Fruward the Nail

 

 

I was sixteen when our village was occupied by Grulsh and his army of marauding Orcs.  All able-bodied males from the age of thirteen and up were conscripted into Grulsh’s army.  I ended up training under a sergeant by the name of Gortuck, he was a bugbear, which meant he had a goblin heritage, but I actually came to greatly respect him and he taught me much about warfare.

 

Grulsh was defeated and killed at the battle of Hamper Hill and all the conscripts in his army were freed.  By this time I was 21 and returning to my village I found that it was still overrun by Orcs and both my parents were dead.  There was nothing left for me there. I decided to settle in the town of Lufkin and joined the Builders’ Guild. 

 

One night I was called to attend what I had been told would be a late-night negotiation over work contracts.  Apparently, I was the first to arrive and I was surprised to see the one who had called the meeting was a childhood friend by the name of Adrick (my mind flashed on the fact that he had always lorded over me that my parents had been forbidden by our clan from giving me an official clan name because of some transgression my father had committed.    I had never been told what it was). 

 

Adrick embraced me and told me how happy he was that we had both survived conscription by Grulsh.  He handed me a glass of ale and we toasted to our freedom.  Soon I began to feel lightheaded and suddenly four thugs burst into the room and held me down while Adrick took a spike and drove it into my forehead.  Then he took my glass of ale and threw it in my face.  The thugs carried me to the guildhouse and laid me face-down amongst my tools so my death could be called an accident.

 

As he had hammered in the spike, Adrick explained to me that he had resented the fact that Gortuck had given me preferential treatment while his sergeant had beaten him everyday.

I lay there on the floor of the guildhouse for what seemed an eternity, and then I mercifully passed out.   When I came to, a young woman was cradling my head in her arms.  She told me her name was Nine-Fingers Keane and that I should try to get some rest, but I could feel that whatever was in the ale had mostly worn off. I had gotten my strength back.

 

Just then the doors of the guildhouse burst open and several of the city watch ran into the room followed by Adrick and his thugs. 

 

What happened next is a bit of a blur.  I just remember being incredibly angry.  I started hurling accusations at Adrick.  Two of the Watch moved in to restrain me and a fight ensued. I ended up killing two of the thugs and wounding at least one of the Watch.  The last thing I remember before I passed out again was seeing Adrick flee.

 

I woke up several hours later in the city gaol with Nine-Fingers cradling my head again. She was just waiting for me to come around so she could break us out of our cell.  It seems Nine-Fingers was a budding master thief.  She was hiding from the Watch in the guildhouse when she heard me struggling for breath.  If it hadn’t been for her I really may have died that night.

 

We fled Lufkin and ended up in Nine-Fingers hometown of Raven’s Ruin.  She set me up with an apartment there and when she ascended to Master of the Thieves Guild she made me her enforcer.

 

If you are looking for a great love story you’ll have to look elsewhere.  Yes Nine-Fingers and I have shared a bed and we greatly respect each other but that’s as far as it goes.

 

Over the years many doctors have offered to remove the spike but I have always refused.  It has become a part of me and it makes me remember that one day I shall have my revenge on Adrick!