After downing his delicious final bowl of stew the strongman rose himself. Rather startled by the distant wailing, many a creature has he seen in the arduous trek from the north-lands in which he came, none have a sound made right like that. As the man stretched his body out and rubbing his backside grumpily, boy were those some uncomfortable stones, the deep night began creeping away.

The welcoming sun edged ever above the horizon in a showing of incandescent lights. The orange glow encroached, warming Gerhard's cold bones. Scanning over the rest of the group, most of them were shaking themselves awake from their erroneous slumber. A shame it is, that sleep seems to be a thing of the past, oh how much the older man loved to spend weary days in a homely state amidst blades of grass.

Feeling a sudden sense of urgency Gerhard hoisted himself upon a ruined pillar of stone, looking out toward the horizon. He speaks to no one in particular, [color=a187be]"A new day rises friends, there may be those of you who have given up hopes of ever seeing your homes again. I am not such a man, those lazy days of flora just breaking through the snowdrifts will be mine again."[/color] With a hearty laugh he turned to face the group mostly packing their things and added, [color=a187be]"Firekeeper, you may doubt us, and perhaps you are right to. If it is a fool's errand to end the curse then a fool I am. I'll not let one of these good people's spirits break."[/color]

Hoping down from his perch Gerhard adds one final bit, [color=a187be]"If there is one thing more powerful then physical strength, it is de heart, de will and determination to live on."[/color] The man twirls his mustache as he heads off in the direction the young eastern girl headed, can't let her go on her own, can he?