"Now that you understand the rules, Greenies, I'll be assigning each of you to one a senior member of the guard. They will teach you the basics of what you will be doing from now on. The five of you are the only ones to make it through the training and evaluation to join us, so I expect great things from you. However, remember this, you have climbed high, high enough that if you fail, you will fall, and that fall will kill your chances of ever being a part of the guard again. Am I understood?"
Nar Stormcry stood at attention with the rest of the new members of the city's guard and responded with a crisp, "Understood!"
Satisfied by the correct posture and response, the Captain of the Guard, a thin, wiry human man who stood a half-head shorter than Nar, started directing each of the gathered five to the person who would be teaching them their duties. Two were assigned to guard the castle walls, one was assigned to guard the gates, and the last was given orders to guard the coffers of the common folk within the city. As the four were led away, that left only three people in the room: Nar Stromcry, the Captain of the Guard, and a large, burly individual that could only be the person Nar would be assigned to.
The Captain sauntered over, his head cocked to the side slightly as he tilted his head slightly up to meet Nar's eyes, as he spoke with an air of humor, "Nar Stormcry, eh? I have to say that I am surprised your kind would be interested in guarding this city. After all, I thought the city life was too cramped and restrictive? It's rare that a Half-Orc such as yourself to spend as much time away from the badlands and behind these walls." The Captain placed his hands behind his back and paced away a few steps before turning, "In any case, whatever your reasons may be, the guard for our fair city's dungeons is rather scarce, so your presence will provide much-needed new blood." The Captain nodded back towards the tall, silent human in the room, "This is Olsen Garrow, captain of the men down there making sure the imprisoned don't die of starvation, thirst, or suicide as well as making sure none of them escape. He's been in charge for the last fifteen years and there has not been a single causality, escape, or attempted escape to mar his record. As such, I would suggest listening to him. Understood? Good, then dismissed!"
With that, the Captain walked out, leaving Nar and Olsen remaining in the room. There was a few moments of silence as Nar felt the tall man's gaze upon him. Nar didn't dare relax nor move while he was being observed. This was his big chance, the one he had been working towards for the last ten years when he first arrived at the city. Nar had been born of a union between the head shaman of the Orc stronghold, Nazzar-kahar, and a human adventurer who nearly lost his life protecting her while she continued the battle ritual that allowed the stronghold's warriors to hold off the Gnoll surprise attack. It was during that battle that the human's bravery was acknowledged by the chieftain who granted the human the honor of 'Orc-Friend' and given the right to join the tribe. Two years later, Nar was born, but he had no skill in magic, much to his mothers disappointment. As Nar grew up, he became disillusioned with the way the stronghold was constructed and, at the age of thirteen, he left Nazzar-kahar on a journey of self-discovery. A year later, he arrived at the city and immediately fell in love with the structure of how it was ran and never looked back. A few months later, he started his training to join the city's guard after being denied no less than three times. It was what led him to this day and Nar knew he couldn't afford to fail....
It took all of Nar's discipline to not jump in surprise as the large human moved, stepping forward in a casual manner, "So, you're Nar, eh? Very well. I don't care if you're an Orc, Half-Orc, or a bloody Drow. You will listen to what I say when I say it. Do I make myself clear?" Nar gave the affirmative nervously. The man's eyes narrowed in a fashion reminiscent to that of the chieftain's as he looked at Nar, but before his legs could give out out of sheer nervousness, the man's attitude changed completely as he suddenly guffawed with a deep belly laugh all widdershins to what he'd originally expected!
Nar stood frozen in shock as the serious, intimidating air of the man before him transformed into that of something akin to an Orc post-battle. Olsen reached up and clapped a hand hard on Nar's shoulder and led him out the door, "Okay, new blood, I don't know what you expected, but the dungeon guard is a little less stuffy than most of the places you'd be working in. We have to be, else we'd become as gloomy and depressed as the ones behind the bars. Now, don't let that scare you, boy. Just because we're a little less stiff than the Wall Guard doesn't mean that we're any less capable at doing our jobs. After all, we're in charge of keeping the unpleasant people locked up while the regular folk can live their lives in peace."
As the two of them walked down the corridor, Olsen spoke continuously, asking various questions regarding his background, Orcish culture, and, most importantly as Olsen assured, what sort of weapons he was proficient in. Nar answered to the best of his abilities, still completely flabbergasted at the change in pace, explained how he came to be and how he'd trained using a mace since he was old enough to hold one. Olsen took him down several stairs and through several corridors then back up a few more sets of stairs. Nar learned that the dungeons were located below the main palace and that there were numerous ways in which prisoners, thieves, crooks, and murderers could be brought down here. In the times of old, these passages were used to transport soldiers quickly during sieges.
"Well, here we are, new blood! Now, let's give you the grand tour and get you geared up. Tomorrow's where you'll be put to the test." Olsen brought him to a doorway where the door was wide open. Inside were six individuals who were busy. Two humans were playing some game on a board, a halfling was carving something in the corner, another two humans were at a table in the midst of a test of strength by grappling their arms together in an effort to push one to the table, and finally, there was a Gnome that was brachiating from makeshift handholds across the ceiling. Olsen, noticing where Nar was looking, elbowed him, "That's Quinkel, our strongest, and only, mage. Don't let his size fool you, boy. I've seen him go hand-to-hand with an Orc four times his size and come out on top, not a hint of magic used. I've never seen another person pull the wool over his eyes even once. There's rumors that the queen herself wants him on her court, but he keeps saying he'd rather stay down here with the rest of us." Nar nodded as the two humans looked up from their game and gave lazy waves of greetings.
Olsen clapped him on the shoulder again, "This is the barracks. You'll find your cot over there in the back. Now, let's go to the armory and get yourself geared up. We've got ten men down here, including you and I. Geraldo should be down there to get you fitted."
And that was how the rest of the morning went with the dirty-looking human named 'Geraldo' sizing him up and picking out the standard leather and mail armor and giving Nar the pick of weapons. After that, Nar was shown to where the medical room, the kitchens, lavatory, and the practice room. All the while, Olsen kept talking almost nonstop, giving his war stories and talking about various people who have found themselves down here. It was almost tedious to keep listening, but Nar was afraid that this was a tactic to make sure he was paying attention when Olsen later would ask a question regarding it.
With the afternoon having come and the evening just an hour away, Olsen brought Nar to a set of stair, "...and down alow are the actual dungeons. For the last decade, they've mostly held petty thieves and drunkards, but they've also held some murderers. In fact, we have one old guy who's been down there since before I was placed in charge of this place. However, tonight is the best time to show you our most infamous new arrival. He's been banned from this city ever since he tricked the queen out of a few hundred gold pieces. We've been given an arrest-on-sight order the moment any of the guards see this person and he came in last night. According to the guards who captured him, he tried to sneak in by hiding in a barrel that another trader had on his cart!"
Nar followed Olsen down the spiral stairs as the head of the dungeon continued about this one prisoner, "....and, if you can believe it, we've gotten word that he's wanted in numerous other cities and towns for thievery, misuse of magic, and multiple escapes!" Nar couldn't believe it and voiced his opinion, "Ah, Sir, are you....are you sure that's not just a hyperbole? I mean, that seems like quite a lot for a single person and the fact that he has escaped so many times and is wanted everywhere would mean it's impossible that he's done so much, right?"
Olsen simply laughed as they passed by various cells, every other one having a person inside, "That's because this guy's been using magic and is skilled at bribery. I bet that if we cut out his tongue, it'd be solid silver. There have been too many guards bribed by this guy, but not my men. Anyone who is bribed and reports the person is given three times that amount as a reward. None of us have ever accepted so much as a single copper from someone who wants one of these ruffians out before their time." They turned a corner to face an iron door at the end of the corridor where Olsen said, "This cell was made specifically for this prisoner by Quinkel. Once someone is enclosed, their magic is severed. Of course, this guy is skilled at using that Fool's Gold spell and always summons a handful of gold when the slot is opened to allow us to look in on him. The bastard has been doing it all the livelong time from the moment he was thrown in here. Come on, you should see the guy at least. He's going to be here for a long, long time."
Nar watched as Olsen unlocked the cell, the man calling out, "Okay, 'Mr. Unbelievable,' you've got a new visitor. He's already been warned of your tricks, so don't even try....." As the door opened, Olsen's words faded into shock as both he and Nar looked into the empty room. In the brief seconds before chaos ensued, Nar took note of the very spartan room that had a single chamber pot, a bed, a chair, and a ratty rug. On the rug was what looked like a stone tray and copper cup. The tray had a note written in elegant script saying, 'Thank you for the room and board, but I must insist upon departing. Here's the tip and please give my regards to Queen Maria. Tata!' Beside the note was a pile of at least ten gold coins.
The silence stretched for an uncomfortably long time before Olsen turned around, his face red with anger and his eyes bulging madly, and yelled, "Men! Security breach! A prisoner has escaped! Quinkel! Your blasted cell didn't hold him!" In but a few minutes, there was a thundering of boots on the stone floor and the rattle of mail as eight men clad in the armor of the dungeon guard quickly entered the corridor. They stood stunned for a moment before the Gnome darted forward and into the cell, chanting words of power, casting magic. A few seconds later, he turned and said, "Captain Olsen, it would appear that there is a hole just behind the bed, possibly made by a rodent. It provided a breach in the seals I placed on the cell. It is quite possible that he had been saving this trick to escape. Crozak is the kind of mad genius to do such a thing."
Olsen let loose a series of curses and ordered his men to go and inform the city guard to look for this Crozak guy. Nar watched as the guard defiled hastily out before looking back at the captain and the Gnome, then down at the tray of coins, "Sirs...ah....what should be done with....that?" Quinkel looked down and shrugged, "Dispose of them however you please. They may look real, but I can sense magic on them. It's Fool's Gold and they'll disappear in about three days. I'd dispel them myself, but I need to conserve my energy for capturing that Tiefling." Olsen nodded and said, "Quinkel's right, Nar. Take them and go. I'm going to have a severe talking to with the men for overlooking this. You go home and prepare for the trouble this will cause. You weren't here, so you're not to blame for this. While you go, get rid of those magic coins. At this point, boy, you'd only be a liability since you don't know the ins and outs of our work yet."
Nar nodded and went to scoop up the tray of coins. If Nar looked back on this moment retrospectively, he would probably not have picked up those coins. That small pile of gold would be one of the biggest mistakes of his life. But Nar didn't know that at the time because he lacked his mother's gift of 'Farsight,' so he picked them up and put them in one of the small pouches of his belt. Nar nodded towards the two and left as per orders. He knew that there was a lake at the edge of the city and he figured it would be best to simply toss the coins down into it so no unfortunate soul would them of them as real and accidentally give someone false coin.
It would take nearly half an hour to make it to the lake wall from the dungeons, but Nar climbed to the wall just in time to see the perfect, beautiful hues of the sunset as it reflected off the still waters of the lake. A breeze swept by and blew the braided strands of shoulder-length hair a little as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Truth be told, the day could have gone far worse. Sure, a criminal of some kind had escaped, but it wasn't through any fault of his own and he was certain that Captain Olsen and his men would capture the escapee again soon. Nar shook his head to clear it and untied the pouch from his belt, hefting the comforting weight of gold in his palm. He couldn't believe he was about to do this with enough gold to keep him well fed for a week, but if it's false, then it should be thrown into the bottom of the lake.
Nar emptied the pouch into his palm and cocked his arm back before throwing with all the strength his Orc blood gave him, the gold flying through the air and capturing the fading light of the sun as they splashed into the water below at least fifty feet away and over sixty feet below. With that task done, Nar leaned against the short, stone wall and became lost in his thoughts. He thought of home, of his parents, his friend, the tribe and stronghold itself. There was no sense of how much time had passed for Nar as he was lost in his thoughts, but something brought him out of his reverie, a glint of gold in the dying light....
Nar looked up and saw a golden-skinned figure dressed in ratty, worn clothing. He couldn't tell much from the distance, but he could see that this person certainly wasn't human. Nar watched as the figure shook himself dry and turned around. He could almost swear that the person was looking straight at him! His confusion only increased as the figure raised his arm and started to wave before it came down and seemed to be writing something in the air!
The figure used what was obviously magic to write in elegant, flowing script, "Crozak the Unbelievable thanks you, kind Orc-born, for freeing him from his chains. It was most fortuitous that you picked up those coins instead of the Gnome. Fare thee well and tata!" As Nar read the glittery, purple words in the air across the lake, his eyes widened as he realized with sudden transpicuous memory that the criminal that escaped was a master of the Fool's Gold spell, that the criminal used the spell as often as possible when he was captured, and that Captain Olsen called out the name 'Mr. Unbelievable' before opening the door. That could only mean that the criminal had somehow transformed himself into a gold coin after casting the Fool's Gold spell in order to escape....which Nar just helped him with....
As he watched the golden-skinned figure make a flourishing bow and slip into the forest, Nar sank to his knees, watching the words that floated in the air where anyone on the walls could see if they looked, and said, "This is a Nightmare..."
