The year was 403 of the 4th Era. Summer was nearing its end and Autumn was beginning to take root. The first spots of colors were appearing on a leaf every so often. It was nothing noticeable, the weather to the North hardly changed at all, there wasn't a day that wasn't freezing once you were above the southern border of the Barren. Balefall was a desert and always hot, except at night when temperatures could drop rapidly. But from the Vardendale capital of Nemira to the Southernmost of the Cespid Islands, Skiid, it was warm and humid. North Thystys was a quiet enough city. The Mage's guild had been keeping it quiet and there were no festivals at this time of the year. Occasionally there would a noisy immigrant from an anti-magic province shouting about how all arcane users should return to the Nether and be thrown into the darkest pit of the 7th circle of Hell. Most anti-magic protests were similar in this regard. On this day however the quiet was broken by a very powerful explosion of Dark Magic emanating from just outside of the city borders. This powerful explosion caused rapid compression of the energy used to form magic and created a riptide which ripped apart most of the surrounding area, reconverting the physical world it touched into magic, leaving behind a smoldering crater that reeked of Dark Magic. The shockwave, though subsiding in power almost immediately so it no longer destroyed what it touched, rippled through the air like a tidal wave through the ocean. It swept across the land with ease and caused the stomachs of mages everywhere to turn. It was not so easily missed, most non-mages brushed it off as a bad meal or the oncoming of an illness. It would be more obvious however to any who had channeled the arcane energies through their body. This was a catastrophe that couldn't so easily be ignored.

Meanwhile, in Roarhaven

Roarhaven wasn't exactly an interesting place. Small town surrounded by several farms and hosting only a couple hundred inhabitants. They were usually left alone and they didn't really invite newcomers into the town. Overlooking the town stood an old manor house, long abandoned by the mayor of the town however it had been kept in prime condition due to its historic importance. Outside however, there stood a figure in black. Then the doors opened and another figure with his hood up, his skin greyed and face badly burnt he looked at a congregation that followed him. "I felt it too, Dark Magic. I haven't felt anything on that level since I tapped into the Nether years ago.""Do you think it is the Necromancers?""No. They wouldn't be so blunt and open, they know we still exist and would move against them in an instant. This is something else. The Mages guild will know what it is and we need to move." This time a female Shadowmancer spoke up. "The Mages Guild? Are you crazy? You realize how long it took to convince them that we were different than Necromancers alone. The chances that they will listen to us are tiny. They will more than likely lock us up if we are lucky.""That is why I alone am going." There was silence, as if they were waiting for the punchline of the joke. It didn't come.

"Before you argue it will take everyone days to get there even with Shadow-Walking. I will be tired don't get me wrong but I can do it in one go and time is off the essence. Not to mention there has been bandit activity recently near Roarhaven so some of us need to remain behind in order to protect the town. We still have a deal to fulfill." Shadows gathered from all around and moved up around his body and he disappeared.

Shadowwalking was weird, he was essentially cutting through the nether from the world and back into the real world. Over such distances it was difficult even for him with his abilities, a distance this far would damn near kill him and he knew it.

In the town center shadows from the buildings, fountains and people all drew together into a small circle. Some people began to panic as mages conjured fireballs and readied weapons against what was happening, some simply ran for fear off another one of these bombs. The shadow grew to be just over six foot tall and in a cylindrical shape. Slowly it formed into a person and Umbara walked out, weakly. He had to support most of his weight on his cane and he looked at the nearest mage. "I request audience with the leaders of the mageguild. I am Lord Umbara from the Children of Shadow." He looked around at all the weapons pointed at him and all the mages ready to cast spells. "I uh, come in peace."

Deep in the underground forge homes the dwarves too felt the disturbance. The tremor awoke infants in their cribs and stood beards on end of the Battlemages. An emergency meeting of the Stoutmages was called and the Nine discussed what must be done about what they all felt. The Stoutmages knew that the disturbance was evil, there was no doubt about that. The problem was: what were they going to do about it? In the end they decided to send their very best Battlemage to seek out this evil and if need be, destroy it. The council must remain safe so their leader, the mighty Malfod Ramcrown sent his eldest son, Hadhod, as the champion of his people. After much preparation, Hadhod set out alone for the Rising, the magical stone that would lift him up to the world of men, elves, and whatever else may await him.

The massive stone hummed beneath his feet as he passed his hand bearing his clan signet ring over the inscriptions and began to rise. Hadhod found himself in sunlight, a rare sight for his kind indeed. He looked around and saw mountains all around him with plains stretching out beyond the range. Hadhod wiped his eyes and as he did so he put a sight enchantment on them. Hadhod specialized in doing magic without obviously doing magic; these were perilous times. He scanned for miles with his temporary magical sight and located a town. He decided it was as good a place as any to start and so he began walking in that direction.

Hunter sat atop the rooftops of a house in a town not far from the dwarven mountains. He watched the people below, curiously. He allowed his feet to hang off the edge as kicked them back and forth a bit. The sky was clear and it was a relatively warm day. He stood up atop the roof and stretched out a bit walking over to the other side. Many people ignored him. The guards would occasionally come yell at him, but he never understood them. They just sounded funny to him. Everyone he came across made weird noises. It was interesting to him, which was why he observed them quietly. Eventually they learned that he wasn't harming anyone and all he did was watch so the guards stop yelling and the people would just pass by. He was jumping from rooftop to rooftop watching people go when suddenly he felt something odd. He didn't understand what it was but it was a like a wave passing through him. It brought flashes to his mind of his past life, before he was reborn into the kid that he now was. The flashes came to him mid jump and hurt his head. He couldn't focus and he crashed into the edge of the building, knocking the wind out of him before he fell to the streets below. He crashed through a few canopies before smashing into a pile of wooden crates. They crumpled under his weight and broke to pieces, mostly slowing his fall, but also hurting Hunter as sharp edges gouged his skin.

---

Cairo was deep in his studies within the mages guild. He was looking for a means to absorb celestial energy in order to extend his life on the mortal plane. It was always a curiosity of his ever since he had arrived in Ellira many, many years ago. He had always considered the possibility of becoming a Fallen Angel by absorbing Dark Magic, which would most assuredly expand his lifetime indefinitely, but it would also make him mortal. He wouldn't be able to heal injuries the way he does, nor would he ever be able to return home, even after Death. He didn't want that, he only wanted to extend his life so he could continue his studies. Suddenly the city shook violently. He nearly soaked his journal in ink, and would have if he had not pulled it away before the vial tipped. He blew on the page he had been writing on to dry the ink before he closed it and stood, he moved to the door and cast it open where a familiar face greeted him. "Malcus! What is going on?!" He asked. Malcus glared at him as drew deeply from his pipe, letting out a large puff of smoke from his lips. "Dark Magic." Malcus spoke in a low voice. Malcus spoke almost always with a growl. He was old, and his voice showed it, but he was also hardened by two wars where he fought as a powerful mage of destruction. It turned him bitter and angry, but also wise. Cairo tightened the straps on his arms and followed Malcus out the door.

They joined with the rest of the Guild Council in the main hall. The Archmage stood closest to the door and greeted Cairo and Malcus as they approached. "Archmage Valarran, what is going on?" Cairo asked. Valarran looked over at Cairo and straightened his robes. "It seems there was an explosion of Dark Magic outside of the city, it was powerful enough to send a shockwave across the world." Valarran spoke softly. He was much older than Malcus, however he was a High Elf, an immortal of Ellira, his age did not show on his features. His long white hair was tied back by a hair clip which bore his House's Sigil. His steel blue eyes turned towards the door and saw Umbra appear in the distance. "It seems we have a guest. A Shadowmancer." He said. Cairo breathed in deeply and let it out slowly. He followed the group as they moved to surround the Shadowmancer. As they approached the noticed their mages readying to attack the uninvited guest but as the council approached they lowered their guard. "He shan't be a problem." Malcus growled looking towards Umbra. "Their magic drains them, he seems to be drained entirely." Malcus finished and took his place in the semi-circle the council had formed.

"How long has it been since we've dealt with Shadowmancers?" Cairo questioned Valarran. Valarran looked down at Cairo and his eyes moved to the horizon in thought before flicking back to the Angel. "At least a hundred years. Cairo, as my vice I would like you to speak on behalf of the guild." Valarran nodded as Cairo looked at him puzzled. Cairo nodded back and turned toward Umbra, taking a step forward. "My name is Cairo, I speak on behalf of the Mage's Guild. State your name, Shadowmancer. Why do you come to our City so shortly after such a large scale incident? If this is your doing then we would have you tell us your intent." Cairo spoke calmly, without fear or anger. He spoke more in a manner of curiosity, under any other circumstance his tone could be compared to one who was being open or friendly. Cairo examined Umbra inquisitively, looking for hostility. He knew he would be at a distinct advantage given his control over magics of light, he could eliminate shadows to manipulate before conflict erupted if he had to.

Umbara composed himself as the council came before him and then more so as a man called Cairo came towards him. His energy was already beginning to return to him, even in the lightest place there was still shadow. It was an inescapable fact, even in the folds of clothes it remained. He walked forward slightly still holding onto his cane as he did so and then resting on it as he stood on front of Cairo. "I am Lord Umbara from the Children of Shadow. The dark magic was not our doing. You should know that we are not the most pro-active off organisations nor do we openly wish to cause harm to others." He looked around as the other mages began to stand down and put their weapons away. That was good. He really didn't want to get in a fight, it wasn't exactly the reason he had came all the way from Roarhaven.

"I'm here more along the lines to offer assistance in tracking down whoever caused this. Dark Magic has a strong connection to the Nether as it both draws from it and sends life to it when it kills, usually in a big event. The only other mages tied as closely to the Nether as the Shadowmancers are typically Necromancers and I'm pretty sure we can all agree not to trust their kind." He began pacing slightly as he looked around without moving his head, checking for any sign of possible attack and ensuring he was in the best tactical position should it come to that. "We have different philosophies yes, you believe you should be in the open and live side by side with the Mortals whereas we believe we should live in the shadow, look after them and slowly guide them towards their potential. However these debates are for the tables and not a cause for war. If you want our assistance, take it. However if not I will take my leave and return to the province we call home and live there in peace till whoever caused this amasses more power and then turns this city to dust. Your call."

"My apologies, this relationship between your organization and the guild is a tedious one. You know much about us, as most of the world's mages do, but we know very little about you, and as your expertise does very closely resemble dark magic I'm sure you can appreciate our caution. Your appearance here at such a time is also cause for alarm, but obviously a misunderstanding." Cairo spoke wishing to ease the tension he could feel in the air like a toxin that disrupted the flow of energy around him. He looked back at Valarran, who nodded in approval. Malcus looked on this action with reproach, being the cautious mage he is, but he did not speak out as he knew the effect it could have. Cairo turned back to Umbra and held out his arm towards the guild, guiding their new guest. "Given the delicate nature of this event, we could use the help, if you would please follow Archmage Valarran to the council chamber where we will discuss this matter privately. Quickly if you can, we mustn't delay." He said returning to Valarran's side as the elf turned and walked back across the bridge to the main hall of the guild.

Like the other buildings of organized mages, such as the College in Nemira, the guild halls were enchanted so the interior was far larger than the exterior. It allowed for the accumulation of vast stores of knowledge and plenty of room for safely testing and using magic without encroaching on the rest of the city. At the end of the large hallway stood two doors made of a gold colored material. As the group approached the portal the golden doors slowly opened just wide enough to allow passage, as the group gathered within they closed once more. The council gathered at the center of the room taking their respective places at the large round table in the center of the room. As they all filed in there were numerous chairs left vacated, all of which were situated across from the crescent formed by the council. "You may have a seat Lord Umbra." Cairo said as he sat in his chair next to Valarran who sat in the center of the crescent.

Umbara shrugged and followed them. "We are secretive for we don't like being in the spotlight. The less people know about us the better, we don't want all the glory and attention that the guild wants. We just want to sit in the background and be left alone to let the world spin on. Why do we use magic? It is useful. It can be used to help and that is what we do." He took a seat at the furthest edge of the table. He had seen enchanted buildings but never one so large and elegant. He had thought about having the manor done up in order to allow them to grow in numbers without having to expand but it proved useless when their order only had a couple of dozen and had a very low growth, few people sought them out especially with the current thoughts on magic. Some who came with little magic were turned away as it would corrupt them too easily. All in all there wasn't really need for them to grow as a group.

"To be honest, I am surprised you let me in as quickly as you did. This threat obviously has you all on edge. I suppose it did happen just outside your gates. That is a bit embarrassing.":The shadows around his feet began to twirl as he began testing the waters again, so to speak, allowing the power to flow through him again as his strength finished returning. "So, what plan do the great Guild mages have this time? I presume it will be some form of quest, everybody loves a good quest now and then. I went on a quest just the other day and came back with some eggs and milk. A bit disappointing really considering that I went to find dragon eggs however-" He shrugged. "-You work with what you've got. It helped to make my breakfast so that was something." He had to admit, he felt a lot better now that he had regained himself a lot better.

"The situation is dire. We need to act quickly, there is no time to squabble about tensions between our orders." Malcus growled. "And I imagine your quest for eggs failed, seeing as the dragons have been dead for centuries." One of the other mages spoke up to the left of Valarran. "Please, this isn't the time." Cairo spoke with haste not wanting to waste time. The quietly spoke among themselves for a few minutes before they appeared to come to an agreement. They turned back to look at Umbra quietly. "Yes, this shall be a," Valarran paused momentarily, "quest of sorts." He finished. "We need to survey the situation, but we do not all need to go. Therefore you and Cairo may go outside the gates to find out what has happened and if possible, who is behind this. And that is our decision, if there are no objections from you then we shall be dismissed and you may leave immediately. If it means anything to you, this would be a great step forward for your order in gaining the acceptance of the magic community." The council stood as Valarran did. Cairo moved so he was standing a few feet from Umbra. "We can leave when you're ready." He said bowing slightly.