1

It was another bright and sunny day in the little sleepy village of Nina, when Rowdy Pinkerton finally awoke from his deep slumber. The bed covers were half off the bed and onto the floor, the result of a fitful sleep. It was a side effect of drinking, he told himself as he sat up. A mild headache began to surface. He cursed his own natural tendency towards alcohol in large quantities.

Getting out of bed he looked at the clock ticking away on the wall. It seemed louder that usual. His scruffy face flinched at the time. “Quarter after nine!” Rowdy cursed. He was late! The other engineers would already be waiting for him to bring the part they needed. In fact, he was certain that someone would be at the door momentarily to see why he had not arrived yet!

Hastily he dressed. No knock yet. He put on dark brown breeches, shoes and pulled a beige woollen shirt over his short stocky frame. He went to the kitchen to find something to eat. Rowdy had a nice little house near the center of the village. Like many homes in the village, it was built out of a small hill. The thickness of earth surrounding the home kept it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. There were five rooms, a common room and kitchen which were more like one room, two bedrooms and a winter storage room. Being a bachelor, he had no use for the second bedroom. It had become a workshop of sorts where he could tinker and experiment with this and that. That’s what engineers did after all, they tinkered around with various tools and blueprints until something of use could be made from them.

People often wonder why he was still a bachelor, especially the women folk of Nina. They sometimes took great interest in his personal affairs prodding him with a multitude of questions about his life. Why wasn’t he married yet? Why hadn’t he settled down? Just because he was now eighty years old, in the prime of his life no less, they felt he should be settling down? The women folk were always quick to point out that all of his friends were already married! By Cuthbert, some of them already had children!

Yet Rowdy was not concerned about it. He was a Gnome and with an average life of about four hundred years, he felt there was still plenty of time to settle down and have a family. What was all that rush about anyways? Rowdy Pinkerton had not lost his sense of adventure, at least not yet.

Was that why he drank? pondered. Probably not, but it helped that the women’s questions about marriage did not matter much once a few pints of stout had been consumed! However, there were the nagging questions about Ellie. Ellie was a girl about Rowdy’s age who always had eyes for him. He saw it when he ran into her at the local tavern where they sometimes shared a drink or two. He saw her at the local festivals where they would sometimes dance together late into the evening. He would always stop to talk to her whenever he saw her in the village streets. He liked Ellie very much. He may even dare to say he loved her, but that was not why he was afraid of marriage. He was stuck in his ways of bachelorhood. He liked the life he was leading, although it could use some more adventure, more spontaneity. Marriage and family just seemed like a predictable next step, rather than something truly adventurous.

No, all of that was just a lie that Rowdy told himself. The truth was he was worried about money. He had a small house and a modest property, but his source of income was patchy at best. Not to mention that he drank much of his free money away. He needed some more money, maybe steady work that could provide the funds he felt he would need if he was to be wed and have children. It was not that Gnomes needed much money. The community was more of a collective, helping each other in times of need. Yet the village could not provide everything. There were some things, especially when working on new projects, when supplies would have to be bought at a high cost. If he needed anything from other villages or Humans, he would need lots of money. Need food for the winter? Still more money!

Searching around the kitchen he found half a loaf of bread only a day old. It would have to do since he did not have anytime to prepare a proper breakfast. Suddenly he remembered why he had to leave so early in the first place. He ran back to his workshop and grabbed the part that was needed for that day’s project. It was a large round block of solid oak with large pegs that stood out like spokes on a wheel only they were not attached to anything. It looked like a child’s toy, only much larger.

So, with loaf in hand and part under his arm, he grabbed a hat and stepped out the front door. The door itself was only four and a half feet high, but Gnomes were only three and a half feet on average, so it suited Rowdy’s size just fine.

The morning air was clean and fresh. He breathed deeply. There was strange wind blowing that day, like something was going happen. The anticipation hung in the air, like an unanswered question.

“Good morning, Mr. Pinkerton!”

It was that damned woman from next door! Her high-pitched voice grated on Rowdy’s nerves. On top of that she was a nosy busy body which irked him to no end. She was old, fat and had five brats. Her husband died years ago. Rowdy like to muse that she probably talked him to death! Rowdy only smiled and waved to her with the loaf of bread.

“I would love to stay and chat, but I’m already late! I must get up the hill to the windmill! Very important village business!” With a wave he was off. It was not just a convenient excuse. He really did need to get there soon!

Quickly, he walked along the dusty streets of Nina. People who saw him all waved, some shouting a greeting. Rowdy waved back as best he could with a heavy oak part under one arm and chewing on a loaf of bread with his free hand. The hill was not far, only half a mile. It was on the outskirts of town on the north side. To the south of town was the lake, which was small as lakes go, but as far as Gnomes were concerned it was just to their liking because they engineered it that way.

Nina was a purely Gnomish village. Humans (or any other race for that matter) were not allowed to live there. They could only visit and stay a week at the most. It had been that way for hundreds of years. Even though it was in the Verant Empire, just two days travel north of Verant City to be exact, they were self-governing. The records were very old, but hundreds of years ago the Humans had come across the Gnomes. Fighting the Humans was not an option. Humans were much bigger and stronger, so a peace agreement was drawn up. The Gnomes could live as they always had without interference, but this was Verantian land. Foreign policy and military protection were provided by the Empire. Instead of collecting taxes for these services, the Humans ask only that the Gnomes share their knowledge of engineering. Thus, the Gnomish society was swathed within the womb of the Empire and left to its own devices. A town council ran the village affairs and acted as a liaison to the Verant Imperial government on the village’s behalf. The village could not refuse a direct order from the Empire, but they had room to negotiate the terms. The government usually did not ask that much of them and for the most part, the villagers of Nina were happy to be part of the Empire. There were dozens of other Gnomish villages dotting the landscape. All had similar treaties with the Empire to protect their settlements as well.

A lazy stream drifted through the center of town and feed the lake. Normally the mill would have been built along the shore, but the stream was slow moving and not very effective for such a task. Gnomish people, being both inventors and engineers, had designed a structure up on the hill that took advantage of the winds. The wind turned a wheel which connected to the grinding stone to grind up the wheat or dried corn into flour. It worked very well, but recently some parts had worn out and had to be replaced. Rowdy was commissioned to do the work and was very happy to have it. This was the last part to be delivered.

Rowdy was an excellent engineer, but all his friends in the past had gone off at one point or another to work for the Verant Empire. Rowdy had never taken on an imperial assignment and now he was regretting it. His friends all came back with great stories of noble deeds, extraordinary place that they had seen and exotic people that they had met.

Where were his stories? Rowdy wondered. He was a young man now and other then the occasion trip into Verant City, which was very impressive, he had no real stories to tell.

Rowdy pushed thoughts of adventure aside and continued up the path to the large tower-like structure at the top of the hill. Some of the village children followed him up the hill.

“Where are going Mr. Pinkerton?” One little girl asked in a shrill high-pitched voice that only a small child could muster.

He gave them all a scolding look. “Shouldn’t you be at home clinging to your mother’s apron strings?”

They ignored his response, giggling and running along side him. “Can we come with you?” Another child asked.

“As long as you stay out of the way!” He replied gruffly, yet he indulged them. Not that he made a habit of such things, but the village was tight knit. He knew every child in town. He knew who they’re parents were as well. Besides, other adults would be there, village elders. Rowdy thought it was good for the young ones to be curious about engineering, maybe get a good look at what they were doing. It was the Gnomish way after all.

Curiosity was in their blood and it was greatly encouraged. The children gather together in school to learn how to read, write and understand mathematics. Gnomes were always willing to teach each other. That was how they stayed ahead on the latest ideas in engineering. They invented repeating crossbows, fireworks, gunpowder, steel and the printing press to name just a few of the things for which Gnomes had become famous. In fact, the Gnomes were held in high regard by the Empire, they were a coveted resource. The key to Gnomish knowledge was that it was shared within the community. For bigger projects they even shared knowledge with some other Gnome villages.

The windmill was the latest invention. It stood almost twenty feet high. The south face had a door to go inside, but it was small, only a few could go in at one time. On the other side were long scythe-like wooden frames covered with soft canvas that could catch the wind. It looked almost sinister in nature, but it was in fact a great feat of engineering. The scythe-like arms attached at the center to a rod connected to a spiked wheel. That wheel connected at an angle to another one. The second wheel was attached to a rod that was attached to a grinding stone. It was very effective in high winds and could grind enough flour in an hour to supply the whole village for a week! It was a real time saver and the village people had come to depend on it. The winds were carefully observed and measured so as the understand the best times to come up here and operate the mill.

Standing next to the windmill at the top of the hill, were five other Gnomes. Two were older with grey hair and long beards, but three others were of Rowdy’s generation.

“Let’s finish this today, Rowdy!” One of the old men with a stout frame and plaid breeches shouted to him. “And what’s this! You bring half the villages wandering children with you!”

The children ran to the elder, giving him hugs. “Come here you little scamps!” He joked with them, pinching their cheeks and trying to tickle them under the arms. They cheered and laughed, running all around him.

“I have the part here!” Rowdy proclaimed. He added. “Careful! It’s not light.”

One of the younger men took the wheel from Rowdy. The man smirked at him as he hefted the piece.

Another Gnome looked at his pocket watch. “Nine-thirty, Rowdy? Drinking again I’ll assume, not even time for breakfast I see.”

He pointed to Rowdy’s half eaten loaf.

Rowdy’s face flushed red and he finished the food swiftly.

“Why do you think the old one wore out so fast?” Someone asked him as they entered the structure.

“I think the wood was too soft,” Rowdy replied. “The old parts were made out of pine. This new one is white oak. Stronger denser wood. It should last much longer.”

He could get into the finer points of various wood properties and densities if they asked him, but he did not want to waste any more time.

“Let’s get to work while we still have daylight!” The old man joked. The children were still laughing and playing all around him. As an elder of the village, he was of course merely supervising the work and it seemed the children too.

2

“This must be it,” Emerson said pointing at the old wooden sign.

They had been travelling north along the Verant Imperial road for almost two days now. Luckily, the weather had been very good. Sunny, but not too hot or humid, summer was almost there. Still, they were all tired and needed this little break.

The instruction in the document told them to get an engineer in the village of Nina. All they had to do was hire one, they had one hundred gold coins as payment and the mission would probably take about two months. With a five-person escort, it would be relatively safe. At least that’s what they all hoped.

The sign that Emerson pointed to said NINA and had an arrow pointing down a narrow, but well-groomed path that went off into a forested area. It did not say how far it was or anything else for that matter.

“This village better have an inn, I’m starving!” Rith moaned.

“Well, they could have marked it better, but I guess this is the road. I hope it’s not too far,” Elwin said stepping onto the new path.

They walked for three miles before they came upon a sight that astonished them. The forest went on for the whole length and then suddenly dropped away to reveal the village of Nina. It looked much like a Human village only everything was smaller. They saw little people walking along the pathways. It was all organically put together with streets and houses placed everywhere in elaborate patchworks. A small stream flowed through the center feeding into a small lake. To the northern the grassy hills stood out, dominating the whole cleared area.

A group of children suddenly appeared and started walking along side them from about twenty feet off. They giggled and waved. They appeared so small like dolls. Elwin could not believe what he was seeing. He rubbed his eyes to make sure it was not a hallucination. He looked around and saw that Selby was the only one not totally shocked by the site.

Selby looked over at Elwin with a strange look. “I think this is a Gnomish village.”

“How do you know?” Elwin asked.

Selby did not seem sure at all. “Well, I’ve never been to one, but these are all Gnomes so…” He shrugged rather than finish what he was saying.

Elwin had never seen a Gnome in real life, but he knew about them from stories. There existence was common knowledge in the Empire, but they rarely left their communities, so most folk never saw them. No, that was not completely true, he thought. He noticed a few Gnomes in Verant City, but he did not know what they were at the time and saw them only from the distance of a plaza. At the time he thought they might have been Dwarves or something similar. Selby now confirmed what he had suspected.

The children ran off to their houses giggling and shouting. “Mama, Dada, we saw Humans in the village!”

“Are they friendly?” It was Emerson’s only real concern.

“Of course!” Selby scoffed at the notion that Gnomes could pose a danger.

A Gnomish woman came to the door of her house as the party walked past. “If it’s the engineers you’re looking for, they’re up the hill!” The woman pointed up to the windmill. She had a strange accent.

“Thank you!” Anna shouted and waved. The Gnomish woman waved back.

They seemed very friendly, Elwin thought.

They continued along the path and up the hill. Others came out to stare at them. More children followed them up the hill pointing, laughing and giggling all the way.

When they got to the windmill, the children called out. “Humans! Humans!” The six Gnomish men came running out of the building.

“Well met!” The oldest one of the group shouted. Then he asked. “Are you here on imperial business?”

“Yes,” Elwin replied. He still could not get over how utterly Human they looked, only smaller!

The children began tugging at Anna’s cloak shouting “Lady! Lady!” They handed her wildflowers that grew on the hill.

“I hope the children aren’t a bother! I’m Herme by the way!” The eldest man said. He appeared to be in charge.

Elwin stepped forward and shook his hand. He introduced his companions to the Gnomes.

“They’re so cute!” Anna exclaimed. Her hands were quickly filling with flowers, but the children kept bringing more.

“They’re just curious! We see Humans from time to time. Just shoo them away if they become a bother!” Hermes took out a small pipe and a pinch of tobacco and packed the pipe.

“They’re like little dolls, I love them!” She knelt down hugging a few of them close, they crowded around her.

“How did you know we were on imperial business?” Elwin questioned.

“Easy, that’s why most Humans come here! You don’t look like merchants. You don’t have a wagon. So, I’m thinking you’re adventurers and you need an engineer for imperial business,” Herme said with a shrug.

Elwin shifted awkwardly. “You seem wise. Am I to assume you’re in charge here?”

All the other Gnomes laughed.

Elwin did not quite get the joke. Was he misreading the situation? He wondered. It created a moment of tension. He had no idea what would happen next. It was unnerving.

Herme broke the tension as quickly as it was created. “I’m the eldest and get the most respect at council, but all Gnomes are the leader. Everyone has a voice in what the village does,” A broad smile crossed his face.

Elwin relaxed and then confessed. “Well, You are right, we need an engineer.”

“Look no further! We have the best ones right here!” Herme proclaimed.

“Do you have a document bearing the imperial seal?” The other old Gnome asked suspiciously.

Elwin dug into his scroll case and pulled out the document he was given by the guild to present with the money. He handed it over to Herme.

It bore the official seal of the griffin with its front paws raised. Herme unrolled it and read. It was a simple contractual document that gave the terms of the agreement.

“It says here that you are to escort one engineer north to the town of Domara. You could be gone over a month or more,” Herme said after glancing it over. He handed it off to one of the others to look over. Using a match from his pocket he lit up the pipe. Soon smoke was rising in spirals.

“I know, but it does pay one hundred in gold,” Elwin said.

3

Rowdy’s eyes widened at the mention of the money. Strange winds blow today indeed! He could not believe his luck. One hundred gold coins was almost an entire year’s wage in the village!

Eventually the document was handed back. Herme made a comment with a raised eyebrow. “It says you need a structural engineer.”

“We’ve been told it’s an earthquake that may have damaged the town,” Elwin said.

“I can do structural engineering!” Rowdy said stepping forward.

“No Rowdy,” Herme said. “You’re our best engineer.”

“Nonsense Herme!” Rowdy complained. “Any one of these men here are capable of doing what I do!”

The other old man spoke. “I think we should have a council meeting!”

“No need, I volunteer. I’ll go with them. It’s only a month or two at the most,” Rowdy countered. The spirit of adventure was growing deep down inside him. This was more that just the money, this was a chance to get out and stretch his legs.

“Alright,” Herme said nodding in approval. “No council meeting. I’ll let you go on the promise that you will be back, if not for the village’s sake, then for Ellie’s!”

The last comment brought giggles out of all the Gnomes, even the children. A child whispered in Anna’s ear. “Ellie really like Rowdy!” Anna laughed. All the Gnomes seemed so charming to her.

Elwin just needed an engineer. He really did not care who it was, as long as they were competent. Rowdy seem as good as any and besides he volunteered. But did he know what he was getting into?

“So Rowdy, is it? I’m Elwin,” he said reaching out and shook his hand.

“I still think there should be a council meeting!” The old man said.

“Shut up!” Herme shouted. “We have plenty of engineers here, of course Rowdy can go. We don’t need to bother the council!”

“Should we be worried?” Elwin asked looking over at the two arguing old Gnomes.

“Naw, they’re fine. Nothing to worry about here! Now let’s go talk,” Rowdy said.

As they walked down the pathway the rest of the group trailed behind them. Anna was still being surrounded by the children who seemed to love her whole heartedly. They kept calling her Lady which sounded strange to her ears. Elwin and Rowdy talked about the agreement. Elwin told him everything he knew about the assignment. Rowdy did not ask any pressing questions that Elwin could not answer. The timing was perfect for both of them, the ideal business arrangement.

The group followed Rowdy over to his house near the center of the village. Some Gnomes stopped and gawked while still more waved and smiled. All the children who saw them were fascinated and came running up to greet them. Rowdy shooed them away. “Run along you little pests!” He encouraged Elwin and his friends to do the same if the children were a bother.

4

Rowdy’s house was perfectly sized for Gnomes, but Humans would have trouble moving around with a ceiling less than five feet high. The men elected to wait outside while Rowdy gather up a few things he would need, but Anna was more curious than the others and desperately wanted to see inside the little home, even if it meant crawling on her hands and knees in order to fit!

“Can I come in and see your house?” She asked. “I’ve never been to a Gnomish village before!”

Rowdy eyed her cautiously, but he relented. “Alright, but don’t touch anything!”

Rowdy open the door and entered. Anna, even at her short size of five feet four inches, had to duck down to get inside the home. The children did not follow her.

She marvelled at what she saw. Many things were familiar, just more diminutive. The table and chairs in the kitchen were just like any other house. A window in the kitchen filled the room with light. There was another one on the other side of the common room where she saw a few padded and comfortable chairs around a fireplace.

She followed Rowdy down a narrow corridor that led to the bedrooms. She was bent over trying to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling. Rowdy went into his bedroom. Grabbing a large backpack, he stuffed a few changes of clothing inside.

“I have to grab a few things from my workshop,” he told her. “Are we going someplace dangerous?”

Anna shrugged. “We’ve never been there before. But the roads aren’t as secure as they used to be.”

“Just great!” Rowdy muttered under his breath. “Bloody civil war!”

Anna followed him down the hall to the spare bedroom that had been converted into the workshop. The room was just littered with curious things. All kinds of tools lay everywhere. There was chair, but no one could sit on it because it was so filled with what Anna could only describe as junk. A long table was filled with little side projects that Rowdy liked to work on in his spare time. He grabbed a holster harness that strapped over his shoulders and around his stomach, it had two holsters on it. But they did not appear to be made for swords or daggers. Rowdy pulled open a drawer on the desk. He took out two small items with round metal barrels and wooden handles. He stuffed them into the holsters.

“What are those?” Anna questioned.

“These are pistols. Have you never seen one my Lady?”

Anna shook her head staring at them. Rowdy was not looking at her, he was busy digging around the table to find everything he needed. Lead pellets, a small pouch of gunpowder and some matchlock charges.

“They are a Gnomish invention. Pistols and muskets both,” Rowdy explained. “That’s what we Gnomes do you see. We’re inventors!”

Anna saw another item on the table that looked like a crossbow, but it had the large addition on top of it. “What’s this?” She asked picking it up.

Rowdy looked at her alarmed. “What did I say about touching stuff! Don’t you know that it’s loaded? Foolish Humans!”

“Sorry, I’m just curious! It looks a lot like a crossbow,” she pointed out.

Rowdy snatched it from her hands. “If you’re not careful, someone could be hurt or worse!”

“I said I’m sorry, I won’t touch anything else! I swear by the Fire Lord!” Anna was sitting on the floor. It was the only place she could find that was comfortable. Her back was sore from crouching so long.

“Fire Lord indeed!” Rowdy said. “If you must know, you’re half right. It’s a crossbow, but it’s a special Gnomish design. We call it the repeating crossbow. It was built by an imperial order. The army is going to use them for defensive proposes. It’s not practical for anything else.”

“Really! How does it work?” Anna enquired. Since she used a bow mostly, she was also trained in the crossbow, but this repeating crossbow really intrigued her.

“This chamber here,” Rowdy pointed out the box mounted on top where the bolt would normally be loaded into the draw string. “Is where the bolts are loaded. It can hold a dozen. This crank here,” he pointed to another spot on the bow that had a funny sort of handle. “When you turn it, it sets the draw string back and locks it into place. All you have to do is pull the trigger and it will fire. You turn the crank again to reset and it’s ready to fire again.”

“Wow! That sounds incredible, yet so simple!” She marvelled at the design.

“The mechanism is complicated of course,” He said. “But the operation is simple.”

“I use bows myself. I would love to have something like that,” she commented imagining what it must be like to see it in action.

Rowdy looked cross. He stuffed it into a large desk drawer and closed it. “That crossbow is worth almost 150 gold coins and I will not part with it! Besides the pistols will due just fine for our protection.”

“What if we run into Wild Elves?” She questioned. It was a remote chance, but not impossible.

“Wild Elves! Nonsense! Like I said, it’s a defensive weapon anyway. It’s too heavy to wield accurately without a mount,” Rowdy explained. He packed up a few more small tools and a tent that might come in handy. His backpack, which was of Gnomish proportions, was now filled to the brim. He strapped it to his back and the two went back to his common room. Anna had to almost crawl along the dusty hardwood floor.

Suddenly there was a knock at Rowdy’s door. He had a puzzled expression.

With an annoyed express on his face, he flung open the door. But the Humans had not knocked, instead a Gnomish woman stood before him. Her face was pale white and she looked very irritated with him.

“Why are their Humans hanging around your house Rowdy?” She asked in a harsh voice. She tried keeping it low since they were standing right there. Peering around Rowdy she saw Anna kneeling behind him. Anna waved at the Gnomish woman with a bright smile.

“Ah Ellie, How are you?” Rowdy asked awkwardly.

She pushed right past him and into the room. She looked Anna all over with suspicious eyes. Ellie was fair haired with milky white clear skin and haunting fiery eyes.

“Don’t Ellie me!” She cried before he could even explain. “Packed are you Rowdy? Planning on going somewhere?”

“Please Ellie! I was just about to come and see you…”

“To explain?” She crossed her arms and gave him a scolding look.

“Precisely! These Humans have an imperial assignment. They need an engineer, it’s a surveying expedition,” he explained.

“And you’re going? Rowdy you’ve never left the village before,” She pointed out.

“Exactly. I need to get out a stretch my legs a little bit,” he said with a weak smile.

“And what about me Rowdy! Poor Ellie gets left behind, does she?” She complained. Her anger and fear were welling up, coming into her voice.

“It’s not like that, Ellie. I’ll only be gone for a month or two. I’ll be back before the summer is even over,” Rowdy tried to reason with her but to no avail.

“Two months! You’ll miss the summer solstice festival! Who will I dance with at the festival if you’re not there?” Ellie protested.

Anna could she that she was fighting back the emotions, but her lip was trembling. This was terrible news for her to hear so suddenly. What was Rowdy thinking? She wondered.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” He tried to grab her hand, but she recoiled in anger and turned away.

“Maybe I should wait outside,” Anna finally spoke up.

“Maybe you should!” Ellie shouted as Anna reached the door. Cringing, Anna did not turn around. She crawled out through the narrow opening leaving Rowdy and Ellie alone.

5

“Look, this assignment pays a lot of money. An entire year’s worth for two months of work. That’s why I’m doing it. I was coming to tell you straight away. I swear to Cuthbert I was!” Rowdy pleaded his case.

“You know I don’t like to get emotional, and you know how I feel about you,” She sighed trying to fight back tears. “By the Gods I feel so stupid.”

“I know,” Rowdy said. “I feel the same…”

Ellie turned back to face him. “Rowdy I have put up with a lot of things. But how much longer do I have to live at home with my parents like an old maid?”

“I know you’re tired of living at home. I’ll be gone almost two months. You can stay here in my home if you need to get away. Treat it like your own.”

“I have been waiting a long time Rowdy. How much longer do I have to wait?” She asked ignoring his comments. It was like they were having two different conversations.

“After I come back and before the harvest festival, I promise!” Rowdy assured her. It was probably a strange way to prepose marriage. But so be it. It was the next step and by Cuthbert it felt right.

“If you’re stringing me along Rowdy, by Cuthbert, I will kill you!” She stated, wiping away her tears.

“I swear we can be wed before the harvest festival,” Rowdy said.

He embraced her. She held tight for along time, refusing to let go until he swore on his life that he was coming back for her.