Knightfall (edit title/settings)

The heinous mutilation and monstrous murder of an innocent maiden sends a once-respected knight to his doom. His demise not only destroys a kingdom, but also wakes an ancient devastation from its eternal slumber.

The druidess Ravenna sees the doomed knight in her nightmares, and must set off on a long journey to find the meaning of the dreams. Her friend, Hashaar, accompanies her to ensure her safety.

In another part of the forest, the wild elf Ohliaman returns from a hunting trip to find his village in flames! He also finds the now-undead knight galloping away, his sister securely strapped to the knight’s saddle.

Ravenna, Hashaar, and Ohliaman meet a few days later, setting out to find the knight together. They reach the next town, where the dwarf Bromm, lends a helping hand to protect Ravenna’s honor. Bromm joins the party, for he is also pursuing the knight, who is responsible for the theft of his people’s most sacred relic--Flonn’s Hammer.

Ravenna and Ohliaman gradually fall in love with each other, feelings that receive a helping hand when a band of thieves assails the group. To save Ohliaman’s life, Ravenna calls to the trees for help. A mighty oak reaches down and plucks the thief off the ground, trapping him in its thick branches. After that, Ohliaman does all he can to stay close to Ravenna.

In the next town, they find signs of the knight’s passing. Four victims lie dead in the street, and a witness tells Ohliaman his abducted sister was now riding with the knight, of her own accord. Ohliaman cannot accept this fact, and takes his frustrations out on the witness, which effectively sends Ohliaman to prison. While incarcerated, Ohliaman receives a visit from the wizard, Raftennon, who inquires about Ohliaman’s knowledge of the knight. Raftennon refuses to say anything about himself, when asked, and quickly leaves Ohliaman alone in his cell.

The next morning, Ravenna, Hashaar, and Bromm manage to free Ohliaman (legally). Later that night, Raftennon makes another appearance, convincing the group to accept his company. Raftennon comes up with a plan to overtake the knight and, hopefully, save Ohliaman’s sister.

Ravenna continues to show her growing strength, using her will to prevent a confrontation between Ohliaman and Bromm. Then, she calms a cornered mother bear, who should not have listened to her at all. Hashaar, as well as Raftennon, begin to suspect Ravenna to be a very special woman indeed.

The group makes its way to the next stop on their journey, a lighthouse on the northern shore of the kingdom’s great lake, only to find the edifice, as well as their transportation across the waters, reduced to piles of rubble. Hashaar, Ohliaman, and Raftennon spend the evening building a suitable replacement raft, while the already seasick Bromm inwardly hopes their plan will fail.

On their way across the lake, the group must face an assault by the ancient devastation, an ageless dragon. Raftennon’s magic deflects the dragon’s attacks until he can protect the group no longer. At that moment, Ravenna calls on the waters for help, and they answer by rising up in a massive tidal wave to engulf the dragon. In a last act of defiance, before the waters drag it under, the dragon flails its tail to send a wave of its own crashing into the raft. The small craft and its occupants are jostled about, and all aboard lose consciousness. When they wake, they find themselves sprawled on the southern shore of the lake, the raft destroyed, their provisions mostly gone. Raftennon explains what the dragon is, but once again refuses to give the group any information pertinent to their quarry and its current motives.

The group makes its way to the knight’s destination--a set of ruins. There, Ohliaman’s sister does the unthinkable and goes along with the knight’s plans. Ohliaman, Hashaar and Bromm battle the knight, while Ravenna reaches out mentally to the shard of Flonn’s Hammer. Ohliaman’s sister intends to thrust the shard through her heart, but Ravenna causes the shard to shatter before the ritual can begin, preventing the rite that would have destroyed all existence. Ohliaman’s sister pays for the botched ritual with her life, the knight killing her for her failure. An enraged Ohliaman charges the knight, but falls in the endeavor. The battle ends when the dragon reappears, taking the knight away from the ruins.

After mourning the loss of their friend, the group resumes its journey, heading to the Citadel of Light and the lands beyond, but they find the way barred before them. The guards do not permit them to pass through the Citadel, and Ravenna decides to enter the forest of the elves to circumvent the keep. Raftennon, who was always against that course of action, does not accompany the others, disappearing through the stone wall.

In the forest, Ravenna, Hashaar, and Bromm fall captive to the elves, who bring the intruders to their hidden capital. Ravenna meets with their ruler, who tells Ravenna to be wary of Raftennon. The elf ruler believes Raftennon to be the one orchestrating the actions of both the knight and the dragon.

After a few days of rest, Ravenna, Hashaar and Bromm leave the elven city and finally make their way to the druid commune, the final destination of Ravenna’s original journey. There, Ravenna visits an enchanted land, where she learns the full extent of her incredible abilities, and her role as Champion of Nature.

When Ravenna regains her strength after her mystical journey, she, Hashaar, and Bromm resume their travels. They head toward the capital of the human kingdom, where they eventually gain an audience before the king. Raftennon makes his reappearance, already speaking with the monarch. Ravenna confronts Raftennon, who denies all the elf ruler’s allegations. Ravenna decides to put that riddle aside and concentrate on the task at hand, for the knight has promised to return with the dragon to destroy the kingdom if she is not surrendered to them. The king does not believe Ravenna’s claims of being Nature’s Champion, and proclaims she remain in her quarters, safe and sound, while his forces deal with the problem. The king permits Hashaar and Bromm, however, to join the fight in a limited role.

A storm announces the arrival of the dragon, who, after an order from the knight, prepares to raze the fields near the capital. But Ravenna’s sudden arrival, and attack from the river, thwarts the assault. The knight orders Ravenna to go with them. When Ravenna defiantly refuses, the knight shows his anger with a quick slash of his sword. The dragon charges into the gathered army, while the knight tries to deal the fatal blow that would finish Ravenna. The knight’s sword stops short of its mark when Hashaar arrives, just in time, to block the deadly strike. Bromm then joins the fray, and the three men enter rigorous battle. Ravenna confronts the dragon, meanwhile, blinding it with its own corrosive breath.

At that moment, Daenar walks out of the gathered mist. He is so much like Raftennon in appearance that most gathered in the fields believe him to be the wizard. Raftennon dispels that belief when he confronts Daenar (who reveals himself as the true mastermind behind the entire plot to destroy all existence).

At Daenar’s unspoken command, the blinded dragon takes to the air, guided by the knight now sitting between its wings. Twice it tries to destroy Ravenna, but her friends manage to save her. Ravenna then orders her friends to leave her side, so she may fulfill her destiny. The dragon makes one final pass, and Ravenna, kneeling down to the ground, grabs the dragon’s leg as it flies over her. Try as it might, the dragon cannot free itself from the unearthly grasp Ravenna now possessed. Ravenna begins a transformation that slowly engulfs both the dragon and the knight, trapping the monsters in living obsidian. In the ordeal, Daenar flees, unnoticed. Raftennon leaves to pursue him, for it is his duty to catch him.

Bromm and Hashaar, mourning Ravenna’s departure from their side, slowly return home, where each of them feels her presence. Ravenna was not dead--she was now part of the earth she had saved.