Shadow disbandment

Destruction

During the 40s a subpath quota was instituted by Eldridge, motivated by the very real threat of disbanding the subpaths should numbers not increase. This hit the Shadows particularly hard as they had always been one of the smallest paths and were often embroiled in inner tensions dealing with leader succession, or at least it seemed to the outside observer. As the Quota progressed, the Shadows consistently lagged behind the rest, but did grow significantly.

Elder Citian was given some sort of ultimatum by Eldridge, likely a threat of his removal as Elder. Soonafter, he called a mandatory path meeting. Many of path's members arriving, he began a speech about the difficulties the path had faced in adapting to the quota. He at last announced he had given up trying to convince Nexon that the quota was detrimental to the subpaths and their roleplay. He then began dismissing members, while the guides and most of the older members that had received word of the plan abandoned the path on their own.

Aftermath

Many in the community thought Citian a hero for his deeds, and his message of protest resonated well with members of the other subpaths, who had grown weary of trying to increase numbers. Several guides and walkers of other subpaths even quit their respective paths in a move of solidarity. However, this phenomenon was not widespread, and most Elders and Guides were disgusted at the potential destruction of the subpaths' collective hard work.

The Elder Haven was in a panic the night the Shadows disbanded. Many Elders could sympathize with being pushed to the breaking point, but could not tolerate Citian's jeapordizing their paths. Some felt that Citian was merely wishing to cement his own legend. Eldridge called an emergency Elder meeting the night the Shadows were disbanded.

Many in the community thought that Eldridge would simply restore the member list and choose a new Guide to replace Citian, but as easy as it would have been, this was not done. It is belief held by some that Nexon and Eldridge would never trust a senior Shadow again. The disbandment of the path proved the perfect opportunity to form the Ranger path, which, it was widely believed, would have more appeal and differ more from the Spies.

Within a day Angelica was drafted by the Elders to head the newly-formed Ranger path. Within a week the path was up and running; soon it had grown to one of the largest paths in Nexus, including many of the former Shadow members themselves. The Shadow path would not be coming back.

Conclusion

Citian is a contentious name in Nexus history. It is widely held that Citian's actions, while bold, were not heroic, as he destroyed the Shadow path and jeopordized the future of all the Subpaths. However, there are still those who speak of him with reverence, mostly for his stand against the widely disfavored quota. In summary, he is viewed either as an underdog who challenged the Gods and lost, or an attention-seeking brooder who wanted to leave his mark--and didn't care if he destroyed the Subpaths in the process. It is not known if the Gods implemented any safety features to prevent an elder from dismissing his entire path after this event.

Questions remain on how the Gods would respond if a more active or important path, such as the Diviner or Muse paths, were to suffer an elder breakdown and disbandment. Many speculate that had Eldridge not wanted the Shadows disbanded in the first place, he would have simply re-formed the path, as it was more work for him to design an entire new path, complete with circle, spells, and roleplay. The changing of hands from Nexon to Kru and the subsequent reduction of emphasis on the Quota also raises new questions about what kind of response might occur.

The event also presents an interesting study in sociopolitical structures; it is no coincidence that the most delicate path suffered the most strain as a result of being expected to keep up with the other paths. The path also suffered considerably in keeping up with the quota as the path itself was not designed to "help" the community, as Nexon so believed all subpaths should (though it is inarguable that it did foster roleplay in the community, especially among rogues, during its lifespan and beyond). A smaller membership base to boot; power-struggles and coups were also frequent. All of these factors were certainly contributors to an event that might be better described as the culmination of a gradual and general collapse.