Massacre of the Crossroads

5623 to 5587 B.C.

At the time Caishen was beginning his experiments, it was tradition for ausrani caravans to make an annual pilgrimage to the The Crossroads (now called ‘Balador’s Crossing’ in western Fealand). This annual event, formally called the Conclave of the Ausrani, or more simply ‘The Gathering’, was part enormous bazaar, part family reunion, and part diplomatic, political, and religious summit. In 5623 B.C., Caishen arrived at the Gathering from the south with half a dozen young werebear druids, bred in honor of the immortal half bear tamineh Balador. They were not only the first lycanthropes, but the first caisheni of any kind. While afraid at first, most of the other southern ausrani came to love the charming young werebears. One faction of the northern ausrani was horrified. These caravan leaders, mostly elves led by Chieftain Halas from north of the Tanatran Mountains, felt that crossbreeding animals and ausrani was blasphemy, the results abomination. (Thousands of years later, elven supremacists inspired by his example would found the Empire of Halaan.)
After the Conclave of 5623 B.C., tensions at the annual Gathering grew. As years went by, Caishen and his disciples from the south arrived with an increasingly wild variety of caisheni. As their numbers increased, the elven chieftain Halas provoked a racist backlash. 
As more caisheni came to the Gathering, the number of Halas’ followers as grew. They formed the Council of Ausra to ensure an end to the caisheni and to Caishen's experiments. The issue caused a schism among the previously unified ausrani. Even the wise and immortal tamineh Balador couldn’t bring the people together. 
While Balador’s influence was enormous, the agents of Halas and his Council worked to undermine him. Balador himself was half bear, though he was created by the Old Gods and was not one of Caishen;s creations. However, fearing his power and influence, the Council accused Balador of treason - for supporting Caishen over Halas and the “true children of Mother Ausra.” The Halasians turned the beloved tamineh to stone. Endless attempts to free him have all failed. While the granite form of Balador can still be found at Balador’s Crossing, it’s not known whether or not he is still alive and aware.
With Balador presumed dead and his unifying presence gone, the Halasians began to expand their influence. For a time, it seemed they would sway the Gathering against Caishen. However, they were unable to convince their ausranic kin to exile (let alone destroy) the caisheni. Failing at persuasion the Halasians turned to violence, sending ‘hunting parties’ south to find and kill isolated caisheni. 
By the time of the Gathering of 5587 a generation later, Halasian gangs were openly attacking caisheni in the bazaar. Fear of the Halasians meant few if any repercussions. The following year, the caisheni came out of the south in force, determined to defend each other at all costs while asserting their right to be at the Gathering. Halas saw it as a challenge, and called in all of his warriors to march on the Conclave. While the caisheni stood firm, they were also protecting many women, children, and elderly who could not fight. It was a bloodbath, with Halasian warriors butchering any caisheni they could find. According to some legends, this included cutting the archdruid Caishen himself to pieces.
As word of the massacre spread to the ausrani around the continent, a violent backlash grew against Halas and the Council of Ausra. Still basking in their victory and busy planning a southern excursion to exterminate Caishen's ‘children.’ they never predicted the force which gathered to defend the remaining caisheni. Warriors came from all corners of the ausranic world. As the Halasians rode south on their genocidal mission, they were met with a mixed army of of caishenic, ausranic and indigenous yesrenic warriors. Known later as the First Covenant, this army thoroughly defeated the northern ausranic forces, capturing most of their generals and chiefs. Halas himself escaped back north where he died many years later as chief of a small and inconsequential territory. It is not known where or when Halas died, but his legacy was resurrected many centuries later by elven supremacists.
The Massacre of the Crossroads ended the annual tradition of the Conclave of Ausra, and with it Mother Ausra's ten thousand year dream of a unified ausrani people. There would never be another Gathering. Within a thousand years, both the ausrani and the caisheni would begin founding the villages that would grow to cities to anchor the first kingdoms and empires of the world.