The smoldering embers of the fallen city glow in the shrouded darkness of night amidst the destruction and ruin where tens of thousands used to live. Billowing columns of smoke and ash drift through the air as burning homes and structures collapse left and right into heaps of rubble. Amidst the devastation, the screams and cries had long ceased and there wasn’t a soul left in sight.

In the center of the city that became a widespread conflagration, The Ruinous Flame had erupted and quickly incinerated everything within dozens of kilometers. In the wake of this calamity, the undead host quickly breached the walls and overran the defenders while slaughtering any living survivors in sight.

***Crunch***

The incinerated hollow shell of a human skull gave a loud crack as the weight of plate sabatons crushed it instantly. Upon the mangled heap of a former home, the Unknown Knight stared into the distance, his intentions unclear and ambiguous. Amethyst energy glowed and surged along the blade of his longsword as the tattered remnants of his cloak drifted away in the flame-swept breeze. Scores of the undead lay defeated at his feet, no match for his prowess that was evident in his lightly tarnished plate armor.

Under the ghastly, full moon and open stars, he stepped forward into the haze searching for the one that was his guiding grace.

Artist: Clyde Valentine