"You beings--fixed, inflexible, and slow--are not true Aurigans, and do not see, that she, our mother, as her life ebbs low, shall be delivered by the Allayi. For we, who change, adapt, and persevere, will fight for her survival come what may. So heed these dire warnings most sincere, for ruin comes to those who bar our way."

WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD-- this guide reveals all of the story related to the Faction Quest, and so if you planned to complete this story yourself, the lore ahead may spoil it for you.

Every Major Faction in Endless Legend has their own unique Faction Quest. Completing (or at least putting effort into progressing through it) it is a good idea because:

1. it gives your Main Faction unique perks often tailored to your empire (technology, items, etc.)
   
2. you unlock extra rewards on the way (Dust, resources, and occasionally free Heroes)
   
3. completing the storyline is necessary for a Wonder victory (and the related achievements)
   
4. you learn the lore behind your Faction (and lore is awesome)

As true natives to Auriga, the Allayi's story blends in nicely with the universe and highlights what makes this strange planet so beautiful--the ability to change, adapt, and persevere, all principles that the Allayi have taken to heart. It makes for a good read, too: age-old enemies; shattered prophecies; troubled hopes--the Allayi's faction quest has it all, in a short but poignant story that tells the tragic end of a once vibrant world, and the race who fought to save it.

"... When Auriga brings forth her fruit in winter it will be a sign that once again our time has come..."
The Epistle, page 4
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So the burden, and the glory, fall to me.

We have taken the return of the Guaridans as a signal; from the forests and the mountains we come together to rebuild our culture. In my hands sit the waxed and oiled leather pouch, black with age, that contains the Epistle of Vors Grayspire and the Euchologion, the ways of prayer.

Through all the Silent Years we have guarded these scrolls, handing them down from father to son, waiting for the moment when we could once again serve our role as sentinels of Mother Auriga. We are together except for the flying Skyfin, a symbol of our power and freedom. With its strength we can reclaim our place by her side.

These pearls, the 'winter fruit' of the Epistle, signal our resurgence. We will harvest them, and use them to build an altar to Auriga. As we do Her bidding, we will grow our own strength.

SUMMARY: Your people are converging after centuries in the wilderness. You lack only the Skyfin, a powerful ally and totem of your people. With its help, and the potent Pearls, you hope to save Mother Auriga from disaster.
OUTCOME: We are ready to step out and make our place in this world; we shall be the guardians, protectors, and champions of Mother Auriga.

"... And when She beheld the Light and the Veil, Auriga brought us forth, the Chosen, who lived within both worlds and changed between them, and She called us the Allayi..."

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Now that our altar has been founded, and our faith renewed, we shall begin to impose the will of Auriga. Though our cause is just and we are Her Chosen we will still remain humble; there is much to learn--and with knowledge comes strength.

Strength and knowledge will both be necessary if we are to defeat the tools and lackeys of the Profaners and save Mother Auriga. We do not fear conflict--rather, we will revel in the test of our faith. And those who dare to challenge us will understand why the wolves live in fear of the shepherds.

SUMMARY: Auriga needs us; we must grow in power and wealth so that we can do what She requires of us. Faith alone is not enough; we must believe in our cause but also have the power to impose our will.
OUTCOME: Other nations respect our cause and begin to see the truth in our wealth and strength. May the salvation of Auriga begin...

"... for all gifts from Auriga are precious things, and would not be offered if they were not of importance for the Chosen..."

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It has been generations since the Allayi have come together. When the Guardians were felled we fled; the weapons of the Profaners were too terrible, and their war ghouls the worst. But as all things evil they too have passed--though the damage they did was horrific. Now Auriga seeks us to heal and protect her. Some whisper that she is dying, that the longer Dark Seasons are a sign of her end. Of The End. But I say that the Pearls, and the offerings we give to her, will help us both.

To advance we must build; the city itself shall become an altar to Her glory. And my people will become Her loyal troops.

SUMMARY: We had been lost and drifting for generations. Now that we are together we will show our strength; we shall make Her altar a beacon of wealth and wisdom.
OUTCOME: Auriga will be saved, for now we have both power and the desire to impose our will on those who would destroy Her.

"... for though we are great, and our hearts true, She cannot be saved by our efforts alone. All beings are both Her children and Her toll; all must rise up to heal her wounds..."

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Let the great and the small sing our praises!

Our hour has begun; from across Auriga the villages and towns of the lesser peoples have begun to heed our call--and feel the force of our purity. They beg us for more information, and our wisdom, for our very presence on their lands. Their awe and devotion is manifested in their practices, for they are saving the precious Pearls bestowed by Auriga so that we may collect them and use them for Her cause.

We shall go out, and preach Her words, and collect these tributes to better worship--and save--Mother Auriga.

SUMMARY: Word of our faith has begun to spread; some of the lesser peoples of Auriga seem to be willing to follow our path. We must find them, and bring them into the glory of Her worship, and reap the benefits of our fidelity.
OUTCOME: As the prophecies of old and the visions of the Epistle come to pass, our might and our fervour grow. Blessed be Mother Auriga!

"... these places exist, and did so long before the Profaners came to defile them. In time of need they will still be places of hope and power..."

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I believe that we now have the strength to do this. To find the old places where our ancestors and Grayspire lived and prayed. If we can bring our people there, we can reclaim the ancient places that meant so much to us--and that were such targets of savagery for the Profaners and their war ghouls.

It is possible. It must be possible.

The Epistle says that once before we saved Her, and I will not be remembered as the one who failed when we know that this incredible act, however difficult, is possible.

SUMMARY: To undo the damage to Mother Auriga we must find and use our ancient powers to heal her. We must bring the people to the places where our knowledge and power lay so many years ago.
OUTCOME: What great power and knowledge was hidden here, so important that the Profaners protected it with their bloodthirsty servants?

"... a strong will cannot act alone, it must be aided by strong hands and strong hearts... Even if our lifeblood is the cost, we will not give less than Our Mother gives..."

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We must be close to a great victory--why else would the Nemesis have disturbed our works? As the greatest weapon of the Profaner, it must be blocking our greatest sources of power. We need to destroy it once and for all, and forge ahead.

To remove the threat, to continue, is a challenge we cannot fail. To stop now would be not only to admit our own failure, but to condemn Mother Auriga to a lingering death. So we will build our hands and our hearts; strengthen our cities and our powers.

And then we shall face this Nemesis, in a way and at a time of our choosing.

SUMMARY: The appearance of the Nemesis army shows that we must be close to our goal of uncovering the secrets of the Profaners. It is still out there somewhere; we must prepare our cities for its unholy aggression.
OUTCOME: Our hearts are broken, our minds reel, our highest priest has walked naked into the snows and perished... Can it be that the Pearls are not Auriga's gift, but the last drops of her blood?

"... harvest her Pearls where they rise... these are the gifts of Auriga to the Allayi, the Chosen, who will save Her from eternal winter..."

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The Allayi look to me, and I have no answers. In the arcana of the Winter Tree, the Altar itself, it is indicated that the Pearls we so gleefully harvest are not a gift to the Chosen, but the last dying energies of Mother Auriga. In defiance of the wisdom of the Epistle!

Which is correct? Are they ours to take? Others will if we do not, and She does not reabsorb them if they are left to lie. What are these Pearls? Why do we have them?

I can only answer that these things exist, that they help us, and that even the grimmest sacrifice, if accepted with piety and love, is a blessing.

I hope...

I hope, for my soul and Our Mother, that this theory of mine is right. For in an ancient grotto, a place once holy to the Allayi, we have found a way to defeat the Nemesis--a weapon that even the magics of the Profaners could not stop. It will take all our strength to forge it and prepare our troops. May Mother Auriga watch over us...

SUMMARY: The damage done by the Profaners is so grave that the Pearls of Auriga appear to be Her last drops of blood, not some blessed gift. We must hurry if we are to help Her; obtaining a weapon that allows us to destroy the Nemesis is the first step...
OUTCOME: Is there hope? Do I even understand the word? The Nemesis is defeated... but, perhaps, we are as well. The Pearls rise; our Mother bleeds. And we feel helpless and impotent.

I can no longer quote the Epistle. Whatever winter it was, long ages ago, from which Vros Grayspire saved Her, it was not like this Dark Season. I do not have the heart to take up a pen and alter the sacred text, so I put it aside and face the future without it--without prophecies, without promises; with only the hands and the hearts of the Allayi.

This much, at least, is clear: the Pearls are for us, meant to save us from whatever fate awaits Her. She would save Her children, Her Chosen, from the long winter that comes.

It has happened before--the Long Sleep, the long Dark Season, and at the end Auriga rises anew. This is the best we can hope for; that we can bring Her to a state where she can sleep the sleep of restoration and flower again.

If we can achieve that, I will have hope for the Allayi and for Mother Auriga. Our role is to accompany, not to save; we must ease her into her rest, not fight to delay it. If we can reign supreme on Auriga, we can see to it that she goes gently into that Long Sleep.

SUMMARY: We have little choice but to fight on, preparing ourselves for the Dark Season that lies ahead. If we cannot save Mother Auriga, we can at least survive so that someone will remember Her.
OUTCOME: The skies grow dark, the wind bites. We have our altars, our Skyfins, and our people--few but mighty. It will be enough.

It must be enough.