The minds of men meld with the gods' thoughts to bring about greatness. Greatness in good, but greatness in evil is possible too. The gods do not care. These minds profit from that which men call their humanity, for better or worse.
That a man should doubt these instinctive forces is inexplicable; let man but look about his world and seek another form on which he might place the name of his own kind.
Evil is a diminishing of what a man might be had he no capacity to understand the difference between right and wrong. If he were not aware, then evil would be no more than a random act without foreknowledge of a thing being evil in itself
Evil is defined through the cultural aspect of understanding what an evil thing is. To not be evil then must also encompass the element of decisions and choice.
To choose the path away from evil is a conscious capacity of minds of others to decide what is wrong and what is right and, in deciding, choosing what leads him throughout his, or her, life.
Evil is a capacity to forget one's humanity; good is the capacity to remembers. The good in man makes him a guardian of humanity, with all of its shades of black and white.
It is for the sake of being able to make a choice men achieve valor and are honored for what they have done.
We now follow one man who strives for the ends to preserve a place for the humanity in which he believes.
Our hero strives through and for his own choices . . .
Pet'r walked for days without incident. On one occasion, he took to the trees near the road to hide from a gang of men rushing southward. They didn't see him and he made certain they traveled far enough down the road before he continued walking.
He kept a steadier gait than when he first began. He carried a great staff to set his pace. A pace no ordinary man could achieve. His hair flowed back, reaching below his shoulder. It was streaked with gray and white, making him seem older. He needed clothing larger than those he began his journey with; he stopped by cabins along the way and purchased others.
Strong leather jerkins covered his body now, a belt hung with a short blade from his waist, and over it all, he wore a full cape reaching only to the top of his boots when he stopped. His face was stern, and yet alive, with an appearance so intense he seemed to look beyond what others might see;. Yet, on meeting others along the way, he smiled and nodded his head though he rarely spoke unless spoken to. He never noticed but other travelers would pause after passing him, turn and look back to study this man, this traveler.
Pet'r became, through his concentration to discover the source of his agitation, a warrior prince. His appearance drew respect from those who saw him striding along the road.
Stories were being told of his passage back along the path he traveled.
"You know he saved a woman and boy from the wolves in Litley," a man offered at the pub; others gave knowing whispers when they heard this.
"Yes, I heard old Jocr’l has no need for money any longer. This man beat off the tax collectors, took their money, chased them away and gave the lot to Jocr'l," told another in Alarne.
In this way, Pet'r became another man; a man who sought something and who knew where he should look to find it.
If asked his name, he would ponder the question for a moment, then usually answer, "Pet'r," , turn and walk away northward, always walking toward the mountains.
Some with courage, because a great fear of him grew along with the tales, would ask where he was going. "North".
It was known he harmed no one who left him alone, and on many occasions, showed kindness to others who were in need or offered him something he needed - such as water and food. He never took from others unless given freely, and most often, repaid the person generously.
No one knew exactly were he got his money, but then others noticed there seemed to be fewer and fewer thieves on the roads.