It is written in the ancient legends... that high amidst the moon-swathed

peaks of the great Mountain of Shadows, hides the aeon-weary threshold of the

Astral Gate... the portal from our world, to beyond... It is said that one who

holds the key and knows the empyreal incantation may stand within the ancient

ring of stones atop the mountain when the stars are correctly aligned, and

unlock the mystic gate, summoning its sidereal sentinels, thereby attaining



ultimate enlightenment and wisdom unparalleled...



[Part 1: THE INVOKING]



[The Aspirant Reaches The Summit]



Keepers of the cosmic threshold, my ascent has been fraught with terror,

deathsteeped, storm-hammered. (These grim mountains are strewn with the bones

of the ill-fortuned dead.) O' Guardians of the Astral Gate, the spheres blaze

at last in trine... I hold the Key! (The trinity of stars shall touch the

circle of stones once more...) The incantation of Xuk'ul is known to me, the

Orb of Summoning earned with bloodshed! (The crystalline key to the Outer

Realms and the arcane rite to empower it are at last mine, Seized at

swordpoint from the citadel of the Black Templars. Enlightenment awaits!)



Many years ago, the mystic Orb of Summoning was seized by the mysterious

Black Templars,a band of sombre, plunder seeking knights from the kingdoms to

the east of the Great Sea. They wrested the sorcerous gem from the ancient

shrine of Azaimedes, where i t had lain hidden for countless centuries, its

true power and purpose known only to the dour shamans who tended to the elder

place of worship. It is said that the tapestry of slaughter woven that day was

unparalleled in its ferocity, and that the marble walls of the ancient shrine

were, and still remain, staine