Grey Star

Grey Star the Wizard is the reader-controlled protagonist in the World of Lone Wolf series of adventure books. He was the only survivor of a shipwreck near the Shianti abode on the Isle of Lorn. The Shianti raised Grey Star and taught him their magic. Sixteen years after the shipwreck, the Shianti sent Grey Star as their representative to retrieve the Moonstone and use it to stop the evil domination of the Wytch king, Shasarak.

Grey Star the Wizard

In Grey Star the Wizard, set in MS 5050, the Shianti advise Grey Star to look for a Shadow Gate through which he can enter the Daziarn, where the Moonstone is located. Because the Shadow Gate is ephemeral, the Shianti tell Grey Star to seek the help of the the Lost Tribe of Lara, which can see the Shadow Gate. To that end, Grey Star goes to the port city of Suhn, but he is promptly captured by the Shadakine. He survives a Kazim-stone assisted mind reading by Mother Magri, then engineers an escape from the dungeons, accompanied by Shan and Tanith. They travel south to the Azanam forest, where the Lost Tribe of Lara is believed to be located. Shan is killed during the journey by a Quoku, while Tanith is abducted by a Kleasa summoned by Mother Magri. Grey Star himself barely escapes a colony of Cave Mantiz, before being rescued by the Lost Tribe of Lara.

The Forbidden City

Urik, a shaman of the Lost Tribe of Lara, prophesizes that the Shadow Gate will be found at the Mountains of Morn in a couple of weeks' time. Grey Star and Urik set off for the Shadow Gate, but become embroiled in the Freedom Guild's rebellion against the Shadakine in the city of Karnali. Grey Star frees the Masbaté king Samu from the Shadakine's mind control, and together with the thief Hugi travel to the Forbidden City. They find the Shadow Gate, which is guarded by the Kleasa that abducted Tanith. Grey Star frees the Kleasa, and enters the Shadow Gate with Tanith.

Beyond the Nightmare Gate

In the Daziarn, Grey Star and Tanith first encounter a group of Academicians, who promise to provide Grey Star with a ship that can traverse the Daziarn if he retrieves the Threnogem for them. The Academicians further hold Tanith hostage. Grey Star travels to the Singing City and acquires the Threnogem, only to find that Shasarak had summoned a creature that looks just like him, the Jahksa, to stall his quest. The Jahksa had intimidated the Academicians into releasing Tanith, and Grey Star sets off in pursuit of them into the Realm of Paradox (the realm of the Chaos master). The Chaos master allowed Grey Star to leave with Tanith on condition he bring the Jahksa as well. Grey Star fights off the Jahksa while searching for the Moonstone. They pass through the Valley of Plenty and eventually arrive at the Trianon, where the Moonstone is kept. Here, in a final fight, the Jahksa "kills" Grey Star, but is destroyed instead because of the effects of the Moonstone. Grey Star retrieves the Moonstone and returns to Magnamund.

War of the Wizards

Returning to Magnamund, Grey Star finds that seven years had passed while he was in the Daziarn, and it is now MS 5057. The Freedom Guild had liberated Karnali, but the Shadakine was amassing a big army to counterattack. Grey Star and Tanith arrive in the Lissan Plain, where they encounter the remnants of the Masbaté tribe, led by Samu. He learns from Samu that the Lissan Plain is still infested by demons, which were coming from a portal near Lake Tilos. Grey Star conceives a plan where he will destroy the portal, then lure the demon horde into fighting the Shadakine army. The plan is successful, and the Shadakine army is delayed, albeit not destroyed. Grey Star and Samu travel to Karnali, where they persuade the Freedom Guild to take shelter in the Forest of Fernmost. The Shadakine army pursue, but Grey Star finds Kazim allies in the Forest, which help win the ensuing battle. As the Freedom Guild set off in pursuit, Grey Star teleports himself into the Shadakine capital Shadaki to confront Shasarak, who was consorting with Agarash the Damned. Agarash was trapped in the Pit of Eternal Pain, and Shasarak was planning to trade places with Agarash if his defeat became inevitable. Grey Star defeats Shasarak and closes the portal, keeping Agarash trapped and winning the war. A confederation of free states arises from the ashes of the Shadakine empire, with Grey Star the wizard regent and Tanith his consort.

Grey Star and Tanith later had an unnamed son.

Darklands War

After Lone Wolf disappeared into the Daziarn at the end of The Dungeons of Torgar, the Darklords waged a war of conquest in Northern Magnamund. In MS 5065, Grey Star helped defend Dessi against Darklords Khatellu and Tomogh. He was unsuccessful: Tomogh was able to draw power from the Plane of Darkness and force the Dessi forces to retreat from Western Dessi. A few years later, the Darklords carried the war into the Dessi homelands. Grey Star was preparing a last stand with Rimoah and Ardan when Lone Wolf returned and destroyed the Transfusor, indirectly killing all Darklords.

The Buccaneers of Shadaki

Grey Star's next mention is in The Buccaneers of Shadaki, set in MS 5083, as Grand Master was travelling through Southern Magnamund. Grand Master learns that Grey Star had disappeared from his palace in Shadaki, and the region was becoming more lawless as a result. His court officials claim that Grey Star was on a quest to Western Magnamund, but there were also rumors that he had been abducted by evil necromancers who desired a return to Shasarak's rule.

Return to Southern Magnamund

Whatever the cause of Grey Star's disappearance, he did not perish, and was back in Shadaki by MS 5087. In that year there was an uprising against his rule, led by Zultan Zedoli. The rebellion is successful and Grey Star was forced to flee Shadaki for Suhn, which he set up as his new capital. In MS 5088, the Shianti departed the Isle of Lorn for the Plane of Light, and bequeathed the island to the Order of the Kai. The Shianti appointed Grey Star as their emissary to oversee the transfer. Subsequently, Grey Star supported the Order of the Kai at constructing a new monastery on the Isle of Lorn. This act was interpreted by Zultan Zedoli as an act of war, and he invaded. With assistance from Lone Wolf and Sommerlund, Grey Star was able to turn back the invasion.

The Naarvakim Conspiracy

Prior to the events of The Dusk of Eternal Night, Grey Star discovered a plot by the Naarvakim to restore Agarash the Damned to Magnamund. Unsettled and needing the help of the Kai, he traveled to Sommerlund, arriving before the Battle of the Ruanon Homelands, despite a civil war occurring in his home country. Grey Star helped out during this battle, holding the reborn Archlord Vashna at bay, allowing Grand Master and other Freelands forces to escape. However, he was unable to indefinitely hold Vashna's power at bay, as he could not withstand the supernatural power of the Nengud-kor-Adez. Lone Wolf turned the tide in their favour, wounding Vashna with the Sommerswerd and forcing him to retreat, but not without a threat to expand the Nengud-kor-Adez to Sommerlund and Durenor unless he was fought in Zekgazad, far beneath the ground where the Sommerswerd was ineffective.

Grey Star explained his findings to the Kai. He believed he had found a plot by the Naarvakim to restore Agarash the Damned to Magnamund. He was not clear to what their plans were exactly, but believed it was set in motion and they needed to foil it. He believed that the capture of Swamplord Vag'kroag, a Child of Agarash, was so that he could act as a Candidate to switch places with Agarash in the Pit of Eternal Pain. He also believed that plans were underway to open a Gate of Doom to the Pit of Eternal Pain, although he was not sure how this could be done, and that they needed to investigate.

The decision was made for him to follow Grand Master and Blazer to Southern Magnamund to foil the plans of the Naarvakim, whilst Lone Wolf and Steel Hand fought Vashna in Zekgazad. Grey Star, Grand Master and Blazer boarded the Starstrider, manned by Acraban and Gora for this quest. Grey Star first teleported the ship to the Hyunsei Mountains, in the north of Chai, where the Crypt of Agarash lay. This Crypt stored the Heart of Agarash, an immensely-powerful artifact that Grey Star believed could be used to open a Gate of Doom, and that the Naarvakim would attempt to recover. Although he was unable to enter the Crypt himself, he was able to telepathically help Grand Master and Blazer who infiltrated the Crypt, defeated the Naarvakim there, and restored the protection around the Heart.

The two Grand Masters returned to the Starstrider (with Oriah, who was an attempted sacrifice to release the Heart), and Grey Star was stunned to be informed that the Naarvakim did not need the Heart to open a Gate of Doom, and that they were thus no closer to finding out the Naarvakim's plans in full. After a debate with Lord Rimoah and spirited sarcasm by Blazer, the party agreed that rather than spend time trying to find Naarvakim lairs for information, they should assume that the ritual will go ahead, and that the best thing to do was to foil it directly. This meant investigating the people who were last able to communicate with Agarash or open Gates of Doom:

• Scaldar's resting spot in the Great Forest of Kelderwood. Scaldar was an Elder Magi who distinguished himself in the battle against Agarash, and his spirit could provide information.
• Autarch Sejanoz once spirit-walked to the Pit of Eternal Pain to seal a pact - in exchange for immortality, Sejanoz would switch places with Agarash once he gained enough power.
• Shasarak, the rogue Shianti, once opened a Gate of Doom in Shadaki City decades ago before Grey Star sealed him inside it.

Whichever path the player chose, Grey Star helped the two Grand Masters psychically aboard the Starstrider. The two Grand Masters succeeded, and returned to Grey Star with more troubling news: A Gate of Doom can be opened where the fabric of reality is weakest: One such place is the throneroom of Naaros, Agarash's old realm, which was weakened by the titanic clash between himself and the Elder Magi before he was sealed.

The Starstrider headed towards Naaros to stop the ritual, but they were attacked by the Naarvakim. In a desperate attempt to make it to Naaros, Grey Star attempted to teleport the entire party directly, but possibly due to Blazer being possessed by an Ice Demon in secret, he and Blazer were separated from the rest, forcing Acraban to teleport the others. The possessed Blazer then overpowered Grey Star, and as Grand Master made their own way to the throneroom, sacrificed Grey Star into the Gate of Doom, unexpectedly freeing Shasarak, rather than Agarash as the Naarvakim expected. Agarash is then freed himself, depending on the player's choice:

• Grand Master suspected Blazer was a traitor, and attacked him, temporarily-breaking the spell on him. Shasarak then cast Grand Master into the Gate of Doom, but Blazer blocked it with his own body, sacrificing himself for Grand Master, but this released Agarash. Grand Master then fought Shasarak and cast him into the Pit of Doom in exchange; within the Pit of Eternal Pain, Blazer insisted Grey Star returns instead of him.
• Grand Master attacked Shasarak, but was betrayed by Blazer, and the two cast Grand Master into the Gate of Doom, freeing Agarash. Shasarak and Blazer then fought, and Shasarak was cast into the Gate of Doom, freeing Grand Master. Blazer then sacrificed himself for his sins, and entered the Gate of Doom to free Grey Star.

After being freed, Grey Star teleported himself and Grand Master to the Isle of Lorn to escape the clutches of Agarash's summoned Vaag. After a brief period of healing by the New Order Kai, he departed to defend his home city and family at the Port of Suhn from the Vaag, and was successful. Agarash's attack on the Isle of Lorn too was repelled.