Storyboard arranged by Michael G. Ryan and Mark Rosewater; text by Michael G. Ryan and Pete Venters.
Volrath’s Stronghold: The Weatherlight finally reaches its destination—Volrath’s stronghold, where Gerrard expects to find and save Sisay, Tahngarth, Karn, and Starke’s daughter Takara.
Leap: As the ship drifts to a halt near one of the stronhold’s balconies, the cat warrior Mirri spies a guard and leaps to the attack, killing the guard before the alarm is raised.
Hidden Retreat: While Hanna, Orim, and Squee remain behind on the ship, Gerrard, Mirri, Crovax, and Starke disembark in search of their imprisoned companions. They arrange to meet again later.
Bottomless Pit: Volrath’s lair rises to great heights and plimmets to incredible depths. Gerrard and the others, guided by Starke, move deep into the stronghold’s core.
Amok: Suddenly, the group runs into a shapeshifter. Crovax attacks it, giving chase when it tries to escape. In a fit of uncontrolled violence, he kills the creature after cornering it in a dark room.
Megrim: Crovax reels from the pain pounding in his head. The curse he has carries all this time is finally taking its toll and Gerrard can do little to help his friend.
Invasion Plans: Looking around the room into which they chased the shapeshifter, Gerrard relizes they’ve stumbled unto an elaborate map that outlines a future invasion of Dominaria.
Skyshroud Archer: Meanwhile, the Skyshround elves and the Vec have reached Volrath’s lair. Alongside the Kor and the Dal, their army prepares to lay siege to the stronghold.
Awakening: Eladamri, Lord of Leaves, and the Oracle en-Vec rally their forces as the battle begins.
Intruder Alarm: When the army attacks, a ghostly apparation of Volrath raises an alarm all over the stronghold, including in the map room. Gerrard suggests they’d better get moving.
Contemplation: …not realizing that Volrath is watching their every step.
Ensnaring Bridge: In order to reach the prison labs where Starke says they may find Sisay and the others, Gerrard and his group must first battle their way past a flowstone bridge that guards the cells.
Torment: They finally reach the cells but fail to find Sisay. They do, however, free Karn and Tahngarth. The minotaur has been deformed during his imprisonment and he is devasted by the changes.
Volrath’s Laboratory: Beyond the cells, they find the labs where Volrath creates all manner of vile creatures.
Ransack: There they discover Sisay entombed in a glass cylinder. Gerrard and his companions tear the lab apart searching for a way to free Sisay from her stasis.
Volrath’s Shapeshifter: But when they finally break the glass, the Sisay who steps out is not what they expect. She is actually one of Volrath’s monstrosities, and the group is forced to continue the hunt.
Provoke: As they climb the bridges higher into Volrath’s stronghold, they are suddenly attacked by the dark angel Selenia, who zeroes in on the surprised Crovax. Mirri leaps to his defense…
Sword of the Chosen: …only to be cut down by the angel’s blade.
Death Stroke: As Mirri falls, horribly wounded, Crovax regains his senses and defends himself against Selenia. With no other choice, he strikes a killing blow. Selenia dies.
Crovax the Cursed: And when she dies, Crovax’s curse is realized. He grows fanges, feels his blood run cold, and collapses into unconsciousness as his transformation into a vampire continues.
Conviction: The party splits up—Gerard and Starke continue to search for Sisay and Takara, while Karn and Tahngarth take Mirri and Crovax back to the ship.
Volrath’s Gardens: Starke leads Gerrard into an overgrown, open-air garden as they head for Volrath’s Dream Halls, where Starke thinks they may find Sisay.
Hesitation: The Predator, Volrath’s flying ship, passes overhead and Gerrard cautions Starke not to move in case Commander Greven il-Vec is searching for them.
Spike Soldier: As they prepare to move on, a horde of vicious spike creatures attack. No sooner have they overcome one obstacle than…
Brush with Death: …the plants themselves become an obstacle, coming to life and nearly killing Starke.
Sift: Meanwhile, Tahngarth and Karn have split up, because Karn has discovered the location of the missing Legacy artifacts Greven il-Vec stole from the Weatherlight. He vows to get them back.
Sliver Queen: But the stolen legacy artifacts are guarded by the terrifying Sliver Queen.
Change of Heart: Karn is able to empathize with the Sliver Queen, showing her that the Legacy is a part of him just as the Slivers are a part of her. She allows him to leave with the artitfacts.
Shifting Wall: Gerrard and Starke have reached the tower of the Dream Halls, but there appears to be no entrance. Gerrard is forced to climb the ever-changing flowstone tower to reach the upper floors.
Dream Halls: In the Dream Halls, which serve as living museum for all the dreams and nightmares Volrath has ever had, Rath’s evincar is waiting.
Temper: Gerrard feels the fury rise in him as at last he faces his enemy—who is, in fact, his blood brother. Volrath was once Vuel, who destroyed the warclan that raised them both.
Reins of Power: Gerrard moves to attack, but Volrath has no intention of fighting one-on-one. He uses a mind-controlled Sisay and Takara (Starke’s daughter) to battle Gerrard.
Contempt: Volrath steps forward to face Gerrard, but Starke leaps forward and plunges a knife into Volrath’s back. Unaffected, the evincar bats Starke aside.
Heat of Battle: Takara then turns on her father as Gerrard tries once again to close on the escaping Volrath. Takara’s blade slashes across Starke’s eyes and he falls.
Bandage: With Volrath’s retreat, Sisay and Takara are suddenly freed from the evincar’s control. Takara’s reunion with her father is bittersweet as she bandages his ruined eyes.
Seething Anger: As Gerrard closes on Volrath, he is suprised to be joined by Tahngarth, who has returned from the ship to aid his friend and seek revenge for his torture.
Smite: At last, Gerrard faces his enemy. After a short but brutal fight, Gerrard strikes the killing blow.
Scapegoat: And then the truth is revealed: Volrath has planned this encounter well, for as the body falls, it changes shape, turning back into the shapeshifter it had been from the beginning.
Portcullis: Outside, the battle for Volrath’s stronghold wages on. Inside, Gerrard and his friends, joined at last by Sisay, now face the daunting challenge of escaping as Volrath’s forces close in on them.
