Start of Darkness is the second book of all-new Order of the Stick comic strips, following in the footsteps of our best-selling prequel book, On the Origin of PCs. Delving back in time, this new book features never-before-seen strips telling the story of the OOTS' archnemesis Xykon, the evil and easily bored lich sorcerer. Fans will learn for the first time ever how Xykon became undead, how he met his loyal henchman, Redcloak, and even how he discovered the mysterious Monster in the Darkness. Presented mostly in nostalgic black-and-white, it features a special full-color insert telling the secret lore of the goblins in the popular crayon format (first seen in No Cure for the Paladin Blues). Start of Darkness details a crucial piece of the larger OOTS story, and will be essential to any fan of the series.