Coldeven 30, 583 CY

Oerik is falling to Evil. I can feel it in my very bones. I can sense an all-encompassing shadow creeping in from the North. The Shield Lands, my beloved home and all that I know and love, has all ready fallen to Iuz. That is how I found myself, penniless and starving, seeking succor with my distant relatives in a small town in the country of Geoff. I pray nightly to Pelor that his light might wipe the darkness from the Flanaess. That the very light of Pelor himself will shine from my sword, that I might drive it through the rotten heart of Iuz himself.
All cannot be lost when you find yourself surrounded by those that believe in the all-knowing Good. The companions I found in Zoloff, that small town that allowed me to continue on in the name of Pelor, are hardy and have proven again and again that they believe there is no greater cause than the Good for all peoples. Though I do not completely understand the ways of magics nor the wizards that command it, I found myself bound to one mage named Morgan. She is half-elf (on her father's side), and I have learned much about the race of elves through her. Though she was but a student, her natural talents and off-handed way of demonstrating her purity of heart intrigued me from the start. When I found myself in this foreign land, hers was the hand that reached for me, and took pity on me in my time of profound weakness. I have drawn strength from her struggle for knowledge and wisdom, and find myself once again a Knight, a Knight of all Oerik. Through her, I came to know 4 others to whom I am now bound. Ronin Dex she met through her ties to the magics. He is a mysterious one - his magical abilities and mastery of the sword are unique, to say the least. Never have I seen one demonstrate such a diverse knowledge of power. There is great strength in Ronin, strength from which I and everyone around him can draw. And there is his sister - Aerynsun. Of all of my companions, she unnerves me the most. You have never seen one with such smooth dexterity - which can be used for talents that are questionable, at best. I have seen her open an unlocked door with the flick of a wrist, and melt in to the shadows as if she were one of them. That is what unsettles me - she is as one with the shadows. Her intentions are good, but if she strays from the path of the Good, I will not hesitate to restrain her. I will protect her with my life, so long as she does not harm those that we should save. Next, there is Vokuro - an Elf. Unlike Morgan, he possesses all of the mystique of that ancient race - and there is no one I respect more. His abilities in the wilds are without equal. Vokuro has a sense of things - as if the very landscape itself whispers its secrets to him. The man could track a falcon on a cloudy day. I met Elise through him. A Priestess of Olidamarra, she tends toward the frivolous and wears clothing that makes me blush. But though she drinks and dances for her God, she is pure of heart. I feel as though I want to be stronger, so that she may never see darkness. In such a dainty woman lies such healing power as I have never seen. To be touched by her healing hands and feel the White overtake you, surround you, and heal you - it is without comparison. She risks her very life to save others from the brink of death. A more noble cause there could not be.
With these five as my companions, I know not what could harm us now, though the weight of the shadow seems to grow stronger each day.

Gabriel, Paladin of Pelor