Gerrard Capashen

Origin

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Gerrard Capashen was born into the Family Capashen, a once world famous and rich family, on the plains of Benalia on the world of Dominaria. However, many years before his birth, the majority of the Family Capashen were slain by an unknown mythological being called the Lord of the Wastes. It was later revealed that the Lord of the Wastes was none other than Yawgmoth himself. Gerrard's close friend and guardian, Karn the Silver Golem, watched over Gerrard until he came of age. He was then taken to the family's war clan from his makeshift home of Jamuraa to be trained in the ways of combat. There, Gerrard was accepted and adopted by Sidar Kondo, who was the local leader and war chieftain of the clan. Gerrard lived with the clan happily, quickly befriending the Sidar's son Vuel. Although Gerrard knew little of his own prominence in the fate of Dominaria, Karn knew well. He told the young Gerrard small tales alluding to Gerrard's fate, preparing him for the journey he would have to complete.

A Rivalry Forms

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As time passed, Gerrard and Vuel began to look at one another as competitors rather than brothers, as they had before. The time had come that Sidar Kondo would step down, and Vuel looked to take his father's place as war chieftain. To do so, Vuel was made to climb a tall ridge with no aid, be it from another human or any kind of harness. Vuel attempted this, but soon found himself hanging to a ledge for dear life. Seeing his brother's dismay, Gerrard rushed to help him. In doing so, Gerrard had nullified Vuel's test. Vuel was exiled from the clan's encampment, and swore revenge on the guil-ridden Gerrard.

The Legacy

============

Captivated by Karn's stories of the Legacy, a weapon that would be the saviour of Dominaria, Gerrard began searching for the components of the weapon. In a short amount of time, Gerrard managed to find a few of the components, thus confirming the truth of Karn's stories. Gerrard was enthralled, but still clueless as to his signifigance in the completion of the Legacy.

Vuel's Revenge

============

After a small elapsation of time, Vuel returned with a small army of hired mercenaries. Vuel had apparently had some kind of guidance in gathering these warriors, as he was none too charismatic himself. It turned out that Vuel had a mysterious advisor, Starke, who had helped him form his army. Guided by his advisor, Vuel targeted the components of the Legacy that Gerrard had accumulated. Once he had the components, Vuel held the complete upper had in the battle for the clan's encampment. Vuel returned to his base to plan his next move. Gerrard was mortified at the actions of his brother. Vuel, in his rage, had killed many of the clan's most prominent members. Not only was Gerrard upset about the deaths of his family members, but also the loss of the Legacy components. Knowing that they could be disastrous in the wrong hands, Gerrard sent Karn to raid Vuel's camp for the items, as Karn was invulnerable. Karn did not return to the clan encampment, and this worried Sidar Kondo, who had remained in good health since his son's failure. The Sidar decided to send Gerrard to a nearby forest for his protection, since the Sidar knew of Gerrard's importance. Gerrard began his journey soon thereafter.

The Magic of Yavimaya

============

About a day after Gerrard had found the forest, he came across a dying messenger from his encampment. Gerrard questioned the messenger, and was shocked and mortified to learn that Vuel's army had destroyed the encampment entirely, and Vuel had personally killed Sidar Kondo. Gerrard was lost emotionally. He did not know how to handle the destruction of the rest of his family, and began to weep. His tears hit the soil, and a peculiar figure emerged from the ground. The figure was a humanoid who was made of leaves, soil, and twigs that littered the ground. His name was Multani, and he was a forest spirit from the distant Yavimaya forest. Multani had had close ties to the Capashen family, and had always suspected Vuel to be a "bad seed." Seeing Gerrard's distress, Multani offered to train Gerrard in the ways of Maro-Sorcery, a type of magic regarding trees, plants, and the earth itself. During Gerrard's lessons, he had two classmates, the elf of Llanowar, Rofellos, and the leonin warrior Mirri. The three students became best friends, and Mirri fell in love with Gerrard. Gerrard had no feelings for Mirri, however, and the two were never quite as close.

The Weatherlight

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After quite a few years had passed, the three students returned from a task assigned by Multani, only to find their home destroyed and their teacher gone. They were all awe-stricken at the sight, and did not know what to do. Using their training and warrior skills, the three set off to roam the land and make their living as mercenaries. At one of their regular stops in Jamuraa, Gerrard was confronted by the captain of the famous airship Weatherlight, Sisay, who was world-renowned for her key role in defending the allied nations against Kaervek. Both being naturally hot-headed, Gerrard and Sisay began to argue over who was a better warrior. The two agreed on a simple spar, but if Gerrard lost, he had to join the Weatherlight's crew. Gerrard foolishly agreed, and was defeated. Gerrard, as promised, joined the crew, along with Rofellos and Mirri.

Recollection of the Legacy

=============

Gerrard, feeling that the Weatherlight's crew was trustworthy, told Sisay about the Legacy weapon. Sisay responded with shock, stating that she had seen some of the mentioned items on sale in a nearby harbor town. The crew made their way to the town, and discovered that the items had been sold by Vuel to raise money for his ever-expanding army. With a new spark of determination, the crew agreed on collecting all of the components of the Legacy, and soon found themselves traversing to the far corners of Dominaria in search of the items. After collecting nearly all of the known components, the noble Crovax, who was a prominent member of the Weatherlight's crew, announced that he had had a vision of his homeland of Urborg being attacked by foul creatures. Sisay ignored the man for a while, but finally gave in to his pleas. The Weatherlight then headed for the small sawmp island of Urborg.

Peril at Urborg

===============

When the crew arrived at Crovax's family estate on Urborg, they were dismayed to discover two ghoulish beasts, Morinfen and Gallowbraid, reaking havoc on the area, slaying Crovax's family. The crew attempted to stop the two beasts, who were found to be from a mysterious plane called Rath, but were no match for the beasts. In their confrontation with the creatures, Rofellos was killed. Gerrard was enraged by this, but still gained no ground in the battle. The crew saw the futility of the fight and were just about to flee when Crovax used an old family heirloom to summon the angel Selenia to aid them. The angel and the crew proved too powerful for the beasts, and the two Rathi abominations were soon slain. After the battle, Gerrard confronted Sisay about the death of Rofellos, stating that she had not taken the crew's safety seriously enough. The argument exploded, and Gerrard and Mirri soon left the Weatherlight. Gerrard again felt a tugging guilt at leaving, becuase he had fallen in love with Hanna, a young mechanic from the land of Tolaria. Mirri felt an undying need to travel to Llanowar, the home of Rofellos, to tell his family what had happened. Gerrard remained on Jamuraa, but soon traveled to his old home of Benalia.

Life in Benalia

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Not knowing what else to do with his experience, Gerrard joined the Benalish military. His prowess with weapons allowed him to learn other weapon forms quickly. Soon after his enrollment, Gerrard had attained the much coveted rank of master-at-arms. As this was the highest rank one could attain in the military, Gerrard began to teach others the ways of war. After some time, a revolution threatened to break out in Benalia. The town's assassin's guild had been taking members of the military to use as their own warriors. Gerrard soon caught wind of a minotaur in Benalia who was searching for him. Gerrard soon found the minotaur, as they are hard to hide in a town of humans, and discovered that it was none other than Tahngarth, a member of the Weatherlight's crew. Tahngarth explained to Gerrard that they needed his help in rescuing Sisay, who had been abducted by the lord of the plane of Rath, Volrath. Gerrard did not hesitate in declining the minotaur's plea, explaining that he was needed far more in the Benalish military. With Tahngarth following, trying to convince Gerrard to reconsider, Gerrard returned to his base to discover the leader of the assassin's guild, Lord Kastan, plotting with Gerrard's own mentor, Commander Alaric. The two had been plotting to get rid of Gerrard from the beginning, saying he was too dangerous, too smart. Gerrard, along with the ill-tempered Tahngarth, slew the two conspirators on the spot, thus ending the revolution. Dismayed at the military's treachery, Gerrard agreed to Tahngarth's plea.

Back with the Crew

=============

Gerrard was happy to see his former crew mates, and was immediately promoted to captain due to Sisay's absence. Although all of the other members seemed ecstatic about Gerrard's return, Hanna tended to avoid Gerrard altogether. Gerrard confronted Hanna about this, and she explained that she had thought that Gerrard had left in the first place because of something that she had said or done. Gerrard tried to explain his reason for leaving, but Hanna ran away in tears. Gerrard decided to give the girl her time. Returning to his post, Gerrard realized that his friend Crovax was gone. He asked Squee, the goblin cabin boy, about Crovax's absence. Squee explained that Crovax had gone back to Urborg to help fight off any invaders. Gerrard was sad at his friend's choice, but understood. Later, Gerrard and Orim, the residential healer, had a conversation about how to get Sisay back. Orim revealed that the ship could shift in and out of different planes by using the Thran Crystal, a component of the Legacy. This could only be achieved, however, with the aid of a powerful wizard. Regreting that his magic was not strong enough to fuel the crystal, Gerrard headed to Llanowar to seek out Mirri, who had always surpassed him in his magic. The crew set their path for Llanowar, and soon arrived to find the forest under attack by an Aboroth, a large and feirce forest elemental. The crew found Mirri, who had become quite attached to her elven friends, and said that she would rejoin the crew only if they helped her fend off the elemental. Gerrard agreed, and soon found himself in the midst of combat. Knowing that he would not be able to defeat the elemental conventionally, Gerrard used two of the Legacy items in a combination effect. The first transformed the elemental into a large machine, and the second shut the machine down. The crew was elated with the victory, and Mirri eagerly rejoined. The crew was later, however, disappointed at Mirri's apparent inability to fuel the Thran Crystal. Hanna, who was back on good terms with Gerrard, suggested that their next stop be the island of Tolaria, where Hanna was from. She explained that her father, Barrin, was there, and he was one of the most powerful wizards to ever walk the face of Dominaria. Gerrard asked why Hanna had not told the crew this before, and she explained that her father and she did not part ways on good terms. Hanna was an artificer, or mechanic, and Barrin was a magician. Barrin felt that machines were a type of sacrilege, and were in every way inferior to the power of magic. Hanna had been forbidden to study the objects, but had ran away with the Weatherlight to study them.

Reuniting with Karn

===============

Along the way to Tolaria, Gerrard headed to the engine room of the ship to examine the engine. Their, he found the lifeless form of his old guardian Karn. Gerrard, utilizing the Thran Tome (another component of the Legacy), restored Karn's consciousness. Gerrard consoled Karn, as the golem sputtered unintelligibly. After he had calmed down, Karn explained his situation. The golem had been created as a pacifist, and was never to kill a creature. Vuel knew this, and hid the items of the Legacy inside another human, who was reanimated as a living golem to stop Karn. Vuel told Karn that he could have the items if he killed the flesh golem. Karn was enraged at Vuel's tactic and lashed out, knocking a nearby transport wagon over. After the smoke cleared, Karn was dismayed to find that he had killed a young girl in his rage. Guilt-stricken, Karn was an easy target for Vuel to use a Legacy item on him, thus rendering him immobile.

Reception at Tolaria

==============

When the group arrived at Tolaria, they were assaulted by a band of merfolk, humanoids that dwell in water but can breathe air. After a short time of fighting, Hanna emerged from the ship, and the merfolk froze at her sight. They allowed the ship and its crew to pass unassaulted afterwards. The crew soon found Barrin, and he was incredibly happy to see his daughter. He told them that he would do anything that was in his power to help them, and Gerrard explained their situation. Barrin regretfully told them that he could not himself go with the crew, as he had a school to run. He did, however, lend the crew his most promising student, an arrogant, yet skilled young wizard named Ertai. The crew then reboarded the Weatherlight, and decided to seek out Starke, Vuel's former advisor.

The Road to Rath

============

The crew began looking for clues to Starle's whereabouts among some friendly inhabitants of Tolaria. They soon learned that Vuel's mysterious advisor Starke had been hiding on the island of Bogardan. The crew immediately set sail for the island, believing that Starke would have knowledge of Sisay. Gerrard and the crew arrived at the island just in time to stop Starke from being killed by a Keldon warlord named Maraxus. The Keldons were known for their brutality and primitive ways. The crew attempted to halt the warlord's killing blow, but wre instead themselves attacked on sight. The crew took on the other members of Maraxus' group, and Gerrard attacked Maraxus in a one-on-one battle. Gerrard was about to be killed as Maraxus fell over dead, a serrated dagger protruding from his back. Starke stood directly behind the fallen warlord with blood on his hands. He then bowed before Gerrard and pledged his life to him. Once the crew were back aboard Weatherlight with their newest and least trusted member, Starke informed Gerrard that Maraxus had been sent by the Rathi lord Volrath to bring Starke back to Rath. Starke also explained that he had wanted to get out of the cruel lord's notice before he was killed. Gerrard asked who Volrath was, and Starke told Gerrard that Volrath had once been his brother, Vuel. He also told him that Volrath had captured Sisay as a type of bait for the unweary Gerrard. Gerrard pressed on, wanting to know more. He asked Starke who Volrath answered to. Starke told the captain that he was an underling of the Phyrexians. At this, the entire crew laughed. The Phyrexians were mythological beasts that were attributed to be essentailly stories to keep children in line. Starke insisted that it was true, and explained that it was the Phyrexians that had been responsible for wiping out most of the Capashen family before Gerrard's birth. This convinced Gerrard, and the crew set sail for Urborg to ask Crovax to join the crew. They found him there, weeping in his lonesome. Crovax explained that he had fallen in love with Selenia, and had destroyed the artifact used to summon her, as he thought it would keep her on Dominaria permanently. Instead, it sent her back to whatever reality she had been from, and had enabled the ghouls of Urborg to slay Crovax's remaining family. Somehow, Crovax had escaped the zombies' jurisdiction. He now guarded the tomb of his family. Corvax eagerly accepted Gerrard's offer to rejoin the Weatherlight, and they soon "planeshifted" to Rath.

The Rathi Predator

===============

As Weatherlight planeshifted for the first time, the crew was tossed about, warping in and out of reality. Everyone on the ship felt a unique form of seasickness, except for Starke who had been through a planeshift more than once before. When the crew came out of their spawned portal on Rath, they were terrified to see the horrid plane. Amidst their ship, some thousand feet down, were many corpses, all surrounded by what was known as flowstone, a special kind of stone that is really millions upon millions of microscopic machines that take the form of stone, brick, grass, or any other kind of material based on their master's whim. The crew feared that that master was Volrath. As Gerrard examined the horizon, he saw the faint beginnings of a forest. Starke informed Gerrard that the forest he saw was the Skyshroud forest, the only resistance stronghold against Volrath. Taking in what Starke said, Gerrard was harshly jolted to reality when he saw an extremely large ship flying towards Weatherlight at an alarming speed. Starke recognized the incoming ship as Predator, the ship captained by the massive and ill-tempered Greven il-Vec. Starke had told Gerrard about Greven, and Gerrard was at his battle station near instantly. The crew of the Weatherlight manned their guns valiantly, but their mighty ship was simply outclassed. Predator was soon letting down ladders and gangplanks to allow their crew of hulking mogg goblins (large green goblins with grotesque muscles) to rush the deck of the Weatherlight. As Gerrard was slaying the moggs, he saw the seven-foot-tall Greven il-Vec cutting his way through Weatherlight crewmen as well as his own mogg goblins to get to the captain of the Weatherlight. When Greven reached Gerrard, they had a battle of epic proportions. They were fairly evenly matched as far as skill, but Greven's raw strength put him above Gerrard. Right before Greven could deliver the killing blow, a plasma cannon blast from Predator's starboard gun hit Weatherlight's deck near where Greven was standing. The ship shook violently, throwing Gerrard and many others overboard. Gerrard plummeted to the ground, thinking of his inevitable death. That death did not come. Gerrard was caught in midair by the familiar and welcome face of Crovax's angel, Selenia. Gerrard attempted to speak a word of thanks only to be interrupted by a startling realization: Selenia was under Volrath's control. Gerrard could not help but notice the spark that was once present in Selenia's eyes was gone. Gerrard wormed his way out of Selenia's angelic grasp, choosing to instead continue his fall to the Skyshroud forest. He landed safely, with the tree limbs breaking his fall enough. As soon as he got up, he sprinted towards a nearby body of water as to hide from Greven's or Selenia's notice. He thought he was safe, but realized he had just jumped into the home of a sort of mutated merfolk. As Gerrard was swimming to escape, he gave us the memorable quote, "When did orcs and fish start having kids?"

The Korvecdal

============

Gerrard escaped the stream, and rested in a sheltered area next to a great tree. He looked up to see what appeared to be humans walking towards him. They were an odd bunch, all wearing long hooded robes, and surrounding an elderly one walking with a cane. The revealed themselves to be the Vec tribe, a native group of Rath. The elder they surrounded was their oracle, and that oracle had predicted that they would meet Gerrard in that place many years ago. According to the oracle, Gerrard was destined to be the Korvecdal, which was the fabled uniter of all the tribes on Rath. The name came from the Kor, Vec, and Dal tribes that lived on Rath. He was destined to lead these peoples to victory over Volrath, and eventually to their salvation. Gerrard did not particularly wish to become involved in this Korvecdal prophecy, but he needed the aid of the said tribes. He weighed his options, and chose to help the native folk.

Eladamri and His Elves

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Following the band of Vec monks and warriors, Gerrard was taken to the main base of the Skyshroud elves, the main encampment of the resistance. There Gerrard met and conversed with the elven leader Eladamri. He learned that Eladamri had been striking at Volrath from the shadows, only in covert, less obvious ways, as to not reveal the elves' hiding place. Gerrard told Eladamri that these attacks were futile, and that they would never overthrow Volrath if the elves did not share their efforts with the Kor, Vec, and Dal tribes. Eladamri disagreed, clinging to the thought of his ancestors and their abilities to survive their own pressing trials. The leaders' conversation was cut short, however, by a messenger who told of an unknown airship touching down just outside the encampments boundaries. Gerrard and Eladamri walked out of the hollowed tree, and was shocked by the sight of Hanna and Mirri. The two told Gerrard about Weatherlight crashing near the center of the Skyshroud forest, and Gerrard told Eladamri to call of his warriors from attacking the distressed ship. Word traveled quickly through the mouths of the elves, and the survivors of the Weatherlight were spared.

To the Stronghold!

==============

After seeing the dedication that humans can have, Eladamri promised Gerrard that he would unite with the Vec to attack Volrath's Stronghold. Gerrard felt a swell of pride, but knew he would still need the Kor and the Dal. The two tribes declined Gerrard's plea, stating that Volrath's revenge would be far too much to survive. Gerrard settled on the idea that the Vec and Skyshroud would be enough to distract the enemy forces long enough for him and his crew to infiltrate the Stronghold. He thought rationally of what he would do after he got into the Stronghold if he managed to rescue Sisay, as well as the now captured Karn and Tahngarth. He discussed his thoughts with Eladamri, and the elf told Gerrard about a rumoured portal near the Stronghold that could lead one off of Rath. Although Eladamri did not know where the portal lead, Gerrard thought it was worth looking into further. After a few days of planning, strategizing, and resting, Gerrard and the crew of Weatherlight had restored the ship to sailing conditions. They reached the portal site unhindered. Gerrard sent the medic Orrim and the wizard Ertai to examine the portal further, claiming that their mystic knowledge would allow them a better understanding of the object. Ertai was adamant about his skill in opening the portal, but the rest of Weatherlight was needed at the Stronghold to rescue Sisay, Karn, and Tahngarth. Without thinking his choice through, Gerrard decided to leave Ertai there to open the portal as the others went after the captives.

Closing in on Volrath

=============

When they approached the gate of the Stronghold, the crew noticed that it was far too heavily guarded to be taken by force. Starke supplied the knowledge of an alternate way in. Starke told Gerrard of the Cinder Marshes, which were large openings in the side of the Stronghold that released hot gases and lava outward. Gerrard knew that this way would be dangerous, but less so than trying to take the gate by force. The ship and her crew went unhindered for the majority of the journey until a strange creature known as a sliver attacked. The one was nothing, save for a moving target. But when more came, their power increased. Crew members were falling left and right, and Gerrard noticed what was happening. He told the crew to run in separate directions and, as Gerrard had suspected, the slivers became weaker as they were separated farther apart. Dispatching the last of the slivers, Gerrard continued into the Stronghold. Weatherlight emerged from the thin tunnel into a large river of magma, hot air, electricity, and other forms of power called the Furnace of Rath. The ship would have been overwhelmed by the heat had it not been for Orim and her water magic. Gerrard thought that the worst of their travels was over, but he was wrong. After the Furnace, the ship emerged into the Death Pits. The Death Pits was essentially a vast ocean of oil and blood filled with Volrath's failed experiments, ranging from crushed machines to rotting carcasses to decaying corpses. When the Weatherlight came too close to the oil, it stirred ferociously as thousands of skeletons arose to combat the crew of Weatherlight. Most of the skeletons never reached the deck, though, as the crew continued to kick the ghouls overboard. Weatherlight pressed on, escaping the Death Pits.

Inside the Stronghold

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Seeing that most of his crew was dead, Gerrard decided to take as few crew members as he could, so there would be enough remaining to operate the Weatherlight. Gerrard knew that Starke would be made to come, and Mirri and Crovax willingly accompanied their captain. Gerrard hesitated momentarily at Crovax's offer, since Gerrard had worried about him seeing Selenia under the control of Volrath. Crovax seemed to be stable in mind, and his fighting skills were exceptional, so Gerrard accepted. The first obstacle in the groups way was a grotesque shapeshifter. The shapeshifter fled, trying to warn Volrath of the intruders' presence. The shapeshifter took the form of Selenia, which set Crovax off. He ran faster than any of the others could have dreamt of, and quickly caught the shapeshifter. When the others caught up to him, Crovax had ripped the shapeshifter into small pieces, claiming that is had no right to impersonate Selenia. Looking around the room they were now in, Gerrard realized that they were in the center of the Stronghold, and it was a horrible sight. They were literally inside a huge spherical map of Dominaria. This made the Rathi plans evident: they were planning an allout invasion.

Freeing the Captives

====================

As the four continued in the Stronghold, Starke was successful in leading them to the prison. They found the captives each in their own torture room. Karn had been forced to kill hundreds of mogg goblins, and Tahngarth had been twisted into a horrendous monster, his eyes turned yellow, his fur brown and white splotched, and his horns twisted in a mockery of their former glory. The six continued on to find Sisay, but instead found another shapeshifter who took the appearance of the lost captain. On their way to find Volrath, the group was confronted by Selenia. Crovax was once again enraged by the thought of someone else controlling his love, but was also pained at having to fight her. They fought and were both on the verge of losing, but Selenia's killing blow was intercepted by Mirri, who nearly died in her attempt. As Mirri fell to the side, Crovax leapt up and stabbed Selenia in the heart. The angel said her last words to Crovax, and she fell away into many small crystals. Feeling that his life no longer had meaning, Crovax stepped off of the bridge into the lava below, but was caught by Tahngarth. Knowing that the injured Crovax and Mirri would not survive long without Orrim's healing magic, Gerrard told Karn and Tahngarth to carry the two injured crew members back to the waiting Weatherlight. With just Gerrard and Starke remaining, the two continued into the Dream Halls, were Starke had said Volrath spends his time thinking.

Another Trick

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As Starke had predicted, Volrath was waiting in the center of the Dream Halls. Gerrard distracted the evincar (leader of the Rathi army) long enough that Starke was able to do what he does best, sneak up behind his enemy and drive home a good stab in the back. Volrath continued speaking to Gerrard, eventually turning and knocking away Starke as though he were nothing. Gerrard took the initiative and attacked Volrath. They battled it out for a long time in the Dream Halls, until Volrath realized that in this battle, he was outnumbered and outclassed. He fled the room, and Starke and Gerrard followed close behind. Volrath emerged from the doorway only to be surrounded by Takara en-Dal, which is Starke's daughter, and Captain Sisay. Gerrard thought that the day was won, but was dismayed when the two used their weapons in Volrath's defense. Gerrard fought Sisay as Starke fought his daughter. Gerrard disarmed Sisay with ease, but Starke was less fortunate. His daughter was able to deliver a slash across his eyes, blinding him. Before she could kill him, however, Gerrard disarmed her as well. Gerrard could now focus on Volrath. Gerrard seemed to be losing this fight, but before Volrath could do any real damage, Tahngarth charged after him, and Volrath fled. Volrath was no match for minotaur speed, however, and was knocked flat. Gerrard caught up with the two and drove his sword throught the heart of his mutated brother, only to discover that the Volrath they had tried so hard to defeat was actually another flowstone shapeshifter used to absorb Gerrard and the crew's time. Angered at this tactic, the group left in search of the real Volrath, with Sisay and Takara back to their normal selves in tow.

Return of the Predator

============

The next stop on the group's agenda was the gardens. Gerrard looked up through the open ceiling to see the Weatherlight coming down to allow the group to board. Although Gerrard had wanted to confront his brother, he decided that it was in everyone else's best interest to escape while they still had their lives. The group started for the craft, only to see the mortifying and hulking form of the Predator behind it. Squee let down a rope ladder, and the group rushed up it anxiously. Gerrard brought up the rear of the group, but was cut-off before he could board by Greven il-Vec, who jumped from his own ship just to catch Gerrard. Gerrard acted as a distraction for Greven so the others could board. Once again, Gerrard began to lose the fight, and once again, Greven's killing blow was interrupted. This time, however, it was by a falling Crovax and Mirri. Gerrard welcomed the thought of the help, but was dismayed when he realized that the two were fighting, and that Crovax had a bloodthirsty look in his eyes, as well as shark-like fangs protruding from his mouth. Gerrard was in a state of inner turmoil. He had to make his decision fast, and the choice was impossible. He must either stay and help Mirri, but in doing so would doom himself and possibly the crew, or leave Mirri to die. Gerrard chose the latter, and would never live down his guilt. He clung on to the rope ladder as the ship flew away.

Escape from Rath

===============

When Gerrard came back aboard the Weatherlight, he found that Karn had returned from his task. Not only was he glad to see his childhood guardian, but also to see that he had in tow the recovered components of the Legacy. Struggling with his guilt over the lost Mirri, Gerrard ordered Sisay to steer in the direction of the portal where they had left Ertai. The ship would have never made it past all of the Rathi sky defense had it not been for the Skyshaper, a Legacy item that allowed the ship to fly at new, never before achieved speeds that dwarfed those of the ships around it, including the ever deadly Predator. Although everything seemed to be moving along swimmingly, the haunting face of Greven il-Vec signaled that the race was far from over. Greven motioned for one of his mogg goblins to do something, and the mogg went below deck. When he returned, Greven flicked a switch, and the Predator began closing the wide gap between itself and the enhanced Weatherlight. Much to Gerrard and his crew's dismay, they turned to see that the portal from Rath was still closed. Just as it seemed that the ship would be smitten betweenst the Predator and the closed portal, the portal burst open, releasing a large cloud of noxious white gas. Gerrard looked down and saw Ertai's face, beaming with self-approval. The commander ordered Hanna, who had taken over as coordinater, to slow down to let Ertai aboard, but Hanna responded that she could not slow down in time. Charging through the portal, Gerrard caught one last disheartening glimpse of Ertai's shocked and mournfully betrayed face before all was replaced by the Blind Eternities that one experiences when shifting between planes.

A Strange New Plane

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Weatherlight rocketed from the portal just as it snapped shut to see the warming sights of a blue sky, earthen ground, and green grass. They enjoyed these images very briefly before violently crash-landing near a small farm. Gerrard checked everyone's status, and found that there were few injuries. Gerrard and some of his closer and more trusted crew members disembarked to find out where they had been put. They walked to the farm, there finding the owner of the land, Tavoot, and his awe-stricken son, Atalla. Gerrard questioned the folk, but was met with only terrified silence. Gerrard attempted to tell the two that his crew and himself were not there to harm them, but the two simply stood still in horrified amazement. Gerrard left, seeing that the conversation was futile. When Gerrard and his small group returned to their ship, they found that is was being ambushed by a group of primitive looking humans. The crew tried to fight off the invaders, but were outnumbered as well as outclassed by the feirce water magic at the disposal of their unknown opponents. The ship was captured, but Gerrard and his group remained off of the ship, unable to board. The ship floated off down a river that had been mystically summoned by the forest folk. Burying his fallen crew members, Gerrard was confronted by Takara. She told him that her hatred had kept her going in the hard torture of Rath. Her words fueled Gerrard, and his outlook on everything began to grow angrier and more fiersome by the minute.

Mercadia

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As Gerrard concluded his conversation with Takara, the remaining crew members were surrounded by human warriors who were astride strange six-legged cats the size of large horses, which Atalla said were called jhovalls. Atalla also stated that the warriors were guards from Mercadia City, and that the aforementioned city was the root of all evil on the plane of Mercadia where the Weatherlight had been transported. The knights told Gerrard and the crew that they were under arrest for associating with the "Cho-Arrim," the water magic-using humans who had stolen the Weatherlight. Atalla informed the crew that the Cho-Arrim and Mercadians were bitter enemies, always bickering and battling over who owned what land. Gerrard, utilizing his new found anger at everything, shouted a battle cry and ordered his crew to attack the knights. The crew were quickly defeated with no casualties, and were forced to ride to Mercadia to be put on trial. The ride through the desert was surprisingly quick thanks to Mercadian magic. Gerrard was suspicious of Mercadian behaviour, however, due to their accents being shockingly close to that of Rathi accents, and the fact that Squee was being treated as an equal, even though he was a lowly goblin prisoner. As the caravan arrived at Mercadia, the group had to be led through and around a large wall to get into the city, which was safely nestled in the center of a large mountain.