Noncas' story
Awdz finished hammering out her latest project, a finely-crafted mining pick for a guild member to use on granite. As the ranger lifted it up to check her crafting one final time, she caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning from the public anvil near Aughundell’s main gates, she peeked through a doorway she previously had always ignored.
"Hello?" Awdz inquired. She watched a gnomish figure scuttling about in the back room. "Oh, are you visiting Aughundell?"
"Nope, I live and work here since Rachival was invaded. I want to help the dwarves out with tinkering as much as I can," he replied without looking, then turned around. Awdz gave a low gasp as their eyes met.
The bustling gnome stopped short on seeing Awdz. His eyes widened as he noted her exquisite mithril armor, her well-worn weapons and her capable handling of her equipment. With his next breath, he dove behind a cupboard. Startled, Awdz stepped forward.
"Noncas?" she asked, tentatively coming around the cupboard to look at him. "Noncas Fizzlebot?"
"Please! Don’t kill me! Just leave me in peace!" Noncas huddled in a corner, shaking as if in fear for his life. Awdz paused, confused.
"I’m gifted. I protect the citizens of Istaria, I do not kill them," Awdz tried to soothe the frightened gnome. "I only kill the Withered Aegis and their minions – you know, like the ones who invaded Rachival."
"It wasn’t really my fault and I didn’t mean it! Please don’t kill me!" The gnome cringed away from Awdz, terrified of her. Awdz stared at him, puzzled.
"What are you talking about, Noncas? Don’t you know who I am? It’s just Awdz…" She put her hand on his arm to comfort him, and he cautiously peeked over at her.
"Awdz… Could it be?" He looked at her with a mix of hope and extreme sorrow. "You do not know?"
Awdz gave Noncas a look filled with wonder, confusion and a touch of frustration. "I don’t know what you’re referring to… I know you used to work with me Da in Rachival – eons ago when I was a young gnome – before Rachival was invaded." Awdz stopped speaking, overcome with grief as she always was at the mention of that horrible night. Noncas stood silent and wary of her as she collected herself. After a moment, she looked at him with hope in her eyes.
"Noncas, you worked with me Da right up until the invasion, you must have been with him. Please, can you tell me what became of him?" Awdz gazed at Noncas tearfully, fear and determination warring within her as she waited to hear his tidings.
Noncas shifted his feet uncomfortably and looked away from her.
"I cannot tell you where he is now. I honestly do not know. That… that was a terrible, terrible time. I have tried to forget about it as much as possible, and to make a new life here in Aughundell, where I can truly be of help. I am sorry; more sorry than you can possibly know." With this last statement, Noncas looked at her, pleading earnestly for forgiveness with his eyes.
Astounded by the intensity of his reponse to her question, Awdz felt ashamed. "Oh Noncas, I am sorry for bringing up such painful memories. I just miss me Da…" At that, Noncas cringed again.
"…But I too have made a new life for myself. I found Gwillimena and Gadzooks!" Noncas looked up, surprised but happy at the news, and let Awdz continue.
"We all joined the same guild. Gwillimena has a house in Mahagra, but Gadzooks and I live in Toku now; my guild has built up a nice settlement. Not many gnomes, but all wonderful beings. Even some dragons! They don’t all eat gnomes after all!" Awdz smiled happily in thinking of how the warnings from when she was little turned out to be less absolute than she’d been taught.
"I did go back to Rachival for signs of what might have happened to Da, but only found some of his old notes and his prototype klava maker. I took it to Gangaf – he’s in Dalimond now – and he was able to help me fix it. We have klava again in Istaria! You must come have some klava with me!"
At the mention of klava, Noncas’ face turned dark and he growled at Awdz: "I will never, NEVER! have klava again! Don’t ever offer it to me!" He thrust her hand off her arm and slumped into the corner against the cupboard.
Absolutely stunned, Awdz knelt next to him. "What is it? You used to love klava, could not get enough of it, kept trying all kinds of new things in it, convinced the most leery of it to try it – and everyone loved it, too – and you were the only one allowed to touch Da’s mithril klava maker besides him. What happened?"
Noncas stared into space. "I just cannot bear the memories it brings back," he replied.
"Nonsense, Noncas!" Awdz retorted. "We drink klava to celebrate the good memories and to help us move on with creating new ones. You must come have some klava with me!"
"No, Awdz, I cannot," Noncas said quietly. "You have no idea… there is so much more to it than you can possibly know."
Sensing a deeply buried, painful truth needing release, Awdz sat next to Noncas and gently said, "Please, Noncas, tell me what happened. I need to know. No matter how bad it is, I promise I will only try to help."
Noncas searched her face before replying. Seeing only compassion and worry there, he came to a decision, took a deep breath and began.
"I guess it really started couple of weeks before the invasion. As you know, I worked with your Da Egad as his apprentice. Well, back then, I was an eager journeyman tinker, bent on making my mark on the world.
"I had made some key contributions to your Da’s research, refinements to his creations that made them a little more convenient to use, but nothing truly novel. Nevertheless, I wanted him to declare me a master tinker. He refused, saying I was showing great promise but not ready yet.
"I was upset, and determined to show him that I really deserved the rank of master. I tried to think of something truly impressive with which I could convince him of my ability. I did not realize then that it was not a measure of ability but maturity that he felt I lacked. In any event, I could not come up with anything that was not simply a variation on his work.
"I knew that the mithril klava maker was going to be the biggest invention he was going to present at the upcoming tinker’s convention, so I decided to try improving the strength of the klava we could make. I searched for novel ingredients to add to the klava, to test each batch by tasting it myself. I even kept a separate notebook from Egad’s, so I could prove the research was my own. I thought to thus convince the tinkers at the convention that I was ready to be a master tinker even if your Da disagreed.
"A few days before the invasion, I came across something I’d never seen before: blighted resources. Intrigued by the odd glow from them, I harvested some samples, and found a bonus buried deep within them – a substance now known as unstable essence of blight."
Awdz gasped at the thought of blighted materials in klava, knowing the blight as poison to all the inhabitants of Istaria. Noncas gave her a sorrowful look and continued.
"I put the unstable essence of blight in the very next batch of klava I made, using the mithril klava maker since I doubted the steel prototype would be able to handle the energies it seemed to contain. The klava maker behaved very, very strangely after I added that new component, requesting things I’d never heard of before, soul fragments and spirit oil. I’ve since learned that those go into the making of ambrosia, balancing out the evil of the blight for release of great power without negative side effects. Unfortunately, I neither understood that then, nor had those ingredients.
"Being set on coming up with something to present at the convention and running out of time, I went ahead with the batch of klava, leaving out those requested components. The klava maker steamed and clunked terribly, but eventually put out a very odd-smelling brew. As was our custom, having made the batch, I tested it by having the first cupful of it."
Horror grew on Awdz’s face as she listened to Noncas’ story. The thought of anything blighted in klava – no wonder he did not ever want any again! Noncas grimaced at the memory of it and continued his story.
"It really did not taste as bad as you might expect, though it was nowhere near as tasty as normal klava. I felt a rush of power course through me, and felt I could do anything! What I did not know, was that my judgement was corrupted.
"Having heard rumors of the Withered Aegis nearing Rachival, your Da had another invention he was going to unveil at the convention, that he had created in collaboration with Gangaf Tagley: a sort of sentient, extremely powerful automaton of defense. I had helped with some of the construction of it, but Gangaf had enabled it to move about and Egad had done all of the tinkering to give it limited sentience. In my corrupted state, I decided that I could improve their work with a few modifications."
Awdz started. She had heard rumors of a tinker turning against the gnomes at the time of the invasion, something about an automaton turning against them, but had never connected it with her Da’s work. Already horrified by the thought of blighted klava, she had difficulty wrapping her mind around Noncas’ next words.
"I am not really sure of what all I changed in the automaton; my memory while the blighted klava was affecting me is still very hazy. I think I gave it the ability to create lesser versions of itself, and gave it an aggressive nature instead of defensive. I may even have added some of the blighted klava to its lubrication system. In my state of mind, it was supposed to make the construct more effective against the invaders. Finishing the modifications, I christened it ‘Project X’.
"Giddy with my achievements, and wanting to surprise all tinkers with it at the convention, I tried to cover up what I had done. I emptied the klava maker but did not clean it properly; I can only attribute that lapse to the effect of the corrupted klava. I closed up the automaton and left it appearing approximately as Egad had left it last. I had no idea of the havoc my actions would wreak in the next days."
Tears began to well in Awdz’s eyes as Noncas described the events that followed.
"During this time, your Da had been negotiating with the dwarves in Aughundell for security reinforcements in return for trade goods such as cargo discs. We knew that our city would have a tough time surviving the rumored impending attack… if only we knew how tough!
"Anyway, Egad returned less than an hour after I finished resetting all his things. He said that a contingent of the dwarves was due to arrive in a few minutes, and he wanted a fresh batch of klava going in the mithril klava maker when they arrived. With that, he was off to pester Gama Gwillimena and the rest of the womenfolk for a feast.
"By this point, the blighted klava effects were starting to wear off of me, and I was exhausted. I quickly started up the next batch, not realizing that the unstable essence of blight was still affecting the machine. The dwarves arrived shortly, and your Da brought them in for a preview of his pride and joy, the klava maker.
"The dwarves insisted they would not drink anything unless it at least had ale in it. The trimmiteriansk responded by requesting not ale, but dwarven brandy be added to it. With cheers of ‘That’s more like it!’, the dwarves brought in a keg of brandy which I promptly added to the klava maker. I was so tired, I then headed for bed without waiting for the batch to finish.
"Now, dwarven brandy alone is potent drink. When added to the klava maker with unstable essence of blight in its system, the brew grew too powerful for even the mithril to withstand. As Egad watched in shock, the mithril klava maker steamed, shook and clanged horribly. The dwarves dove for cover, one of them grabbing your Da and pulling him to safety just as the klava maker exploded, showering all present with its contents.
"I woke up groggily at the explosion and came running back to see what had happened. The dwarves stood up, defiled klava dripping from their clothes and beards, and turned angrily on Egad.
"‘What did you bring us up here for, to waste our finest brandy? How dare you! It will be a freezing day in Dralk before we come back to Rachival!’ Grabbing up their packs, they headed out. With them went any hope we had of reinforcements from Aughundell in the event the Withered Aegis attacked.
"The mayor of Rachival was notified of the events and immediately sent an envoy with an apology to Aughundell. Meanwhile, your Da and I tried to clean up and fix the mithril klava maker. Fortunately for me at the time, though ultimately unfortunate for all, he thought it was just the brandy that caused the explosion. I did not tell him about the new, powerful component I had found, nor about the secret modifications I had made to his project. I still thought I had done something great, and that I could be recognized for it as a master tinker. I had not yet had the sleep I needed to think clearly."
Noncas buried his head in his hands, weeping. Awdz sat silently crying, too shocked to speak. However, Noncas was not quite finished. Shamefacedly, he picked up his head and spoke on.
"I went to bed so late that night that it was the next morning, and slept through most of the day. When I did get up, I felt terribly guilty about the klava explosion. I knew I’d have to tell Egad about the unstable essence of blight, but I dreaded it. I thought it could wait. And because your Da was busy trying to explain to everyone in town what had gone wrong with the dwarven negotiations, it was easy for me to avoid him. He had no warning that his invention had been modified.
"The envoy to Aughundell, though successful in that the apology was accepted, was too late. I don’t know if the Withered Aegis had spies in place to know the dwarves had run off angrily, or if they just were very lucky with timing. Either way, that evening, they invaded.
"All of Rachival mobilized as soon as the warning was given. Your Da pulled out the untested automaton that I had modified, and set it loose in the direction of the Withered Aegis. I did not tell him of my modifications to it; there did not seem to be time. And at first, all seemed to be going well. It fought against those attacking us, because they were in front of it and aggressive.
"But in the chaos of battle, the lines began to mix."
Noncas paused miserably, dreading what was to come next. After a moment, he resumed his tale.
"Instead of having the clear guidance to protect gnomes that Egad had given it, Project X had only my vague, blight-ridden instruction of ‘Attack invaders!’ In the confusion of battle, it must have become mixed up. It began attacking all non-mechanical beings, Withered Aegis and Rachival citizens alike.
"I was with Egad when the first reports of the trouble with Project X came in. He turned pale upon learning that his invention had begun destroying the gnome guard contingents. He turned to his notes, trying to understand where he had gone wrong, in hopes of correcting it. It was then that I realized that I had destroyed us all."
Breaking into sobs, Noncas buried his face in his knees. Awdz stared into space for some time, then finally found her voice.
"Did you ever tell him?"
Noncas snuffled, pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose before replying.
"Once I realized how terrible the situation was because of me, I stepped forward and explained to Egad what I had done. I had never seen a face turn so many different, brilliant colors before… white, red, purple, blue, green, gray, and white again, finally settling on red. He told me that it was not my ability he had questioned, just my judgment because of my lack of maturity. He said what had happened was his fault for not keeping a closer eye on his apprentice. And in the terror of that night, I did not think to contradict him.
"Knowing at last the truth of the situation, your Da assessed what could be done and took immediate action. He scooped up the plans for his automaton and as many parts as were handy onto one of his oversized cargo disks. He also loaded the pieces of the mithril klava maker there, and some food fabricators. He scrawled a quick note for me to deliver to the mayor of Rachival in Aughundell, and bid me on pain of eternal torment to get it safely delivered.
"In the note, Egad explained that there was a miscalculation with the automaton that he thought he could fix, given enough time. However, with Rachival fallen, he would seek out the other gnomish center of knowledge for help – the observatory on the peninsula."
Awdz sat up straight, her full attention caught by Noncas’ last revelation.
"So you do know what happened to him then!" she cried out.
"No," Noncas shook his head in misery. "I only know that we both set out that night. I made it to Aughundell shortly before the siege began. I did not locate the mayor of Rachival; he was lost that night saving some of the refugees. Instead, I gave the note to the deputy mayor.
"He railed about the incompetence of your Da. When I tried to raise a feeble protest, the deputy mayor warned me not to. You see, in the eyes of the community, if it was not incompetence, then it had to be intentional, and everyone was very angry at what had happened." Noncas bowed his head in disgrace. Awdz’s head whirled with the implications of that statement as Noncas went on.
"Given reports that some of Egad’s younglings had perished in the evacuation of Rachival, the remaining leadership of the gnomish community chose to take the note as evidence that Egad meant well, and did not seek to punish him or his family. However, they made no effort to help him either, being overwhelmed as they were with trying to relocate an entire city of refugees. As his apprentice, I was not disciplined, but I was not welcome in the community anymore. No other master tinker would have me.
"I think Gangaf may have suspected something of me, for he best knew your Da’s work on the automaton. He also had seen my skill and temperament when I helped with it. However, his only words to me were a suggestion that perhaps the dwarves could make use of someone with tinkering skills. Coward that I am, I followed his suggestion and remained here when the rest of the community moved on to found New Rachival. At least here I have been of some use instead of harm.
"As far as your Da’s travels…" Noncas paused and swallowed hard before continuing. "Perhaps the Withered Aegis learned of his plans; perhaps the observatory was just a strategic location. Sporadic reports telling of Withered Aegis movements south of Chiconis and Dalimond came to Aughundell during the siege. Perhaps your Da was able to reach the observatory before it was overrun. For a long time I prayed that he had found refuge elsewhere, and would come forward with his research completed on an automaton that truly would save us from the blighted ones. After all, he had left with enough supplies to survive indefinitely if he just had a source of power to draw from."
"But I think we would have heard from him by now, if that were the case."
Noncas finished his tale with a pensive stare into space.
Awdz looked at this gnome who had just bared his soul to her, whom she had once admired for working with her Da, and who had caused the downfall of Rachival (and so much pain in her life!). Summoning all the emotional tempering she had gained through her years of being gifted, she fought down the urge to throttle him and sighed sorrowfully instead. Nothing she could say or do to him would undo the past. She had long since taken to leaving the bitter past behind her, lest she fall into complete despair. Too many fallen comrades, too much lost; it was overwhelming. Far better to look at building toward the future instead.
"Thank you, Noncas, for sharing the truth," Awdz told him. Stowing the nearly forgotten mining pick in her pack, she stood, and he stood up with her. "At least now I have a new direction in which to search for signs of me Da. I will not expose you for it."
Their eyes met once more. Seeing the buried pain and disappointment in Awdz’s eyes as she looked at him, Noncas looked down regretfully.
"For what little it is worth," Noncas told her, "I am sorry."
Awdz nodded once at Noncas and headed out the recently noticed doorway, resolving to ignore it again for the foreseeable future.
