July 21st, 1435 A.E., 5 miles north of Llancarfan

Llancarfan's victory over Moagim's forces was short lived. The army of the Dark had indeed retreated, but it was only a matter of time before they would return again...

During the battle, Moagim himself appeared to command his forces at the besieged gates. Several times, a lone Heron Guard fought his way to face Moagim one on one. Each time the swordsman was cut down by the fiend. Many sharp-eyed Archers targeted the dark one from their high perches, sending barrages of arrows into his armored form. Moagim plucked the arrows from his body as if they were mere annoyances, and continued rallying his troops.

This invincibility did not escape Connacht's keen perception. From the topmost battlement, Connacht used a spyglass to observe Moagim's sinister form. Clutched in the fiend's hand was a small gilded scepter which contained large gems on either of its ends. Connacht was suddenly overcome with a vision of the past-a history far before his birth-when a race of power incarnate walked the lands. The device held by Moagim was none other than a Rod of the Callieach.

As Llancarfan worked into the night to repair its defenses and give aid to the wounded, Connacht, Myrdred, and Damas spoke upon the battlements. When Connacht told Myrdred of his finding, the Avatara was stunned. The Rod of the Callieach was a legendary device, one that was thought to be mere fantasy. An elaborate ritual of great power was needed to attune the device to the user. But, once so focused, the Rod's power would render the user immune to all harm. No blade would cut him, no arrow pierce him, no spell affect him. With the Rod in Moagim's possession, he was literally immortal.

The Rod would have to be destroyed.

Damas' scouts reported spotting Moagim's camp five miles to the North of the walls. The Avatara knew of a thing called a 'World Knot', a magical device that allowed one to move without actually moving. The knot was located less than a mile from Moagim's encampment, and odds are that he was unaware of its existence. Another knot was located inside the Avatara's Citadel, under the heaviest of magical guard.

The plan was a simple one-but one from which none would likely return. Sardonac, one of the oldest Avatara in the Citadel, chose to lead the mission. And with him, a group of the Empire's most elite forces were assembled at the World Knot under the Avatara's Citadel. They knew that they would not be returning to Llancarfan, but they carried no remorse. Only honor shone in their eyes as they stepped through the World Knot.