Cassius

The son of Duke Alban of Kural. His warhorse is Crusher. His companions were Gareth and Brenna.

While hunting with a 10-men band, he saw the stag they were hunting was actually Wahooka, who introduced himself as the sorcerer Pendaran Tremayne. He led them there to show that Throgs and Shargas maraudes were descending to the Dark Wood Canyon. He asked his signet ring gem as a payment for his warning.

Cassius ordered Brenna to go back to Castle Kural and warn Alban, and rode to catch up with them before they reached the the Brookbury Basin. As they made their way down to the mouth of the Dark Wood Canyon, they spied nearly 20 marauders slinking into the Basin. He divided his band, sending 3 men to ride down the marauders that had already entered Brookbury Basin, while he and 6 others thundered down to block the mouth of the Canyon itself.

After dispatching the first mob, he crossed the creek and joined his 4 companions who were also looking for more raiders. Then he saw more gathering up the canyon and formng a battle line, and Cassius with his companins broke it with their arrows until the advance stalled. He rode up the canyon wall so he could see the companions into the Basin at the edge of a peasant's field. He saw one sharga impaling a horse an pull it down along the other one. He threw an arrow but it was too far. A barbed halberd took the third horseman through the ribs. He felt guilty.

Seeing the mob starting back toward the canyon mouth, threatening to sandwich the rest of the party between two assaults. Cassius guided his horse down the slope. He saw Pendaran sitting on a log and asked him to help. He returned to the firing line, and saw 30 throgs forming a ragged battle line across the canyon with their bucklers. He ordered to fire in volleys once the enemies came into range. After a few throgs fell, the shargas following behind began to falter. The warriors on the end slowed to a crawl and now with easy bw range, he ordered fire at will Once the advance disintegrated, he turned around to see that Pendaran opened a chasm and the raiders from the basin began to emerge from the thickets and cross the chasm. Once Pendaran showed it to a sharga, all started to fall. He thanked Pendaran but he showed him another line of raiders up the canyon, emerging over his companions' arrows. Pendaran wanted to convince him to show some sense but Cassius tossed his arrow and ordered a charge with their swords. The companions were reluctant to respond. Pendaran asked for his tinderbox and caused an ember to fly towards the creatures and engulf them in flames. Then a galok opened Pendaran's fiery curtain allowing the monsters to resume.

Cassius now decided to retreat but Pendaran found it more interesting and suggested that they'd be safer to the other side of the chasm. Cassius ordered everyone to cross Pendaran's chas while Gareth and Whitney would stand rear guard and come with him. The galok however cast a war spell and burned the 3 riders who jumped over the chasm, and attempted to cast a spell against Whitney who tried to hold the throgs back. Pendaran saved Whitney by throwing him magically, and his horse was seared in two. Cassius ordered Gareth to pick him up and retreat. He protected Gareth while he did so and ordered to meet t Swafham. As Cassius nearly caught them, at the crest of the ridge, it exploded, engulfing his companiosn in fire. Without looking back, he rode around the conflagration

He saw a black stripe marauding swafham and killing animals. Pendaran made him concentrate and he suddenly saw them clearly, 700 throgs and 1400 shargas. In the center of the line was a company of 200 creatures he didn't know which Pendaran identified as Ogares. Pendaran tried to make him take his own responsibilities than thinking of what his ingrate father can do. Seeing a column of refugees entering the Giant's Gullet he followed them. The column was about a third of the way down the canyon when Cassius glimpsed a dozen ogares loping around a bend behind them and asked for Wahooka's help to save the people and the strategic position of the gorge, promising a sapphire pin he kept in the Castle. After an hour, at the bottom of the gorge, the column stopped as his father's company arrived. He and Pendaran told them that it was an invasion and they told to Sir Vinn about Gareth's death.

He was sent to the High Council to seek help and support from Stonekeep.

He accompanied Melwas and Asgrim on their way back to Kural. He gave geographical information to Melwas just before entering the Low Valley. He refused Brenna's offer to climb and see if there is an ambush. Melwas suggested to send the Brass Axe Company as a bait to see if there is an ambush in the Shadow Gorge. Cassius offered to accompany Asgrim in order to lead them to shelter should an ambush be sprang. He suggested to the Company of the Black Wyvern to follow them by 20 minutes later.

They traversed the Valley up to the Dark Step. When the scouts returned with no word for danger, Cassius led the company into the gorge. After 20 minutes full of alert and tension, they came out to the High Valley. Asgrim brought the column to a halt, and Cassius suggested to scout back along the rim. Then he saw Pendaran, telling him that it wasn't necessary.

Cassius said that he didn't see him in Stonekeep as promised, but Pendaran said he was there. He also promised that next month will arrive his enkavs that will be worth of 10000 men. Cassius also screeched seeing Crusher's burned tail. Pendaran then redirected his attention to the ambush. Thanks to his magic, Cassius's sight went to the entrance of the gorge on the opposite rim, a few hundred yards from the Dark Step, 200 throgs, 400 shargas and 50 ogare archers arrayed along the arc of a sweeping bend, with piled stones. As he thought warning Melwas, they started hurling stones and bows. Asgrim heard the rubbling and started toward the Dark Step, but Cassius stopped him as they are on the other side of the gorge. He thought going to another bridge, but he sensed a company of 100 throgs guarding the bridge behind a wall of stone and ice. He asked Wahooka to be transported to the other side of the gorge and save Black Wyvern and Brenna. Wahooka asked for a toll, Lord Alban's ring. Cassius reluctantly gave it, and Wahooka created a snow bridge toward the far rim of the chasm. Cassius started crossing the bridge leading Asgrim and the Brass Axe Company.

Asgrim arranged the Company in three ranks and marched with Cassius next to him. Soon they reached the groups of the rock hurlers around their piles along the rim. They charged with a battle cry causing most of the invaders to run away in panic along the rim of the Gorge. Cassius split a sharga's head, shouldered a fleeing throg into the gorge, caught an ogare archer trying to draw its sword and opened its abdomen with a quick slash of his own blade; a dwarf took its leg off at the knee and sent it down. Cassius raced along a sickle-shaped bend in the gorge, with half the Brass Axe Company after him. He overran half a dozen throgs and shargas, cutting them down or shoving them into the gorge.

Then he found himself charging an ogare, throgs and shargas gathering around it and drawing their weapons. He feinted left and right as he approached, the ogare's sword came down and he dodged rolling on the ground; then a yellow-handled axe tumbled past him and into the creature's chest. The ogare reached up to pull the axe out but Cassius was drove his sword up through its stomach and heart, falling face-down on the snow. Cassius took another sword from a dead throg's scabbard, then rejoined the charge of the dwarves ahead.

Then the wind and snow stopped. He saw a figure across the chasm. It swept a snowcloud out of the sky over Cassius, momentarily touching him with its blue-burning gaze and causing him a terrible chill and weakness. He lay dizzy and trembling until the figure finally looked away. As he returned to his feet, he saw another snowcloud attacking Asgrim's company, and then the dwarf himself vanishing after a streak of blue light. Cassius shouted and ran along the rim, searching for a weapon to hurl at the figure across the chasm.