Featuring: Derdrik (Skull Kingdom Gnome) and Jakob (Skull Kingdom Human).

Dry Meadow
This broad, hanging valley stands barren and lifeless between the two forks of the Knife Edge Mountains. Clumps of short brown grasses dot the area, accompanied by an occasional gnarled cottonwood tree. The region is devoid of life other than the possible traveller or trader that passes through going hither and thither from the distant settlements to the north and south. The dusty road branches here: northeast lies the the scorched desert wastelands, the endless bogs of the Malg swamp, northwest the road continues over another ridge of mountains that loom over the not-to-distant horizon, and south lies the road over the southern most pass in the Knife Edge Mountains.
Contents:
Jakob
Obvious exits:
Reinforced Doors leads to Watchtower.
East leads to Path to Swamp.
Northwest leads to Desert Path.
Northeast leads to North Pass.
South leads to South Pass.

System Time: Fri Jun 22 13:19:35 2001

Shannara Time:
A snowy dawn, around 5AM of winter - Sunday 12 of December, 994

Derdrik
A shifty little bugger, hardly four feet in hight, with tough yellow-brown skin, scraggly brown hair, squinty black eyes, and sharp, angular facial features. The fellow's nose is reminiscient of a needle, his ears large and turned in, his mouth wide and filled with grimy little teeth. He has a short, messy beard and moustache.

The fellow's body is long an thin, his arms reaching down to around his knees, his legs comprising about a third of his overall height. Hands are big with long fingers, feet are large with stubby toes. The clothes are best described as rags, covering his torso and thighs, tied at the waist with a bit of rope.

Jakob
The man before you is rather short and slender. He looks young, prehaps 25-30 winters old, His pale grey eyes are constantly shifting about, keenly aware of all that go on in his immediate surroundings. His black hair is extremely short, and it looks rather beraggled and unkempt. The man's features are hard, angular, and clean shaven. They very rarely revealing any thought or emotion.

A long black cloak hangs loosely from the slender, yet well toned shoulders of the man. Loose wool trousers, dyed deep forest green, cover the man's legs. Just visible from below the hem of the cloak is a weather-worn scabbard, and a quiver.

Black leather mocassins adorn the feet of the figure. And his rarely visible hands show callouses of a rough, physical life.

~~~

The Gnome approaches the watchtower from the north, from the direction of Skull City. He waddles along, looking up cautiously up at the tower. Quite suddenly the wizened little man breaks into a run, looking over his shoulder at the city, and to either side at the Knife Edge. The Gnome huffs and puffs, running toward the tower.

The sun rises, it's first rays shining off the snow, gleaming brightly in the morning sky.

Jakob stands at the base of the squat tower flanked by various members of the Skull army, scanning the desolate plain. His gaze wandering skyward, the marshall studies the clouds gathering over the Knife Edge Mountains. "It's going to snow again," he states. His eyes returning to the barren horizon, he sighs, "Always snow." Movement in the distance catches the man's eye, and he raises a hand to ward the rising sun from blinding him. "What is that?" he asks after a moment, gesturing to the object.

A soldier atop the tower espies the running Gnome. "Who goes? Stop there!"

"Who? What? I'm... I'm Nobody..." answers the Gnome. "I mean... I'm Derdrik..." He stops in his tracks, staring up at the parapets, and then catches sight of the soldiers flanking the tower...

"Are you, now? Marshall Jakob, sir, perhaps you should have a look at this?" calls the soldier down to his leader.

Motioning for his flankers to follow him, the marshall strides toward the gnome, eyeing him curiously. "Who did you say you were?" Jakob demands, halting a short distance from the short fellow. "Furthermore," the man inquires, "Why are you here?"

"Ah," starts the little man, cowering, "I... I am Derdrik, milord, of the Thok tribe... slave to the Mwelrets of Dun Fee Aran... and to the Dark Lord of the Skull Kingdom... at your most humble service..." He looks up to meet the eyes of the human, then quickly looks back down again. "I am, ah... just enjoying a walk out in the... no... I mean, delivering a message... no... oh, shades, I'm... ah, I don't know what I'm doing, milord..."

"Well.." the marshall says, tapping his foot impatiently, eyeing the little man more than a slightly annoyed, "If you have no other reason to be here, then I suppose I'll give you one." Turning to the closest Skull officer, Jakob says, waving at gnome while he speaks, "Captain, this little fellow is in your charge now. Find him armour and a weapon and send him out with the next patrol to the avalanches." Returning his attention to the grovelling creature, the human smirks, "Welcome to service in the Skull Army. Dedication and swift execution of order might keep you alive, otherwise you'll find yourself back in the slaver caves, or perhaps on the alter."

Derdrik cringes. "Oh, shades, I... y-yes... s-sir..." he whines. "I... I... sh-shan't let you... d-down..." He places both his hands on his little yellow head, huddled on the cold Northland ground.

"Oh get up you wretched thing!" Jakob spits, flipping dirt on the creature with his boot-toe. "Don't grovel before me in such a manner, unless you want to get us both killed," the man hisses. Turning to the tower again, he waves at the gnome dismissively before walking away, "Get him outfitted, and don't let me see him again today.."

The Gnome practically shoots up, standing as straight as his bent spine allows. "Y-yes..." he whimpers. As the captain nods to Jakob, Derdrik inches backward, keeping an eye upon the Marshall, then darts quickly into the tower as a dog with its tail between its legs.