The path was cruel, matching Black Gorlock's inner landscape. Each obstacle seemed designed to break his spirit further; rivers of sludge where he had to wade, his breath heavy with effort and sorrow. Yet, with each step, he made sure his top hat stayed perfectly aligned, a symbol of his undying love and dignity. Bandits, seeing him as prey, were met with a ferocity fueled by his pain. In a forest where even the trees seemed to weep, Black Gorlock encountered the Oracle. "Your heart will guide you, and your hat will remind you of what you fight for," she said, giving him an amulet that seemed to lighten his emotional load, though his physical one remained.