Chapter 1

I stared at the manor house of the cruel noble intently. I had been watching it every night for the last week. Soon it would be midnight and I had decided to move by then. Silently I moved to the edge of the roof and swung over to carefully make my way down the side of the building.

Keeping to the shadows I crossed to the outer wall of the manor where I paused to listen. Silently I climbed the wall and pulled my body up to lay flat on top. It was only a moment later that the sentry walked around the corner and slowly made his way past me.

As soon as he rounded the far corner I slid off the top of the wall and quietly climbed down to crouch behind a large bush. Staying in the shadows, I crossed to the manor itself. Moving along the building to the grate I knew I would find, I knelt and pried it open. Dropping flat onto the ground I crawled into the empty space, feet first.

Once I was in, I reached up and pulled the grate closed. Moving backwards I came to the open space I was expecting. Slowly I stood and turned in the tight space until I faced the back wall. Reaching up just over my head I found the lip of the air shaft and pulled myself up and in.

Crawling forward until I came to a tee junction I paused. I knew the left turn went to the back of the fireplace in the hall of the manor, but that was not my goal. Turning right, I crawled until I came to a wall. I rolled onto my back and sat up. I looked up into the inky blackness and turned sideways.

Placing my back against the wall, I squatted and slid my feet to the far wall. Keeping the pressure, I slowly made my way up the shaft. At the next opening I paused to get my breath and then moved into the crawl space. From here I had to be more careful. Slowly, I inched the five feet to the grate I was expecting.

Staying back from the opening, I watched the hallway beyond and waited. I timed the guard as he made his rounds of the hall beyond. When I had the timing down, I waited for the guard to round the far corner of the hall. Moving to the grate, I used a small flask to oil the hinge pin and then opened it and slid out. Quietly I closed it and turned to the first room on the left.

It only took a moment to pick the simple lock and silently open the door. Slipping into the room I paused, it was dark, but some of the light leaked into the room from the hall. The only thing in the room was a few crates and a pile of rags. Quietly I closed the door until only a crack remained. It was a few minutes before the guard again made his rounds. As he rounded the far corner, I opened the door and made my way down the hall to the door I had been looking for.

It had a large lock on a hasp and it was as simple for me to open as the door had been. A few seconds later I was opening the door and stepping into the room. Looking around I made a quick survey of the contents. There were several stands of armor along the back wall and half dozen medium sized chests to my right.

Moving to the chests I opened them to see the contents of each. This varied from copper pennies to half pennies, the last two chests held silver and gold. The last chest was the smallest which made sense, because the gold coins were the most valuable.

Picking it up, I looked around and moved back to the door. In the hall I set the chest down, closed the door and relocked it. Picking up the chest I moved back into the first room and set the chest down again. Listening at the door again I waited for the guard to return.

When the guard returned this time, there was another guard with him and they moved slower. When they turned the corner, I opened the door and moved back to the treasure room. Opening the lock quickly, I crossed to the stands of armor, (all were plate armor except one and that was the one I choose). Removing it from the stand, I rolled it up and put it in my knapsack.

Looking back at the stand I saw two swords there. One was a long sword and the other was a short sword. I shrugged and grabbed both and put them under my belt sash before moving back to the chest. Setting the knapsack down, I started scooping the silver coins into it on top of the chain mail.

When it was almost full I stopped, (there was not that much left in the chest). Closing the knapsack, I slung the heavy bag over my shoulder and left the room. Turning, I locked the door before retreating back to the storage room. As I was closing the door I heard the guard returning. Listening, I waited for the guard to leave.

I set the knapsack down and stuffed rags into the top. Putting the knapsack back on, I picked the small chest of gold coins up and left the room. Closing the door behind me, I crossed to the grate and opened it. I slid into the opening feet first, pulling the chest and knapsack in behind me. Once I was all the way in, I made sure the grate was closed.

My way out was a lot slower. At the grate into the yard I waited for the guard and then slipped out, closing the grate behind me. Staying in the shadows, I crossed to the wall. Setting the chest down, I unwrapped the cord from around my waist. After securing the chest, I climbed the wall and pulled the chest up to the top of the wall.

I lowered the chest down the outside of the wall and released the cord. Quickly I climbed down the wall and untied the cord before wrapping it back around my waist. Silently I slipped back into the city, just another shadow in the night. I made my way towards the southern quarter.

I reached an old inn that had burned down and slipped into the courtyard. I quietly made my way up through the rubble strewn steps that had once led to a second floor. At the top I put my back to the wall and inched my way along a narrow ledge. When I reached the large hole, I carefully stepped back and into the room. The wall looked solid, but when I lifted what looked like a solid beam there was a click. Pushing on the center of the wall, it easily moved back several feet before stopping.

Home; the room was large. It had once been part of the inn. There was a large bed, (left over from the days when the inn still stood) a table with two chairs and two cedar chests. There was another doorway that I made my way to. Opening it, I stepped in and set the small chest down; it had grown heavier with every step of the way.

With this score I knew I would not have to work for a long while. I swung the knapsack off and moved to another chest. Taking the rags out; I poured the silver coins into the small chest. I took the chain mail out and shook a few loose coins into the chest. I moved across the room and placed the mail on a stand.

Looking around there were two other sets there as well as several swords of different types. I placed the two new swords to the side. There was a pike and some staffs as well as several bows on the wall. I stretched and left the room, it had been a long night.

I pushed the wall closed and pulled down on the locking latch. I moved to one of the chests and stripped out of the dark clothing. Folding them up, I placed them in the chest and took out soft, grey colored clothing. After dressing again, I lay back on the bed and rested; falling asleep even before I expected.

I woke to the sounds of a busy street and lay staring up at the ceiling. It was time for me to move on again. This time I was thinking the coast would be nice, maybe south to White cliff or even Dune Harbor.

I rolled out of bed, first I had a debt to pay and a scroll to collect and maybe a treasure. I walked into the other room and opened the chest of gold and started counting. When I was done, I put the pile of coins in a bag and grabbed an Ironwood staff just in case. I wrapped an old shirt around the bag and left. On the street I waited in the shadows until I was sure no one was watching.

I stepped out and walked back towards the center of the city. I slipped into the shadows of an alley behind a large stone building. I tapped on a door twice and waited. A minute later I tapped once and it swung open. I scanned the room and tensed, three men stood in the room, only one I knew. He sat back down as I stepped in and closed the door. He looked at me, “Well?”

I looked at the others and back at him, “The scroll?”

He picked something up and waved it at me. I watched as the two men tensed, “Open it and show me.”

He cleared his throat, “Show me the gold.”

I looked at him and then dropped the bag. They could all hear the coins as the bag hit. “Open the scroll.”

The man by the door laughed as he pulled a long dagger, “This was just too easy.”

I smiled, watching the man with the scroll, “You really do not want to do this.”

He shrugged, “Live and learn kid.”

As the man with the dagger stepped closer my staff struck out slamming into the side of his head. He flew back against the wall and slid down it dead, his skull crushed. “I already have. Now give me the scroll or I will kill you.”

The other man leapt at me, a long piece of wood swinging from his hand. I sidestepped and blocked. Bringing the other end of the staff down in another sickening crunch and he dropped to the floor. I looked at the thieves merchant, “The scroll.”

He licked his lips and tossed the scroll, “We still have a deal, right?”

I opened the scroll and scanned it before putting it away in my shirt. I looked at the merchant and picked up the bag of gold, “You should have kept to our bargain.”

I opened the door and left, the door swinging loosely behind me. I walked into the marketplace and crossed to a small corral with three horses. I looked at the merchant, “Feed or scrub.”

He blinked and stood up, “Scrub.”

I opened the bag and took out a dozen coins. I set them on the corral post one at a time. When I finished, he looked up from the coins. I took out four more and held my hand out, “You can not remember me and need to go back to your cottage.”

I dropped the coins into his hand. He grinned, “What horses?”

I smiled as I led the horses out and across to another merchant. An hour later I was tying them up in the inn’s courtyard, thirty minutes after that I was leading them out the South gate. I stopped an hour before dark. I unsaddled the horses and tethered them. Starting a small fire, I sat back while dinner cooked.

I pulled the scroll out and opened it. I followed the marked trails on the map until I found the symbol I was looking for. A Carvanesse over a week’s travel from here, the Carvanesse were a kind of way station for merchants hundreds of years ago. The one I had been looking for had been reported as having caved in more than a thousand years ago. I knew something others did not though. All Carvanesses were enspelled to resist things like cave ins, but this one had been enspelled by a dwarven archmage.

I put the scroll away and finished dinner. In the morning, I again saddled the horses and started walking. It took me nine days to reach the area I sought and another two days to find the rockslide that hid the entrance. I set up a hidden camp not far from the entrance and put the horses on long picket lines.

I spent the afternoon setting snares and relaxing. Early in the morning I was up and working on the slide, moving rocks to the side. It was back breaking work that lasted four days. The hard part was having the patience to wait after the entrance was uncovered and opening it further so that I could just walk in.