1104 was a particularly hard year for the Unicorns. While the year began on a high note, with an Alashan festival of remembrance, things soon took a low turn as Narduk once again returned to challenge the Unicorns. After a four day campaign that lost Mauritanja the vast majority of her armies as well as her army leaders, the body of Narduk was eventually broken and the lich was believed to be defeated.

The Moots that followed brought more attacks from the Tainted, as well as from Narduk's former followers. A mystirious number of poisoning also occurred, killing a number of Unicorns. The tainted also showed a higher degree of organization than previously expected with the assassination of Lucas Fairfax, one of the primary investigators into their activities.

Come the Gathering, attacks from these quarters had come to a peak, before the Empress Akasha duPont revealed her intentions and turned upon the Faction, leading to Vadek Cain being announced as Prince Regent and leading the armies of Mauritanja to a siege on Akasha's city of Bedlam. Akasha's forces were either destroyed or routed, with Akasha herself mysteriously disappearing.