The western volcanic region.

There was once a time when the only time man would witness an ash-filled sky was when he witnessed the one of the many massive volcanoes of the region erupt. With the opening of the Shadow Gates, however, that changed.

Ash-filled skies now struck fear in the hearts of most of the men in the west. It meant one of two things, a village was under siege, or a mass cremation was being held by one of the priests. Since the priests were in the eastern plaguelands, chances were it was the former.

Despite the best efforts of the world's heroes to rally the human race against the Shadow, a gruesome stalemate between the combatants prevented any progress from being made. So as the Humans and Shadow battled it out, the volcanic region was left untouched.

Or so the Humans had wanted to think.

Weeks ago, an Elemental which the Shadows called Elementalis invaded the region. At first the Humans did not concern themselves with the creature, for there was no village near enough to the region for the Elementals to raze. That was their first mistake.

Elementalis and his forces had dug themselves into one of the volcanos. After he had turned it into impregnable fortress, he began to harness the energies that lurked within.

With dire consequences for the Humans.

Instead of lava, Elemental forces spewed out of the volcano. It did not matter how early a warning the Humans had, the massive force decimated any who stood in its path. When it had reached the front lines, the Human lines buckled under its might. As soon as they could hold the line again, General Gunther demanded that the Volcanic fortress be brought down.

And so, calling upon their Rogue allies, the raids began. Those who returned from these expeditions lost more than one limb, those who did not left no bodies behind to bury, the Elementals saw to that.

Now the Rogues had taken a more subtle approach. As masters of sabotage and subterfuge, they had managed to hinder the Elementals, but that was all Gunther had hoped for.

Within the volcano, the stone-skined miners worked tirelessly. Their bodies, immune to the boiling temperatures, did not cease their efforts to carve away rock with the maelstrom of energy they held in their hands.

There were no Zantonites patrolling Elementalis' base. Instead, swarms of Sparks and Flares served as the Volcano's surveillance. Bathing in the lava, the master of the volcano surveyed his elite forces in silence. Unlike the other pioneers of the Shadow, Elementalis was not known to speak. Only to Zaladar, the Elemental confided in.

His counterpart was not picky about who was in his forces as long as they knew when to scatter. Elementalis paid more attention to his troops, for he sought perfection in all things. Before him, stood what Elementalis called the Xar Modulators. Weak at first, they had a tendency to grow out of control quickly with the right tools.

The Humans had been able to get the better of them, with their ambush tactics preventing retaliation and their smokescreens preventing pursuit. However, Elementalis had been preparing a counter-measure.

After all, the volcano was more than just a strategic location for a base. The lava's energy was what the Elemental sought. From within its boiling pools, the Elementalis could forge more of his kind to add to his forces, as he did with his Modulators.

On the walls, countless runes had been carved into the wall by Elementalis. Some of them left scorch marks on the wall, while others were scratched out. Rune carving was a complicated art, but one Elementalis was skilled in. At last, he had completed his work, and admired it in silence. Enigmatic and sinister, Elementalis drew a long slender finger to the rune, directing the energies from the pool of lava he bathed in to the carving.

Converging on the scratches of the wall, the energies brought the rune to life. With an unintelligible cry, Elementalis directed one of the Modulators towards the wall. Unhesitatingly, the Modulator brought its hand up to the rune and planted it there. With a soft rumbling sound, the mark was gone from the wall. Instead, it appeared on the head of the Xar modulator, glowing distinctly despite the already brightly lit cavern. The Modulator screamed as it accepted its master's gift. However, another sound had already caught the Elemental's attention. It was a faint hissing sound, coming from one of the tunnels leading to the outside.

It was not the hissing of lava, a normal occurrence in the volcano. Instead, it was the distinct sound of one of the Rogues' smokescreens detonating. Humans had returned on one of their sabotage missions.

Elementalis sent his thoughts out, causing them to resound within the minds of the intruders. This gave him a rough idea of where the Rogues had struck. He had tolerated the Human raids for long enough, now that Zaladar had entered the fray, playtime was over.

Elementalis brought his spindly finger up to point at one of the tunnels. Immediately, the Xar Modulators moved to join the fray, the one bearing its master's rune leading the small force. It was time Elementalis left the volcano. As defensible as it was, Elementalis planned to reunite with Zaladar. It was time to move out.

Reaching out with his thoughts, he ordered all his forces to prepare for the advance. Neither the small Human blockade outside the volcanic region nor the marauding Rogues would matter. Their advance was inexorable.

With that, Elementalis channeled his power into what remained of the volcano. His reach was wide and the energies reacted with fervor. From within, rose countless beings created from molten rock and lava. They would keep the Humans busy, while Elementalis and his forces pushed northward. Zaladar would push westward, and they would become one force again.

The beings Elementalis raised from the lava were not as perfect as his modulators, but they were just as destructive. As Elementalis rose to his full height, his minions screamed their battle cry. They would serve him to the death, such zeal possible because Elementalis willed it. As they cheered him on, he left his minions with a single command before flying through the only tunnel large enough for him to pass.

"Strike first, and leave only ash in your wake."