Now, the story of Bryce Herald and his party started with Gorum Balor and his twin brother, Throngar. But did you know that Gorum had been adventuring far longer than any of the party members, or even before they'd met? Man like Gorum doesn't get to 46 years old without doin' some s**t.

Prologue: Balorbane
The Dragon fell dead, it's once mighty but now bleeding head making a humongous crash onto the rocky floor at the base of the volcano in which it lived. As the blood-drenched dwarf raised his battleaxe in victory over the Dragon's body, he was tackled and overthrown unsuspectingly by countless dwarven heavily armored guards, shackled, then dragged off. Mere hours later the dwarf stood before the king of Gale city: Dwarven capital of Brim. The king spoke in a furious, booming tone "You, Gorum Balor, have been sighted slaying the sacred Dragon Garoth! This is a crime of the highest order, it is treason against all we dwarves stand for!" As he said this, the crowds surrounding the court boo'd in loud simulatenous succession. The accused Gorum, still bruised and bleeding from his battle with Garoth and his struggle with the guards. "Freakin' conformists..." grumbled the probably highly innebriated dwarf. "Atop this, you have been found guilty of theft of Incendeus' Holy Aster and forging it into an axe, and sleeping with my daughter and my wife! Simultaneously! There is no fair trial for treason such as this. The verdict: Excecution!" the crowds cheered at this, as Gorum rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah..." Two strong looking dwarves came along, and, each grabbing one of his arms, dragged Gorum off.

Miles away, and about two hours later, Gorum was being pushed towards a very, very high cliff, in front of thousands of dwarves. He looked down the cliff and saw the drop. The king stood on a high pedestal, and next to him stood a very intimidating dwarf wearing excecutioner's armor and mask. In his hand? The axe Gorum used to kill the dragon. "Gorum Balor, elder of the famed Balor twins, the axe you forged from the Holy Aster has been given to Gale's greatest champion! From henceforth, this axe shall be known as Balorbane! Killer of those who hurt our kingdom!" again, the crowds cheered the king and jeered Gorum's misfortune as he was forced onto his knees and held there. Gorum struggled viciously, and all of a sudden, he felt the arms leave him as he was flung off of the cliff, the last he heard of the crowd was the king yelling "Orochi take you!"

Gorum fell aimlessly, the cliff's edge seemed to last forever, and finally the screams and cheers of the people of Gale died out. The only sound Gorum could hear was the wind rushing past his face. They'd stripped him of his armor and left him in the most disgraceful civilian clothes they could find, but Gorum didn't care, he'd been found in worse appearances. Gorum thrashed about wildly, screaming and yelling trying hopelessly to find something to grab onto, trying to save himself.

For hours the dwarf seemed to fall, but in reality it was only a few minutes. His arms flailing madly still, refusing to give up. His yells could probably be heard all the way at the top of the cliff, but nobody would, or could for that matter, help him. Gorum felt a blunt pain all of a sudden in his back as he collided with an outsticking branch near the bottom of the cliff, it didn't stop him, but it cushioned his fall. The tree had scarlet red leaves, not dying, vibrant with colour. How? It's summer. Obviously however, this didnt bother Gorum. He'd already landed headfirst on a rock, and, bleeding, been knocked unconcious and swept downstream in the river at the base of the cliff.