Chapter 1

"Get yer arse up here boy," Cromwell yelled. Tanon sighed as he lept from his bed. He wondered what his master wanted now, well he knew what he wanted either to start the forge or run to the nearest tavern and get him some food. Judging from the fact he didn't hear the dwarfs stomach growling along with him it was the former. So that meant some band of adventurers had come in wanting weapons or armor made for them.

Tanon was an apprentice for the best smith in Athkatla, Cromwell Bladepacer. With the recent discovery of the ruins to the east adventurers had flocked here from all over the Sword Coast, but with all the new work came a lack of time to sleep so both he and the dwarf were getting quite tired. This was the third time this week that they had been woken up in the middle of the night for some commision or other! As Tanon bounded up the last set of stairs he ran into his master knocking them both down.

"Watch where yer runnnin ye fool boy!" Cromwell exclaimed as he picked himself and his apprentice up.

This looked odd as Tanon was closer to six and a half feet and the dwarf was not four feet tall. Cromwell was rather short even for a dwarf and his face was hardly visible behind the bushy eyebrows and bushier mustache and beard, while Tanon was tall and clean shaven. Both were muscular as was needed for their trade and wore heavy aprons to protect their bodies from the sparks and heat given off by the forge.

"Get the books and their gold then start the forge boy," Cromwell told him then went off to get a drink of his "invigorating potion" as he called it before they started working. Tanon went out into the lobby and looked at the group of people out there. Three fighters, two appearing to be half-orc from their jutting jaw and arguing about who's sword was bigger, and a wizard. While most wizards in Amn appeared skittish and wary this one appeared bored and unconcerned.

The non-half-orc fighter was grinning widely Tanon went up to him and asked,"Name?"

The fighter kept grinning and said with a low bow," Coland of the Thunder Axes out of Luskan here to investigate the ruins east of here."

Well isn't that nice Tanon thought but said," And what do you want made this evening"

"I was wanting you to make me some ankheg plate mail, now how much would this cost?" Coland asked this all the while smiling.

"That would require 5000 gold and the shell of an ankheg," Tanon said while cleaning the soot out from under his nails.

"Well then hold on and I will retrieve the items from my pack" As Coland bent down to get the items from his pack Tanon examined him and the wizard. Coland was wearing an archiac set of splint mail and was just shy of 6 feet, the mage was maybe 5'3 or 5'4 he was wearing numerous peices of jewelery and robes the color of the sea, a type of blue green.

Coland staightened up holding the ankheg shell in one hand and a bulging bag in the other. Tanon took both and recorded the transaction in the book. That being done he put the book on the shelf and went downstairs he put the money in the safe and layed the shell on the table as he started the bellows.

Tanon wiped the sweat from his brow as he looked on at his and the dwarfs handy work. The ankheg shell had been transformed from a hollow carcass into a set of fine plate mail. The dwarf was already on his way out to tell the party in the lobby it was done. Tanon took a moment to gaze at the finished peice then followed his master out with the armor in hand. The dwarf was talking to Coland about him coming to the forge for future business. The wizard beckoned him over saying he would take the armor. Tanon shrugged it didn't matter to him.

As he turned back to his master to ask if he could go to bed or needed to start his chores he was surprised to hear," And what of your apprentice can he wield a sword," coming out of Coland's mouth.

Cromwell answered," Aye well enough he can, he's helped me a couple of times against costomers unwilling to pay for the finished product."

" Is that so," Coland asked," It just so happens I was lookin for another sword hand before I go back down in the ruins."

"Well I dunno if I could spare ye the boy times are very busy at the moment but I'll leave it up to the boy, his appreticeship is nearly over," the dwarf stated nuetrally. While he would hate to see the boy go but he was grown and Cromwell could do little to stop him.

Coland just stared, leave become an adventurer that would have been just fool's talk last night but now it was an opportunity. Tanon looked at his master but Cromwell just stared back. "Alright I'll join your group," he said letting out his breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Ok then boy come down here I have somethin I'm wantin to give ya," Cromwell said. Tanon just nodded.

"What did you want to give me master?" Tanon asked, he was dismayed at having to leave his master but when would this kinda thing happen again.

Cromwell went into the stockroom with Tanon following quietly. The dwarf went over to a chest in the corner and slowly unlocked it. He drew out a sword, it was long almost to long to be wielded with one hand, it was a bastard sword. Also called a hand-and-a-half sword, the sword was encased in a scabbard with two runes on either side at the top of it. The sword itself looked to be made of mithral and the hilt was a gleaming silver while the grip was some type of golden metal the pommel jewel was a gleaming emerald inside a circle of silver.

"You should be able to defend yourself well enough with this sword," Cromwell stated. "Go and pick ye a suit of armor then pack yer stuff up. Then I don't want to see you back here until yer a sucessful adventurer with plenty of gold." As he said this he went to his room wiping a tear on his shirt as he went, this always happened, every time one of his apprentices moved on it was always hard.

Sorry it's so short I'll try and write chapter 2 longer.