The flow of nightmares, flowering delirium mingling with misery encircled the world of Necropoli. He who should not be, the shadow among dreams opened his eyes as the laminations of a world reached his ears. The swirling miasma of hellish winds roared, the hideous chanting of the three shadow creaures rose and fell with a morbid rhythm, a wicked smile flashed upon the dark face, Ghoukas reached out with his considerable powers, augmenting and strengthening the feelings of despair that infused the nightmares entering the sleepers. 

A deep growl, as if from the bowels of hell itself seemed to erupt from the chest of he who should not be, a crimson serpentine tongue lashed and tasted the air. [b]"Hmm there is a disturbance, a feeling of hope…a waste that such sweet offerings must be the last vestiges of a dying people."[/b] Hissed the great shadow seated upon the black granite throne, the ruined and battered bodies of the countless Necroploians lay in a great heap around the immense chair. 

Laying back the great horned head, the one known as Ghoukas inhaled deeply then reached out with a clawed hand weaving the nightmare stuff into ghoulish monstrosities, incorporeal phantoms slowly manifested before the lord of despair. Someone was helping the child who defied the Lord of Nightmares.

[b]"Find this hope…go and find this light and extinguish it from existence. Leave the bodies as a warning to those others who dare dream of salvation that there is none…"[/b] whispered the ever shifting shadow as the whorls of energy that flowed from the eyes changed to a brilliant red. 

The large wolf like animals snarled and gnashed their teeth, their hollow eyes flared and illuminated with the same brilliant red light. Their mournful howls, frightening, diabolical sounds that carried along the hellish winds, to the far edges of the world, the bloodthirsty sound, chilling the blood of those who huddled around fires seeking safety in the flickering lights. 

Those who slept, dreamed of cavernous maws engulfing their bodies, consigning their souls to an eternity of torment as the horrendous, otherworldly creatures hunted them in a land of twisted trees and fog-shrouded lands. They dreamed of the last lights in heaven extinguished as he who should not be unleashed the spectral hounds to travel the world to find the power that still illuminated the darkness.