"Beatin' on anyone who causes trouble. Or Empire soldiers. Or anyone who makes lame ass jokes about my name. So watch it!" You decide to watch it.
"Call me Shirley."
You meet a mighty soldier of Exile. She eyes you up and down. Even her eyelids have big muscles.
0
stnd
25
Hmm. It doesn't seem to like you.
"Yeah, she's around here somewhere. Now don't get me wrong. I like her a lot. She's as good a mistress as there is. But hey, any job that ends me up talkin' to knuckleknobs like you, that's a job I can to without!"
0
laur
13
It stares up at you boldly. "It means I got no dignity. I follow Laura around, and protect her, and I don't get any kinda' say in the matter."
0
fami
13
It spits. "I'm a familiar, OK? What's it to you?"
"I'm Dagger. Like you care."
You reach down to pet a cat. To your surprise, it jumps away, saying "Knock it off!"
0
stnd
13
"That's just the rumor, that Blosk has a lot of trouble with that. Means they need good men all the more."
0
spyi
12
"Word is, there's some spying going on."
"The Empire's started attacking there a lot since the barriers came down. They're starting to learn their way around the caves. Good place for a merc to be." He thinks. "Just between you and me, though, if you go there keep your eyes open."
0
figh@blos
12
"I'm heading on over to Blosk, you know, about a hundred miles west? They have a need for good fighters there."
He grants you a broad smile. "Greeting, adventurers! I'm Monty."
You meet a heavy-set Moor with a variety of weaponry. He eyes you and your gear, and seems to approve of what he sees.
0
stnd
12
With that, she plays a rousing song on her guitar. You stand entranced - it's been a long time since you've heard surface world music.
"Never seen people move faster in all of Exile than there, now. You see, the big front between us and the Empire is just north of there. Lots of action, lots of fighting. I'm staying away from there for a while. Want to live to keep playing."
0
busi@exil
11
"Ever been there? Big city, under a hill, well to the west. Probably the busiest place in Exile."
0
dhar
11
"Travelling and playing, same as I always do. I just came over from Dharmon."
She stops tuning the guitar. "Hello, travellers. I'm Gypsy!"
You meet a woman with the look of having travelled from one end of Exile to the other. She is perched on top of a stool tuning an amazing rarity - a guitar!
0
stnd
11
43
49
"Mmrrr. I'm sorry, but the price is five gold."
4
room
10
Hmurr's Rations
7
5
11
purc@rati
10
"People feared me at first, but they got used to me quickly enough. And now I own this inn!" His lithe form stands proudly.
"Rhiannon, a kind lady, ran this inn before me. She took me in when I was but a kit, during the wars 'tween your people and mine. She raised me, and when she died, may she find rest, the inn was left to me."
0
tale
10
"I own this inn - how it happened is an odd tale. But it is mine, and I run it with pride. You may buy my fine rations, or get a room for a mere five gold."
He bows. "I am Hmurr. Welcome to my inn." His speaking is unusually clear for a Nephil or Nephar.
An immaculately groomed Nephar stands proudly behind an immaculately clean bar. He looks nervous, as if he expects you're going to hate him on sight.
0
stnd
10
"A soldier named Varn. Ask him about the Vahnatai if you want. He claims some were nearby, although that's impossible. Must have been hallucinating."
0
sold@near
9
"A soldier at Fort Emerald, he even claims some of them were nearby!"
"Oh, yes! Everyone's talking about them, but especially mages! A whole new people to learn about, to learn skills from. Pity so many of them hate us. Still, they're on everyone's mind."
0
vahn
9
"My magical animal companion, Dagger. If you see her, you can say hi, but don't expect politeness. She's not a happy animal."
0
fami
9
"My familiar and I are heading back to the Tower of Magi - I want to learn more about the Vahnatai, and there seems the best place."
"I'm Laura. Well met."
You meet a short, round woman clad in rough mage's robes, designed for travelling.
0
stnd
9
""
122
purc
8
He reclines back. "So whaddaya' say? Lemme' know if you ever want to buy the thing."
"I give boats to them that's needs 'em." He leans close. "We don't got many boats total, but I got one here. And if you pay me a two hundred gold, um..., filing fee, I'll let ya' take it."
0
boat
8
"I keep track of what all we got here, and send it where they need it."
0
supp@quar
8
"Uh, I'm quartermaster here. I look at the supplies and boats and stuff."
"Call me Captain Dirk."
There is a scarred, balding, and richly odored man sitting at the desk. He turns to you, relieved to be able to ignore his papers for a while.
0
stnd
8
"He also said it was near a chasm, in a really isolated place. Hope this helps."
"He never told anyone where it was, not even me and Bevan, his only friends!" She thinks. "Actually, he did tell me something. He said to get there when building it, he had to take a boat north from Almaria, and follow the coast around to the east."
0
towe
7
"Secretive, in that he wanted to build a hidden tower way out in the middle of nowhere, with no help from anyone. Bright, in that he did it. Magically. He's probably in that tower now."
0
brig@secr
7
"Odd fellow. I hope you don't have to kill him. He's very bright. And secretive."
Her head pops up. "Oh! You're going to try to find poor Sixus? Poor fellow. Good mage, but not quite right in the head. Thinks we want him dead, too, not just the Empire. So he packs up and runs and takes lots of secret stuff with!"
0
sixu
7
She looks up at you, somewhat irritated. "I'm really quite busy. I'm sorry." She looks back at her book.
She looks up at you regretfully. "I'm Abby." She returns to her reading.
There is a very small woman sitting at the table, blissfully reading. She seems oblivious to your presence.
0
stnd
7
"Do this, and you will be rewarded. If you accept, go ask Abby about Sixus. She knew him. She's somewhere around the supply bins."
"What's more, he took lots of records with him. If the Empire caught him, it would be a disaster. Not to mention the harm he could do in his paranoia. We need you to either convince him to return, or, failing that, kill him."
0
sixu@disa
6
""
121
miss
6
He looks across the table at you. "Adventurers? Hmm. You're probably looking for a mission."
"Almaria is the safest town in Exile, and the most central. So we're the supply depot for the whole army!" He waves at the ocean of paper before him. "It's a nightmare of paperwork, but at least we aren't under attack."
0
mili
6
"Staying out of the way of the military, mainly."
He looks up. "Ah. Adventurers. Hello. I'm mayor Bevan."
A huge, bearded, bear of a man sits at the end of a table, staring at a scroll with distaste. The chair he sits on and polished table before him are unusually opulent for Exile. He would seem quite out of place, were it not for his mayor's sash.
0
stnd
6
"Snore."
0
gnrc
5
When you ask, he grumbles and shifts slightly in his chair.
He isn't paying attention. The plate on his desk says "Duckworth."
The secretary for city hall snoozes gently behind the desk, almost totally obscured by the huge stacks of papers before him.
0
stnd
5
""
20
heal@recu
4
She sighs, and a half-smile flits across her face. "Heavens, I sound naive. Oh well."
"All people do is try to find ways to kill one another. I see it in them, I see it in you, I saw it on the surface. All I can do is heal them when they fall, in the hope that they gain some wisdom in their recuperation."
0
deat
4
"A dream perhaps unattainable, perhaps naive, but look around. Truly, what other dream is there worth having, besides being able to seek one's life path in peace."
0
peac@tran
4
"I seek a way for peace and tranquility, when all that is around is death."
"I am Miranda. Welcome."
A tall, thin blonde woman sits cross-legged in front of a brazier, from which incense smoke billows. When you approach, she turns a serene gaze up to meet you.
0
stnd
4
"Still, another exit will be found one day, though not by me. And when it is, I'll walk there, even if I'm a hundred!"
"Never found one. But someone else did, in the last place I was going to look! Can't get to it now. Empire owns that land. Hear they sealed it up, but good. Total waste."
0
exit@surf
3
"I've been down here fifteen years now, most of that spent wandering, and most of that spent looking for an exit to the surface."
0
adve@expl
3
""
9
train
3
"I train those who would be adventurers after me. Those who still have the youth to explore."
He bows deeply to you, at the waist. "I am Julio."
You meet an aging, dark-skinned man, who moves around with uncommon grace.
0
stnd
3
8
3
Jay's Armor
5
purc
1
"We search the passages around here for battlegrounds. It's grisly work, but Exile needs weapons more than scruples."
0
figh@salv
2
"Well, Jay and I only came down here two years ago, but we were good scroungers on the surface world, and we're better here. Thing about lots of fighting, there's plenty to salvage."
0
clev@time
2
She waves at the weaponry surrounding her. "You can buy all of this, if you got the cash. It's tough getting good weapons and armor in these times, but we're clever."
She puts down the rapier she was sharpening to greet you. "I'm Shannon."
You meet a woman with short curly hair and skin pale even by Exile's standards. You would think she was born here.
0
stnd
2
94
87
Shannon's Weaponry
7
purc
2
He grins. "We came down into Exile together. We were some of the last ones to do so, just before the war started. It was tough, but we're adjusting."
0
shan
1
"Yeah, Shannon sells them next door."
0
weap@near
1
"Well, you can buy all sorts of armor here. And then, if you want weapons, you can get them nearby."
"Hi!" He greets you with a wide smile. "I'm Jay!"
There's a tall, skinny guy sitting behind a counter polishing a shield. He's really pale, like all citizens of Exile, but not as pale as most. He even has a tiny bit of color in his cheeks.
0
stnd
1
27
24
Rosemary's Apothecary
12
purc
0
13
13
sell
0
"Almaria has become the big supply storage place for the whole army. They're always needing new equipment, and they often come to me. I'll buy all sorts of stuff!"
0
dema
0
"You can purchase fine potions here, and sell pretty much anything. This is a time of great demand."
"I'm Rosemary."
There is a buxom, smiling woman with long black hair sitting behind the counter. A long row of bottles, filled with brightly colored fluid, are arrayed before her.
