\--==Official Submission==-- FROM: General Debinani Rahl RE: Chapter Four - Thanos'' Story Thanos' Story I am a traveler. Or.....at least I was in my younger days. I enjoyed seeing the world. When I would walk through the woods and see the bright sun shine off of the sparkling dew on the bright green tree tops, I am filled with the feeling of life. I traveled just to marvel at the wondrous sights before our eyes. No one really notices their greatness, but I do. I've been to just about everywhere there is to visit, but now I am just an old man living a boring old life. I miss those days. I miss the people's faces when Thanos Aldrinir walks through their front gate. I miss the stories I hear as I sit in the local tavern drinking after a hard days work. They sometimes would say things like, "That's Thanos Aldrinir! I heard he once slew a three-headed dragon with only a skinning knife!" or "Look! It's him. It's Thanos Aldrinir! He once tool on an army of 150 orcs and came out victorious and barely hurt. Yeah, those were the good old days. I have learned a great many things in my life time. I guess you could say that I am a jack-of-all-trades. I can wield a sword, shoot a bow, tame a wild animal, identify most items, talk to the dead, identify potions by taste, hide when all is looking grim, but most of all I harness the all powerful skill of magery. I venture to say that I knew it all. That is what caused me to make that great mistake. I was about 25 when I let my knowledge go to my head. I was in the middle of being trained in the arcane art of Magic. With my great intelligence I learned quickly and soon surpassed my teachers. That is when I decided I was going to achieve the greatest magic of all. The magic of immortality. During my travels I heard of an island not known to too many. In fact I am willing to bet that it no longer exists. I searched high and low for this mystical island called Kriegspire. After about 5 years of travel, I found what I was looking for. The island was the most beautiful sight that anyone could see. It was as though I were walking in a dream. It wasn't long when I found a stone tablet on the side of an old rickety shack. It read "Here Lies the Key to Immortality." Below it was a key on hooks. I could feel my heart start to race. I eagerly took the key and opened the chest directly below it. Inside was a stone slab. Chiseled into it were the names of generations of a family. I was dumbfounded and furious. I was so caught up in my rage I failed to notice the man beside me. I looked to see an old man wrinkled and weak staring at me. He spoke, "I see you found our ”˜Stone of Immortality'. It holds all of the names of my family from the very first man to set foot on this island." I said, "What about immortality for me? I traveled across the entire land many times over to find this?" "Son," he said. "True immortality cannot be found by mere traveling. It is something found in the heart of each individual. Not in some spell or vial." I can believe that I was so foolish. To think that immortality can be achieved by a spell. I was so discouraged and embarrassed that I hung up my sword and place my spellbook back on the shelf. I have lost the spirit of adventure that day, when I realized that many years of my life were wasted. And I will never find it again. Well, that brings you to the present day. I am old and that spirit is good. I can no longer adventure the way I used to. I must sit at home and wait for the reaper to come and take me away. I am just too old to get that spirit back. Or am I? This is it. My last adventure. Who knows where the road will take me. I grab my sword, armor, gold, food, and spell book. I am off. I leave Britain by way of the Northeast road. A walk a good ways and nothing happens. What I doing out here? I am 53. I'm in no shape for this. I turn to go back, and get no more than 10 steps when I am struck in the arm. I fall to the ground. I muster enough strength to look at the aggressor. I see a huge man towering over me wielding a war hammer and wearing a dreadful suit of bone armor. I think to myself, "This is it. Thanos Aldrinsir's last stand. Brought down by a ruthless coward attacking an old man from behind." He then raises his hammer and , everything suddenly goes black. I wake to find me surrounded by men in green cloaks. Scared, yet relieved, I say, "Hail,, I am Thanos Aldrinir. Thank you." "I am Debinani Rahl. This is Sandoval. That's Cethwyn Rhys. And that fine young lady is Holle Uchdbhan. We are all members of the powerful and " "Nice to meet you all," I followed, "but I best be on my way. Thank you again." I start to stand when I feel my left arm flare with an immense pain. I cry out. Nearly passing out, I see Debinani reach into his pouch and pull out a vial full of a clear liquid. He then hands it to me and orders me to drink it down. As I examine the potion, I am struck with the most amazing sight of my entire long life. The potion is changing colors before my eyes. I blink a few times to make sure I am not dreaming. It then changes another color. I quickly quaff the potion. My body started to heal. First slowly, speeding up as time progressed until my entire body was healed. It didn't stop there though. I continued to grow stronger and healthier. When the potion was finished, I had been revived by a renewed vigor. Not only was health restore, but life too! I felt young again. When I asked Debinani what that potion was he simply replied, "Just a greater healing potion." "Yeah right. What was it really?" He swore upon his own grave that it was only a healing potion. At this point, my historical conscience must take a stand, the events of our first meeting were not so dramatic. Sandoval, Antryg, Shade, and I were hunting east of Britain when we came across Thanos and his companion doing the same. A few uncomfortable, sword-loosening moments passed before anyone spoke, and we joined up for a small venture into Shame, which turned out to be nearly disastrous. Almost a year passed before I received his request for enlistment. Thanos had turned out to be quite an accomplished mage in that time, and we were glad to have him on board. Ever since, his performance has been quite remarkable and he's just about constantly due for promotion, though my justification for which is usually somewhat questionable. And for the gods' sake, it was just a bleedin' healing potion. \-Rahl To this day I know not what that potion was nor have I ever heard of such a thing. It seems as though either Debinani is keeping a dark secret or the gods have look favorably upon me. Which ever it is I care not. That omen was the sign I needed. Within minutes I was offered a place in The Society which I graciously accepted. The life of the famous adventurer Thanos Aldrinir is reborn. And by life or death I will protect those that I call friends. I will do anything within my power to do what is best for The Black Rose Society.