Bil Luter, of Maerick
Gaidin
matthewg@interport.net

"I used to live in a small village on the Southern fork of the River Ivo, near the Black Hills, called Maerick. There I was a typical youth, always getting into trouble and running around with my playmates. Everything was fairly calm aside from the occasional Saldaens or merchants passing through. That all changed the night that a band of ruffians fleeing Saldaea decided that our village would be easy pickings. They were a large group, almost a small army, and while most of the men in Maerick knew how to use a weapon, few had practiced in a good number of years.

"When the ruffians came to our village, they immediately attempted to overwhelm us. I remember sitting by the fireplace reading when I heard my father, a stout man in his late 40s, running downstairs. He was carrying a sword. When he saw me, he told me to run in the opposite direction from where he was going, but I couldn't abandon my father. More likely I was scared to leave his side, as I can't imagine what I thought I would have done. I didn't even know what was happening. As we ran outside, my father not looking back to see if I had followed his directions, a group of two ruffians saw us. They rushed at my father, and he somehow managed to stick his blade through one's heart before the other stabbed him in the back with a short sword. "I was filled with rage as my father was struck down by the cowardly scofflaws. All I remember after that is picking up my fathers blade and cleaving the remaining ruffian while he was still shocked at the small boy picking up his slain fat he r's sword. I looked around me, and saw that the rest of the villagers would have counted themselves fortunate if they managed to fare as well as my father before being carved like week-old meat. I panicked and ran, but I do not regret not staying to face impossibly odds. The best thing I could do to help Maerick was to live. "Over the next six months or so, I wandered aimlessly throughout the land, living off what I could catch or earn by labor. I practiced the sword often, and a few travellers I met on the way knew a trick or two and were willing to teach it to me. Eventually, I became fairly good at the sword and halfway decent with a quarterstaff. The owner of a tavern I stopped at somewhere listened to my story, and said that the best way to achieve vengence for my town and my father would be to serve the light to the best of my abilities, taking care of more than simple bandits. He told me that the White Tower needed warders, and I knew that I would be able to serve the l ight and restore peace and order to the land by becoming one."

Physical description: Bil is a slender lad of medium height, with brown hair and eyes. He is near the beginning of his 19th year.

Besides being accomplished with the sword and a rider of more than fair skill, Bil is quite well-read. He learns not only for personal enjoyment, but because it is his belief that a Warder should be able to help their Aes Sedai in more ways than just combat.