations in Strongwater Lagoon. Kevice also sent word to the Calithan frontiers to get into Calitha City, still believing there would be enough time for his companions to set up ''Lionni's divine shield'' there.

=== The Ultima War Begins ===
The five Determined heroes met in Kodonholm, their unofficial base of operations, on a fateful day in autumn of 855 ME. There were still many preparations to make: Dellingale in the deep north had not been warned, Calitha was still in need of the final shield, and hope was still held that the uncooperative states would believe in the Determined. But, time had run out.

The first wave of devils stepped out of the Nine Hells, centered on Kodonholm. The abjuration of ''Lionni's divine shield'' repelled a significant number of them, and the Determined engaged Vecna's forces. Word was sent to the other cities via ''teleportation circle''; the Ultima War had begun.

Not wanting their last astral diamond to be wasted, Raelyn and Alastaire went to Mathar Falls to set up the shield there. Meanwhile, Pickles rode with St. Chaka and Kieran Starwind aboard the ''Agree to Disagree'' to Heaven's Anchor, an unshielded port town near Kodonholm, to defend it. Wollyn and Kevice headed to Galvanheim to support the dwarven defenders.

=== The Null Erupts ===
Within minutes of the first wave's arrival, Sel'an, Ios, and Theylas were consumed. The quintessence of the slain was gathered by the fiendish invaders, and compressed into a negative energy field that spread with each fallen soul. In the span of an hour, a portion of the Mainland had been blanketed in the Null. Cities protected by ''Lionni's divine shield'' were unaffected, but any unprotected city now faced a double threat: the eruption of devils from the Nine Hells and the Null.

=== The People Fight Back ===
For a brief time, it seemed that the invasion would not succeed. Vecna had not appeared on any battlefield, and even unshielded cities were scoring victories against the devils. Volkenburg sent an envoy to the Determined's home base in Kodonholm; with the War having come true, the Maevins would support the Determined. Volkenburg promised a cache of residuum-infused astral diamonds with which to erect the shields around all remaining cities.

Alastaire and Raelyn collected their companions aboard the ''Ace of Infinity'', and headed immediately to Volkenburg. Alastaire utilized an 8th-level ''scrying'' spell to project the world map in the cabin of the ''Ace''. From there, the Determined checked on the status of their peoples. Much of the southern peninsula had been lost, and much to Raelyn's despair, the Calithan Republic had been wiped out. But, there was still hope: the Red Desert and most of the Mainland held firm, and Strongwater Lagoon was untouched. With more of ''Lionni's divine shield'', victory seemed within reach.

=== The Second Wave ===
As the Determined crossed over the Brackish Mountains, the tide of the Ultima War shifted. Reinforced from the Nine Hells, devils and demons took Heaven's Anchor, killing St. Chaka and Kieran Starwind. Almost simultaneously, Sandgate was overrun, and the Null began to spread like a black cloud. As the ''antimagic field'' of the Null washed over Volkenburg, the Maevins found their spells failing. With its powerful wizards rendered impotent, city fell within minutes to Vecna's forces.

Cities like Stray, Monitor, and Barstow were also lost. As fiends battered ''Lionni's divine shield'' the world over, the Null increased exponentially, pressing in on those pockets of light. The ''Ace of Infinity ''was caught in the spreading of the negative energy's ''antimagic field''; its residuum engine was useless. The Determined prepared for a crash, knowing that Vecna could appear at any time and the Ultima War would be truly over.

=== The Final Battle ===
<blockquote>"Behold; I return! You who are Determined-- sleep. The gods will not come into this place, for they value the freedoms their Seal gives. But they imprison you in chains of life and death. If you want true freedom, you who are Determined, then sleep. The Rebirth will grant you life everlasting, and you will be free." -Vecna</blockquote>The Determined awoke to find themselves atop the Temple of Numbers on the Dawning Isle, surrounded by millions of heavenly beings. The angelic legions formed a dome of golden light around the Temple, preparing for the last showdown of the Ultima War.

Vecna, lord of secrets and undeath, finally breached the Celestial Seal at the center of the magical ley lines of the world. His attempt to parley with the Determined was met with several retorts. The Determined rose to meet him in combat-- mortals, blessed by divine power, fighting a dark god.<blockquote>"We weren't even really sure if we could hurt him. We all just sort of-- you know, charged in there. I guess we got lucky-- well, the others got lucky. I was the talented one." -Wollyn Diggenplump</blockquote>Wollyn's daggers, Kevice and Alastaire's spells, Raelyn's healing powers, and the sword of Casimiri Pickles proved too much for even Vecna to overcome. No one knew who landed the fateful final blow, but the Determined slew Vecna atop the Temple of Numbers-- the only time since the First War that a deity had been killed.

=== Aftermath of the Ultima War ===
Although Vecna was defeated, his dying breath sent a shockwave of the Null across the entirety of Echelon. Never truly destroyed as long as undeath remained, Vecna's curse of the Null was to permeate the planet for all time. It may have done so, if not for the work of the Voices to cause the Passing over 1200 years after the end of the War.

Each of the Determined lived on for many years, assisting the world in the new Dark Age. Their fulfillment of the Ultima War and their efforts to secure a future for Echelon during the dangerous first century of the Dark Age cemented their status among the greatest heroes in Echelon's history.

== Legacy ==
The Determined became known the world over as saviors of equal standing as the Grand Cross. Their works and decisions were studied, theorized upon, and debated for millennia.<blockquote>"My name is Casimiri Pickles. The world now knows my heart name, as the world is my heart." -Pickles, during the inaugural graduation of the first Wardens of the Candle</blockquote>Casimiri Pickles founded the Wardens of the Candle, an order dedicated to protecting travelers in the Null. They continued to exist throughout the Dark Age, finally disappearing after the Passing. Pickles herself was presumed dead after single-handedly defending the village of Cadence from a goblin invasion in 12 DA. Her body was never found.<blockquote>"Here lies Kevice Dryadson: Bastard of Strongwater, Son of Echelon" -Tomb in Calogero</blockquote>Kevice Dryadson spent most of his time on the Mainland with Raelyn and Wollyn, refusing to take part in the civil war that divided Strongwater during the Dark Age. Two factions formed, as the Island Nations banded under banners styled after Kevice or Admiral Arturo. He fought and defeated the demon princes Catch and Flayer outside Calogero, but was killed in the process.<blockquote>"Alastaire found peace in the solitude. At least, that's what he told me. I don't know... he didn't seem very peaceful to me." -Kevice Dryadson, after Breowan's disappearance in 20 DA</blockquote>Alastaire Breowan was asked to head every remaining Mainland wizard school after the Ultima War. He accepted the position as headmaster of Leomund Magic Academy in Mathar Falls, but his tenure there was plagued with indecision. He stepped down and eventually headed west into the Null-blanketed regions of the Red Desert, knowing full well his magic was useless. For a time, many thought his actions to be self-flagellant and suicidal. In truth, Alastaire began (and ended) the paradoxical Shattered Prophecy through the advent of chronomancy.<blockquote>"He stole from the rich and he stole from the poor, but then he was caught and then he stole no more... the greatest rogue who ever will live-- I'm Wollyn Diggenplump." -''The Ballad of Wollyn Diggenplump''</blockquote>With the exception of Alastaire, Wollyn outlived the rest of the Determined by several decades. He was invited to become a court general for Vyetka after the Ultima War. He accepted, only to appoint his brother Dillyn to the position instead. He traveled all throughout the Null, singing the songs of the Determined (with some creative license) to his dying days.<blockquote>"Eventually, only Lionni was able to cast her divine powers in the Null. It wasn't until the early 3rd-century DA that clerics regained the power-- a testament to the sapping ferocity of Vecna's curse." -Light Age historian Argo Steelbreath in his book ''On The Null''</blockquote>Raelyn Lionni was sanctified by the Doctantian Order shortly after her death in 60 DA. She was entombed in a holy shrine on the long road between Kodonholm and Mathar Falls; the resting place of her body itself became holy ground, and pushed back the Null in a small bubble. Pilgrims visited the grave of St. Lionni throughout both the Dark and Light Ages.[[Category:Heroic groups]]