Characters in Profile (7): Gunther, General of Balor
About the Card:
Gunther is unique, to me, in that he's a leader of soldiers but not a 'Hero' as Shadow Era defines them. It makes him an interesting anomaly and subsequently a character who has absolutely captured my interest from a lore perspective. Here's hoping he does the same for you!
Cost: 6
Attack: 2
Health: 9
Faction: Human
Ability: Steadfast. 1: Until the start of your next turn, friendly allies have +1 attack.
Flavor: "Some men the Shadows should fear."
http://www.shadowera.com/attachment....2&d=1366273996
Background:
When the Shadow Crystals were first discovered and brought to King Rothem, Gunther stood at his side as the captain of his personal guard. When the King decided to have these new 'weapons' tested at trusted locations across Layar, Gunther personally oversaw each delivery. It was just after his final delivery to the College of Irum that the captain returned to find his King dead on the floor of the throne room, his body surrounded by Shadow Crystals. In a mad rage, Gunther accused the King's adviser, the man who had brought the crystals to the castle and the only one who could have gotten that close to Rothem, of the murder. He organized the guard and chased the man for weeks, but Nishaven was eventually able to escape over the borders just as other matters took precedence.
Strange gateways had been appearing all over the land, unleashing new creatures into the unsuspecting country. At first Gunther was able to gather the limited military power of the country against the new threat, but someone working from the shadows organized the invaders into a cohesive force strong enough to take the fortress atop Mt. Balor as well as the castle his King had once ruled from. Gunther and the people of Layar went to every country they could for help, but aside from a few volunteers none came to their aid. In the end, Gunther went from leading the fight for the security of his nation to leading its evacuation.
People remained, desperate to fight for their homes against the Shadow, and even the man he'd wrongly accused of treason rose to the challenge of fighting back the oncoming hordes. Despite these acts of heroism, however, Gunther came dangerously close to giving up hope. The Shadow Gates had begun to appear in every nation, and even the power of the Shadow Crystals was not enough to hold the armies at bay. Without a unified force, it was looking more and more like the world of Balor would fall to the will of the Man of Shadows. Then a wandering priest stumbled upon the former leader's camp.
The man claimed to have been sent by Ellos himself, to bring the human armies against their common foe. Regardless of the resentment Gunther should have had for the other countries' lack of aid when needed, the overwhelming disdain he held for the Shadow spurred the man to action. Using the hard learned lessons of Layar, Gunther was able to forge an alliance between the nations and lead an army capable of actually holding out against the Shadow.
