Blindly you fling yourself through the trees, heedless of all but the hot breath at your back. Suddenly you are out in the open, leaving the Deepwood behind you. You have entered a dark empty field, void of trees, with a cold haze surrounding you as you keep running. You shout out to each other and regroup before the mist can separate you. Then, the Doom of Bastone crashes out of the treeline. There is nowhere you can hide from it now. You get ready for what surely will be your final battle.

The beast stops, snorting heavily, saliva dripping from its enormous snout. Its front claws paw the ground as its eyes burn with a sick hunger. It snorts again then sniffs, seemingly less sure of itself. It roars in frustration, pounding the earth at the edge of the clearing. You do not know what to make of what happens next. It turns away from you, and its huge form blotting out the sinking sun carves a path back into the Deepwood.

Something is very wrong.

Looking around, you take in the clearing for the first time. You are standing in a field of corpses. Human and A'Dendri soldiers are scattered everywhere, half sunken into the ground, dusted in hoarfrost… perfectly preserved. A chill runs up your spine. The A'Dendri and Humans had been fighting each other, two armies in a pitched battle. There have never been any battles in the Deepwood. This battlefield must be ancient, so how has nothing decayed? You look at each other, and begin to make for the far side of the clearing. As you do so, you notice the weapons of these ancient warriors are equally well preserved. Fine craftsmanship and keen edges glint in the icy cold.