Eternal, ever present clouds thundered across the skies as lightning fell here and there with grotesque indifference. It was day, but the storm clouds hid the sun from view. Railoch, the land of unending storms. A man walked among a large town's worth of crumbling ruins, his blue cloak dripping and hanging miserably on his frame over his soaked robes. He had come here to acquire arcane power for himself, hoping that hidden among the artifacts of this forgotten, abused land there would be something that could be used for his benefit, something to make his magical ability soar to new heights. On the horizon, a towering rod of rusted metal drew an occasional, nearly random strike of lightning.
Edune crouched to look at the ruins of a golem, whose metal innards were exposed in his chest. The construction's head and legs were missing entirely, and it appeared to be composed of some sort of copper or bronze metal, enchanted with strange symbols. The mage took out some parchment, stooping over so that no stray drops of rain damaged his work as he took note of the symbols. Once, he had lived a life of contentment and peace. A simple village druid, a father and husband he had been, but now the mage lived his life with a goal in mind. He was determined to better himself, to forge himself into a mage with significant magical power. Something of an ArchMage, perhaps, a protector and teacher of magic. He knew he had a long way to go yet.
He had come from Gobethio, a peerless city of technological wonder, and so was well fed and rested. He promised himself to return to the city to study it further, as it was unmatched in the land and the mage imagined it could not last forever in such a harsh, unforgiving environment. Studiously taking notes of the fallen golem, it was not until the ground shook nearby that he noticed he was not alone. A huge golem, nine or ten feet tall, lumbered towards him with emotionless, mechanical intent. Cursing, Edune grabbed his mage's staff from the ground and stood to face the rapidly approaching beast. A piece of parchment, full of his notes on the golem, slipped out of his robes and blew away in the wind, flying past the approaching golem and to the jagged, stone edges of the ruins.
Wielding his new mage's staff, Edune Spellsinger faced his towering opponent and prepared to defend the golem remnants. The mechanical beast was forged of a thick timeless bronze, with two eyes that glowed of arcane energy. Several meters behind the ever-nearing golem, something seemed to ripple in the air, as if an invisible stalker's cloak had momentarily slipped. Just as the mage became distracted by the sight– or was it a hallucination?– the golem raised a huge forearm, its metal palm facing Edune as it fired a bolt of white-hot arcane energy. The man sprung to the side despite his surprise, rolling and cursing as he sacrificed his position guarding the ruined golem.
Edune came from a line of sorcerers, and was not easily deterred. His grip tightened on the mage's staff, and two runes glowed softly blue on its pale,white wooden shaft. A rush of power came as his mana pool widened, and he leveled the tip of his staff at the golem as he channeled a spell. Electricity crackled on the glowing head of the staff before a bolt of lightning shot out, scoring on the golem and leaving a searing burn mark across its chest. Just afterwards, a bolt of lightning smashed into the golem from the chaotic storm above, and the golem froze, the lights in its eyes flickering, before the glow went out.
Before the shock of the random lightning bolt wore off from Edune, and even as the relief set in, the golem's eyes flickered aglow again, and it was animate once more. Cursing yet again, Edune pointed his staff at the golem. At the last second, he spun the staff to block a strange, almost translucent sword. The sword sang as it clanged against the hard wood of the enchanted staff, humming loudly, although it and its wielder remained invisible– well, almost. It was like looking through a lens of glass, but the being was visible even in the shadowed lands of Railoch. The mage jumped back, but as he did so the back of his heel caught on the remnants of the golem he had been studying. Briefly, he tittered, then fell backwards, gripping his staff tightly as he tried to land without injury. Even so, the golem and barely translucent foe approached, preparing to strike.
