Timothy Silvernail

 Timothy Silvernail lives in a world of magic, adventure, and danger. He is a fifteen-year-old boy, who lost his father to war when he was two, and his mother to disease when he was ten. He lives with his Aunt Caroline and Uncle Peter in a sleepy, little, seaside village named Rittick. His Uncle is an accomplished soldier—like Timothy’s father was—and trains him tirelessly to fight. Despite Timothy’s protests, Peter will not allow his nephew to join the Rittick army until he is sixteen.

            A group of fishermen return from the sea to warn their fellow villagers that they spotted several warships on route to Rittick. Timothy watches with envy as the village army marches off toward the shore.

            Feeling alone and sad, Timothy goes for a walk to the outskirts of the village, where he finds his friend, Sorley the elf. Sorley cheers Timothy’s spirits as they play together in a nearby glade. They are interrupted when a hobgoblin named Ka-rel—badly injured from a battle with dwarves—staggers into the glade. They bring the injured stranger to Rittick, where they find the wizard’s thirteen-year-old daughter, Liz, who is able to the heal Ka-rel.

            The four go to a tavern in the center of the village and encounter an obnoxious dwarf named Atang. Just as Atang and Ka-rel are about to fight, the village is suddenly raided by goors. Goors are gruesome, flying creatures with lizard-like heads. They are wild and dangerous, but are not intelligent like humans. All the people of the village are shocked by the organized attack as they watch the goors steal gold and valuables. But worst of all, they capture and fly away with Timothy’s Aunt Caroline.