My name is Artemis Entreri. I was once known as lord of shadows, king of darkness, God of stealth. Today, I am nothing. I lie bleeding here, to die as a pawn, as I have always been. It was my destiny to fight to the death against Drizzt, the Dark Elf. We have fought for years, me for darkness, he for light. And now, our battle is over, and he has won.
It began a year ago. I knew my days of my physical prime were almost over, and soon I would be an old man who could do nothing to defend himself. I knew that, within a few years, I would die, not on the battlefield, but in a bed. There were many loose ends to my life. I needed to close them. I knew that chief among them was the Drow Drizzt Do'Urdan. We had fought for years, and I knew that I either had to kill him, or die trying.
To this end, I sought out the ruler of Silverymoon, Lady Alustriel. I knew the Drow to secretly love her, so I knew to strike at his heart. I remember approaching the city's gates.
"Hello traveler, please state your business," said a guard.
"My business is my own," I replied, slipping my jeweled dagger out of it's sheath.
Both of the guards at the gate seemed to be angered by my lack of respect. "Please, guest, we must know your business before we can allow you into Silverymoon," the second guard said in a less than friendly tone.
"Very well," I said. "Do you wish to know a secret?"
The guards nodded.
"I am here to kill the lot of you." While the guards were still surprised, I stabbed the closest one with my jeweled dagger. His body hit the ground with a loud thud. I turned to the second guard and pulled my dagger to his neck.
"Open the gate or I will kill you," I said. The guard opened the gate.
"The gate is open. You will let me go now, right?" the guard asked, frightened.
"No." I stabbed the guard with my dagger, and his body fell to the floor with another thud. I hid the bodies. I entered Silverymoon. My adventure had begun.