BEWARE THE SHADOWS OF THE BELOW

Forgotten Ruin War Journal

After the fall that separated Sergeant Joe and Talker from the rest of the Ranger task force, the last thing they expected to find was a legion of Accadian soldiers. As strange as their appearance was, it paled in comparison to being stalked by the Lost Tribe of Elves. 

Wearing desert garb and riding on giant spiders, the Lost Elves prowling the shifting sands of the Sunken Realms had discovered Talker and Joe tracking their way back to the Rangers. Seeing them as prey worthy of their attention, the Lost Elves hunted the duo through unrelenting sandstorms, even though the Rangers laid deadly traps to slow them down.

In noting their attire and tactics, Talker recognized the bedouin elves for the menace he’d been warned against. Last of Autumn had briefed him on the races of elves, noting that of all the different tribes out there, none were so vile and malicious as the Lost. 

Normal elvish tribes chose to live apart from mankind because of their deep-rooted traditions  and centuries-long lifespans. Their nature was such that it made it hard for humans to relate to them, fostering distrust between the races. But Autumn had explicitly warned Talker about the Lost Tribe. 

To stop the Lost Tribe from gaining dark powers, the other elvish races banded together to check their evil designs. Generations of warfare eventually led to the Lost Tribe being driven underground, where they were free to practice their dark rituals away from persecution.

Autumn explained that they both worshiped and hated the Spider Queen, the dark goddess responsible for the state of the Ruin. The Lost Tribe hunted every corner and shadow for signs of the Queen’s passing, in hopes of killing her and taking her powers for their own. 

In the wind-swept sands of the Sunken Desert, Lost Tribe warriors might have met their match when they happened upon Sergeant Joe using his predicament to teach Talker what it meant to be a Ranger. The elves thought they were hunting the pair, instead becoming the prey at the mercy of time-tested tactics, guile, and a Ranger’s stubborn refusal to die. 

See the battle unfold in The Book of Joe!