"The sound of hooves resounded upon the ancient cobblestone path as rain and distant thunder fell steadily over the mountainside. The black stallion hurried his pace up the withered road toward the ruins perched atop the mountains which overlook the lush brilliance of the Emerald Vale. Upon his back the grim steed carried a Wanderer adorning an old black cloak, worn in tint from untold journeys across distant lands, yet richly blackened as if it possessed the very essence of the shadows in it’s archaic threads. At last they reached the crumbling stairs of the ruins, the rider silently dismounted, grabbing his staff and sword before setting his companion free. The warhorse neighed a last farewell as the Wanderer approached the mist-veiled ruins, the weathered stones radiantly glowing with each strike of lightning from the benighted sky.
He had traveled across earth and sea, through astral portals guarded by sentinel spirits and untrodden woodland expanses to reach his destination; the fabled ruins of eld, built by the forefathers of this timeless land. The walls of the ruins had become marred with age and bore the scars of countless battles, yet pulsated with life; the very stones of carven runes and art reliefs teeming with animistic fervor. Speaking an incantation taught to him by the Fire-Priests, the tip of his oaken staff sparked with an azure flame of magical substance. As the heatless fire flickered against his hood-hidden face, he raised his eyes to look upon the pillars and walls of the ruins.
What he beheld struck him with both awe and longing; ancient runes which spoke of epic battles in which heroes and champions met in merciless battle. Of warrior kings who braved the powers of mighty winged beasts, of wise wizards and sinister necromancers who possessed knowledge and lore which allowed them to wield powers as great and magnificent as the very mountains upon which he stood. Of ancient races and civilizations now long forgotten and reduced to mere myth, buried beneath the oceans of time and endless warfare. The tragedies, victories and melancholies of the mighty kingdom of Oldenhelm.
And upon that stormy mountain, surrounded by the echoes of great men who came before him and in the presence of the warrior kings of old whose runes chanted with doom and triumph, the Wanderer’s soul raged with glory and pride. Overcome with the power from the wisdom he had gained, his desire to further explore the great land of Oldenhelm engulfed his mind and bones, on that fateful night of ruins and reverence."
Ruins and Reverence is available on cassette tape ($10 USD + shipping) via Haftvad Records:
www.haftvadrecords.com
Limited to 50 professionally printed and duplicated copies, each tape comes with:
- 11 x 17 artwork poster
- Shaped metal logo pin
- Printed 'Ruins and Reverence' concept story
- Digital download code (please do not purchase the digital album if you purchase the tape, as each tape comes with a download that can be redeemed via bandcamp)
released January 13, 2017
All musical conjurations, skaldic verses, and legends by Shadowcloak.
'Dyfed' originally performed by Forgotten Pathways on the 1997 tape Shrouded in Mystery.