We have faced these Demons before.

They came with swords of fire, they came with torrents of energy, and they came with corrupted beasts. They came to murder us, to break our wills, to harvest our breath. The Old Ones that brought us here did not prepare us for them. Our defenses were laid to waste, our soldiers scattered like leaves in a whirlwind. The Demons thought they ended us.

Yet still we stand.

We drove them back each time. This was our home, and they could never take that from us. They left their scars on us, their corruption tracing lines in our flesh, in our hearts. Their hatred infected us, driving kin against itself, brother to brother, mother against son, daughter against father.

Yet still we stand.

We found the Love within the Rage, those Seeds of Hope that made the Hatred burn so hotly. We nourished the Love, we helped it to grow, fed it our hopes and dreams. We used it as a wall against our fears, against our own sorrows. We used Love to end the Blight of Darkness that the outsiders brought. Our sons no longer cut their flesh, our daughters no longer cowered in fear. We listened to the Heart of our world, the whispers of our home as they beckoned us toward the path of Love.

The Demons came back. They brought their poisoned hearts to our door again, the hatred dripping from their lips. We Loved them, hoping that they could see where their rage grew from. We showed them that we were not slaves. That we were not afraid. We showed them that even as they came with a rising tide of sorrow and fear, that we still had Love.

What do Demons know of Love?

They only knew hatred. They slaughtered us, drove us deep into the ground, hiding from their rage. Our Ancestors knew then that they were not like us. They had no Seeds of Hope, only blind fury. Deep in the Heart of our world, our grandfather's grandfathers knew that we were almost broken, made deaf by the screams of our Love dying, drowning in the blood of our children.

Yet still we stand.

Our Ancestors knew that you can not defeat a demon with Love. Just as you can not keep your children alive with only embraces, you must occasionally spill blood to survive. When they came back out of the Heart of our world, we still knew Love. But we vowed to never show the Demons that Love again. We showed them that we use our Love for each other as a weapon against those who would separate us, against those who would end us...against those who don't know Love.

We know now that the Demons have returned. They have crossed our borders, hatred in their eyes, blood on our lips. And we showed them how strong our Love is. But it is not enough. They have come to our home. They gnash their teeth, they bang their blades, they roar in the darkness. They scream their heart's desire, to see us break. We have seen these Demons before, brothers and sisters.

Yet still we stand.