Author’s Note: This is a work of fiction, inspired by real events in DeFi history. Characterizations are not meant to be literal, as they are used for the purposes of entertainment. Much love to all involved in the ecosystem.

Under the gloom of the of Ethereum district, the Burn Alley bore witness to a solemn spectacle. Andrea stood resolute before the Balancer DAO firing squad, his figure stark against the alley's faded echoes of digital commerce. Fernando, a silent, authoritative figure, stood beside Solarcurve, whose triumph flickered in his eyes like a sinister flame.

Humpy, perched atop an obsolete contract, watched, torn between the unfolding reality and the world he once knew. In Andrea's calm demeanor, there was no trace of regret or fear.

The air, charged with the blockchain's unseen hum, grew heavy as the firing squad raised their weapons. Andrea's mind drifted to his first confrontation with Solarcurve in the DAO, a memory etched with betrayal.

In the bullrun's dawn, Andrea had been integral to the DAO, guiding its course with expertise and insight. Yet Solarcurve's presence, initially a minor irritant, grew into a force that undermined Andrea's influence, culminating in a vote that shifted the DAO from Ballers to Maxis—a direct attack on Andrea's standing.

Solarcurve, master of the DAO’s dark arts, twisted his words into weapons. His relentless assaults on Andrea, a storm of deceit, left doubt in their wake. The vote's passing marked more than a mere shift in power; it was a deep betrayal. The DAO, once a symbol of unity, had decayed into a pit of political games. Andrea, once at its heart, now stood exiled, his achievements erased by Solarcurve’s spite.

Within Andrea, a quiet rage burned, a tempest of the soul. It was not just anger but the deep wrath of a man betrayed, his ideals and dreams crushed. The DAO had turned its back, leaving only echoes of betrayal in its wake.

Alone, Andrea made a vow, not to unseen gods or market spirits, but to himself. It was a promise of retribution, a path to right the wrongs inflicted. This was not the end of his tale in the DAO; it was the start of a crusade to bring back balance to a world upended.

From his fall, Andrea vowed to rise, not just to reclaim his stature, but to redefine the DAO itself. Solarcurve, the cause of his fall, would soon face the wrath of a man wronged, as unforgiving as the relentless desert.

In DeFi City's grand theater, a peculiar new figure emerged. Humpy, an egg-man clad in blue, entered the Balancer DAO's spotlight. His entry cost was significant – his own heart of gold, a powerful relic from the Magic Kingdom. Andrea, familiar with such wonders, recognized the depth of Humpy’s sacrifice.

Within the council, Humpy moved with precision, orchestrating the flow of tokens to his pools with each vote. As he amassed wealth and influence, the DAO's very essence seemed to diminish, drained by the design of its own making – a merciless free market.

Amidst the DAO's growing unrest, Andrea saw a reflection of his own struggles in Humpy. It seemed unjust to challenge Humpy’s earned power, bought dearly with his investment and conviction.

Adopting the role of 'il Consigliere,' Andrea reached out to Humpy. Their secret communications, exchanged via carrier pigeons, formed a dance of concealed moves and strategies. Humpy's initial coldness thawed into a bond of alliance.

Side by side, they navigated the Balancer DAO's challenges, their unity a shield against growing opposition. Andrea's joy lay not in wealth but in sustaining the DAO's decentralized spirit and subtly undermining Solarcurve.

As their struggle within the DAO continued, rumors of a larger conflict touched DeFi City's streets. News of Emperor Buterin's explorations hinted at the coming Layer 2 Warring States period, a time set to transform the decentralized landscape.

In the chambers of the Balancer DAO a stratagem wrought from the depths of cunning and desperation unfolded. The DAO, once a bastion of equitable trade and open opportunity, now showed its hidden hand against Humpy.

Caps were introduced, seemingly innocuous rules that cloaked their true intent. “Only up to 2% emissions per gauge,” they declared, a stricture on the Balancer gauges that seemed fair in light but was treacherous in shadow. These caps were daggers aimed at Humpy’s growing influence, an attempt to bleed him of the yields he sought.

Yet, in this labyrinth of deceit, there lay a loophole. TetuBAL, a name of insignificance, now glimmered with untapped potential.

With the precision of a master tactician, Andrea guided Humpy towards this unassuming vessel for his mammoth gains. “Take your stand in TetuBAL,” Andrea urged, his words a beacon in the fog of war. And Humpy, with the weight of his investments and the fire of their shared purpose, did just that. He moved his might into TetuBAL, transforming it from a forgotten tributary into a roaring river of yield.

The effect was immediate and profound. TetuBAL, under Humpy’s shell, began to throw off yields like a tempest, its APY a siren call to investors far and wide. The duo, Andrea and Humpy, ascended, their influence swelling as TetuBAL climbed the ranks, dethroning AURA as the reigning veBal wrapper.

The reaction was a maelstrom of anger and fear. AURA, once the undisputed champion of the veBal realm, watched its throne crumble as TetuBAL, powered by the unlikely alliance, surged ahead. The corridors of the DAO buzzed with the names “Andrea the fallen” and “Humpy the whale”—titles borne of envy and awe.

In a desperate counter, AURA proposed a cap, a bid to stem the tide that threatened to overwhelm them. They sought to limit the vebal wrappers to a meager 10% of rewards, a chain meant to bind Humpy to the stagnant waters of TetuBAL. But the proposal fell, crushed under the weight of the duo’s newfound power.Victory, elusive and fleeting, proved a desert mirage in their struggle. Andrea, seizing a decisive moment, presented his counterproposal – a masterfully crafted call for DAO balance, designed to prevent power centralization. With Humpy's influence, triumph seemed more than likely; it felt certain.

Yet, the DAO's inner circle, shadowed figures of power, strayed from their path of justice. In a staggering move, they called for a revote on the defeated AURA proposal, an act defying the DAO's very principles. Their words, "We must revisit the past," echoed ominously, signaling a dire shift in the council's heart.

This wasn't merely bending rules; it was a fracture in the DAO's foundational trust and ethos. The founders, original BAL holders, now turned their votes into weapons of influence, overwhelming Andrea's proposal in a wave of duplicity.

The once-overturned AURA proposal resurrected and triumphed – a deceitful phoenix rising from its ashes. Andrea and Humpy, once pillars of the council, were now sidelined, their power and influence eroded. The chamber, a former haven of unity, was marred by betrayal.

A profound silence fell over the DAO. Andrea and Humpy, once visionaries of a golden era for DeFi City, stood as mere onlookers in a drama twisted by the few. The city's future, once radiant with hope for decentralized fairness, now hung precariously, commandeered by those sworn to safeguard it.

In DeFi City's maze, where fortunes ebbed and flowed, urgency hung in the air, tangible as the mist on the streets. The alley escape, a forewarning, showed the city's political ballet could no longer hold its delicate balance. On the horizon, the Layer Two Warring States period loomed, a dark shadow over the blockchain, like dawn breaking over a digital battlefield.

The Bald Baron, enigmatic and feared, disappeared from the council, leaving a legacy of rug-pulled coins and a chilling declaration: he would mastermind the L2 wars, crafting a token of unmatched power.

Faced with this threat, the Balancer DAO convened, crafting a peace treaty to steer DeFi City’s fate. The treaty, a patchwork of clauses, aimed to heal their societal rifts:

• Aura retracted support for the veBAL Wrapper Stableswap Pools cap, averting a governance crisis.

• Discord-fueling proposals on second voting, council guidelines, and blacklisting were put aside, too divisive to pursue.

• No hard caps on the tetuBAL gauge, a nod to Humpy, who agreed to cap his voting power at 17.5% per gauge and to back pools beneficial to Balancer's growth.

• Humpy would start unwinding his veBAL position, a gesture for the DAO's wellbeing.

As they prepared to seal the treaty, Solarcurve delivered a cold ultimatum: "To grant Humpy peace, Andrea must be executed by firing squad."

The room stilled, Solarcurve's gaze on Andrea, who stood stoic, understanding beyond the immediate fear. "Sign it, Humpy," Andrea said, a steady voice amid the storm. "For our dream, for Balancer, for the city's future."

With a heavy heart, Humpy signed the treaty, sealing a deal etched in DeFi City's memory.

In the Burn Alley of the Ethereum district, as Andrea faced the firing squad, the sun bore witness to the end of an era and the birth of a new chapter in the annals of the Balancer DAO.

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the alley. In the growing darkness, Humpy’s form was a solitary silhouette, a figure made black by the world he inhabited — a world where heroes and villains traded places with the flicker of code, where dreams were as fragile as the wings of a butterfly in a storm.

The loud report of 23 rifles filled the air.

In the silence that followed, Humpy turned away, his steps echoing in the empty alley. The chapter of Andrea and the Balancer wars had closed, but the story of DeFi City, with its triumphs and tragedies, its alliances and betrayals, continued to unfold, written in the immutable ledger of the blockchain.