Heroes of the Lance III > Journals > The Adventures of Gil

The Adventures of Gil - by Gil

Part I: Prologue

I sat alone in the Grunting Boar Inn, drinking a mug of ale. I had just destroyed a rogue called Gord living in New Thalos. The impenitent fool had tried to sneak his hands into my pocket to steal some gold. In a fit of anger, I slew him. It was not an easy task though, for he was both strong and powerful. No doubt I was more skilful than him, and he was much healthier than me. Nevertheless, he was disposed of, and I believed that the citizens of New Thalos would thank me for that.

I was a fade, also known as a Myrddraal. Born like a human, I was slightly of bigger build, and eyeless. Yes, eyeless. But that did not mean that I was blind. On the contrary, my sight in light and dark was just as keen and sharp as a hawk. The absence of eyes made no difference to me. The race of Myddraal were servants of the Dark. And so faithful were we to our Darklord that he gave us much benefits. Charms and disease could not affect us. In addition, we could move so gracefully that even a cat would be put into disgrace. Such movements made us seem to float on air, hence giving us a chance to sneak past many people.

Since young, I had very much wanted to serve my lord. As a result, I joined the class of Darkknights. These knights of evil were formed against the angelic paladins. The code of the knighthood was to create chaos to the world. Tough fighters we were, we could cast spells as well. During a chaotic situation, we could even rise to the occasion to produce far more deadly spells to enhance ourselves. I was released from my guild at the age of seventeen to see the world, as well as to improve on my strengths and skills. I had travelled far and wide since then. Now, four years later, I had risen rather high in ranks. I was at the moment a troop commander, commanding a small group of footmen. Due to the peace that prevailed at the moment, I was given permission to venture on my own to enhance myself.

The first place I went was New Thalos to pay my respects to a friend who was killed in the War of Fearsome, when Thalos was totally razed by the troops of Evil some years back. The citizens of Thalos fled to a place near the Sands of Sorrow. Deciding that the Sands of Sorrow would provide good protection, they rebuilt the city, hence the name of New Thalos. When the Evil learnt about the city, they sent a troop of orcs to invade the city, thinking that the citizens were ill-prepared. Unfortunately, the Sands of Sorrow lived up to their name. The entire troop was lost in the area. In the end, everyone perished in the mysterious revolving place. My friend was the commander of the troop. With the aid of our Darklord, we managed to summon his body back. As he was born in Thalos, I was sent to bury him there. Years passed, but I never failed to pay my respects to his grave whenever I can. It was then Gord tried to steal my gold. After slaying him, I fled the city to Midgaard, knowing that the guards there would be alerted of Evil being in the city. Deciding that I need a short break, I went to the Grunting Boar Inn for some ale. At this moment, a dark shadow fell upon me. I jumped, sword drawn...