"Living in the Underworld is a hard life." Mused Falky. "Everyone is out to get you, and the best you can do is survive."Walking through the rock gardens of South Carronk made him both introspective and pensive. The last time he'd been here he had been jumped by three svirfneblin muggers. They took all of his crystals and broke his nose. It was humiliating, not the mugging in itself, but that he was mugged by svirfneblin. Better known as smurfs, svirfneblin were the annoying vermin of the underworld. As a gnome, Falky should have been able to handle them without a problem. He was at least ten times their size. He didn't tell anyone about the mugging, how could he? Without his crystals he wasn't able to pay the landlord the rent he owed. So he got kicked out of his hole. That was embarrassing enough, but he'd be the laughing stock of Carronk if people found out he couldn't take down three measly smurfs.To be fair to himself, they were rather large for smurfs. And they had swords, well, letter openers really. But still, they were sharp. One scrambled right up his trousers, jumped from his belt buckle into his beard, and climbed up to stand defiant on the tip of his nose. You'd be hard pressed to say no to anyone with a letter opener held less than an inch from your eye. He quickly capitulated and forked over his shiny stuff. The other two were going through all of his pockets to make sure they drained him dry when the one on his nose stomped down so hard he heard a pop. He laid there on the ground whimpering for a good hour after the little monsters ran off.This was the first time he'd been back to the rock gardens since then. He was homeless now. There were no banks in the underworld, the very idea was ludicrous. Give all of your money to somebody else to hold for you. Inconceivable! No one in the Underworld is that trustworthy, or trustworthy at all to mention it. People would kick you in the teeth as soon as look at you. And maybe that's how he had to be, too.He had come back to the gardens to try his hand at mugging. Maybe he could recoop what he lost, maybe he could make more, who knew? All he knew was that something in his life had to change, because he had finally come to the decision that he was too nice of a gnome to survive here any longer._______________________________________Kyndrewt the morloc was in a hurry to get somewhere, that much he remembered. The rest was a little foggy. Well, a lot foggy, actually. Other than his name, and this sense of urgency, he couldn't remember anything at all. He was running through a rocky area, the place he had been before this place had been rocky, too. But this place was rocky in a different way, it had a peculiar organization to the rocks, a pattern maybe? He kept running, not knowing why the rocks drew his attention. He vaguely understood that to keep running, when he had no idea where he was running to, or if he was even going the right direction to get to... wherever, was ridiculous. But even so, he kept running, that is until what looked like a bumpy rock jumped out from behind a larger rock and right into his path. The bumpy rock yelled something like "Give me all your..." before Kyndrewt barreled over him and they both went tumbling.Kyndrewt got up and brushed himself off, looking over at the bumpy rock that had tripped him up he saw that it was some kind of person. The rock person was moaning on the ground, and trying very hard to get up. Kyndrewt went over to him and gave him a hand."Why did you do that?" He asked."Do what?" The rock man asked groggily."Jump out in front of me?""I did not!""Yes you did! Otherwise why would we have both ended up on the ground?"The rock man shuffled his feet and looked sheepish until he seemed to make up his mind about something, then nodded his head."Right then, this is a mugging. Give me all of your crystals.""What?""You heard me, give 'em up, quick like.""You can't be serious.""Yes I can!" The rock exclaimed, putting his fists on his hips and looking up at Kyndrewt like an incensed child. "Now give 'em up or I'll be forced to get rough with you.""Really?" Kyndrewt highly doubted this rock man had ever gotten rough with anyone. Despite having first thought him a rock because of the tint of his skin, he could now see that this guy looked as soft as a pillow. A big and fluffy midsection, short stumpy legs, a nose as big and lumpy as his fist. But above all of that, the face was both kind and sad. He was trying to look mean at the moment, but the truth shown through."I'm warning you, I'm serious!" He put up his fists and swung at Kyndrewts knee cap. Kyndrewt just slightly put his knee out so that the punch connected harder than it would have. It caused him a minor ache, but the reaction on the rock man was what he expected."OW!" He yelled and jerked his fist back. "Why'd you do that?" He said as he massaged his hurt hand."Do what?" Kyndrewt spoke with innocence.The rock man just glared at him."What is your name?" Kindrewt asked him."What does that have to do with anything?""I'd like to know.""None of your business what my name is. Now are you going to give me your crystals or not?""I don't see why I should, you obviously aren't very good at this mugging thing." Kindrewt started to turn away. "Listen, I'm in a hurry, if you aren't going to tell me your name then I must be going."As Kindrewt walked away he could sense the rock mans frustration behind him. He almost felt pity for him, but maybe this failure would teach him better for trying to rob people. His thoughts returned to his urgent destination, wherever that might be, and he started running again._______________________________________Falky moped and fretted over his failure, how could he hope to regain any semblance of his past life if he couldn't even rob one lone person. Maybe he wasn't cut out for a life of crime, but what could he do? He wasn't particularly good at anything, at least not to the point that anyone would pay him for doing it. He sighed, it was time to go home, at least what served as a home. A borken circle of stalagmites with a worm eaten blanket thrown over top.Head hung low he shuffled his feet and started to leave the garden when a bit of color caught his eye from a patch of rough pebbles. He stooped and picked it up. It was a perfectly round red stone, bisected by a wavy blue line. There were two symblols that he didn't understand on each side of the orb. It was a curious object, and it transfixed him, becuase it seemed to go slightly transparent and back to a full red with a pulsing rhythm. Like the beating of a heart.Falky smiled, this was close to where the murloc tumbled, it probably fell out of his pocket. So the job wasn't a complete waste, he should be able to get at least a few crystals for a trinket like this. No longer moping he ran from the garden with a glimmer of hope._______________________________________Kyndrewt stopped running when he reached the fence. A large spiked metal monster of a fence, and behind it the most luxurient looking mansion in all of South Carronk. Perfectly formed and positioned stalagtites and stalagmites encircled the abode like pillars, each one carved with intricate designs of beasts and things of which Kyndrewt had never seen the like, at least he thought, he couldn't remember. Beasts with wings and beaks, beasts with fangs and stripes, even a beast with a neck as long as a person, longer!He knew this was his destination, he felt it that is, it felt right to stop here. He stood in front of the gate for a long time, not knowing what to do. There was no bell, and no messenger to take word of a visitor inside. He was about to turn and leave when the gate opened inward and a path to the mansion lay before him. He knew he should feel hesitant about going to such a place, but he felt compelled to do so in a way that was beyond fighting. He wanted to, needed to go to that place, and finish whatever this was. He could only hope that his memory was waiting for him there._______________________________________Falky walked into the shop with a strut."Good morning, Shopkeep!" He greeted the troll behind the counter."What's so morning about it?" The troll grumbled back."Why, the sun is rising my good man, er troll." The trolls demeanor went icy and his seemingly permanent frown became even more pronounced. It was then that Falky remembered it was bad manners to mention the sun to trolls, with the turning to stone and eveything."We're underground you twit, how can you tell when the sun is rising?" The troll growled."Um, er, I just meant that, um, I'm having a bit of good luck today, that's all."The troll grunted uncaringly."I have become the proud owner of a rare and curious artifact, and you, good shopkeep, have the grand luck of having the opportunity to purchase it from me." Falky pulled the orb from his pocket and held it in front of the troll."Put it on the counter, ya griftin' gnome, I'll tell you if it's worth anything, not you me."Falky hesitated handing it over, but then placed it softly down."Carefull with it, it is fragile and priceless." He said"If it was priceless you wouldn't be trying to sell it to me." The troll remarked as he picked up the stone. He studied it, putting it up to his one large eye, feeling it's surface, even sniffing it. When he was done he set it back down and glared at Falky."It's worthless, a red rock, nothing special about it. What're you trying to pull?" Falky was taken aback, "What do you mean? Worthless? Didn't you see the way it pulses and goes all see through?""All I see is a red rock with some lizard scratching on it. You'll not get a single crystal for it here. I won't be taken in like a glint eyed kobold."Falky felt his anger rising, he snatched the orb up from the counter and looked at it as hard as he could, eyes straining to see something."Watch, it'll do something. It's magical or something, i swear it." He almost pleaded. The troll just grunted.For a full five minutes he stood there staring at the stone, but it did nothing. He was starting to get a headache. Finally he let his hand fall, dejected."Get out of my shop." The troll said with vehemence. Falky left, head hung low, dragging his feet again._______________________________________Kyndrewt walked up the front steps and lightly knocked on the doors to the magnificent mansion. He expected to be kept waiting like a beggar, but to his surprise the door was flung wide open. An old but strong man on the other side quickly grabbed him by his collar and pulled him inside, slamming the door behind him."It's about damn time you showed up, you're hours late!"Kyndrewt began to stammer out an apology but cut himself short when he realized that he had no idea what he was apologizing for. Instead he just stared at the man and tried to contemplate what was happening. He didn't get far."Well, don't just stant there looking like an idiot, man! Do you have it? Hand it over!"Kyndrewt was well aware of the wideness of his eyes, and the slackness of his jaw. But he couldn't seem to do anything about it right now. The man appeared to want something he had. Well, he had come all the way here for some reason, might as well see if he had something to give him. He started digging in the large pockets of his coat, pulling out anything and everything that he found. Lint, a bit of string, a pin that he pricked his thumb on."Ouch" He yelped and began to suck his thumb as it bled. It was at this point that he noticed the man was looking at him strangely. He didn't know why, but he felt a great dread that this man might find out he had no memory. He quickly shoved his hand in the last small pocket on the inside of his vest. To his relief he felt his fingers wrap around what felt like a ring. He held it out to the man, who looked at the ring and back to him curiously."This is it?" The man asked, sounding suspicious. Kyndrewt didn't trust himself to talk, he might say something that would alert the man to his condition, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Instead he just nodded his head and held the ring out further, beckoning the man to take it. The mans gaze slowly shifted from Kyndrewt back to the ring, a simple gold band with no writing or mark upon it. The man hesitantly reached out and took the ring. Rolling it between his fingers, tesing its weight, looking through it. It was like he was expecting it to do something other than be a ring."You are absolutely sure this is the Mirrokest?" He asked without removing his eyes from the ring. Kyndrewt felt his brain jump in his skull at the utterence of that name, but he still had no idea of what was going on or what it all meant. Once again he nodded, and this time he managed to croak out "Absolutely sure."At his words the man quickly jerked his head up and stared intently at Kyndrewt, studying him as closely as he had the ring. Kyndrewt stared right back, knowing that to look away would make him look guilty of... something. Damnit, he didn't even know if he had done anything to look guilty about. The anger at his situation showed itself on his face, which the man misenterpreted."Fine, fine. I suppose there is some phrase or ritual to go with it. I just want to be absolutely sure, there can be no mistakes here." The man put the ring into his pocket and turned."Wait here and I'll fetch your payment." And he left through a doorway into an adjacent room. Now that Kyndrewt was alone he took a deep breath and looked around. The mansion's foyer was breathtaking. Only one word came to Kyndrewt's mind, lights, the entire place was decorated in lights. Blue and Red and Green. Bright white and dark purple. A dark light, amazing! Lights on the ceiling, along the floor, outlining every picture frame and every door. There was no flame, were they magical? How could a lone man afford such a mansion and then decorate it with so many magical lights?"Here you go." The man came back in and held out a large pouch to him. "Half up front and half upon delivery was our deal I believe." Kyndrewt took the pouch, but not before the man saw him looking at the lights."Aha, still so amused by the lights are you? Well If I can get the Mirrokest to work you'll see more of these lights than you could ever imagine. And speaking of, I must begin studying the ring, so if you don't mind I'll show you the way out." Moving to the door the man opened it and all but shoved Kyndrewt out as hastily as he had pulled him in.Standing on the doorstep, Kyndrewt looked out upon South Carronk and shook his head. He was sure that coming here was the right thing to do to get his memory back, but now he was leaving with as much notion of what was going on as he had when he got here. Nothing had been answered, only knew questions had been asked. Who was that man? What had he been hired to do? What, above all else, was the Mirrokest, and had he just made a big mistake by giving the man the ring? The weight of the pouch in his hand pulled him from his thoughts. Opening it up he found dozens of large bright crystals, a fortune, and apparently this was only half of what he'd been paid. He was going to have to do some backtracking if he wanted to find out what happened to him. He closed his eyes and tried to remember as far back as he could. He only got as far as that morning before he hit a stone wall in his mind, blocking him from remembering anything before that. That morning he had been in the rocky place, right before that rock man had tried to rob him. He needed to find the rock man, a long shot, but other than the old man in the mansion it was his only connection._______________________________________Falky wandered around South Carronk for what seemed like hours. Not knowing where he was going, not going anywhere in particular at all. Just shuffling his feet aimlessly. Every now and then he would stop and pull the stone from his pocket. It still wouldn't do anything other than be round and red. No pulsing or transparency. He began to think that he might have imagined it before. That would be just great, he thought. On top of everything else that had happened to him it would make the most perfect sense for him to go crazy as well.He instinctively avoided going back the the rock gardens. That was the last place he wanted to be, that was where everything had gone wrong for him. His stomach growled and he winced. With no money for food, the best he could hope for was to find a patch of mushrooms somewhere that hadn't already been claimed by the svirfneblin. There was no place like that within the city, which meant he would have to wander out into the underwild. But that was madness, the underwild was full of creatures that would eat him, kill him, or enslave him. And some of those creatures could do all of those at once. He shook his head, he was better off trying to break in somewhere and steal some food. The only problem with that was the consequences for breaking into someones home. Robbery on the road was more or less tolerated in South Carronk, because anyone fool enough to be out and about in the city without the means to protect themselves didn't deserve to have any valuables that they might have on them. But invading someones home was taken very seriously. Not that there were any laws in Carronk, nobody wanted laws, but there was an unspoken agreement that if anyone was caught breaking into anothers home they would not only be executed, but tortured in front of the masses as a lesson to those who thought themselves better than other peoples personal space.Falky mulled his options over. Almost certain death and/or enslavement in the underwild, or slightly less certain torture and death for burglary. Due to the nature of life in the underworld and the nature of the underworlds inhabitants, the option of begging never entered his mind. Any person found begging would quickly find themselves thrown into a deep pit, that sort of nonsense was for the lazy surface dwellers. Underworld folk worked for what they got, even if that work was underhanded. Especially if it was underhanded, actually.He remembered that his old neighbor usually did his work around now. Falky didn't know exactly what kind of work that was, but he did know it kept his neighbor out of the place for a couple of hours. He was familiar with the area, and knew he could get from his old roof onto the roof of his neighbors with just a short hop. It was a good thing he had a copy of the key made, because the landlord had made him return the original when he kicked him out. With his stomach urging him on, Falky started for his old house._______________________________________Kyndrewt managed to retrace his steps back to the rocky place. Before he had been running on instinct, not really paying attention to his surroundings. So finding his way back here had taken longer than he thought it would. He noticed now a sign at the entrance that named the place the rock gardens. Inside was a cast amount stone ranging in size from huge boulders to tiny pebbles. Arranged in different geometric patterns, stacked one on top of another, even ones that seemed to have naturally taken the shape of different creatures. He came to the place where he had run into the little rock man. He had seen others like him in the city and had gathered he was what they called a gnome. The information came to him like it was something he should have known all along, and he felt a little embarrassed that he had forgotten it. That feeling urged him all the more to find out what had happened to him.He searched about the area, looking for any piece of evidence that might lead him to the gnome, but he found nothing. The hard stone ground didn't leave much in the way of footprints, not that the gnome would have made a deep impression anyway. Eventually Kyndrewt gave up and sat down on a nearby bench. He pondered what his next step should be. Should he go around town and start asking questions? It was likely that there were people out there that knew him before he lost his memory, they could help him. It was also likely that there were people out there that should definitely not know that he had lost his memory. Like the old man. Kyndrewt still didn't know why he had such a strong feeling against telling the old man, but for some reason he didn't trust him. He supposed he could ask around town about the gnome. It would still be taking a chance that he might run into someone that knew him and shouldn't know he lost his memory, but he didn't have many other options. He got up and headed back the way he came, he had seen an inn with a packed bar, maybe a path would open from there._______________________________________Falky didn't have much trouble getting into his old place. No one had moved in yet, probably due to the landlords ridiculous policy of a "Security Deposit". Charging up front for any damages that the squat little stone box might sustain was outrageous when everyone knew that the landlord had absolutley no intention of fixing anything that happened to it. It was already so rundown that living on the streets really hadn't been that much of a move down for Falky. He didn't look at it like that, though. Having his own place was something he had always wanted. Ever since he had been a little gnome child picking pockets for one of the many thief guilds in Carronk. It was a lift in his self confidence that he had managed to break free from the guilds grasp and make a life on his own. But now the thieves guilds wouldn't even take him, he was too old, too loud and noticeable.Through a hatch in the ceiling he scrambled onto the roof, grunting from the exertion of pulling himself up. From up high he surveyed the area, looking for anyone that might notice him. It was a very small burb. Only a few small houses scattered here and there. No one seemed to be in the area at the moment. Not surprising, despite its general rundown grunginess, this neighborhood could still only be afforded by those who had some sort of work that would take them away from home at mid-day.