SEVEN YEARS LATER
NANNY
“Heavy boots of lead
fills his victims full of dread”
-IRON MAN, Black Sabbath
Castle Greyhawk was silent. The moon was high above the mountains and the castle slept among the buildings of its great city. Of course, Greyhawk never truly sleeps- but three hours till sunrise is as close as it comes, most nights. Sleepy guards wandered the turrets and halls. Only a few torchlights winked in the sea of dark roofs below.
In the inner areas of the castle, a guard walked through a corridor and tried the lock on the door to Lord Belthor’s receiving chamber. Satisfied, he wandered down the hall and turned to the left.
A nearby tapestry rustled slightly, and a cowled man stepped from behind it. His face was hooded but his eyes glittered as they glanced up and down the hallway. He rabbit-stepped over to the door without a noise and knelt by it. He put two tiny steel pins into the keyhole and began working the lock.
Click!
The cowled man turned to the left and gestured, opening the door. He stepped in and was followed by another with a sword on his belt. They closed the door.
In the darkness, two red lights began burning and moving forward. “In-troo-durs,” a deep modulated voice buzzed.
“Easy, Nanny, it’s us.” Kyler pulled the hood back so the shield guardian could see his face. He’d grown handsome, with a gaunt face and red hair that never quite seemed like he knew what to do with it. Raelin, beside him, had grown a wider set of cheekbones and a clear set of eyes that closely resembled his father’s. His own red hair hung in waves over his forehead, and always looked freshly coifed. He walked over to the cherry wood desk that Belthor conducted affairs from. He pulled on a drawer and found it locked. He motioned and Kyler walked over to pick the lock.
“Ky-ler, Ray-lin should sleep,” the guardian said. “Boys need sleep.”
Raelin put his finger to his lips. “Shhhhh, Nanny. Quiet. Have you got that lock yet?”
“I’m trying. It’s a tough one.”
Click!
“Ahh, here we are.” Kyler took from the drawer a shining medallion on a gold chain… it was Nanny’s control amulet. To own it was to be Nanny’s master, and the master of a shield guardian is a person with great power at his command. He gave it to Raelin and took from him one that resembled it almost exactly. He put it in the drawer and closed it, then locked it.
Raelin walked up to Nanny and spoke softly. “Nanny, we’re leaving.”
Nanny answered as softly as he could. “Leave? No, stay, stay with Nan-ny.”
“We’re going. We’re joining an adventuring team. We’re going to see the world.”
“Nan-ny come and pro-tect!”
Raelin held up the amulet. “No, Nanny. You’ve got a more important job. Your job will be to guard Kizzlorn. We won’t be there for her anymore, so you’ll have to.”
“Pro-tect Kizz-lorn.”
“That’s right. Give her this,” he put a folded, sealed letter into Nanny’s chest compartment, “and give her this,” he pointed to the amulet. “Nanny, this next part is important. This is my last command to you. Kizzlorn will be your new master, but you must pretend that Lord Belthor still controls you. Do as he says… but obey Kizz, should she command you. Understood?”
“Nan-ny un-der-stand.”
“Good.” He put the amulet into Nanny’s chest and closed the hatch.
Kyler muttered “I still say we should take them with us. Nanny would be an invaluable companion out there… all Belthor does is use him for hard labor. It isn’t right.”
“Kizz is fourteen: she’s too young.” his brother replied. “I won’t have her risking her life until she’s old enough to make that choice for herself.”
Kyler sighed, then looked to the shield guardian. “We’ll miss you, Nanny. Take care of yourself.”
They hugged the construct, and its huge arms hugged them back. “Nan-ny miss boys. Be safe.”
Kyler threw a leg over the windowsill and waved. He climbed out and down, silently down to the waiting cobbles below. Raelin followed.
Nanny’s eye-lights dimmed, then went out as he stood perfectly still against the wall, awaiting the next day.
More to come...
ahh well even without Dartan I'll still read but you gots to bring Vek into this, hes ageless plus... Vek is the man, my favorite knight to be exact 
Well I figure thats enough buggin ya for the dynamic duo, heh, great post and lookin forward to more.
Seriously, where is DARTAN?! Vek is fun too, I suppose, but Vek is to Dartan what Boo is to Minsc.
