Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero

Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero is a 1997 Fighting video game by Avalanche Software, for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64. Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero is the seventh overall title in the Mortal Kombat series.

Storyline
Thousands of years ago, Shinnok existed as an Elder God. The Elder Gods are the true rulers of all realms. They watch as worlds are created and destroyed and govern the realms with untold eons of wisdom. Shinnok, however, gave in to greed and illusions of false power through the new realm of Earth. If he could have that realm to himself, he would have power unmatched. To accomplish his goal, he first would have to face the god of thunder known as Raiden, who was appointed as Earth's guardian by the Elder Gods themselves. Their battle for the realm of Earth was fierce; causing the planet's near destruction and plunging it into centuries of darkness.

Raiden soon discovered that Shinnok had gained access to the realm through the powers of a mystical amulet, which permitted the user to enter without challenge and keep the other Elder Gods from intervening. The amulet could only be created once, and Raiden relieved it from the fallen deity's possession. With the aid of the Elder Gods, he banished Shinnok into a place known as the Netherealm. The thunder god buried the amulet deep within the mountains of Siberia, and created a massive temple within the mountain to house the amulet, appointing four guardians as its protectors. Each guardian represented one of the four elements that made up the realm: wind, earth, water, and fire. As long as the amulet remained on Earth, Shinnok would be trapped and remain dormant for eternity.

Over the millennia, the Netherealm had many rulers. Most of them were forged within its fiery pits, eventually ripping their masters mercilessly from their thrones. One, however, came not from the bowels of the Netherealm, but from the heavens of reality. He was the fallen Elder God known as Shinnok. Upon entering the realm, Shinnok found himself immediately under attack by its inhabitants. He would exist tortured and tormented for thousands of years, until he met Quan Chi.

Quan Chi is a free roaming sorcerer, having the ability to travel the various planes of reality without detection from their gods. It also meant that over the years, he had obtained great power. Aware of Shinnok's dilemma, Quan Chi traveled to the Netherealm and made the fallen god an offer. He would free him from his confines and assist him in defeating Lucifer and his minions, in exchange for power and the ability to rule at his side if and when he escaped the Netherealm entirely. Shinnok agreed, and the two waged a war in the Netherealm that lasted for centuries, but the ex-Elder God eventually won as he viciously slew his tormentor. Then he took his seat as the new ruler with supreme control of the dead realm. Shinnok, however, found he had nothing to rule. The realm was a desolate wasteland of fire and brimstone inhabited by grotesque demons. So, he decided to create a physical world, trying his best to emulate the realm he wanted so badly, Earth. He took the demons of his realm and transformed them into as human a form as possible. But unlike the Outworld, which became a wasteland after Shao Kahn sapped its energies, the Netherealm never was a living planet. It always had existed as a dead realm, infinite in size. Its true form would now be hidden by its ruler.

It was through the Mortal Kombat tournament that the Outworld's soul-stealing sorcerer Shang Tsung discovered the location of the sacred Map of Elements, which could bring him to the sacred amulet. After Goro, the reigning Outworld champion, defeated the first Kung Lao over 400 years ago, Shang Tsung stole the human's soul. He retained his thoughts and memories, thus discovering the secrets of the sacred map, which has been hidden within the Shaolin Temple for centuries. These events enabled Shang Tsung to strike a bargain with Quan Chi.

In exchange for Shinnok's assistance in a plot to reinkarnate the Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn's dead queen, Sindel, Shang Tsung would reveal to Quan Chi the location of the map that would lead to Shinnok's sacred amulet. However, Shang Tsung failed to inform Quan Chi of the elemental guards that protect the amulet. Their mere existence made it impossible for Quan Chi to enter the temple where the amulet rested. But, if he could get a human to enter, the right human, one who could perhaps defeat the elements, then he could achieve his goal.