Changes

It is unknown who exactly it was who began openly calling for independence. Some say [[The Spark]] itself planted the idea, yearning for the return of its friends. What is known for certain were the arguments that were made in the camps of the Long. Why ''did '' they need to be bound to other Hours ? "Look how mighty we are", they said. "See how mighty we could be ''again''. Why should we be bound to the will of those who do not truly care for our worshipers? Let us return our Lordsto their rightful places, let us end these wasteful conflicts and set things right." One of the first Long to break his oath was [[Saint Darwin the Improved]], an Unfinished that had sworn himself to the Squid. With "proof" set before him that Hours could indeed return from the Engine's depths. In the sight of the gods he tore the flag of the Architeuthian down from above the camp and burned it before his men. His Master was the Maker, and to the Maker he would be true. All around the fifth history, many quickly followed his example as Long and Names tore down the images of their surrogate patrons and restored marks of their gods, resolving to find and reunite with them once more.  While many followed St. Darwin, there were many still who did not. Many were grateful to the Hours who had taken them in, or were convinced that it was better that the Old Gods remained dead, lest more power be given to the unholy forces of Nowhere. Infighting quickly broke out over which oaths took precedence, and world slowly filtered back to the still squabbling Hours in the Mansus over their stalled war effort. The Architeuthian was ''furious'' that the power he had taken from the Maker was slipping from him again, and was among the first Hours to set forth against the secessionists. Additionally, Hours such as FNORD also came down in the name of FNORDing their FNORDS Hours such as the Apple of the Eye did not wish to be so hasty, however. The Maker had been a close ally of hers, a friend and a fellow pursuer of higher beauty. Many of her own Long had felt his touch and seen improvement through his craft. She was intrigued and eager to see if it were true that the Maker could be revived. The Hour of the Spark likewise, curious and whimsical, wanted to see if its friends could be revived, and optimistically dared to hope that should they both be restored and unified once more, they could undo some of the damage done to the Mansus.  Soon, the Forge-Long were engaged in open war on two fronts, the forces of their erstwhile and their loyalists on one end, and the Engine of Cycles on the other. For the Engine had not been idle as its enemies fell into infighting. Encountering unexpected resistance, the Engine intensified its efforts forward and redoubled its forces in the Fifth History. To mitigate the damage, Hours such as the Anaconda and FNORD began to commit additional forces to counter the Engine's push. The Apple of the Eye sent forces as well... to attack the forces sent against the secessionist, deepening the enmity between the sides. ===Broken Masquerade=== This conflict had not gone unnoticed by the inhabitants of the History, who grew alarmed by the blatant divine intervention and witchcraft openly occurring in the countryside and in the streets of their cities themselves.