Character

My name is Gerulf Cloudwrath. I was born on the twenty-seventh sun of the fifith umbral moon, year 1556 of the sixth astral era. I am a son of Ala Mhigo, and though I have no memory of my great city, I will call it "home" before I die.

My parents fled the Garleans before I was yet a year old. They were no cowards, but neither were they fools. My father, Asgeir Skycharge, was a Priest of Rhalgr, in line to become the highest of the order. My mother, Fjorleif Oak, was a soldier and mercenary, capable of holding her own against any man. They raised me in Ul'dah, which I have come to know as my second home. My most treasured memories are the ones of my parents telling me of Ala Mhigo: our people, our culture, and the great sights to behold.

Around the time that I was old enough to begin training in various forms of combat, I noticed that either of my parents would be gone for many days at a time. I eventually learned that these absences had something to do with our true home, and a resistance against the Garlean Empire. I asked them about it, and my father told me, with a spark in his eye, "If you are diligent in your training, revere Rhalgr and the rest of the Twelve with devotion, you will join us when you are of age, and I will mark that day as the the beginning of the end for the Garlean occupation of Ala Mhigo."

By the time I was 16, my parents would often both be gone since I was old enough to fend for myself. One day, I sensed that something momentous was occurring—I could see a resurgence in the purpose and excitement of my parents. They said nothing specific, but a few days later, they told me that fortune had favored the resistance, and they would have great news when they returned.

After they'd been gone a month, I began to think something had gone wrong. Another month passed, and I began to hear unsettling rumors mentioning the Ala Mhigan resistance and someone called "The Black Wolf." The rumors eventually resolved into actual news, and I had to face the reality of it: the Garleans had trapped and slaughtered the entire resistance, led by a man named Gaius van Baelsar, The Black Wolf.

Half of my life, I thought I had worked hard and practiced with dedication. It was nothing compared to the rigor it became afterward. I remember hearing about a huge battle and a giant dragon, but it was background noise to my singular purpose: I would be the greatest, most skilled warrior Hydaelyn had ever seen, and the liberation of Ala Mhigo would be but the first step toward the destruction of this so-called Black Wolf and every other Garlean I encountered along the way.

It's been 5 years since my parents and fellow Ala Mhigans were murdered, and although one's training is never truly finished, I am past the point where it's all I have. If I am to climb the mountain in my path, I will most definitely need help, and allies. The gladiators of my second home will be as good of a place as any to start.