The Elder Gods rule all Realms of the Universe, overseeing the creation and destruction of worlds.

     When the new realm of Earth was created, one of those Gods decided that he would take that world for himself.  Shinnok knew that if he could control Earth, he would have untold power.

     What Shinnok didn't count on was the presence of Raiden, the God of Thunder. The Elder Gods had already sent Raiden to Earth to act as the realm's guardian, and when Shinnok arrived, the two Gods engaged in a titanic battle. Their combat almost destroyed the entire planet, and for many centuries Earth was plunged into darkness.

     Raiden eventually defeated Shinnok and banished him to the Netherealm, the place where all unwanted spirits are sent.  The Netherealm has existed since the beginning of time and has had many names.  Whether it's known as Hell, Hades, Gehenna or Pluto, it has always had the same purpose: to act as the final home of those who have done wrong.

     When Shinnok awoke in the Netherealm, he found himself under attack by Lucifer, the leader of the fiery realm.  Lucifer used the souls of those whom Shinnok himself had banished to the Netherealm to attack the Elder God. Shinnok was quickly beaten and found himself in the dregs of Hell.

     Continually tortured and tormented, Shinnok remained a prisoner of the Netherealm for thousands of years.  He believed that he would never escape and had no hope until the arrival of Quan Chi, a mysterious sorcerer who had the power to travel throughout all of the planes of reality without detection from any of the Gods.

     Quan Chi told Shinnok that he would help him escape from his prison and defeat Lucifer.  All Quan Chi wanted in exchange was power and the right to rule at Shinnok's side.  Shinnok agreed, and the two waged a war in the Netherealm that lasted for centuries.  They eventually beat Lucifer and took control of the Netherealm.  Shinnok was now the ruler of the dead realm, but he wasn't happy with his conquest.  The Netherealm is nothing more than fire and brimstone, and he only rules over the grotesque demons that inhabit the realm.  Shinnok wants more, and what Shinnok wants, Quan Chi must try to arrange.

     To Quan Chi, the Realm of Edenia seems like a good place to start. . .


MORTAL KOMBAT 4
Darkness is calling.

      "Thousands of years ago, in a battle with the fallen elder god known as Shinnok, I was responsible for the death of an entire civilization.  To rid all realms of Shinnok's menace, I waged a war that plunged the earth into centuries of darkness and banished Shinnok into a place called the Netherealm."
    "Now, after Shao Kahn's defeat at the hands of earth's warriors, Shinnok has managed to escape his confines in the Netherealm.  The war is now being faught once again... only this time, it can be won by mortals."

-- Raiden, God of Thunder
   Defender of Earth