It takes time for news to arrive to Prabhata. Travel in Ind is difficult, and there are no spherovisors in the village. The only family that could afford one is the Daryas, but Sena is a no-nonsense woman. Better to spend the money in useful things than frivolities. The Daryas have always been hard-working men and women, and Amu, her wife, and their sons and daughters have always toiled with little to show for, until Amu's stroke of luck.
It was a friend to convince him to go to the town of Bhubaneswar to attend the try-outs of the Rampage. Khwarezm Kausambi had a way to convince his much more serious friend to do what he wanted. "It's gonna be fun, and you need to get away from work some times. The Rampage are going to play on the big stage, and this is our chance. If they cut us, you can come back to your family and keep with the routine. If they take us... well, it's ok to dream once in a while, no?". When they both got picked, Khwarezm was beaming. Amu, on the other hand, looked like a beaten dog. He and Sena had an argument that night. His wife was worried of the dangers of Blood Bowl, but Amu was able to reassure her. "It's not gonna last", he said, "Khwarezm is the one with the passion, I'm just gonna do my job and get paid. At some point they'll see that and sack me. It's good money, it will help with the farm, and I know Vikas and you can handle things while I'm away."

In the end, Khwarezm was the one whose career was short. He busted his collar bone against a Kislevite team and after a while he was cut from the roster. He bounced back to the life he had before, a little more rich and with a story to tell, and was content with that. Amu, on the other hand, became a regular on the team, because, as he always did, he gave it all to complete the task he was given. Statistically, the inhuman monsters like the Rakshaka and the Kalites were the stars of the team, however the player who caught the hearts of the common people was Amu.
Despite this, his family was always among the last to learn of his performance. Sena begrudgingly accepted the long period of absence of her husband, but couldn't bring herself to abandon the farm, nor to see first hand the games. Besides, the Darya farm was flourishing, thanks to Amu's earnings. Of their sons, only Vikas, the oldest, could have been mature enough to embark in a travel across the world, but, much like his father, he was a serious worker and knew he was needed on the farm. If he went away, he knew that Amu wouldn't have had the heart to continue his playing career, leaving Sena alone.

That didn't mean that he shared her mother's dislike for the beautiful game; he was always among the first to gather around the trader, Bhodhi, when he came back from Bhubaneswar with new, intriguing news.
Bhodhi was a great storyteller and a Blood Bowl fanatic, never missing a Rampage game at the stadium or, when they went abroad, on CabalVision. Every time he came back, the whole village stopped to hear his tales - even Sena. And Bhodhi always spent a lot of time detailing Amu Darya's game. Vikas loved those stories, as they allowed him to visualize his father battling his way through creatures and monsters that defied common sense.
The other way he remained in touch with Amu was through his letters. The lineman kept a steady flow of letters coming, no matter where he was that week, to all his relatives, and especially to his firstborn. The later ones were increasingly troubling. The Rakshakas, the cat-demons that led the team, grew jealous of Amu's popularity. They, along with the Kalites, organized a kangor court, accusing Amu of sedition aimed at subverting the caste system. That was, of course, rubbish, and Vikas knew it: his father was a proud but simple man. He cared for little but his honor and his family, but he was no pushover. No wonder that had irritated those monsters, who were used to do as they pleased.
The news caused an uproar among fans of all classes, and the complaint was withdrawn, but the rakshakas were vengeful, long-lived beast. They could wait for their moment. Amu's letter grew more and more dour, as the atmosphere in the locker room deteriorated. He was considering retirement, he wrote, even if that would mean breach of contract and a hefty fine. But Amu was proud, and stubborn. Leaving in a dishonorable way wasn't his style. "This is my last season. When the contract ends I'll be back in Prabhata" he wrote to Sena.

That day, it took just a look to Bhodhi's face to know that the worst had happened. Just as usual, a crowd had gathered to hear the news, but this time the jovial merchant didn't start talking. Gloomily, he just said: "I'm sorry, Sena." Then walked away. The whole village of Prabhata fell silent, except for the cry of the widow. The hero had fallen.
The game had taken place in Naggaroth, for a strange mix of concurrences, even though neither of the teams hailed from that cold, cruel land. According to the laws of the Druchii, the body had to be cremated for "hygienic reasons". It took the urn three months to come back to Ind. The ceremony took place in front of a giant crowd of fans. Vima Taktu, coach Lemonhead and other teammates took a moment off their schedule to attend, but the leadership of the Bhubaneswar Rampage was conspicuously missing. Sena was inconsolable: "They didn't even bring me back the corpse" she said amidst the tears.

That night, Vikas had a troubled night. He dreamt of his father, proud on the field. He dreamt of a warrior clad in black, more monster that human, crushing Amu between his fists. He dreamt of his mother crying. He dreamt of the Dark Elves couriers sneering as they handed him the urn. He dreamt demonic tigers laughing as they watched his father die. He dreamt of screams and moans in a dark, silvery hallway. He dreamt of a jar with a lump of flesh that kind of looked like a calf immersed in a greenish liquid. He dreamt the darkness smiling.

Vikas woke up in a puddle of sweat. There was a noise, like something tapping on his door. He opened it. A blanket of fog had covered the fields that surrounded his home - unusual, for that time of year.
There was a figure in the fog. Somewhat indistinct, though the young man knew immediately who he was.

It was Amu.

The son froze in shock. In the eerie mist, he couldn't tell how concrete the apparition was, but he was almost certain it wasn't yet another dream, because the night was unseasonably chilly. "...dad?", he whispered.
The figure looked at him. "Come with me" it said, with an otherworldly faint voice. Then it walked in the fog, quickly disappearing from the young man's eyes.

Vikas stood still for a moment. There were no sounds, the noises of the night apparently snuffed out by the supernatural haze. Then, as if sleepwalking, he stumbled in its footsteps, into the dark night.