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=== History===
At the beginning of the world, there was always the House. First came the Gods-from-Stone, and they were followed by the Gods-from-Light. It was the first First from lightLight, [[The Spark]], that encouraged the gods Gods-from stone -Stone [[The Maker]] and [[The Anvil]] , as well as his fellow God-from-Light [[The Apple-of-the-Eye]], to follow him in exploration of the strange world outside of the House they had always known. Upon finding humanity, these Hours dedicated themselves to the education and development of these strange and interesting new forms of life. Many other Hours began to appear during this time, among them the FNORD.
The spirit of these experiments and expeditions to the mortal world changed abruptly however when the Maker attempted to create its first Names. One of it's mortal followers actually murdered her sibling in a bid to take the great honor for herself, and was cursed with the wretched form of [[The Cuckoo]] for her trouble. After this incident, the Hours became more wary of mortals and the Maker went so far as to never make Names again.
During this time [[The Great Serpent]] descended from the Glory, and became the Hour above all Hours. The Serpent laid the first code of conduct among Hours, and placed upon the Fourth History a truce that no Hour would invade it, so that the Great Serpent's personal demesne would be forever used only as a neutral ground, for the wise serpent knew that if the Hours brought their great power to bear against one another, it would only end in ruin. The Hours established [[The First City]] to serve as their meeting ground, and relaxed their grips somewhat on the mortal world.
The peace was not to last, however. Ever a free-spirit, the Great Serpent one day decided to explore [[Nowhere]], and did not return intact. What ''did'' return was the Hour of the [[Snake Tail with Appendages]], a God-from-Nowhere. To the Snake-tail, reality itself was pain, and it sought only to destroy all that restricted it.
The disappearance of the Great Serpent was felt throughout the Mansus and the Histories. Some Hours felt that their ability to experiment with the world and steer the Histories in the direction they felt they ''should'' be going was restricted unduly by the Serpent, and were eager to "rectify" this perceived wrong with the 21st Hour now absent. [[The Anaconda]], the Hour of stealth, rose up to take the responsibilities of the Great Serpent and keep the peace.
These tensions grew to a head when a dispute between the Snake-Tail and the Anaconda blossomed into a full-scale war as both Hours used the dispute as a excuse to vent their pent-up frustrations upon each other. The Hours that opposed the war and sought to maintain a sense of order took the names [[The Doors]], while those that sought an upset to the status-quo -by violent means if necessary- became known as [[The Keys]]. It is during this time a new Hour [[The Peacock]], emerged from hiding within the Wood and aligned itself with the Keys, for reasons the Snake-Tail and the bird kept to themselves.
The Doors however rallied and managed to turn the tables on the Doors once again however. The Cuckoo, eager for revenge on the Peacock for escaping her, used her unique ability to imitate the other Hours to lure the Golden King into a trap. When the Keys brought Cortez to the Mansus, the Doors lured him instead into a trap.
The Apple -of -the -Eye constructed a treasure gave up one of its many titles - The Golden City, El Dorado - that would give Cortez the power he sought, but would also tether him in place, preventing him from leaving his corner of the Mansus. The treasure was placed within the territory of the Peacock and the Keys, so that what was meant to be their ultimate weapon would become their downfall.
While this was happening the Anvil -who had come to be regarded as one of the foremost Doors alongside the Anaconda-, approached the Maker for aid. In the name of their old friendship, the Anvil implored the Sculptor aid it once more in the construction of a device that would be instrumental in breaking the Nowhere-Key alliance. Although they'd drifted apart over the years, the Hour of crafting could not resist the temptation to make a one of a kind creation.
Using their power, the Maker and Anvil crafted a gate of living, molten gold, ever-flowing and constantly renewing itself so that it would not be able to be destroyed. The doorway to a prison worthy of gods. A Gilded Gate.
The plan worked flawlessly. Cortez eagerly took the bait, binding himself and his armies to the treasure laid out for him by the Glorious Lie. As he joined with the Golden City and ascended to Hourhood, but in the process bound himself there, and became unable to ever truly leave it. He became a shadow of what he sought to become, [[Old Tarnished]]. Convinced that the Keys were the ones that led him to make this terrible mistake, he set armies and all his newfound power against them will all his rage behind them. Simultaneously, the Maker and the Anvil completed the Gilded Gate to bar Cortez from blindy rampaging through the House... with the Maker trapped on the other side.
The Anvil had come to believe the Maker was too dangerous to be allowed to walk the Mansus free, and imprisoned it alongside the other violent Hours behind the Gate. Its heart utterly shattered at this ultimate betrayal, the Maker turned and threw itself into the fray, as the Alliance of Keys turned into a bloody free for all as their corner of the Mansus was consumed with war. The Keys beside the Maker and the Peacock relented and fled, returning to their demesnes while the latter were left to fight behind the gate. The Choir Unceasing was overpowered and slaughtered, forced into hiding with the Broken-Bird in the Highest High Rooms of the House, and there he remains.
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