Gahl took the moment's diversion to grab the demon and pick him up off the ground.  Trying to not breathe in any of the poison he threw the demon towards the fallen rib, impaling him on it.  The demon screamed like mad as it tried to pull itself up off the rib-spike.  Gahl walked towards his axe and pried it out of the other rib, then walked over to the impaled demon.

"I will kill you!  You'll burn in Hell!" it raved.

"No, but you are going back to Hell, demon."

Gahl raised the axe over his head and sent it down, severing the skull from the skeleton's spine.  Its thrashing instantly ceased and Gahl could hear the Shadowdrinker's diminishing screams as the light in the skull's eyes slowly burned out.  Breathing heavily, Gahl placed the axe back into its holster at his side and stood there.  The wind had died away and an anticlimactic stillness and silence had filled the Golgotha.  Gahl went to the center of the structure and stared up at the full moon, the blood from the various cuts on his body looked black in the moonlight.  Suddenly the moon flared into a violent, white light, looking for a moment like a star that had exploded.  A strange sense of calm swept into Gahl's soul, a sense like being home.

"My son…" a voice spoke.  It was the voice of his father.

"Father?  Is it you?"

"Yes… my son, I knew you could defeat him."

"Thank you, father, for I did it will all that you taught me."

"Your destiny has found you, my son, and you must now go to it."

"What is my destiny, father?"

"A great Evil has risen from the depths of the Realms of the Honorless, the Abyss.  Already the first part of the prophecy has been fulfilled; a great hero has fallen to the Evil.  The Light has chosen you, my son, to be one of its warriors in this battle for all of us."

"What must I do?"

"Go east of here, you will find a place were the warriors are women, skilled with the bow and the arrow.  There, the first part of your quest shall begin.  You will meet four others, all of them warriors of Light."

"Who are these others, how will I know them?"

"The mark of Light is upon them, no matter what their motives might be.  You must beware, for even warriors of the Light can be tempted to the dark, as once the honorable Bartuc was.  Beware the temptations of evil and the power of sin."

"On my honor as one of the Greytalon clan, I swear to you I will, father."

"I know I can believe in you, my son, I know that I can put my faith into you."

"I will do all that I can, but I yearn to be with the clan once again… I am lonely."

"My son…" the disembodied voice sounded very sad and troubled, "our clan is no more… it has fallen to the Dark Riders."

"No… not the clan… please…"

"I am afraid it is so… you are the last of the Greytalon clan… your sister and I have gone to the Realm of Grandfathers."

"No… please father…"

"Gahl…" it was the voice of his sister, "please do not be sad, for we died with honor, fighting against impossible odds, we are finally at the eternal home."

"My sister… I had wanted so much to see you finally grow up…" a tear coursed down Gahl's cheek, mingling with the blood on his face.

"I know… but I will see you again, my brother."

"Gahl, go… complete your destiny, stop the Evil."

"By all of the Grandfathers, by the honor of the Greytalon clan, I swear upon all the spirits that I shall be victorious." Gahl shook his fist in conviction.

The light faded, leaving Gahl back in the morbid garden of skulls.  For a moment he simply stood there, staring into the moon, listening to the fading mental echoes of his dead family.  All around him were the scattered bones of the Shadowdrinker's warriors, finally at rest in the place of death eternal.  Gahl began to walk out of the dome, out of the Golgotha, heading east with the rising sun.  His wounds ached terribly, thankfully all but the one in his right bicep were shallow enough to have already stopped bleeding.  As he walked he absently tied a bandage around the worst one.  Everything had been taken from him, and he hadn't even known.

The trek to the place his father had spoke of was long; it was three days travel from the Golgotha before he had seen the telltale signs of smoke in the sky.  Scenting the air he knew it was the smell of a forge, which meant that a town or encampment was close.  Travelling a little farther he saw the looming walls of a fortress, and within it a monastery and a small town.  There was a caravan stationed in front of the fortress, it bustled with activity.  Drawing closer he saw that many of the people were women, more than Gahl had ever seen assembled in one place. 

"Halt!" a watch called at him.  Several of the women drew bows and aimed straight for him.  Gahl raised him hands above him, hoping they would take it as a sign of good intent.

"Who are you?" of them asked.

"I am Gahl of the Greytalon clan, I come from a far place from here."

"He's corrupted, shoot him!"

"No!" another voice called; this one belonging to a woman dressed in dark robes.

"Akara?" one of the watches asked, "what is it?"

"Do not shoot him.  Stranger, come closer."

Gahl approached the archers and the robed women, keeping his hands above his head.  The robed woman was walking out to meet him.

"Put your bows down, I have been waiting for this one."  The watches reluctantly did, but Gahl could see they were still at the ready.

"You are Gahl, right?"

"Yes, I am Gahl of the Greytalon clan, son of Halak."

"I know who you are, and I am sorry that you have lost your family and clan."

"How do you know?" Gahl looked at her amazed.

"I know much, Gahl Greytalon, I know why you are here.  To help us, to help all of us."

"Yes… but I am also here for the one thing I crave… revenge."