Gerold

## Backstory

Gerold was an alligator-like humanoid known as an Abku, in his sixties (Eighties in gator years) who lived in the Asajuan empire, serving as a janitor for a monastary of stone-thrower monks who communed with earth spirits.

Gerold was rather unique, having had spirits communicate with him when he was about six years old (Likely also in gator years) and tell him that he would make a choice that would change the fate of the world.

This had something of a debilitating effect on him, as what choice it would be was not specified, and as such, even the simplest things became a trial for him. A quote from Zerxrez sums it up nicely "He takes thirty minutes to decide what he's going to have for breakfast."

At some point in the past, Gerold learned both the art of making fortune cookies and Fortune cookie chess, which he became something of a virtuoso at. One wonders why he made that decision, as if you want decisions that fall into the potentially world-changing category, Fortune cookie chess probably qualifies.

## Campaign

Gerold was a shy, retiring sort of character for most of the campaign that bears his name, save for when he ended up fortune cookie duelling.

Though lacking the various mystical powers of the other characters, events nevertheless conspired to put him in the spotlight, as it became clear that he did in fact have a grand destiny, and wasn't simply delusional. He was brought to a place on the summit of a mountain, where a strange beam of light emitted from a glowing orb, and two mighty deities, that of the Abku and that of the salamander people appeared and asked him to choose between them and decide to which of them the fate of the world would fall.

Gerold, in true Gerold fashion, attempted to choose both.

The end result was less then spectacular, as the deities then began bickering about the foolishness of using a mortal's choice to avoid a battle, and vanished from the hilltop.

His somewhat anticlimactic destiny complete, Gerold then fell under the influence of Tardis, who took the group through a plot hole to his sanctum deep in the desert, and helped train them for three years, after which they were instructed to enter the tomb of the Archmagi and recover the knowledge hidden there.

During this, Gerold read the accursed texts of the Archmagi, and against all odds, survived their curses.

He began to change. Slowly, but inevitably.

His face and eyes were scarred and burnt by the power within the books, but his other senses grew sharp.

His jaws elongated, and his teeth, already sharp, became like daggers.

Within him, a hunger for living hearts kindled.

Gerold ended up immolating himself along with the greater portion of the texts recovered from the tomb, following the whispered instructions from a strange source he could now hear all-too-keenly, bearing him and the knowledge he destroyed in the blast straight to Hell.

There, over the centuries, he would grow stronger - and eventually, devour all the dead of the worlds, showing up only to make the ultimate choice during the Last Dusk.

A choice, not between gods, but between the two greatest powers known in existence.

The Overdeities - and the Book.