"Not much of one. I don't enjoy this at all. I'd much rather be working on my alchemy."
0
rest
1
You are ignored.
When the soldier sees you're civilians, you get a quick nod, and nothing else.
You see one of the soldiers of the fort.
0
stnd
25
"Anyway, he did something arrogant, got stupid and died. Like the Empire someday, I hope."
"Dumb name, huh? It was what he went by, probably because his real name was 'Chucky' or something. Anyway, he was the mighty leader!" She strikes a heroic pose! "Bearer of the Royal Seal and the mighty blade Dragonslayer!"
0
karzoth
7
"Can you imagine! The Empire does one stupid thing, and stomps on everyone who mentions it. You see, everyone in the first group who came down here died. Total disaster! I played Marianne, consort to Karzoth! The female lead!"
0
trial
7
"It was a stirring portrayal of what happened to the first expedition the Empire sent down here. Unfortunately, although everyone knew about it, nobody was supposed to, so they put us on trial!"
0
play
7
"In the surface world. You wouldn't have heard of me, but I was going places!" She makes a grand wave of her arm! "I commanded the stage! Well, to some extent anyway. Then I appeared in a play that perhaps I shouldn't have."
0
actress
7
She sighs. "Nowadays, I help out at the fort. But I used to be an actress!"
She gives you a friendly, appraising glance. "I'm Eleanor."
You meet buxom lass with lush brown hair and a self-confident air.
0
stnd
7
His forked tounge flickers out, and he hisses. "We follow one of the lords of darkness. I myself have grovelled at his feet. Soon he shall be free, and he will lead us to mastery over the caves!"
0
ally
6
It continues moving around, trying to keep warm.
"Sss-Thsss is mightier that all of you humans combined," it says in a weak voice. "Our Gods are mighty. Our ally is a being of devastation." His words ooze out, sibilant and deliberate. "You are killing me slowly in this pit. Your deaths will be worse."
0
avenge
6
It turns to you. It is shivering slightly. You can tell the cold-blooded creature is freezing. "I wait to be avenged, warmblood."
It stops pacing the room for a moment, to look at you with cold eyes. Then it starts moving around again.
A slith paces sluggishly in the cell. It's skin doesn't have the normal healthy green color. Instead, it's slightly bluish.
0
stnd
6
"Yeah. To the west. Most Boring fort in Exile. Guarding a bunch of empty tunnels. Well, almost empty. There's a big drake living in there. It never attacks, so we just wait. Much better than here. Here is dangerous. Real dangerous."
0
remote
5
"Yeah. At Fort Emerald. I was at Fort Remote. I liked it there. Then they transferred me."
0
hate
5
"Uh. I keep track of the supplies. And stuff. Get stuff in. Hand it out. I hate it here."
0
quarter
5
"Huh? Oh. I'm the quartermaster."
"Huh? Oh. Hi. I'm Moe."
A balding, pudgy man moves crates of supplies around at an almost glacial pace.
0
stnd
5
"Maybe some of those bastards aren't twisted. I'll believe it when I see it."
"Yeah. Town near here, populated by friendly sliths." She says the word 'friendly' with a voice choked with derision. "They say they hate the sliths that attack us. But the sliths only attack us, not them. Well, this fort guards against all sliths."
0
gnass
4
"The island where the main slith castle and their leader is. It's to the east of the fort. We could win this war, if we could just get a straight shot at that castle. And we will soon!"
0
island
4
"The sliths have a fort to the north, and our mages often slip up to pump firestorms into it. We'll take it soon. When we do that, we'll have a straight shot at the island!"
0
sorties
4
"Yes. They come fast and furious. First the fireballs, then the curses, then the charge. Our north wall gets battered as fast as we can repair it. But we hang on."
0
raids
4
"I keep things in line. I defend against the raids, and sent a few sorties out in return. And I keep an eye on Gnass."
0
command
4
"I'm in command here."
She nods. "I'm Scarlet. Welcome to Fort Emerald."
A serious looking woman with long, curly brown hair and the smooth, sharp movements of a natural fighter paces the fort, watching things. She is very small, but the wicked axe hanging from her belt makes her seem much taller.
0
stnd
4
"Then, I got a little drunk and shot my mouth off, and now here I am. I miss it up there."
"I was a messenger up there too. The Empire kept the roads nice and orderly and safe. No Nephilim up there to kill you, oh no! No no no! They're all down here now. Trying to kill me. I didn't appreciate how good things up there were. I didn't at all."
0
surface
3
"Castle? The Castle! What other castle is there? It's safe there. I like it. But then his Majesty always sends me out again! And again!" His face is twitching. "I'll be caught in an ambush and eaten one of these days! Oh, how I miss the surface."
0
castle
3
"There are several. It keeps me busy. But this is the worst to visit. This, and Fort Dranlon. I hate it! It terrifies me. The sound of the fireballs, the screams, the hisses. I get my report, hide, and get back to the castle as soon as I can."
0
fort
3
"I'm a fort liaison. I travel to the different forts to see how the war goes, and report back to the Castle."
He extends a twitching hand to you. "I am Chief Liaison Randall. Pleased to meet you. Please make sure the door is locked."
A thin, nervous man cowers in the shadows. He jumps when he sees you.
0
stnd
3
"Often some upstart asks me to teach him how to dispel the barriers." He chortles. "That, I tell them, is our secret, not theirs. The tower chooses some spells to keep for itself."
0
barriers
2
"My job, in particular, is to strengthen these barriers. Sometimes I dispel one and create it anew. We can't always rebuild the walls between attacks."
0
mage
2
"I come from the Tower of Magi. I am here to help demonstrate our power. The lesson is directed, of course, not only to the sliths but to the humans that rely on us." His eyes glint with arrogance.
0
lesson
2
He smirks. "Teaching the sliths who come here a lesson. I'm one of the mages of this fort."
"Hmm." He looks you up and down, unimpressed with what he sees. "I am Matthias. What is your business here?"
A young mage with a pointed black beard and an arrogant expression inspects a magic barrier.
0
stnd
2
"I took some with, but it spoiled long ago. Sorry."
"Well, it probably isn't there anymore, but I found a small patch of the stuff at the headwaters of the river that runs down to the big lake. The lake Cotra sits on. The stuff was far, far to the north. Took me forever to find it!"
0
graymold
1
"Hmm. I actually don't know that much about it. I was going to try to invent a healing potion using graymold before I got called to come here. I only got as far as finding a patch of the stuff, no mean feat!"
0
alchemy
1
"Any sliths that come here, they get three flamestrikes for every one they send."
He flashes you a wicked grin. "It's the thing that's kept this fort going as well as it has. It was found nearby, and brought here when they found what it can do. It restores magical power! Thanks to it, each mage here casts the spells of three."
0
emerald
1
He waves at the slit. "I watch for the next attack. When it comes, I defend us as best I can. The sliths are relentless. Soon my shift will be over, and I can go to the emerald and my rest."
He turns to you briefly, and turns back to his vigil. "My name is Hodgson."
There is a man in robes here. He fingers a holy symbol and stares through the arrow slit intently.
0
stnd
1
"It was a horrid and bizarre sight. I'm glad we sealed the place up."
She thinks. "Most of the fort was shattered when Grah-Hoth fell. Just a pool of lava, and basalt rubble." She thinks. "But one thing I remember! There was a body, frozen in stasis! A man, from the surface, wearing a Royal Seal, of the Empire above."
0
treasure
0
"The fort is still there, with some demons trapped in it forever. And maybe treasure."
"You may have heard of it. There was once a demon called Grah-Hoth. He lived in a fort beyond a sea of lava to the southeast. I was an apprentice then. We defeated and imprisoned him, and put him in a cave near the Abyss. A well-guarded cave."
0
demon
0
She smiles sadly and peers deeper into the huge gem. "Against whoever is handy. I fight the sliths, because we need to if we are to survive. Once, long ago, I fought demons. I prefer sliths, even though their attacks are near constant."
0
fight
0
"Yes. We magi keep track of events and significant visitors. Helps keep us all alive."
0
travel
0
She emits a long, world-weary sigh. "The same as you. I defend and serve Exile, as best I can. I know something of your travels. We fight the same fight."
She speaks without turning away from the jewel. "I am Silverio."
An old woman with long, snowy white hair sits cross-legged, staring into the emerald.
