The Shard cast - Geldrath

There is less to say at first about Geldrath, because, like most young people, his life has just started and his story lies in the future. He is sixteen at the beginning of my tale.

His father works as a tinker/carpenter in the tiny town of Kalinford in the southeastern part of the Known Lands, not too far from the Dwarven city of Suldorn. He has an older brother, who is away completing a two-year tour of duty as a soldier guarding East Gate.

Every healthy male in the realm who is not of the nobility must, upon turning sixteen, spend two years in the army, either at the capital of Pangalia or at East Gate. The boys of Kalinford traditionally go to East Gate. That is where Geldrath's story begins - he is off to replace his brother at East Gate.

An old dwarf merchant, named Valgorn, is a friend of Geldrath's father. It was Valgorn that took Geldrath's brother to East Gate two years ago, and now he is doing the same for Geldrath. This time, however, Valgorn has two other dwarves with him in his trader's cart. He won't tell Geldrath why he suddenly has two new guards. The old dwarf has a secret mission to attend to that will end up bringing Geldrath into the adventure of a lifetime. Geldrath has fewer skills than any other character in the story, but he ends up playing a key role in the fate of the realm.

In honor of the young fellow, I'm posting a couple of pics of my amazing, wonderful sons, just because I feel like it. The first is at Legoland in California, the second from our years in Zagreb, Croatia.