(The graphic has been lost)
You are sitting in Frodo's tavern, the most famous place for Thais. Although it is only 8 o'clock in the evening, outside it is pitch black and you think you can almost see how the snow cover on the streets is getting thicker and thicker. Only now and then can you see a dark figure hurrying down the street, because the snow is unfortunately only a minor evil compared to the fate that an inexperienced warrior can meet at night in Thais.
You look around the tavern, although it is really cozy in the soft light of the candles, there are only a few guests here. Not many have the courage to go out on the streets of Thais in the near future, and this fear is unfortunately only justified because of all the nasty figures lurking there in dark corners. Opposite you is an old man who is sipping with pleasure from a glass of "red Carliner". He looks old, very old, and yet there is a glint in his eyes that doesn't match his appearance. You've been looking for a long time for a man who can tell you the story of a person, right from the start, because everyone you've met up to now has only known him for a few years, or at least that's what they said. You finally met someone ready to tell you the full story.
(The graphic has been lost)
"You wanted to tell me something about someone called GreyKnight," you begin. "Yeah, that's right, but forgive me if I refresh myself with a glass of wine beforehand, because once you are as old as me you will find that such weather is even more unpleasant for you than for the boys ...
Anyway, well, I'll start my story now.
The one you know as GreyKnight is actually called Belrian Grethor ... "" I've never heard that name! " you interrupt him, but he just begins to laugh softly.
"Of course you haven't heard that name because it has only been mentioned a few times in all these years.
I will start at the beginning, which is now approximately 40 of your years in the past. Belrian Grethor was born in the city-state of Gul Tirath. Gul Tirath is, or was, on both sides of the Strait of Gordlan, a 40 meter wide but fairly deep canal. This canal is the fastest connection between the northern and southern seas, and so it is not surprising that a long time ago a trading post was founded on the east bank, which soon expanded into a large city due to the favorable location. A gigantic bridge was built which connected the two banks with each other. The middle part of the bridge was made of wood and it could be lifted a few meters into the air by means of a cable winch to enable larger ships to pass through. Having become rich through trade, the city naturally also attracted every gold-hungry ruler within a radius of many hundreds of miles, and so gigantic fortifications were built. Thanks to the excellent training of the troops and numerous extremely loyal and skilled soldiers, complemented by the best weapons and magical aids that could be obtained, the city was never captured in the past. "
(The graphic has been lost)
"With that for the background of the city, now we want to come to Belrian. The first time I met him 40 years ago, he was then just 20 and a committed and capable lieutenant in the gray guard. The gray guard was what you would call the elite guard A few years later he led the armed forces of paladins and knights who fought off the decisive offensive of Algron the pillage, one of the greatest despots of his time. That offensive was one of the most dangerous of all times, and the city only narrowly escaped ruin. Since the captain of the gray watch had died in battle a few days ago, which was considered a bad omen, Belrian was promoted to that post and assumed the honorary title of 'gray knight', the title that was only ever worn by the acting captain.But this was also the year in which there was much shadow over the city, because the pre-linear knights, another very respected order of knights who gained more and more power, had gained great power in the city council and they mostly always spoke against the advice of the gray guard .
So said Haldor the seer at that time:
Our time is nearing its end,
if what no one thought does not happen,
darkness will come
if Vorlin does not bring better advice.
Remember the path of horror,
not everything that Vorlin thinks up is truth,
don't think of the path of shadow,
because shadow is what Vorlin brought over you.
Darkness over heart, hand and land, his bones and bones become rigid, and Gul Tirath will no longer be.
(The graphic has been lost)
These were his words, and many believed that Vorlin meant the head of the Vorlinarian knights, and yet, as if by some dark fate, the Vorlinarian words found more and more approval in the council, although it was clear that the council of the grays would have been whiter , and even after some advice from the Vorlinarer almost meant the downfall of the city several times, it could not slow down their popularity, and they said in their ignorance that Haldor the seer had just driveled nonsense.
At that time, some mystics were also researching the recently discovered doctrine of the spheres. Although the knowledge of that teaching is correct, otherwise I and Belrian could not be here now, it is very strange. She assumes that there are many thousands of spheres, and all of them can be seen as white dots on the firmament of the night. For a long time we were looking for a way to open a gate of the sphere, but only one creature ever succeeded in developing a spell that could open such a gate, his name was Cildor, a half-elf, the greatest wizard of all time. But he shared his knowledge with a white foresight only to the leadership of the gray guard, and yet he hid from us the cruel fate that would await those who would speak that saying. In the meantime the gray watch and Belrian Grethor lost more and more prestige through no fault of their own, which the pre-liners gained, although their advice did not lead to anything good, and often the gray watch had to move out to save what was endangered by them. So it went over the years, and 5 years ago what was foreseen happened:
Dalgron, a descendant of Algron the Arsonist, attacked Gul Tirath again. The council of the pre-linear knights was terribly bad and anyone who could see should have recognized that the council was the downfall of the city. So the gray guard protested vehemently, but the only thing they achieved was that all members were put under arrest. Me, Belrain Grethor and a dwarf named Beorn, son of Beren, managed to escape the guards and we escaped through the west gate. A mile beyond the gate, Haldor and Cildor were waiting for us, but they just looked at us sadly and said, 'Come on, the foretold has happened, this is the end of the once proud city of Gul Tirath. Let us now climb that mountain north of us to see our old home one more time. '
(The graphic has been lost)
When we reached the summit of that mountain a few hours later, we had our last look at Gul Tirath. The great east wall had already collapsed in several places, parts of the city were on fire and the wind carried the screams of the dying to us.
Belrian felt himself the first, because his pain was the greatest, and so he said: 'This is the end, a shame that the city had to end like this. You spoke white Haldor, but I wish you were wrong. From today on, gul Tirath is a fallen empire ... '. Haldor said nothing and so we left the summit. When we got back to the foot of the mountain, Haldor spoke the last words we should ever hear from him: 'Cildor, I think you want to do what we talked about, but for better or for worse, I belong to this world. So this is our last farewell. Farewell friends, farewell. ' So Haldor, the last seer, disappeared into the shadows.
However, Cildor opened the sphere gate, and by chance your sphere, called the tibia, was chosen as the target. So we went through the gate, but at the other end we noticed that Cildor was not with us. But we heard a weak voice ... but we heard a weak voice, it came from the Sphaerentor. She said, 'It's me, Cildor. This is the price for conjuring up a sphere gate that I didn't want to talk to you about. The price is that the summoner himself is locked in the gate. Ax, sword and magic must destroy the gate if I am not to be imprisoned in it forever. From now on you have to do without me, but my thoughts will be with you. Always. But now, hurry up. '
Sadly, we did what we asked. We destroyed the gate, and many passed out. Belrain Grethor woke up at the temple in Thais and gave himself the name GreyKnight, because he didn't want to talk about his sad past and has talked about it to a few to this day.
This is the end of my story, because you can learn the rest from many others. I am tired now and will leave you. Farewell, maybe our paths will cross again. "
You see how the old man strolls towards the door when it occurs to you that you don't even know his name." Old man, who you know to tell such stories? "You call after him .
"I am Arghaton the gray, the last magician of Gul Tirath,