Once upon a time--and this was a very, very long time ago--there lived a wizard by the name of Chricrin. Now, the times there were a-changing in those days and with the age of magic and sorcery coming to an end, this renowned Court Mage suddenly found himself out of work. He could not see himself settling into a lowly position in the common work place, for he was, after all, a Grand Sorcerer of the Highest Kingdom. But, he asked himself, what was he to do?

On the last night of his stay in the Royal Castle, Chricrin ventured out onto the balcony, to gaze up at the stars from that vantage point for the very last time. As he stood there, surrounded by the nature that he loved and the memories of his life, he came up with an idea.

"What if I were to travel from village to village and share with people my talent for magic? Surely they would be awed and would pay me something to see the great power I that possess," he said to himself, feeling quite positive that he had discovered his new occupation.

As the sun rose on the following day, Chricrin was up bright and early to greet the morning and his new venture. He slung a bag containing his meager belongings over one shoulder and departed the castle, not even bothering to say farewell to the king.

He journeyed out along the main road leading from the castle, but when he came to a crossroads, he had to stop and make a decision.

"Should I travel to the north and begin my work there?" he asked out loud. "Or perhaps the west? No, not enough people reside in the west. Hmm, I'm not sure which way I should go."

After further contemplation, he finally decided to head north, as he had heard that the people up there were quite friendly. So, Chricrin continued his pilgrimage to the northlands and he walked for some time before coming to a dead stop in the middle of the road.

"How will I know when I reach the northlands?" he wondered, as the wizard had never before traveled far from the castle where he had lived for most of his life. "Surely there will be a sign to point me in the right direction," he decided and resumed his trek.

Chricrin moved on for several more days and was surprised that he had seen no sign of other people for some time. He was becoming quite tired on his journey and had soon run out of food. To make matters worse, on the seventh day out from the castle, it began to snow.