Core of Knowledge

The day he got his Class, Pos the dwarf believed his future would be one of greatness. He entered the Opal Temple a dwarf, and exited a [Warrior], a protector of the dwarven people. The [Warrior] was a Class that allowed him to wield his weapon with greater skill and precision than mortals, a Class that would serve to keep him and his people safe, and that was just the start. In time, he would level, grow stronger, and gain a different better Class. One that will propel him to greatness.

Reality taught him otherwise.

Pos was born a Tunnel, the second-lowest caste in dwarven society. If he was born a human, he would be nothing more than a lowly peasant. A human peasant who would never see the world and may never even leave whatever small village he was born in. A dwarven Tunnel was no different. Pos was expected to spend the rest of his life digging the tunnels that connect the great cities of the dwarven kingdom, with little to no chance of moving upwards in dwarven society. Being a Classed changed that, but there were still problems for him to overcome.

Pos’ parents had died when he was still very young, leaving him on his own to survive on his wits and strength. His wits were average, his arm was strong, and getting a Class made his arm stronger, but Pos had no training. Saved a few games played with the other dwarflings that involved some rough-housing and wrestling, Pos had no knowledge of weapons and fighting.

At first, he did not care. As a Classed, Pos was tougher, stronger and faster than any mortal dwarf. What did he need skill at arms for? The answer came when he was defeated in a fistfight at the hands of a mortal dwarf. So, when the army came calling, he was among the first to volunteer.

It seemed like a sensible decision at that time. If he agreed to serve twenty years as a [Warrior] for the kingdom, Pos will receive training, food, and board from the dwarven [King]. He will be defending his people and gaining levels from his work. After which, the [King] would even reward him with a pile of gold at the end of his service.

Of course, Pos heard the stories. The stories that any Classed who joined the army would never leave, because the kingdom would not allow it. Like all dwarves, the [King] do not like to give out gold, and the army do not want dwarves they trained to leave the service. Pos would never be allowed to take the gold and leave for shinier stones.

However, those were just stories. Stories told by the enemies of the dwarves; stories told to fracture the unity of the dwarven people. Pos did not believe a word of it. He joined up, signed the magical contract, and for years, he served the [King] faithfully. First in the tunnels, fighting against monsters to keep the routes between the cities free. Then, in the numerous skirmishes between the various underground species. Then, after fifteen years in the service, Pos was told to renew his contract. Pos refused; he wanted his promised gold.

They immediately sent him above ground.

The official mission was to clear some monster-infested land so that the dwarven kingdom would be safe from attacks from above, and that settlers from the kingdom could set up a colony in the Land under the Blue. It wasn’t a suicide mission, the magical contracts the Classed signed with the army had some protection provision preventing the kingdom from sending unwilling Classed on impossible suicidal missions, but Pos discovered there were ways around the provisions.

It did not escape his notice that only the Classed near the end of their contracts were sent on this mission. Bound by their magical contracts, the Classed had no choice in the matter. They were sent, so the Classed went, and fought. They killed monsters, cleared an area big enough for a village to be build, and then escorted settlers to the area.

For five years, Pos defended that area. Supplies were rare, and replacement troops almost non-existent, but he fought with his brother dwarves and watched as more settlers came to the area. The village was slowly turned into a dwarven fort within five years.

Pos was proud of that, but dwarven pride did not diminish the fact that the stories were right.

The mission above ground may not have been suicidal, but it was a very hard long-term mission with a lot of expected casualties. Three thousand, four hundred and twenty-two Classed near the end of their contracts were sent on that mission. By the end of the five years, only four hundred and eight of them survived.

The dwarven kingdom saved a lot of gold with that one mission.

Pos was one of those who survived. Before the end of his contract, the army tried to get him to sign on again, with a promise of improved pay, and a threat that he would not be able to find any meaningful employment once he was out of the army.

Pos spat in the face of the [Iron Warrior] who made the offer. He took the gold, left the dwarven kingdom and never looked back. In fact, Pos seldom went underground after leaving the kingdom, refusing all quests leading merchants to the dwarven kingdom. Merchants were usually willing to pay extra for a dwarven guard when heading to the dwarven kingdom, but Pos refused to even hear their offers.

His constant refusal made people speculate. Everything from him being a wanted criminal to being a runaway dwavern [Prince], people threw out all sort of reasons for his reluctance. It gave Pos a sense of mystery.

Pos liked his enigmatic reputation.

So, it was with some irony that Pos now finds himself waiting at the entrance of an underground dungeon he had just left a few days ago. Pos took a drink from his flask of ale as he looked around the clearing. He was not alone. A lot of adventurers were waiting for the ceremony to begin.

The day after the exploration team’s debriefing with the Guild Master, the Adventurer Guild announced the presence and opening of the Tomb of Ten Thousand Techniques. However, tradition dictated that one did not just nail a parchment on the Guild Board and allowed adventurers through.

Oh no! The opening of any dungeon was a grand affair and history and tradition dictate that an official ceremony was needed before allowing the Classed in.

That was why Pos was here. As the first to discover the dungeon, and one of the exploration team, he need to be here to show everyone that the dungeon was beatable. Today, he was the mascot of the Adventurer Guild. Pos took another drink from his flask. He must admit he was surprised by how fast and smooth the Adventurer Guild had been.

Viaggia was close enough that a new dungeon town would not be needed, but in the few hours between the debriefing and announcement, Claudio had already sent guards and craftsmen to the dungeon entrance. Most of the guards weren’t Classed, but they weren’t there to defend against the rare monster coming out the dungeon. They were there to prevent civilians from stumbling into the dungeon. Whether they were Classed or not, no dungeon will say no to a meal.