The sun was setting in this part of Ansalon. The pale moon peered out over the forest trees, casting an eerie array of light across an old cabin. The man approached the cabin, somewhat reluctantly, before coming to a stop about five yards away.

He cast the hood of his brown cloak back, revealing his old tanned face and piercing brown eyes. He cast a final look around the small thicket where the cabin was located and then entered, disappearing into the darkness of his former home.

Gaias Lorestead cast his cloak off while searching through his backpack for some flint to start a fire. Once the fire was lit and light was playing across the packed dirt floor, Gaias turned his attention to his surroundings. The common room of the cabin was almost completely ruined. The only salvageable piece of furniture was an old oak chair sitting in a corner by the fire. The old man turned his attention to the small hallway and the room located at its end.

The old mage entered this room with feelings somewhere between dread and anxiety. This had been his apprentice's quarters. He walked over to a small oil lamp located on a maple study desk and lit it. Bright light exploded from the lamp and illuminated the room while he lowered his old body into the chair behind the desk.

The first thing he regarded was the bookcase lined with books, their bindings engraved with magical runes. He turned his attention to a dust-covered portrait sitting on the desk. He nimbly picked the small frame up and gently blew the dust away from its surface. Three figures garbed in white robes looked back at him.

The first on the left he recognized as himself at an earlier age. No gray lined his hair. No wrinkles marred his face. The second in the portrait was a beautiful brown eyed woman he was proud to call his daughter. The third was his apprentice. His cold gray eyes regarded everything with a detached curiosity that made the old man grumble.

After regarding the picture for what seemed to be hours, the old man looked up and stared at a memory he hadn't dared to remember for a long time.

He remembered looking out over his apprentice and his daughter, Heather, as they were having a picnic near the ocean's edge while visiting Ergoth. He remembered his daughter's terrible scream and his own cry when he looked in the direction she pointed.

A tear rolled down the old man's cheek. She had been pointing at a red dragon.

Three days journey away from the small cabin another man was being tormented by the same memory. His was much more vivid than the old man's because he had been the person standing next to the beautiful woman when she was killed by the dragon.

That had been one year before the Chaos War. Lokki thought of that terrible summer, when he had been a black robe of Nuitari. He had been one of the many mages sent to test the abilities of the terrible fiends. As quickly as he had summoned that thought he banished it.

Hunched in his bedroll, the mage touched the Staff of Souls. Its power reassured him. The fire he had started was nearly dead. Two others were sleeping noisily on the other side of the fire.

Imsaffor, the gnome whom had invited himself along for the adventure—and probably sent by the gnomes to try and swipe Lokki's staff in action—was leaving the two tomorrow. He had claimed he would be returning to Mt. Nevermind but Lokki suspected the gnome would try one last attempt for his staff before leaving.

The other figure—probably dreaming of much the same thing as Imsaffor—was Eiber Thistledown, Lokki's only friend and long-time companion. Even though the kender was beginning his wanderlust at the age where most kender settle down, Lokki found himself smiling at the kender's antics.

Before the moon reached its zenith in the sky, the mage was asleep.

Gaias had been in his cabin for only a day now, and had already repaired the roof, patched the windows, and fixed most of the furniture. He was now working on a dresser in Heather's room when a small pendant fell from a secret compartment.

The pendant was of elven make. It was a heart: half made of gold, the other half made of silver. Gaias remembered the day Lokki had given the gift to his daughter.

It had been winter; the three had been huddled around the fireplace. The day before, Lokki had asked Gaias for permission to marry his daughter. The old archmage had been overjoyed and enthusiastically agreed. Lokki had pulled the pendant out of the sleeve of his white robe and handed it to Heather. The girl opened it: inside where the words "will you marry me" and a picture of a silver and gold dragon intertwined.

The wedding had taken place outside the temple of Paladine in Palanthas. Among the guests was Justarius, the head of the Tower of High Sorcery, and his daughter lady Jenna. Even the elf, Dalamar the Dark, had made an appearance at the request of the old white robe. Although he didn't stay long—for obvious reasons—even he seemed to enjoy the festivities.

The old mage let the pendant fall from his withered hand and began to weep again. This time for the pleasant memories he had. That had been the reason for this trip. And the old man had the feeling that all would be well upon its completion.

The autumn leaves scattered across the path as Lokki and Eiber made their way down the trail which would take them to the base of the thickets where the cabin was located. The kender was humming an old trail song and skipping merrily along the path when the two were confronted by a party of rough-looking rangers.

The leader of the party stepped forward and made a whistling noise which caught the attention of the kender and mage whom hadn't heard their approach.

"You're trespassing on private property," growled the man. He was slim and had a crossbow levelled at Lokki's heart. His companions all looked more or less the same, with mud-smeared faces and brown tunics and leggings.

The mage let out a sigh and adjusted his burgundy robes for better mobility. He cast his cowl back and stared at the men with his cold gray eyes. "We did not intend on trespass. My friend and I were merely passing through this forest. If you allow us to pass we will continue out of here and be on our way."

The leader smiled as some of the men made lewd comments. One of the rangers elbowed another in the ribs and whispered something in his ear. The leader's face took on a sinister look as he spoke, "Well, I can see that you two mean no harm, but we can't simply let you pass without paying the toll we've levied on this here road." The man's eyes strayed to Lokki's purse.

It was then that the forgotten Eiber began the taunt. Used only when a kender feels threatened or in danger, the taunt can turn a subdued elderly woman into a raging barbarian.

The taunt worked wonders on these men who were suddenly transformed into incestuous gully dwarves. The leader of the group took aim at the kender with his crossbow as streaks of lightning shot out of Lokki's raised staff. The men died almost instantly.

The mage then looked at his companion and smiled wearily, "Well done, my friend."

The kender, whose nose was wrinkled from the terrible smell, turned to Lokki. His smile seemed to touch the tip of both pointed ears. "Next time do you think you can kill them in a less smelly way, Lokki?" The kender gave the charred circle where the men had been standing a wide berth.

"Let us hope there isn't a next time, Eiber," Lokki said as he followed the kender's lead and continued down the trail.

Gaias would be leaving the next day. He had spent two days at the cabin already and would be heading for the town of Solace, which was about a seven day journey east of the cabin and a few hours across Crystalmir Lake.

Sprawled across the forest floor, the mage shot up as a furry paw batted at his head. The mage swung around, ready to defend himself against a monster, when he his eyes fell upon his attacker.

"Alfador!" The red cat sprang into the old man's arms and purred in delight. "I thought you would have been long gone by now, cat." His gnarled hands stroked the back of the old cat's neck.

Alfador had been Lokki's birthday present to Heather the first year they had known each other. Its red color was a mystery to everyone, but the cunning look it in its eyes suggested color wasn't the only thing strange about the cat. Gaias brought the cat into the house and filled a small wooden dish with water.

"Maybe I'll stay a little longer after all." The place was starting to feel more and more like home to the old man. The once-lonely whispers of voices long past became echoes of laughter to the mage's ears. "Just a little longer."

Lokki was startled to see light flickering from within the place he had called home for a greater portion of his life. His gaze fell on the newly patched roof and repaired door. The voice inside however brought a lump into his throat the size of Solamnia.

He quickly hushed Eiber, who was about to call out, and motioned for the kender to follow him. The two entered the cabin and fell silent as they stared at the back of an old man sitting in a chair pulled up to the fireplace.

"Gaias," Lokki croaked. The old man shot out of his chair, startling a red cat that had been sitting on the man's lap. The man turned to face Lokki. A collections of expressions set upon his face.

"Lokki?" Gaias turned and sucked in a breath as his eyes locked with those of his apprentice. Something was different about their stare, they held compassion now, understanding. Then the old man looked at the garb he was wearing and understood.

"You have turned your back on both white and black, have you?" A hint of the old anger returned to the man's voice. "Walking your own path now, eh? What brought this about, apprentice? Last I saw you, you had shunned your blood stained robes of white and donned those of evil."

"Much has changed, father." A tear rolled down Lokki's cheek. His kender companion sensed this was one of those times his presence wasn't needed. He called the cat over to him and walked outside, where they played tug of war with a ball of yarn he happened to find in one of his pouches.

Gaias saw the tear, saw the look in the man's eyes and walked over to stand directly in front of Lokki, noticing for the first time the staff his son in law carried. "It seems we have much to discuss." All the bitterness he felt for Lokki was gone now. He had harbored a grudge against Lokki for just standing there when his daughter died. "How petty I have been," he realized.

That night, Gaias, Lokki and Eiber—whom had a great fondness for Alfador—sat around the fire and relived times long past. Both Lokki and Gaias felt their souls release the memories of Heather and realized that they were going to be able to live the rest of their lives at peace with themselves.

Lokki's hand brushed the Staff of Souls; he realized it was emitting a soft glow. The staff the began floating until it came to stop before the three who were staring in wonder. Just as Lokki went to grab the staff it disappeared.

Lokki gasped and Eiber looked around the room in wonderment. Gaias, who had heard the tale of the staff, regarded a somewhat baffled Lokki. Then, to the old mage's surprise, Lokki began to laugh. He finally understood.

The Staff of Souls had completed its real purpose. It left now, in search of another lost soul.