It was a foul morning. The weather had not seemed right of late, and it started to worry Urtak. Something was brewing on the horizon, and the fact that he could not tell what it was, irritated him greatly. This was the reason Urtak was so preoccupied in thought that he did not notice the small boat he was riding had made shore until the sailor accompanying him politely, yet loudly, coughed. Looking up at the sailor, annoyed at having his thoughts interrupted, Urtak disembarked without a word.

Urtak had passed his test for the conclave, and was now an Adept amongst their ranks. However, with the promotion came responsibilities. Frequently, Urtak was called upon to conduct the most bizarre tasks. Asking the reasons behind such tasks, the reply was always the same: The greater good of the Conclave. Urtak was currently on such a mission.

As Urtak stepped onto the shores of Sancrist, he looked up to view the hill that had been named Mt. Nevermind by the gnomes. It had come to the Conclave's attention that the gnomes were, as usual, creating another outrageous invention. But this time, there were rumors that this new invention was of magical nature. Not convinced that the gnomes' invention would seriously threaten the Conclave or the Magic, yet protocol calling for a standard investigation, the Heads of the Robes decided to send Urtak to investigate.
Sniffing the air in disgust, Urtak walked to the foot of Mt. Nevermind, and climbed up to the entrace. The gnomes were expecting him, and according to the messenger, were exceptionally eager to display their work to a Mage from the Conclave. Within minutes, Urtak found himself herded by tens of gnomes onto a catapult-like contraption, and flung into the air. Cursing himself for being a draconian without wings, Urtak was about to brace himself for the fall when he heard a distant voice shout "SIXTEEN!" and a net suddenly appeared below him, sweeping him onto the ledge of the sixteenth floor.

Untangling himself from the net, and furiously straightening his robes, Urtak glared at the gnome in front of him, determined to end this assignment as fast as possible. The gnome introduced himself as Nobwocket, and escorted Urtak to one of the bigger rooms on the sixteenth floor. There, no less than fifty gnomes were working dilligently on separate parts of a new contraption. They called it: TheAutomaticWashingIntrumentWithAdditionalDryingAndIroningFeaturesSimilarToFirstVersionButFaster. Without warning, three of the valves on the new invention simultaneously openned, releasing a loud burst of steam. Nobwocket then opened a drawer on the back of the machine and dropped a dirty shirt into it, beckoning Urtak to watch closely. The machine roared as gears turned, and soon, the shirt emerged from the other end of the machine; tattered and still dirty! There was certainly nothing magical about this device. Satisfied that his work here was done, Urtak quickly turned to leave.

Approaching the flinger contraption, Urtak was stopped by a muttering Nobwocket who was reciting formula after formula to attempt to understand why TheAutomaticWashingIntrumentWithAdditionalDryingAndIroningFeaturesSimilarToFirstVersionButFaster was not working properly. As Urtak voluntarily climbed onto the flinger to escape this vile place, Nobwocket started discussing another one of his inventions, and unintentionally placed his pack on Urtak's chest as he rummaged through a side crate. Just as unexpecting as he was the first time, Urtak found himself flung high into the air, holding a pouch in his arms. As Urtak started his decent, he grew increasingly nervous as the ground raced towards him. However, at the last possible moment, a million sponges appeared from nowhere, covering the ground. Landing intact, and still grasping the pouch tightly in his fingers, Urtak stormed off Mount Nevermind, determined to never return.

It was only after Urtak had taken the small boat back to the Merchant ship that he realised that he was holding a pouch in his hand. Examining it, he found a label on the side that read: "This Flingerholsterdartthroweraimatron is dedicated to Brim H. for his maps of Sancrist and Other Places. -Master Inventor Nobwocket"

Hope you like it! Urtak.