The Underworld - for the vast majority of people it is a place of bleakness and desolation. Dead trees, endless moors, mist and the ever-present moan of lost souls are the all that pervades the realm of the departed. And ruling over all of this in a palace built of the blackest stone is the fallen god Hades, tricked by his brothers after the War of the Titans into spending eternity in darkness, only occasionally surfacing above ground. For this, Hades is bitter and sits for long hours at a time brooding, anticipating the inevitable fall of his brother Zeus and his own triumphant victory as ruler of Olympus, the gods and everything. At the foot of his throne sit two monstrous beings. One of them is Thanatos, the angel of death himself and the one referred to in many accounts as the "Grim Reaper". The other is Eurynomous, a demonic ghoul and eater of corpses.

The mythology surrounding the Underworld is great, but the realm of the dead holds another secret; one that is generally hidden from the mortal world. This secret is that of the Blade of Souls, a sword forged at the beginning of time in the fires of Tartarus itself. Its blade is of the darkest black and imbued with the tortured souls of killers and traitors. It is rumoured to be the most evil object in existence, to have the power to kill a god and even to raise the corpses of the deceased. The Blade of Souls is said to reside in a dungeon hidden in the deepest depths of Tartarus and guarded by aberrations which even the gods themselves fear to look upon. Although the gods of Olympus try their hardest to keep all knowledge of the Blade from the mortal population, it is inevitable that rumours will eventually find their way to human ears and when this happens, it is only a matter of time before a foolish power-hungry individual attempts to journey into the realm of Hades and steal the Blade of Souls for himself. One such a mortal is Philarion.

Philarion is a captain in the Athenian army and has heard of the Blade of Souls from a wandering trader. However, when Philarion questions him, the trader refuses to talk about it any further. So in the middle of the night, Philarion breaks into where the trader is sleeping. He carries his sword in his hand and as he approaches the bed, the trader stirs and his eyes flutter open. They fill with fear as they catch sight of Philarion standing over the bed with his sword drawn. Before the old man can scream, Philarion pounces upon him, cupping one hand over his mouth and holding the sword to his throat. The trader struggles briefly but Philarion has a strong grip and the man eventually surrenders.

"Tell me everything you know about the Blade of Souls," Philarion says quietly and slowly begins to move his hand. But as soon as his mouth is free, the trader lets out as scream but is quickly muffled as Philarion rams his forearm into the man's throat momentarily cutting off his airflow. Philarion gently caresses the tender flesh on the man's throat with his sword.

"Do that again and it'll be the last thing you ever do," Philarion warns. "Understood?" The man gives a slow nod. "Now," says Philarion, "the Blade of Souls." He slowly withdraws his hand again.

"It lies in Tartarus," the old man splutters. "In the depths of the Underworld itself. It has the power to destroy Olympus; to bring back the dead; to defy nature. It is evil. So evil." The trader falls silent. A selfish light grows in Philarion's eyes as he imagines himself as a god with Zeus kneeling at his feet.

"How do I acquire this Blade?" Philarion asks.

"You can't," the trader answers. Philarion tightens his grip on the old man's throat, causing him to let out a tiny whimper of pain.

"How do I acquire the Blade of Souls?" Philarion asks again.

"Travel… to the Underworld," the trader gasps, barely able to breathe.

"And how do I get there?" Philarion demands.

"I don't know!" the man answers. Philarion tightens his grip further. "Please!" the old trader wheezes, "I really don't know." Philarion relaxes his grip.

"Well if this is all you know, I shall be off," he says and the trader begins to relax, believing himself to be safe. However, Philarion does not remove his hand from the old man's throat and instead jerks his sword sharply to the right, causing the blade to cut through the man's windpipe and jugular. Philarion keeps his grip firm as the old man spasms, blood pouring from the wound and drenching the bed in a dark crimson. Finally, the man stops struggling, twitches slightly and then goes still. Philarion stands up, blood covering his hands and tunic. He removes his armour and dons peasant clothing, concealing his sword underneath the cloth.

Pulling a hood over his face, Philarion leaves the room. He knows that if he wants to discover how to get to the Underworld, he must visit the Oracle at Delphi. He manages to exit the city of Athens without being recognised and starts in the direction of Delphi. Philarion knows the Blade of Souls will be his soon. He can almost taste the power, glory and victory that possession of such an artefact will bring. Power will be his and he will seize it with a vengeance.