In the days before heresy was removed from the land, when monsters and spirits roamed the steppe at their leisure, there lived a man of great wit and renown named Gālus. As he travelled the steppe, he was set upon by bandits, who captured and bound him in his sleep in order to steal his riches; but when they searched his small camp, they realized he had none with him. The bandits demanded to know where his wealth was; for he wore the crest of a rich clan, grown fat over the years.
Gālus was true and honest, even to his foes; and he told them of a great hoard he had buried some distance away, and to which he had been riding before they captured him. He offered to them all that he had hidden if they would allow him to go free afterwards, and the bandits agreed. It was three days and nights before they reached the hoard, marked by a great stone rising out of the ground and into the eternal sky. Each night, the bandits prayed to the old gods before falling asleep; for they lived sinfully, and knew not the Light. Their heresy disgusted Gālus, and he saw that no honor could be found with them; even if he did offer up all of his wealth, they would kill him and sacrifice him as the savages did in days of old. He knew they could not be allowed to live.
On the fourth day they reached the great stone pillar, and the bandits bound Gālus to the stone so that he could not escape. He directed them to dig all around the pillar and they did, focusing all their energy on the pursuit of their greed. While they were distracted, Gālus prayed to Ãdāmrėtsk with all his strength, and his bonds fell away, leaving him free to escape. But Gālus saw that his captors would not be satisfied with his hoard, and in any case they would continue to plague the followers of Ãdāmrėtsk. So Gālus instead climbed upon the great pillar of stone and, calling once again upon the power of the Vûlakės Õmnātskė, directed the wind to blow with great ferocity, creating a terrible noise and causing strange lights to appear in the sky. Before the bandits could realize their prisoner was gone, he slipped back into his bonds.
The heretics were swift to return to their captive and demanded to know what the noise and the lights were. Gālus told them that it was nothing but a trick of the eyes, a curse he had put on the hoard in order to protect it from would-be looters; but for them, he would gladly remove it. He prayed again to Ãdāmrėtsk, and the wonders ended; but they had caught the eye of a nearby clan, and they came to see the great stone at the center of it all. The bandits took notice of this, and seized Gālus, with intent to kill him for his apparent treachery.
For the last time, Gālus prayed with all his might to Ãdāmrėtsk, and He took pity on the man. He sent a Wind-Spirit to aid him, and the spirit grew great with His power. The bandits were afraid of the spirit, and drove their horses to flee; but they drove the steeds so harshly that they reared back and threw their riders, breaking their necks. For his faith in the deliverance of Ãdāmrėtsk, Gālus was granted dominion over the winds, and forever after he would be known as the Wind-Rider.
"We really should go . . ." Apple says regretfully. "You could come with us if you wanted, see Thriwich for yourself. But we can't leave Snow out there by herself much longer, it wouldn't be fair."