Crimson Dawn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Crimson Dawn is a fictional mystical substance found in the comic book X-Men and part of the Marvel Comics universe. Its first appearance was in Uncanny X-Men #330 (March 1996). It is most closely associated with the X-Man Psylocke, though it has been connected to both Excalibur member Captain Britain and the villainess Spiral as well.
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[edit] General information
The Crimson Dawn is first mentioned as a mystical life-giving elixir that could save the life of Psylocke (aka Elisabeth Braddock) after being critically wounded by the villain known as Sabretooth. The X-Man Wolverine along with Elisabeth's lover and fellow X-Man, Warren Worthington (aka Archangel), embarked on a quest to save her life through the use of the Dawn. With the help of Doctor Strange and Gomurr the Ancient, the duo was able to defeat the Crimson Dawn's proctor Tar and cast the soul of Psylocke into it, saving her.
Alternatively, the Crimson Dawn is also used as the name of the elixir's location; a pocket dimension that exists within the shadows of our world. Within this realm, the sky is red in color, and the landscape is harsh and dark. The only buildings that exist in the Crimson Dawn are asian in design, and its denizens are a species called the Undercloaks; souls tainted by the Dawn's power and made slaves to its current proctor.
[edit] The Elixir
The Crimson Dawn, more specificially the mystical elixir kept within the realm of the same name, is a life-giving substance with vast mystical properties. Those near death who sip from the elixir will be granted new life, and an innate connection to the realm itself. There are side-effects, however. The most immediate side-effect is the appearance of a kana-like red mark over the left eye. As time goes on, the connection to the shadow realm grows, as is displayed by a darker, colder, harsher personality, and the development of the ability to travel through shadows. Lastly, the subject is taken over by the energies of the Crimson Dawn, and are either made servants (if the subject is willfull enough), or simply mindless slaves. The Undercloaks are the lowest general representation of life after tasting the Dawn, although certain, more powerful subjects (Spiral; The Dragons of the Crimson Dawn) retain their intelligence and will, though they are still bound to serve the Dawn and its proctor.
[edit] The Realm
The realm of the Crimson Dawn is named after the substance it serves to contain, and is representative of the elixir's properties. It can only be accessed by those who can travel through shadows. The sky is blood red, akin to perpetual sunset or twilight, and the landscape is devoid of vegetation and harsh and rocky. The air is devoid of any real warmth or moisture. Being that this realm is mystical in nature, none of the life that exists there is dependent on food or water to survive.
The architecture is reminiscent of that of China and Japan, albeit much more fantastic in design. The city itself is composed of multiple buildings of this nature, though, strangely, none of the buildings have doors nor windows. As its denizens utilize shadows for travel, they are unnecessary.
The central tower within the city stands much higher than the surrounding builings. Within this tower is the Ebon Vein; the chamber in which the elixir itself is located. The Vein also serves as the throne room for its current proctor, and is heavily guarded by Undercloaks.
[edit] History
The Crimson Dawn has apparently existed for ages; it is unclear when exactly the realm was formed, or if it had simply always existed. What is known is that sometime during the last years of the Ming Dynasty (circa 1640), China was overrun by "The Roaming King", Li-Tzu Ch’eng. A group of monks, Xiandu, A'yin, Barak, and Ra'al, in vengeance for the fall of the Ming Dynasty, sought out the "Covenant of the Ebon Vein", and were inducted on the promise that China would be freed from its oppressors. The four of them tasted the Crimson Dawn and were transformed. During the night, A'yin, Barak and Ra'al were corrupted by the Crimson Dawn's powers and murdered Xiandu. The former were transformed into the Dragons of the Crimson Dawn, and the latter would roam Earth as a spirit for centuries to come.
Much later, the X-Man known as Psylocke was mortally wounded by Sabretooth during his escape from the X-Mansion.[1] In order to save her life, Wolverine and Archangel travelled to New York's Chinatown to enlist the aid of Gomurr the Ancient in finding the Crimson Dawn. Doctor Strange, sensing their intentions, also joined them in their quest.[2] Together, the four of them sought out the Crimson Dawn, which was currently being protected by its proctor Tar. Though Psylocke was not with them to sip the elixir, Strange summoned the piece of Psylocke's soul she had entrusted to Archangel and tossed it into the Dawn itself. She was restored, though Strange sensed the true battle for Psylocke's soul had just begun.[3]
Strange was proven right as Psylocke slowly began to change. She became cold and distant, developing shadow teleporting abilities, as well as a gradual increase of her own telepathic abilities.
At the same time, the misplaced Dragons of the Crimson Dawn found themselves in the Wildways, the home of Spiral, and forced her to join them and taste the elixir herself. She fought the Dawn's influence, but was forced to teleport the Dragons to Earth. They appeared in London, attacking Captain Britain (aka Brian Braddock) and his fiancé Meggan. The Dragons kidnapped Captain Britain and traveled to Hong Kong, where they intended to use him to breach the walls between Earth and the Crimson Dawn.
Spiral was able to alert Captain Britain's teammates, the group known as Excalibur, to the Dragons' plans, and the spirit of Xiandu also aided the team, namely Meggan, by guiding her. Meggan was able to help Brian, and together, the couple managed to stop the Dragon's plans, though Brian was left powerless for some time afterwards.
Finally, when the malevolent Kuragari murdered Tar, he became the new proctor of the Dawn, and sent his Undercloaks to claim Psylocke for his bride. They attacked Archangel and Psylocke in their apartment, leaving behind an engagement ring. Gomurr came to warn them, but was too late, and Betsy, enchanted by the ring, slipped it on, allowing Kuragari to steal her away to his realm. Warren followed, but by then, Betsy had been brainwashed and transformed into Kuragari's Shadow Queen. She left him behind, going with Kuragari.
Gomurr was next visited by the spirit of the deceased Tar, who named him the next rightful proctor of the Crimson Dawn. Gomurr accepted, and he joined Archangel in his fight. In order to free Betsy from the Dawn's influence, Warren sacrificed a piece of his own life force to replace what had been given, and the couple was reunited. Gomurr managed to defeat Kuragari, becoming the next proctor of the Dawn.
