[Cinematic Transition]

The screen fades from the radiant halls of the Aether Citadel to the void of space. A thin beam of light shoots from the chosen gate — your ship bursts through a corridor of silver-blue light, descending toward a planet cloaked in brown clouds and flickering storms.

Narration (Elirian, via comms):

“Drav’Nahl was once the cradle of harvest for a thousand worlds. When Solgarith’s shadow fell upon it, its soil turned to ash, and its rivers to dust. What remains now are echoes of hunger — and the desperate who serve it.”

The ship enters the atmosphere — visibility fades to near-black. The clouds churn like smoke, occasionally pierced by flashes of lightning that reveal skeletal remains of cityscapes below.

Descent through the Starved Sky

Objective: Land near the Remnant Citadel of Eruvath.

• Gameplay: The player pilots (or watches) the ship descend through a storm. Static interference crackles through the radio — fragments of transmissions from the starving survivors.
• Visuals: Cities half-buried beneath dunes of ash, crops replaced by brittle skeletal plants that crumble when touched by light.
• Environmental Hazard: “Starvation Winds” — the planet’s atmosphere drains stamina slowly; the player must keep to shelter or use a resource (“Aether Rations”) to survive extended exposure.

As the ship lands, the screen fades to the surface — the ground crunches beneath your boots like glass. Wind howls through bone-dry canyons. The only movement is the whisper of sand — until shadows start crawling across the ridges.

The Hollow March

Objective: Reach the City of Eruvath.

You move through the remains of a trade road, now cracked and empty. Along the way:

• Enemy Type: The Hollowed — starved humanoid husks whose hunger has made them violent.

  Their bodies are twisted, desiccated, their mouths open but soundless. When they die, they crumble to dust that tries to reform into crawling shapes.

• Environmental Storytelling:

  • Wagons filled with dust instead of food.
  • Hollowed statues of farmers offering their own hearts to the sky.

Elirian (comms):

“The famine feeds the soul. Every hunger, every craving — Solgarith consumes them all. He grows full as the universe empties.”

As you near Eruvath, the horizon glows faintly — a starving city bathed in black fire. The wind carries a sound like chanting.

The Market of Bones