In a dim but richly appointed hall in the City of the Lady of Pain a large man in a shapeless hat and voluminous purple cloak sat at a gaming table slowly putting his pieces into play. There were three, each a tiny figurine: a young man made of quartz carved wearing tattered robes, a middle-aged but beautiful woman made from amethyst and the model of an older man whose face was lined with care and grim understanding, chiselled from a dark granite.
'Too Few,' he whispered to himself through his long, grey moustache, 'but justice must be served.'
A large, powerful hand, gauntleted in Dragon skin slapped down upon the cloaked shoulder of the seated man making the armoured plate the player wore benath his cloak rasp dully.
'Another contest ? And you didn't invite me ?!' Cried the newcomer, but with good humour. His face and head were covered with a mass of red hair and beard and her was hugely muscled. 'I have a piece, yet to be tested. I'll let you use it.'
He leant forward and placed the figure of a dragon, moulded by heat out of obsidian, next to the seated man's pieces. 'Ahhh yes, he will be a fine competitor - look who's here!"
The hall was suddenly full of the smell of ozone as a tall man with copper coloured skin and covered in shimmering chainmail marched up to the side of the table.
'You would do me great honour if you would allow my piece to enter the fray."
The Player assented with a grim smile and a new miniature was placed upon the surface. It was made of milky white crystal and depicted a man in armour, armed with a sword and in the dimness of the hall the figurine glowed with a pale blue light.
The red-haired giant frowned. 'You'll taunt his opponent with this one.'
'No, it'll challenge him,' said the newcomer pleasantly. 'There is a difference.'
All three smiled and the Player was about to speak when the quiet of the hall was shattered by the sound of a man and a woman arguing. What they argued about was unclear for they spoke, not in the commonly accept language of the hall, but in the languages of the bird and beasts of the wilderness - screaming foxes, growling bears, howling wolves, crying crows, all these were heard. There was a earthy smell and the sensation of light rain and then the two verbal combatants appeared next to the table.
He was an old man with a long grey beard dressed in greys and browns and leaning on an old staff, taller than him. She was a raven haired woman with deep amber eyes, clad in a gown the colour of the freshest green leaves. Anger and concern flashed across both their faces and the heat of their discourse did not cool as each of the placed a piece on the game board without looking at the others.
Their mission seemly completed they were gone without making eye contact or any other indication they had realised the others were even there. The redhaired man laughed, the chainmail clad warrior smiled as if indulging rude children but the Player frowned, though he accepted the pieces.
He examined them. The old man had left the figure of a door made of malachite. One side of it was neatly carved, ordered, controlled. The other side was half formed and twisted. The woman had left a smaller figure but just as interesting. To the eyes of the Player it was a cat sculptured from emerald. To the red-haired man it was a wolf cut from Onyx. To the warrior it was a woman carved from wood.
'I can assist I think' said a gentle voice from the shadows and the tall, androgenous figure of an elf was next to them, clad for travel with muddied boots. 'I have a piece I'd like to see used - it's not totally mine but enough of it is to be of use.' It opened it's palm, held it's hand flat and blew a gentle breath of air across it. The silver image of a open book, it's pages filled with symbols and script, floated across to the table and gently landed amid the other pieces.
'Enough. There are enough.' The player said quietly. 'It will be here soon and I must be ready to play.'
'No. Wait.' A quiet, in equal parts sweet and sly, voice came from next to his ear and in a whisp of blue/grey smoke a slight figure hidden in a dark cloak appeared. 'Please use this. You need my help.'
From within the shadowed opening of the new arrival's sleeve a small object was lauched. It flew through the air, end over end, bounced once off the table and disappeared into the shadows on the other side of the hall.
'Ooops!'
Far from being annoyed the cowled man seemed amused by the situation. With a slight gesture of his arm the object rolled back out of the darkness and hopped up onto the surface of the table where it came to rest with the other pieces. It was the figure of a crouching man, made of smokey quartz, he had his eyes squeezed shut - he looked like he expected a blow to land on him at any moment. Unfortunately, this impression was further enhanced by several cracks in the quartz at the top of the miniature.
'I cannot use this, it is damaged' the Player said reluctantly.
'Yes, you can. The damage will add to it's...er...effectiveness.'
The red-headed man spoke, the excitement in his voice dissipating as he spoke. 'The point is moot. He will play with the board as set. His opponent is here.'
There was the sound of splintering bone and grinding glass. Their breath turned to ice as it left their lips. Lesser beings would have sickened and died in a moment. The lights flickered as if afraid, then dimmed and then they were consumed as Darkness entered the hall.