Thoric yawned as he opened his eyes. Staring into the carved stone ceiling, as he had for the last 6 years, he was ready to scream. Today was his 6th birthday and he was bound and determined to at least be able to speak today. When he had chosen his race, he thought about the long life he would have, with the long childhood of play and excitement. What he didn’t think about was the mind-numbing infancy stage where he stared at a ceiling for hours and hours on end. It had taken him almost three years to just crawl for the first time and another 2 to be able to walk. His mother was happy, and his father was somewhat worried. Apparently full dwarven children developed their strength fast and could crawl and walk at about the same time as a human child.

Today he hoped to say his first word. The last six years he had listened intently to all the sounds around him and thought he managed to puzzle out the meaning to some of them. Momma or Mother was definitely one of them, as was Father or Daddy. It was a little contest between his parents when the other wasn't around to say the same word over and over in hopes that he would say their name first. Grammy was the other because when the elderly woman who smacked his ass when was born would sometimes watch him for his parents. She would repeat her same word over and over as well. He never thought speaking would be so hard, but he was still thinking of his old life where compared to his new tongue, the human one was dexterous and light. His reborn tongue was like toting around a brick in his mouth. At night while lying in his bed he had mumbled and tried his best to say the words and he thought he had them all down. Most dwarven children developed strength fast but many didn’t speak before their 10th birthdays.

His mother had recently weaned him, and he was eating mashed up food from his parent’s plate. He had also gotten some control of his bowels and bladder and rarely needed a diaper change anymore. From what he could tell diet consisted mostly of vegetables, mushrooms, ram’s meat, and a few other vegetables. Sometimes on rare occasions, his father would bring treats home that he traded for on his excursions. These treats were always some kind of vegetable or other meat and as far as he knew he had never had sugar in this new world. Paired with this was either water, ewe’s milk, or watered-down alcohol. He had been drinking watered down ale or beer for years now. Even at his age, the alcohol seemed to have no effect.

Over the last several years his father would occasionally leave for somewhere and be gone for a few months at a time. During this time his mother was exceptionally clingy and had a worried look in her eye closely. Thoric assumed that his father must be doing something dangerous during these times because he could still remember a few months after he was born his father returning home cut up pretty bad, his arm in a sling, and all his clothing shredded and bloodied. On the other side every time his father returned home he got to hear his parently units getting rather amorous from across the hall.

He could no longer remember faces, voices, or names of any person from his old world. It was almost as if he had dreamed his previous life. If not for the knowledge sitting in his head as clear a crystal, he would have chaulked his memories off to a dream. Lying on his back for all those years had also allowed him to plan some for his future and what he wanted to do and be. He wanted to be wealthy, known for his genius, traveled, free, and most of all safe. He had still never seen anything other than stone, stone, and more stone. His mother had taken him to other people’s houses but when you live underground you got to see stone and dirt but not the sky and sun. He wanted to see outside but knew that wasn’t likely to happen for years yet.

Technologically, he had seen his father and many tools around the house and with their color, they were probably bronze. The only iron he had seen was a few tools his father had in his study and his fathers war-ax and hammer. His parents fed him mostly from stone chiseled plates and spoons. Their house as far as he could tell had no other obvious metals around. The light they used were torches that had flames that seemed to never burn the wood but still seemed to be treated like a real fire that could set anything else on fire the flame touched.

After he had awoken that first night after his birth he always sported a set of bronze bracers. Every time he outgrew a set, his parents would put on a new set of bracelets and from what he could tell they were bronze as well. It was odd for days and weeks after he got a new set of bracers he would get this empty feeling that felt like a deflated balloon sitting where his belly was that made him feel like he was hungry but not for food. After a few days that feeling would fade until he got his next set of bracers.

Suddenly, the curtain into his room was slid open and his mother walked in saying something in an excited voice. She reached down and picked him up spinning him around. It was exhilarating and frightening all at the same time. He laughed so hard he almost lost bladder control. His father walked into the room and said something in a booming voice and his mother tossed him to his father. His father caught Thoric and promptly put him on his hip and turned to walk into the living room then to the kitchen.

There sitting on the table was what appeared to be a cake! A real-life cake! As his father sat him down all Thoric could do was try to get his fist into that cake. A few other children were there but he didn’t care about them, all he could think of was the cake. After 6 years with no sugar, he was like a thirsty man in the desert who just saw an oasis behind the next dune. His parents sat him down and placed candles into the cake while someone looked for something to light them or at least that’s what it appeared as people looked in cabinets and boxes while that succulent morsel sat just out of reach.

Seconds turned into a minute, and he couldn’t contain himself he wanted that cake. He screamed in English but everyone else heard baby garble, “LIGHT DAMMIT!”. Suddenly, the bronze bracers emitted a loud pop as they flew across the room at 90-degree angles from his wrist and the flames from the torches on the wall screamed as they pulled themselves down like flame-throwers coating the cake. This startled him so much that he jumped and just as quickly the flames retreated. His glorious cake now looked like a blackened pile of rock. His head hurt something fierce as though someone had pulled the fire through his brain.

His parents had just turned around and screamed. His father quickly rushed from the room while saying something to his mother. Everyone around was silent and had wide round eyes of surprise. That balloon in his belly felt like it had someone puff a big blow of air into it then quickly let the balloon go. Now it felt like someone was slowly blowing it but with little slow puffs of air. His mother reached over to grab him and lift him but he was mad. His cake was ruined. He knew that room was getting a bit dimmer. All of a sudden a weird feeling assaulted him as it felt someone had plugged up another balloon in his belly right below his diaphragm. This balloon felt different and it started to inflate like someone was pouring fine grain dirt and sand into it. Suddenly the stone table trembled and started crumbling to dust while one torch after another started going out. Without warning his stomach knotted and cramped, his head started pounding, and everything got dark. Moments later he passed out.

It was just after the first bell in the morning, approximately 7 AM when Vorin and Kat woke up. Today was their son's 6th birthday and they had a lot to get ready for. Vorin had just returned after escorting a trading caravan to the human villages of Riverheart to the east. Being the thoughtful dwarf that he was, he had purchased some honey and a few other hard to find out items that would let their son get his first taste of gnomish culture. Kat had worked hard all last night prepping the items and sitting the dough out to rise so that she could whip up her son his first cake today. Confections and sweets were a common thing in gnomish families and with the dwarven restriction on visitors, her son and never had any exposure to her gnomish side traditions and culture nor his human side.

“Okay, Vorin! Get out of bed! We have so much to do and we must get going. Did you invite all your lieutenants and spouse also telling them to bring their children? Don’t forget about Captain Brumlin, her and her husband need to bring over little Ava for the party. Hurry up let's get going sleepy head.”, Kat says while poking her grumbling husband.,

“Okay love. What you're making such a big, deal of this. He is only 6 years old and won't remember anything in a few years anyway probably. He can't even speak yet even though we know he will be saying dad first.

I agree we need to get going though. I need to pop out to the blacksmith and get him to make another set of bracers for our son. I can see some metal fatigue starting to show through. It seems they last shorter and shorter each time. Of course, why should we worry surely his mana isn’t any more powerful that it was as a child and if we know about it we can watch and counteract anything he would do fairly easily.

The important question is, I saw that sweet roll rising, you are making a few for me, right? I had to travel so far for those ingredients and I am wasting away.”, Vorin said in mock with his voice laden with false humility.

“Pft! Get the other children here first then you can worry about the bracers or anything else after that. As for additional cakes, those are a gnomish tradition and I recall someone saying that gnomes were soft about 20 years ago. Its obvious with that pouch your getting we are not the only ones. And yes, there is a cake and I saved for honey for some other things.”, his wife replied with a naughty wink.

The parent separated to go about their daily chores. His mother finished baking the cakes and using the leftover honeycomb to make some candle to adorn the top of his cake. She took her time and made everything just right to showcase her gnomish heritage and make his first taste from her side of the family to be phenomenal. His father had left and ordered new bracers and quickly made a trip around to all his guards and retainers to make sure they came with their little ones.

It had taken a couple of hours to get ready for the party and get everyone invited. After everyone was in the kitchen, Kat and Vorin told everyone to be quiet while they got their son for the surprise. Kat opened the curtain to the nursery and saw their boy staring at the ceiling with a strange look on his face as though he was thinking hard about something.

“Happy birthday Little Nugget. Today is today that you get your first gnomish hummingbird cake!” she said as she picked him up. Spinning around with him in her arms while he giggles she proceeds to toss him up in the air as his eyes get wide.

Vorin says to his wife, “Toss him here and run on ahead and get the party ready.” Kat quickly tosses the child to him which he easily catches then proceeds to spin Thoric around to place him on his right hip. “Well, son today we get to eat I just hope there's enough left for you.” Vorin chuckles.

As the family walks into the kitchen, everyone greets them. Mother and father plant Thoric at the small stone table upon which rests a gold cake. It appears to have the glisten of a fresh donut and smells of vanilla and honey. Their child's eyes are huge and you can see the drool dripping from his mouth. Vorin plops their son into his stone chair just out of reach of the cake. Little Thoric gets all excited and keeps trying to reach for the cat. Vorin chuckles to himself and realizes that's definitely his son with an appetite like that.

Kat sticks the candles into the cake and asks if anyone has a tender box camp lighter to use the light it cuz she's afraid that the torches might melt the candles if they hold the cake to close to the mana torches. They look a few seconds and then someone thinks to just run out and grab a small from the woodpile they use to heat the home. Thoric keeps getting more and more agitated and suddenly babbles very loud.

Vorin sees the bronze bracers crumble and pop off of his son. The flames from the torches on the wall suddenly engulf the cake like a dragon is breathing on it. Just a few seconds later the flames suddenly stop. There is silence in the kitchen as everyone’s eyes get huge and round. Thoric starts making more noise and pounding his fist on the table, apparently throwing a temper tantrum.

Kat panics screaming asking about the replacement bracers. Vorin stands and walks rapidly into the other room to retrieve the bracers. Thoric is screaming and pounding his fist on the table reaching for the cake. Suddenly, the table starts crumbling while her son keeps crying and slapping his fist against the table. Fire and earth mana’s stream into her son rapidly as his head sinks into his arms where he promptly passes out. Moments later her husband comes back in snapping new braces on their boy.

They had wanted to keep the extent of their son’s uniqueness and power under wraps for as long as possible. His lieutenants and captain knew about his son but their spouses didn’t. They all want to ask questions how it's possible when no one with dwarven blood had ever had mana. Plenty of dwarves were spell casters but all their mana came from a god, not self-contained., Vorin calmed everyone and ended the party telling everyone to go home and take a few days off. After the parent clean the kitchen they convene to the living room with Kat holding Thoric in her lap stroking his head. Mana channel overloads were the worse.

Kat starts, “Vorin we can't let that happen again. Is he getting that much stronger making it so that he can simply break the bracers.”

“No love. Those braces were about at the end of their life remember which I mentioned it this morning that they were getting brittle. However, we might have to increase the power of them because my son can manipulate two different kinds of mana.” Vorin says with pride in his voice. “Do you realize that when the smiths here this everyone will be trying to get our son to apprentice for them. Did you know that the captain mentioned on the way out that some dwarves setup betrothals for their children quite young! As if I will determine who my child will marry. If my parents had done that to me I wouldn’t have my Kat or Elizabeth” Vorin finishes as he hugs his wife kissing her head.

“I worry as his mother. What would happen if you wouldn't have been here? At times like this, I am glad that we live in the Dwarven Kingdom. Our child is unique and most humans and that kingdom would try to exploit him I fear. With dwarves, you all look at each other as a family if even one drop of dwarven blood exists in your veins. Even the king would look at our son and protect him with his life. Now, I guess I should get that cake cleaned up and get our son to bed. He's going to have a headache and probably a fever for several days.”

Kat starts to stand holding her son close. His little eyes flutter open as he looks around. He appeared exhausted but in a quiet voice little beautiful voice that both Kat and Vorin could hear clearly he said, “Mama, daddy, GramGram.” Quickly followed by him passing out. Kat almost dropped him. It was astounding that at only 6 he could speak so plainly. Most dwarves shouldn't have been speaking for 4 more years. Just what kind of intelligence and ability was their son developing? Four more years and then they could see a wizard when the good kingdom conclave happened. As his wife left the room, Vorin just looked at the table and thought to himself, ”Son, you are going to break the bank if you keep being this ruff on furniture and torches.”

Name Thoric Steelsoul Age 6 Abilities Metal Sense Unlocked-Unskilled 5% Mana Pool: Fire Pool Novice 20% Control Unskilled-1% (LOCKED) Mana Pool: Earth Locked/Unknown Pool Unskilled 60% Control Unskilled-1% (LOCKED) Mana Pool: Others Locked/Unknown Pool ??? Control ??? Skills Engineering Mechanical Grandmaster-40% Electrical Master-22% Smithing Knowledge Skilled - 80% Ability Unskilled-0%-Hes a baby Tinkering Knowledge Expert - 27% Ability Unskilled-0%-Hes a baby Modern Knowledge Novice to Grandmaster but currently unknown worthiness