The Monkey Exhibit

Lothar drove another replacement post into the ground behind Hobgoblin Wall. This section of the wall was named after the creatures that caused the wall to be built. Fifty years prior, the greenskins had attacked the town from out of the surrounding forest. A short rock wall which used to demark the town’s outer edge was the only thing separating the town’s defenders from the vicious goblinoids. After the attack, Hobbly decided to raise a more permanent barrier around town. Yesterday, though, it was a Chaos band led by a large, black armored warrior that had weakened the section.

The post slid deep into the earth and Lothar started replacing the dirt around it. F’lore, a suicidal dwarf recruited for his immense strength, held the post straight while Lothar worked. “Ye should get out and see more of the world, lad. Ye don’t alwae need to hide here behind weak wooden walls. Ye should get out there an’ find yer doom, lad!” With “doom”, F’lore clapped Lothar on the shoulder, sending the laborer sprawling to the ground.

“Getting out into the world may be fun for you and your adoptees, but I’m just a hired hand. Other than the sweat of my brow, the entirety of my skills lies in consuming generous amounts of alcohol without getting drunk.” Lothar picked himself up and brushed himself off. Dust caught in the rivulets of sweat running down his back.

“Not a bad skill to be havin’, either, is for sure, lad. Not a bad skill at all…” the dwarf trailed off as he stared into the forest beyond the breeched wall. F’lore often lost himself in memories when not strenuously engaged. “Sometimes the mug is your best defense in this cruel world.”

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“This be a sword, lad. It is yer key to great exploits in this grim world.” The weapon was rather nondescript, bearing only a few battle scratches to show that it wasn’t just another dusty town relic. “That one don’t be anything special, but it’ll do ye well enough. Come with me and the twins, lad. We’ll find ye a heroic doom.”

Lothar wasn’t at all looking for a heroic doom, or any kind of doom at all, but he was looking to break the tedium of life. The constant menial labors might be useful to some in town, but he yearned for a change. It only took a few weeks of hints from the dwarven Slayer to motivate him to change.