No replies to this topic

[Weyoun]

Writer's comment : Originated during Mutant Mike's normal people quiz. A story told from the perspective of a bystander in the story. I hope you like it.

 
A Quiet Morning

"Ah, so you're the new guy, eh?" Captain Cernick greeted his new recruit who had just arrived at the crack of dawn.

"Yes, sir!" the boy said, and stood at attention immediately.

"Oh, don't do that," Cernick chuckled. "We're all pretty informal around here..."

The boy visibly relaxed. "Oh, yes... yes, sir!"

"What's your name, son?" Cernick asked.

"Iric, sir... Iric Longbow..." the boy replied.

"Welcome to De'Arnese Keep, Iric. Call me, 'Cernick', or 'Captain' if you prefer..." Cernick smiled. "I sent Lisette to meet you. Has she had a chance to show you around yet?"

"No, s.. Ermm, captain..." Iric said. "I'm afraid she had to attend to her post at the village down the road."

"Oh, yeah," Cernick said and snapped his fingers. "That's right! Well, then I'll just have to give you the grand tour myself! I gather you haven't been issued your armor and weapons yet. Follow me..."

"Yes, Captain," Iric said and walked beside his new superior officer.

"Do you have any previous experience with serving in the guards?" Cernick asked.

"No, Captain," Iric said. "This is, in-fact, my first job. My parents own a grocery-store in Athkatla, but due my father's sudden illness all our money went into healing spells and potions while the store was neglected. I took this job immediately when I heard there was a position open at De'Arnese Keep, Captain, since our landlord threatened to foreclose on our home-loans if we didn't pay our bills. I'll send all the wages back home to my parents and just hope it's enough to save our home. Besides, I have a dream of becoming an adventurer someday, so I hope to gain some combat experience here as well..."

"Adventurer, eh?" Cernick chuckled. "Where have I heard that before?"

"Excuse me, Captain?" Iric said.

"You'll see..." Cernick chuckled and shook his head.

"Permission to speak freely, Captain?" Iric asked.

"Always, Iric. Always," he replied.

"Are the stories I've heard about the Lord and Lady of this keep true?" Iric asked bluntly.

"Well, if you're referring to him being the son of a dead god, and to her being an exiled Drow, then those stories are absolutely true," Cernick smiled. "Everything else you've heard probably is too..."

"You mean, preventing a war between Amn and Baldur's Gate, conquering Durlag's Tower, eliminating a Beholder Cult, saving Suldenesselar, conquering the Watcher's Keep?" Iric asked.

"Yep," Cernick chuckled. "All true..."

"So the monk Clovis' accounts of their travels was all the truth?" Iric said in an awestruck fashion.

"As I understand it, to the last letter..." Cernick chuckled. "Come, let's go inside..."

---

"These are the barracks?!" Iric exclaimed. "They're huge! And I've never heard of a barracks being actually inside the Keep itself, let alone under it! Most of the Lords and Ladies don't want to associate with the 'lesser people', I guess..."

"Oh, that's quite different here," Cernick chuckled, while he regarded the large cavern lined with black obsidian stone. "This huge place used to be a temple which Lady Viconia dedicated to her previous goddess Shar, but due to the attack of a powerful vampire, the temple was mostly destroyed. So, the Lady removed the surviving artworks and, since she no longer worshipped Shar, Lord Karis had the whole place refitted into a dream-barracks! We've got spacious quarters and a good exercise-grounds."

"Amazing," Iric said.

"Ah, here is the armory," Cernick said and unlocked a large door. As they slipped inside, Cernick pointed at the various racks. "Chain, plate, or leather?"

"Chain, please," Iric said.

"Helmet?"

"Yes, please."

"Bow and longsword or crossbow and two-handed sword?"

"Bow and longsword, please."

Iric examined the items and gasped. "Si.. errmm, Captain, these are magical!"

"Yes," Cernick said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Is there a problem? You are not allergic to magical energy, are you?"

"No, it's just that..."

"Oh, don't worry," Cernick said. "Remember, you need to clean it yourself, and the items are yours to keep if you work here longer than three months. Come on,"

"Yes, captain," Iric replied, stunned.

---

"And here we have the exercise-room," Cernick said, when they came upon a female guard practising thrusts against a wooden practise-dummy. "Feel free to use your free time to better your swordarm and mingle with the another guards."

"I will," Iric said.

"Oh, will you look at that," Cernick grinned and pointed at the corner near the second exit of the practise-grounds. When Iric looked, he saw a tiny spirited Drow girl standing there, wearing a small leather tunic and mathing pants, brandishing a small wooden sword. The tiny girl studied the female guard for a moment and then tried to mimick the female's thrust with her own wooden sword."

"That's Vierna, the Lord and Lady's daughter," Cernick said. "Cute as a button, isn't she?"

Cernick stepped over to Vierna, who smiled in response. "Young mistress Vierna," Cernick began and bent to one knee, "you mother has forbidden you to come here. I recall that she was also against giving you that wooden sword..."

"Awwww," Vierna pouted. "But I only want to learn how to fight. I'm gonna need it when I become a great 'venturr when I grow up!"

"Little girls should listen to their mothers, young Vierna," Cernick said and sofly pressed a finger on her nose, making the girl giggle.

"Aw, momma says more silly things, like I shouldn't play with sharp stuff or read aunty Imoen's spellbooks!" Vierna giggled.

"I'm sure," Cernick smiled. "But I think you should not be here, because if your mother finds out you were here again..."

"It'll be no desert for me tonight," Vierna pouted.

"Don't worry," Cernick chuckled. "What she doesn't know can't hurt her, but you'd better go play outside..."

"Thanks," she giggled and ran off.

"Cute kid," Iric said.

"Well, I feel I really don't need to tell you this, since you seem like a gentle type," Cernick said. "But if a guard so much as points a finger at her with a harmful intent, it's grounds for immediate dismissal... at best."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Iric said sincerely. "But what do you mean by 'at best'?"

"Well," Cernick said, "a while back there was a guard who grabbed Vierna by the arm and dragged her outside. Vierna wasn't really hurt, but upset enough for her mother to sentence that guard to death... and banishment..."

"Death and banishment," Iric asked. "How does that work?"

"Well, that means he's been sent away, but will be executed whenever he returns to Keep lands," Cernick said. "Tough, but fair..."

"Ouch..."

"Come, I'll show you the rest of the compound,"

---

"I've never seen a wizard-tower integrated in the keep-walls," Iric announced.

"Oh, you get used to it," Cernick said. "Now, if you'll look here, you'll notice the three look-out towers which can be used to overlook the most of the lands. It'll be your first post..."

Suddenly, a loud explosion sounded throughout the courtyard. The two men whipped around and noticed thick, arid, black smoke emanating from the windows of the wizard-tower. A few moments later, a young girl, her face and pink hair all covered with black soot, and with smoldering clothes leaned out of a window. She coughed loudly and readjusted her hair before noticing the two men on the parapet.

"Ho, mistress Imoen," Cernick chuckled. "Problems?"

"Another failure!" Imoen yelled. "That's the third explosion this week! I'm just glad Nalia wasn't here to see it, her living in Athkatla now and all. But I still might be able to salvage the brew. The spell has failed but the remains should make for a decent soup, I think..."

"Does this happen often?" Iric asked while regarding the young arch-mage.

"At least thrice a week," Cernick laughed. "Oh, don't worry. You'll get used to it..."

"Oh, new guy?" Imoen asked.

"Yes," Cernick told her.

"HI!" Imoen called and waved enthousiastically.

Iric managed a weak wave in return...

---

"So, these are the siege engines, normally used for defense of the Keep, but they are never used these days, and..." Cernick said, but then motioned to Iric to join him near the edge of the parapet. There, down in the Keep courtyard, near the entrance to the Keep, he saw a regal Drow female with a determined expression on her beautiful face. Next to her stood a meek boy, also a newbie guard.

"So, why didn't you listen to me when I called for you, guard?" the Drow said in a gleeful sounding voice. "Do you find me boring or something?"

"No, my lady, it's just that, well..." the boy replied meekly.

"Why do you speak in such a manner?" the Drow replied with threatening voice. "Are you trying to sweettalk me? I am already spoken for, jaluk!"

"NO, My lady!" the boy said quickly. "I'd never..."

"Oh?" the Drow replied in a low, angry voice. "Am I not good enough for you, jaluk?"

"No, it's just..." the boy struggled in a battle he could never win.

"Is this... usual?" Iric said fearfully.

"Oh, don't worry," Cernick chuckled. "She's not a bad sort.... But it's sort of an initiation rite for the new guards and servant. Don't worry. Your time will come too..."

"Oh," Iric said.

"Well, one more thing," Cernick said. "Some time ago, I caught several of the younger guards looking into her bedroom while she was dressing... And she knew it immediately..."

"Was she very angry?" Iric asked.

"Not really," Cernick said. "She told me that Drow consider their bodies to be works as art, so I think she might have actually even enjoyed it a little. Problem is, she will always consider those guards, like she puts it, as 'fauning male weakings' and never treat them any better than that. So be warned!"

"I would never look in on a woman getting dressed, Captain!" Iric said sincerely.

"See that you don't, or you'll definately get burned, and... oh, look there!"

As soon as the boy guard left the compound with his tail between his legs, the Drow stepped inside the Keep, and little Vierna crawled outside of a rainbarrel. She seemed to be observing the kitchen window for a while, until a portly woman chef came to the window and put a warm cherry-pie on top of the windowbench. After cutting the pie for speed up the cooling, she scanned the compound for a moment with a suspicious expression on her face and then receded back into the kitchen. Immediately, little Vierna spang to life and snuck from rainbarrel to rainbarrel to get closer to the window. A few moments later, Vierna barely managed to duck behind another barrel when the cook came to the window and scanned the compound yet again with the eyes of a hawk. But when she returned to the kitchen again, little Vierna crept even closer to the window, and made a grab for the pie. Then, the cook came to the window again, and this time Vierna sat back to wall, hugging her legs and apparently holding her breath as well. Immediately, when the cook entered the kitchen again, Vierna made a grab for a pie and managed to get away with a large slice before the cook got back. Just Vierna ran inside, the cook looked at the pie and shook her head, barely supressing a smile...

"Cute as a button, eh?" Cernick said. "Last part of the tour will be the inside of the Keep. Remember that floor one is..." Suddenly, Cernick looked up and studies the sky for a moment. Then, he grabbed a metal bar and hug on to it tightly. "Iric, I'd hold on to something if I were you?"

"Why?" Iric asked. "What's going..."

But then, a dark shadow was cast over the Keep, which meant something above them was completely obscuring the sun. Slowly, really slowly, Iric looked up, and saw an extremely large red belly with wings, seemingly trying to make a vertical landing. The wind flared up as the large leathery wings slammed up and down.

"Dr... dra... drago... DRAGON!" Iric shouted at the top of his lungs. "SOUND THE ALARM! DANGER!" Then, he was blown across the parapet by a gust of wind and was slammed against one of the towers.

When he came to, Iric saw that the Dragon had transformed into an elf and looked about the compound.

"New guy?!" the dragon-turned-elf yelled to Cernick.

"Yep!" Cernick returned.

"Sorry, kid!" he yelled and entered the keep.

"That's just Arokh," Cernick said. "A friend of Vierna. He visits every month or so..."

"Eb.. erm... Drg... Virn?" was all Iric could mutter.

"Come on," Cernick said and helped him to his feet. "I'll introduce you to lord Karis..."

---

"So this fool from the Cult of the Dragon comes to my lair with the offer to turn me into a Dracolich..." Iric heard the dragon-turned-elf say from behind the closed door.

"What did you do?" the girl arch-mage said from behind the door.

"What do you think I did? I flamed their butts and sent them packing!" the dragon said. "I don't want those loonies anywhere near my territory!"

Cernick knocked once and mentioned Iric to follow him in. He saw a large dininghall, and a displaycase holding many enchanted and legendary weapons. In the middle of the room, in a conversationpit, sat the Drow female, a half-elven male, the girl arch-mage he had met, and the elf-dragon, who had Vierna sitting on his knee, her face covered with cherry-filling.

"Dracolich indeed..." the dragon muttered. "They can kiss my red, scaly ass!"

"You have a red scaly donkey?" Vierna giggled.

"Ermm, yes..." Arokh muttered, while offering the Drow Lady an apologetic grin. "That's exactly it."

"Excuse me, Karis," Cernick said. "This is Iric Longbow, a new guard who has arrived today."

The half-elven man stood up and turned to face Iric. He smiled graciously and offered his hand. "Good day, Iric, I am Karis. Pleases to meet you..."

Iric took the hand and smiled uneasily. "I promise to serve you well, my Lord."

"Call me Karis," the half-elf said with a friendly tone. "And welcome to De'Arnese Keep."

"Come," Cernick said. "Let's leave them to their conversation."

Suddenly, an impossibly huge human man entered through the door. "Ah, Minsc and Boo have returned to see their friends and... Oh, look Boo! There's a new friend for use to make!"

Immediately, Minsc grabbed Iric's hand and poor Iric could swear he heard the bones in his hand screaming for mercy. "Hello there! Would you like to see my Boo?" he said while holding out a happy hamster.

"Ermm, hello Boo," Iric said.

"Ah, little Vierna!" Minsc said to the little Drow girl. "I have found a family of Red Robins for you to look at with your friends..."

"Well, let's go take a look then," Karis said.

"Sure, I've got nothing better to do," the dragon said.

"And my soup is all finished anyway," Imoen giggled.

"YAY!" Vierna yelled as the group made their way past Iric toward the courtyard.

Cernick offered Iric a grin an a pat on the shoulders and joined them. Iric smiled and shook his head. Working here would be an interesting experience to say the least. And there would probably be lots of fun too. But just as he made his way out of the dininghall, he heard Lady Viconia calling him from behind.

"YOU THERE, GUARDSMAN!" she yelled. "Male, step over here..."

Iric gathered all his courage, and remembering the other boy, shuffled over to his new Lady...