On the day Alkioth was born the sun shone through the clouds with a golden tint of godliness. It was a blessed birth, or so the monks had told Alkioth's mother, Marilyn of Thess. His father, also named Alkioth of Nemenske, was not so sure of the monks' callings, but knew his son was meant to be. His brother, Merek, was a monk. He was sure of his brother's merit.

He was born in his father's small castle on the outskirts of Nemenske, the province over which Alkioth's father was in charge. Serving him was a small batallion of knights, of whom most had come from Nemenske; above him were two princes and the King of Tharkas.

The castle, also known as Nemenske Castle, was relatively small. It was one of the smallest castles in Tharkas, seeing as Nemenske was little more than a band of farmers grouped together into an alliance. The province was the fourth-biggest in Tharkas, however. And his father presided over it.

A common feature of the landscape of Nemenske was the sparse trees that appeared throughout Nemenske. The landscape was laid out like a tapestry -- all in all about twelve families owned land in Nemenske. Of course, they had many peasant workers. It was a sad fact of life, but they were not as bad-off as some serfs were in other provinces. Alkioth's father, a man of honor and prestige, frequently met with the families in Nemenske. Only two of those twelve families did not treat their workers with equality.

Apart from those few, most of the inhabitants of Nemenske lived quiet, fulfilling lives. Work was tough and lasted most of the year, but even the peasants enjoyed leisure time. Most of those peasants worked on as indentured servants, having been promised a small chunk of land to make money off until they could afford to expand. Very few peasants ever became knights. In Nemenske, only three -- ever -- had become knights.

Nemenske was set deep in a valley, whose mountain guards were far off. The mountains offered little protection, as they were neither steep nor treacherous. They did offer, however, a contrast to the scenery of the area, which aided the discovery of the coming of the Orcs.

When the Orcs came they came in a flood. Like the raging waters of the River Sieen (see-en), which flooded once every thirty-three years, the Orcs came from the mountains and into the valley below. The first sign of the coming of the Orcs was the black cloud that stretched on for miles and miles above the far-off Mendor Mountains.

As they came over the mountains, they left fires. The fires could be seen from all points in the valley. They came from the east, burning the land as they slaughtered each family one by one. The peasants ran amok, and were cut down by the Orc stragglers.

It took only three days and three nights for the entire valley to be razed to the ground. On the second night Alkioth's father massed a small force of knights to meet the problem head on. They failed, suffering a ninety percent casualty rate. His father made it back home uninjured despite the bitter fighting that ensued on the front lines. His mind and heart, however, were broken. He was dearly afraid of losing his family.

He did. His oldest son -- the young Alkioth's brother -- had died on the first night of the invasion. After they had swept the valley the castle fell. Alone, Alkioth's father faced the attack -- Alkioth could not remember how his mother had died. He couldn't remember if she had died in front of him, or if she'd gone out behind his father, sticking with him to the very end.

Either way, his father had taken on all the Orcs he could. He was cut down, but he took over thirty Orcs with him. Alkioth remembered the curses of his father, who called out in the Holy Tongue: "I damn thee Orcs to Hell! I damn thee back to the inferno from which you have come! With God's might I enchant my arrows!"

His father, presently legless and losing blood fast, was sprawled on the ground as the castle crumbled around him. He went out firing arrows from his bow, cutting down Orcs until his head was cut in two by a battle axe. His mother, too, was killed that night.

Alkioth survived. Not more than seven or eight years old -- maybe even ten, but doubtfully -- he survived in a deep cellar beneath the castle. He waited ten days before seeing the world again. It was grey. It has been grey ever since.