You are Solmyr, a young lad just turned seventeen. Since childhood you have dreamt of becoming a wizard, of wielding mighty magics. And indeed, your dream was fulfilled, when an old and mysterious wizard named Mandalis has noticed your innate talent for sorcery and took you as his apprentice. You spent long years with your master, mostly performing chores, but occasionally he'd let you learn a new spell from one of his libraries. Those were always times of great joy to you.
   Your master had his claim over a stretch of land somewhat out of the way.  There was green grassland, where you lived in the student hall established by your master. Farther was the wild plain, where your master's other servitors toiled. Beyond that was the deadly wasteland, whence no creature has emerged alive. 
   At the moment you were living alone in the student hall, but you wondered why there were no-one else, for Mandalis was a great wizard, and you'd think apprentices would flock to him by the hundreds.
You had the student hall pretty much to yourself, except one single room, which was locked and which your master has strictly forbidden you to enter.  But curiosity is the primary characteristic of any wizard, and finally it got the better of you. In the dark of the night, you crept towards the forbidden door and cast a simple spell of opening upon it. Beyond the door, you found a small room, which contained nothing but the bones of many people. By the look of them, they were human, and had belonged to young men like you.
  A horrible realization dawned upon you. Mandalis has slain all his previous apprentices, and might do the same to you! As you were standing there, dumbfounded, you heard the voice of your master echoing around you. "So, my little apprentice, you have uncovered my secret! You think I am old, but you do not know that I am over a thousand years old! For centuries I have kept myself alive by absorbing the young lifeforces of my apprentices. And soon you shall join them, for the spell is already being cast. In a year, your life force shall be mine! You cannot reach me, little one, and neither can you hide from me! Hahahahaha!"
   After returning to your quarters, you thought long and hard about the situation. Indeed, you could not hide, for the spell would reach you anywhere. And by all accounts, your master's secret castle was deep within the deadly wasteland, no doubt guarded by fearsome creatures. On the other hand, there was nothing else you could do. 'Very well, master', you thought, 'if that is your game, I shall not play by your rules. I shall come and find you, and either force you to abandon your foul spell, or die fighting your creatures.
Either way, you shall not have my life force.'
   As you walked into the courtyard of your little town, you surveyed your meager forces: a pack of halflings who have taken a liking to you, several pet boars, and a few iron golems that you learned to create. This force, if it could be called that, would not stand a chance against Mandalis. However, who knows what secrets lay beyond the student hall? Maybe you could find some allies there.
   As you were preparing to leave, suddenly a rogue caravan approached. The leader dismounted and said to you, "Greetings, wizard. Your master hired us, but he has not paid us in weeks. So we thought that you might need our help more, and be willing to pay for it. We will lend you our men if you allow us to build a thieves' guild in your town and set up our wagons just outside the stockade. We will then provide you with information and our men will fight for you."
Gladly, you agreed to the rogues' offer. Mandalis, here I come!




