=====Rebellion=====

In the days following the final meeting of the Citadel War Council it seemed that the civil unrest within the Empire would finally come to an end.  Under the orders of their High Priest the remaining priests of the Incarnate Order accepted the dissolution of their caste and joined the ranks of the artists.  Meanwhile the Imperial Chithana began to step down their numbers, the new 'chitha-cleaning' techniques allowing the former soldiers to start fresh lives amongst the civilian population.

However High Commander Crailth was not content to relinquish his authority over the Empire.  When the defenses on Vyse Peak were lowered and the true Empress came forth to rule her people once again, the rogue general seized her and secretly banished Aysa to hidden holdings upon Djemity.  With the true Empress exiled, his pawn the Arkhivian pretender Nefeti retained the Perfected Throne and continued the process of social reform, under Crailth's watchful eye. 

The pretence could not endure for long, however.  Some knew Aysa too intimately, and to other's the arkhivian's lack of artistic vision was too apparent.  A party of concerned heroes soon assembled itself: Rylim and Thae-hal, the last remnants of the old Order, Talioc, Vandel and Verenjay of the Becquerel, and the Artist-Scholar Izak Fra Rel.  Together they rescued Aysa from her remote prison and then snuck back onto Erli. In the dead of night they replaced the false Empress with the real thing and come the morning a warrant for Crailth's arrest was issued before the court.

A great manhunt was launched to capture the fireborn renegade, but the High Commander was never found.

=====Life in the Clouds=====

With the civil disturbances finally quashed the Sylphim were able to return to a life of peaceful artistry.  Living in relative isolation amidst the peaceful environs of the Cloudsea, relations with the other races improved as the years went by.  The Aquienos, perhaps slightly embarrassed by the flight of their champion from her trial sent a number of Navigators back to the lush enclaves that had been prepared for them, and they in turn tended to the stars in the island's Cores and ensured that the proper venerations were performed to see the Isles kept afloat. 

Artists from the other races often made the pilgrimage to the isles, and were often sought for advice on whether an artistic project might cause upset for those dwelling on the ground.  Such projects were not always abandoned, but at least apologetic courtiers delivering reparations would be despatched to the offended parties.

The social changes wrought by the heroes of war years persisted long after their deaths: the institutional divisions between 'grubs' and trueborn were removed swiftly, and the mercurial nature of sylphim life swiftly swept away the cultural baggage associated with channelling ability.  With the rise of the Artist formerly known as Jupalo to the position of Imperial Artist Extraordinary and the artistic contributions of groundwalkers like the tree surgeon Talioc and the Kirlsa skald Mansi, Sylphim society became increasingly accomodating to even those incapable of channelling the elements.  Though such a deficiency was seen as a handicap it was not an insurmountable one, and could be overcome with sufficient talent and vision.  This view was strongly supported by Empress Aysa who bore many chimera children to her lovers and husbands, and for many years it was suspected that she might appoint a non-Sylphim as her successor.    

The Sylphim attended the Citadel games every five years, though it was rare for them to compete outside of the artistic competitions.  Occasionally the Imperial Chithana would turn out an ambitious academy class seeking to distinguish themselves in the marksmanship or assist flight events, but attempts to compete with the Kirlsa in the No Holds Barred Wrestling were shortlived.

=====Art!=====

Two artistic traditions arose from the war years.  Labelled the introvert and extrovert styles both enjoyed Imperial Favour and neither was granted precedence until their unification under Empress Tazim some 300 years later.\\
Introvert art revolved around a personal understanding of the elements and grew out of dialogues with the Manifestations of Vyse Peak; it was exemplified in an ascetic lifestyle, a devotion to channelling (or rarely other magical arts, such as the stone-whisperer Ganik Yos Rel), and expressed the effects of the external world upon the body and mind.  \\
The extrovert school focused instead on grand acts of environmental manipulation, students often left the isles to view the natural wonders of the world or to study the great early works of the school such as the Seraphol's famed 'Talioc tree', or the Eastern continent's 'Humped Cliffs'.