cecho bcyan On a crystalline island floating above the surface of the Sea of Despair, a lithe blue-robed elf begins an arcane incantation.

Striding confidently to the western edge of the mystic island, he extends both hands into the wind.

In one hand, he holds a tiny, flawless glass tube. In the other, he clasps a vial filled with a liquid which shimmers in the moonlight.

Deftly opening the vial with the same hand that holds it, the elf sprinkles a few drops of the fluid onto the glass tube before replacing the stopper and stowing the vial.

Never ceasing his sorcerous chanting, he pulls a pouch of black sand from within his robes.

As the energies of his spell reach their crescendo, he scatters some of the sands into the turbulent waters of the black Sea.

Completing the ritual, the elf mage raises the glass cylinder to the angry skies in triumph, as it is answered by a roar and churning within the depths of the Sea...