And that was the pattern of the 5th Oblivion – Sedah and Nevaeh would bring beings to the 5th Oblivion, Sedah would give them an impossible task, and Nevaeh would give them a power or hyper-ability which offered them a fighting chance of surviving or completing that task. Very few ever succeeded, but those who did were allowed to return to their home worlds and home realms, with the powers they’d been given.

Sedah drew great joy from watching others struggle to survive her obstacles. She was eternally curious to witness how others developed under extreme circumstances; how their choices and lives were shaped by the world around them, and how the environment around them changed because of their presence. This is a belief she wanted to explore in detail when the third resident of the 5th Oblivion came into existence – her name was Slate. Slate would be tasked with ruling over the 5th Oblivion while Sedah and Nevaeh were away, but the two goddesses disagreed over how she was to be developed. Sedah believed Slate should be surrounded by other extraordinary beings, who could imprint their powers and attributes on her, while Nevaeh was of the belief that she should be allowed to grow and flourish naturally, without interference from outside worlds or entities.
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Sedah suggested they allow one of their challenges to make the determination for them. But not just any old challenge, with a couple of mere mortals trying to figure out puzzles; but a massive, grand challenge that would rock the 5th Oblivion to its very foundation, and involve dozens of beings from all over the multiverse. Slate’s fate would be decided during the Empress Wars! Nevaeh thought the idea was splendid.

Sedah and Nevaeh created a magnificent palace and placed Slate deep within it, then Sedah summoned an army of extraordinary women with numerous powers, hyper-abilities and skills from all over the multiverse, and transported them to the 5th Oblivion. They would be called the Chainmail Militia, and they would be tasked with storming the palace and retrieving the child. Once Slate was secure, the powers and abilities of the Chainmail Militia members would be imprinted onto her.

The cosmic heroine Ebony Raven was the first to be summoned to the 5th Oblivion, landing in the midst of a massive bush garden, which was blazing with ferocious flames. After futilely attempting to escape, Sedah appeared to Ebony, explained the purpose of the Empress Wars, then made her the commander of the Chainmail Militia. Sedah then summoned several other women to join her, and to Ebony’s surprise the collection of warriors who appeared before her were not all just heroes who leaned toward the noble and true; but also villains who were prone to committing the most vile of offenses throughout the multiverse.

Naturally, the sudden presence of women, who were adversaries and sworn enemies of one another, created immediate conflict. Madam Deadhead and Cybernetica of the Sista Clique came face to face with Shanga and Mania!, and Reagan Smyrna and Mio Sardis of The Veil drew their living-blades at the sight of queen reaper Alva Devine and her cohort, Jezebella. But it was the ultra-powerful warrior, Carina of the sinister Denizen Supreme, who was jolted into unleashing the first act of violence, for once she managed to gain her bearings, she found herself in the presence of a woman whom she’d remember destroying several years ago – Thundersnow of the Diamond Alliance.

In a bewildered rage, Carina attacked! Several other warriors followed her lead, and a number of skirmish ensued. Nirmala Sardis joined her fellow Veil hunters against the reapers; Madam Deadhead exchanged thunderous blows with Shanga; and Encore of the Alpha Initiative went after international hyper-villains, Militia and Attrition, after recognizing them from CIA fugitive files. Sedah reveled in the chaos, and would have been willing to let it continue, but Ebony Raven reminded the goddesses that she needed all of these women to fight for her in the Empress Wars. And so, Sedah caused the flames that had been raging around them ever since they all arrived to roar wildly, which caught everyone’s attention, and brought a halt to the fighting.

Sedah then addressed the Chainmail Militia, and told them that they would have plenty of opportunities to fight, as the mission laid ahead of them would certainly be impossible to accomplish without the use of force. It was Tylda Durden, who stepped up and asked the goddess what would happen if they refused to carry out her request. Sedah answered that they would simply be destroyed, right there on the spot. None of the women had reason to believe she was lying about that. Madam Deadhead next asked her why the goddess had selected this particular group of warriors; then suggested that the five members of the Sista Clique could have handled the mission themselves, and additionally, wanted an explanation as to the absence of her other teammates, Girl Six, Kharma Lucky and Ember Brook. Sedah said she had specifically selected women from throughout the multiverse who believed choice, and taking charge of their own futures, was preferable to allowing “destiny” to decide their fates.

The goddess intimated that the other members of the Sista Clique did not believe in choice over destiny, which was also true of many of the other women who were noticeably absent. On the other hand, Sedah had not only chosen existing warriors to fight under her banner, but she had also dipped into alternate universes, past and future timelines, distant realms, and even the afterlife, to build the Chainmail Militia. This explained the presence of the previously deceased Thundersnow, as well as Hysteria and Kray Kray, who had been incarcerated in Ebb-cells for the previous year or so.

Despite their various origins, points of view, alignments and rivalries, the warriors did all align with Sedah’s line of thinking. And to that end, they all agreed to come under the command of Ebony Raven, and fight on the goddess’s behalf in the Empress Wars.

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