August 2024 Prologue

Prologue

Within the endless void, the space between the Inner Planes, a storm roils. It twists and continues to build, forming into an impossibly tall stormwall. As it rages on, waves of energy push outwards on the barriers of the planes themselves. The sheer force of the energy from the storm is enough to cause the barrier walls to shake violently, which causes them to tear and allow the storm to spill through. When the barriers between two planes form tears that are themselves linked by the storm itself, it becomes a conduit for the elemental energy to move from one plane to the other, forcefully dragging everything close to the rifts through from the elemental planes to the Material Plane.

Along the back of a great leviathan of the seas; two icy, watery figures walk excitedly with arms full of various bottles made of ice. As they walk, there is a sudden and violent shaking as a rift opens up next to them. They both look incredibly shocked but not unhappy as they are pulled into the rift and disappear. 

There is a thundering crash as two small mountains crash into one another. Those mountains chuckle, full of excitement about what is to come. There is an impatience to them, as they wait in the place that they had been told about. In the distance, there is a loud crashing of rock and stone vibrating through the ground as a planar rift tears itself open. When they see it, they begin to run, racing to be the first through. 

Striding through the dense clouds, there is a knowing glint in the eyes of a woman made of whirling wind and crackling lightning. Another figure walks up behind her, full of nervous excitement. They watch together as the winds pick up and lightning strikes, while a rift begins to open. Without breaking her stride, she walks through. With a sideways glance to ensure they aren’t being followed, the other figure walks in after her. 

Beside a sea of lava, two fiery women are sparring, enjoying the heat radiating off the lava as they fight. They turn curiously as there is a loud explosion, sucking in part of the sea of lava to reveal a large rift. The two share a knowing glance, sheath their weapons, and go rushing in.

Deep in the woods surrounding Travance, there is a shuddering as all of the trees are pulled towards a central point and then blown back wildly as a planar rift opens. There is a loud cacophony, the sound of rocks smashing into each other endlessly, as a heavy earthen foot steps out.