"The Tide of Death"
Kanos Xaphon
Solusek Ro Server

by Tigeress Fierceheart and Wyndforge

bitter ethereal wind howled into the cavernous dwelling, blinding the entrance to Darkness' own place of meditation.  Dragon roar intermingled with the baying of demons that hunger for the souls of the mortal plane.

The hiss of steel against the wind brought forth gleaming weapons of unparalleled perfection and inhuman strength, while etched runes enchanted with dark magic flicker in and out of view in the dim firelight.

Kanos Xaphon, the black prince of Legend whispered gravely to his abyssal dragon and watched as it roared in mighty agreement, throwing its head back in a deep, frightening laughter that echoed through the valleys that only dark spirits dwell . . .

"The time draws near, Ximmolatus," said Kanos to his winged minion.  "For eons we have patiently waited.  And now our time is at hand."

"Then the souls we take tonight will be ours to command?" questioned Ximmolatus "The gods will permit this?"

A sinister laugh boomed from Kanos.  "The gods can do nothing to stop me!  They foolishly turned their heads away all these centuries, all the while my power grew to unimaginable heights.  It is not a question of my challenging the gods . . . it is a matter of the gods daring to challenge ME."

A wide grin stretched across Ximmolatus' fanged mouth.  He would feast tonight.

"And my very own, He who once I called my God, He whose name I shall never again speak, will quiver beneath my blade.  The Prince of Hate he proclaims himself.  Yet soon He shall be known as the Prince of PAIN."

Then, with a motion of Kanos's hand and a swipe of his sword, they vanished from their spiritual plane and at last made the journey they had waited centuries to fulfill . . .

.

That evening, a dreadful wind cast a dark canopy across Norrath.  Citizens could not place a finger on it, but something about this evening was not right.  

An elven child pointed up to the Faydwer sky and asked innocently, "Mama, where did the stars go?"  That same moment, a Freeport guard looked above and noticed the same daunting sign.  Even beyond, in the icy plains of Everfrost, the barbarians looked into the cloudless night and saw only darkness.  Deep, unforgiving darkness.

All across Norrath panic raced through beast and being alike, all asking the same question.  Rather, all were proclaiming the same fact: that something was wrong.  Something was dreadfully wrong.

Deep within the walls of Neriak, however, the mood was different.  When rumor of the starless sky spread throughout the city, the high priests of darkness raced up to the roofs of their towers to see if what was spoken was true. They looked up into the night sky and fell to their knees in exaltation.

"He has come!" they said to one another.  "The prophecy is come!"

The citizens of Neriak all gathered in the center of the city, preparing themselves for what was to be.  They formed an enormous circle, master and apprentice alike, and on bent knee they waited.

They did not wait long before an image, darker than pitch black of night materialized before them.  The image then formed into two beings, one of average size and the other an enormous beast.  When the transformation was complete, an image in armor of deep, swirling amethyst appeared.  Behind him, darker than night, a dragon stretched its wings proclaiming their arrival.

"Rise my children!" boomed the voice of Kanos Xaphon.  "Rise and prepare for war.  For tonight, I feast upon the souls of Norrath."

The people of Neriak did not cheer, did not exult in what should have been the beginning of their long days of triumph.  They simply obeyed, returning to their homes only to reemerge shortly in full outfits of war.  

Lead by Kanos, mounted atop his dragon Ximmolatus, the army of the TierDal turned their deadly eyes towards Norrath, and Norrath would never be the same again.  For on this night marked the return of Kanos Xaphon . . . and the Tide of Death.

The Legendary Shadowknight, Kanos Xaphon is heralded - and feared - throughout the lands of the Solusek Ro server.