The day was cold and dark, but the residents of the underground Olthoi lair hadn't the slightest idea of the drizzling misery outdoors. All they knew was the misery they beheld each day in the dark, stench-filled caverns. Most of the human inhabitants were lonely beings; however, scattered around the caves were pieces of families who had come to the lands of Dereth together. One of these small, self-contained groups consisted of three people. These being two sons, Rothert and Brinson, and their mother, Linere. They had lived here for many months and had begun to forget their old lives -- the result of their lack of sleep, for the Olthoi only let them sleep for as long as they could hide from the patrols.