The Ancient One
The Midnight Sons awaken on the dirt floor of what appears to be the inside of a yurt made of canvas, wood and clay. Before them in a wooden wheelchair is an ancient elderly man of Asian descent with long white hair, a long beard, dressed in purple robes. This man is in a visibly weakened state. He appears frail and speaks with bated breath. "My most sincere apologies for your abrupt displacement, my friends. My powers wane in the wake of the recent attack on my body and upon my soul, inflicted upon me by one of my worst enemies, the magician known as Kaluu.
"Forgive my poor manners. I have not yet introduced myself, I am known as The Ancient One, sorcerer supreme of the Earth dimension. It is my sacred duty to protect the citizens of our Universe, and in this duty, I believe I have failed.
"Our world is at war for the second time in less than a quarter century. This turmoil has affected the Astral Plane as well as the Great Earth Mother herself. The physical strain that has been put on our Earth has effected the magical ley lines and nodes that intersect across the globe, letting in denizens of all abberant sorts seeking to take advantage of our delicate state. I have been so distracted that I let my guard down and did not foresee the coming of the evil that was once like a brother to me -- The sorcerer known as Kaluu.
"The book which you seek, The Necronomicon Ex Mortis, is one of the most evil and dark tomes ever scribed. Kaluu has made a pact with the Third Reich for temporary use of the Necronomicon as a catalyst for him to retrieve the object of his true desire -- the even more vile and powerful tome, The Darkhold.
"The condition I am in currently is due to an unforeseen attack on my village by Kaluu to take possession of the Talisman of Kamar-Taj, the stone tablet which the Deathwalkers had been using to enact their unholy ritual. Fortunately my magics were still strong enough to track the Talisman and with the recitation of the Deathwalkers ritual I was able to reach through the aether and bring you and the tablet here with hopes of assisting you in your quest for the Necronomicon.
"Kaluu has made an arrangement with the Nazi agent known as the Red Skull to utilize the Necronomicon to take over the ancient mystical city of K'un-L'un, which would be first step in ruling over the eight capital cities of Heaven. I believe through this pact, he will guide the Red Skull in the use of the Necronomicon for his own nefarious purposes as he destroys K'un-L'un and searches for the Darkhold within it's city walls where it is held for safekeeping.
"I humbly implore you to take the remainder of my dwindling energies, and the current Immortal Iron Fist, to assist you in traversing to the ancient city of K'un-L'un to protect the Darkhold and retrieve the Necronomicon and help the warriors of the great city defeat Red Skull and Kaluu. If K'un-L'un falls, so to does our reality as we know it, for the forces of the Dark Ones will be unleashed upon Earth."
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Upon accepting The Ancient One's request, the mystic used his magical powers to heal The Midnight Sons of all wounds and injuries sustained thus far. He also introduces them to the protector of K'un-L'un, the Immortal Iron Fist, Orson Randall.
The Ancient One then opens a mystic gateway into the land of K'un-L'un. This portal will stay hidden and accessible for their return, should they survive the oncoming battle.