Narrator: Since the dawn of time, the armies of Heaven and Hell have waged an endless war. Drawn to the conflict was the Charred Council, an entity bound by ancient laws to preserve order and balance. It held that any great power, unchecked, threatened the very fabric of the universe. In time, Heaven and Hell came to honor the Council and its laws, for none were beyond the swift and terrible justice of the Council's enforcers... a fearsome brotherhood known as the Four Horsemen. Amid the turmoil, the first humans emerged. The Council foretold that these weak, but cunning creatures would someday be integral to the Balance. Thus, the third kingdom was named... the Kingdom of Man. By order of the Council, a truce was forged between Heaven and Hell. The great pact was bound by Seven Seals, to be broken at the appointed time... when Man's Kingdom stood ready for the End War... a battle that would bring balance and determine the ultimate fate of the three kingdoms.
The Charred Council: The Law is clear; When the Seventh Seal is broken, Four Horsemen shall ride forth to punish the wicked... be they Sons of Men, Lords of Heaven, or the Dregs of Hell. All upon the Earth will be judged, and the pact forged anew... You forget your post, Horseman! You forget the law! No call was given. Yet the Destroyer marched, and there you were found, under his black banner if the claims are true.
War: To hell with your claims! The Seals were broken! I was summoned.
War: I serve only the Council. Only the Balance. As the Horseman always have. Send me back! I will punish the ones responsible!
The Charred Council: How? What hope have you against the Destroyer's armies? You are powerless!
War: Then I will fail, and the demons will have carried out your sentence.
The Charred Council: Very well. You will return to the Earth. But you will be watched! Come forth.
The Choking Grounds Gatekeeper: Hmmmm
War: I have come for the Destroyer.
The Choking Grounds Gatekeeper: My brother spoke of your coming. But a powerful curse holds me now... I cannot help you.
War: Any curse can be broken.
The Choking Grounds Gatekeeper: Yes... Perhaps... These servants of the Destroyer walk unseen within the Realm of Shadow. By their blood we are bound... By their blood shall we be free.
War: I can no longer move within the Shadow Realm. Much of my power has left me.
The Choking Grounds Gatekeeper: You need not enter it! I will grant you the power to see into the accursed realm, for a time... But, to what end? What hope have we now against the Destroyer's foul sorcery?
War: Hope will not bring you freedom.
The Choking Grounds Gatekeeper: Yes.
