Shadowsbane

Prelude

Lava flows over black cliffs and falls into a narrow valley. The cliff face is littered with purple and blue gems that sparkle in the light of the falling lava flames. The lava fall feeds a fiery magma river that runs between the cliff and a black marble platform. Hooded figures stand on the platform chanting words no human has heard before, their voices echoing out of the ravine. In the center of the circle kneels a god. His hands rest flat on the marble floor, his black eyes stare at an image beginning to form in a morphing plane beneath him.

The chanting escalates as twenty dark priests raise their hands to embrace the blackened sky. The floor turns to mist beneath the hands of the god, and something begins to rise through the marble. The god reaches into the mist and closes his hands around the Staff of Creation, an evil smile creeping onto his pale face. He raises the staff above him and the chanting stops.

He runs his hand over his prize. The staff is made of thousands of brown woven strands, each strand a hair from the head of Gaia. He walks towards the cliff and the staff begins to glow light green. The black cliff fades into a shadow and a red gauntlet reaches out of the darkness.

"I call to you from across the boundary!" The god cries.

A red boot steps through, then an arm, then a knight in blood red armor. The Red Knight enters Terra for the first time, and the ground trembles beneath him.

"Welcome," says the god.

"Temel," replies the Red Knight in a slow, deep voice that haunts the souls of all who hear it.

"Yes," says Temel, "will you join us?"

The knight's arm raises, then his red gauntlet closes into a fist. The gauntlet opens and dark energy blasts from his palm. Temel waves the staff and disappears, but the hooded priests are consumed by the blast. A slow deep voice echoes through the Mountains of Sapphire.

"NOOO..."