When Nosdyn opened his eyes, he saw the battlefield he'd requested. Up ahead, several yards, was a massive tower. A sorcery tower which was a remnant of the past. Despite having long since been abandoned, things forgotten were still in play. Nosdyn knew he was surrounded by a forest that was tainted by rampant aether energies.

The trees crackled with it and were gnarled by it.

Animals and creatures were also affected by the residue of strong aether.

Nosdyn looked at the sorcery tower. It had a cooked support structure and despite it's age, was still in adequate working condition. The sorcerers who used it must have been very powerful. Nosdyn knew that the tower held secrets that were beyond his comprehension. It held power, mystery. Nosdyn blinked, the air crackled with an intense vibration. There was a heavy feeling of pressure in the air, likely a side effect of the aether.

He looked up directly above the tower.

There were several floating islands held together by visible threads of a very powerful energy. The islands and their secrets were currently out of reach. Nosdyn unlatched his weapon from it's holster attachment on his belt. He looked down on the black handle. It's power source filled with rage and corruption much like he was. Though those days...he was no longer certain. Things made ill sense since his time spent in Stonevale. That time had served to change him and perhaps make him wiser over the years.

He wanted to test his weapon to see the effects of the atherial energies upon it.

He activated the mechanism and there was a snap-hiss sort of sound followed by the crackling energy sound of his blade. Then, the sound of thousands of tormented souls...lives he'd ruined with his own hands. He sighed. Things were different those days...or were they truly? The more things changed the more they stayed the same... Nosdyn thought to himself. He began to walk forward into the forest, holding his weapon aloft. He pointed the blade tip downward at a forty-five degree angle ready to strike at a moment's notice and by his command.

He had no idea who his opponent was about to be...