Garivald was a peasant who maintained a small farm in the Unkerlant village of Zossen. During the Derlavaian War, the illiterate Garivald discovered in himself a talent for song-writing, and for leading in war, both in guerrilla bands and in a regular army. He also had an enormous latent magical ability of which he was unaware, but which saved his life on some crucial occasions. In all, Garivald was an extremely capable and talented man, far more than he himself realized. He would have gotten much further had he not been born an illiterate peasant under an oppressive regime which often rewarded loyal service with severe punishment (especially when said service involved too much of an independent initiative); moreover, he had the additional handicap of being from Unkerlant's Duchy of Grelz,