"Well, we have a betting pool going to see who can kill 20 Empire soldiers first, and I'm trying to win it. That answer your question?"
"Call me Clara."
You meet a huge guard. She holds a steel-headed halberd at her side, and seems ready for anything.
0
stnd
25
8
10
"He left me a note saying he left a message on the back of his dresser. I found the message, but I can't understand it!" (You take note of this.) He shakes his head. "The work goes slow without his help. I hope someone finds him soon."
2
usel@mess
12
Bartholomew looks surprised. "You know of Thompson? He's not here. He's disappeared. We were working on secret research together, but one day I woke up and he was gone. And all he left me was this useless message!"
0
thom
12
"I am certainly not at liberty to tell you about it."
0
magi@rese
12
"I am doing magical research for the benefit of Exile."
"I am Bartholomew. What do you want?"
A worn down man in mages robes stares at you apathetically. You don't feel welcome here at all.
0
stnd
12
"He's Justin! He says he won't let me learn to use a sword for a long, long time." She waves her sword around a bit, almost hitting you in the knee. "But I'm teachin' myself. And if the Empire attacks, I'll show them!"
0
dadd
11
She draws her little sword. "Yeah! And beat dragons and slay fifty Empire bad people! I will! If my daddy lets me."
0
adve
11
"I'm gonna' be an adventurer!"
"I'm Phaedra." She doesn't take her eyes of your weapons.
You meet a pale little girl. She watches you with fascination. You notice she has a short, cavewood toy sword at her belt.
0
stnd
11
"My home is in the northeast corner of town. Look in the library there, and you may find something that is useful to you."
0
know@hunt
10
"Ah! You are on the same quest! Sadly, there is little for me to tell you. Empire spies are very good at covering their tracks. However, I have been collecting much knowledge that may be useful in the hunt."
0
sear
10
He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, my friend, I have no time to talk."
He nods cordially. "I am called Leith."
You meet a tall, skinny man with a long rapier hanging at his side. He watches you warily as you approach.
0
stnd
10
"He was trying to find a spy in Blosk, who was, I am glad to say, exposed. But now he is going on patrols, watching for Empire troops movements. It is very dangerous, and I worry for him constantly." She seems very glad to have someone to share this with.
"He is trying to find a spy living in Blosk. More than that, I cannot say, although I fear such work is very dangerous."
9
1
work@dang
9
"My dear, dear friend. That is why I am so worried. He was more a sage, but lately, his work has grown very dangerous."
0
stay@leit
9
"Thank you. I get little chance to travel and play - Empire raiders are too common."
Without words, she pulls the flute from her belt, and plays a long, soft, elegant tune. She plays it sadly and flawlessly. Then she returns her flute to her belt.
0
trav@musi
9
"I was a travelling musician, but not of late. Lately, I've been staying with Leith."
"My name is Allisandre."
You meet a sad looking woman. She turns to speak with you, although she doesn't seem pleased by the prospect. She has a flute at her belt.
0
stnd
9
"I am one who worships privacy, and I ask that you respect mine."
0
stnd
8
"But I sense you have no things to confess. So I ask you leave me."
"Strength to continue to hide what they must. They confess their secrets to me, and I give them the strength to keep them, to keep their privacy. Because people are defined as much by what they don't say as what they say."
0
stre
8
"We are all people of secrets, secrets we keep because we want to or we must. And when people find it hard to hold their secrets inside, they come here for strength."
0
prie@secr
8
"I am the priest of secrets." His head doesn't turn as he speaks.
"I am Mondrian." It's a male voice. He doesn't turn his face from the altar as he speaks.
There is a person in heavy black robes kneeling before the altar. His or her face is completely obscured by the hood.
0
stnd
8
"Patrick's Tower, far to the south. It's a wonderful place. It has the biggest libraries in Exile!"
0
mage@towe
7
""
21
iden
7
"I'm going to learn to be a mage, at the Tower. There's no space for new students, now, so I'm earning money by doing identifications."
0
sage@mome
7
"I'm working as a sage at the moment."
"My name is Saffron." She looks slightly embarrassed about that fact.
There is a young, severe-looking woman with long brown hair tied up into a tight bun. She nods solemnly to you as you enter.
0
stnd
7
"This is a beautiful place, you know. Filled with much ugliness, true, but if we don't also appreciate its wonders as well, who will?"
"Some distance to the south, and led by the venerable and wise Patrick the archmage. It is the center of learning and knowledge for all of Exile. If there are things you wish to find out, where better to go?" He starts looking around again.
0
patr@towe
6
"Yes! Beauty! We of the Flying Spirit are wanderers, travellers, determined to see the world and appreciate it as best we can! For example, I soon plan to shut up the temple and take a jaunt down to Patrick's Tower."
0
beau
6
"In the southwest corner of town. Nobody there now. Best not waste your time going."
0
temp@shri
6
"I am Justin, priest of the Temple of the Flying Spirit. I'm not usually there, though. It seems a shame to be cooped up in a musty shrine, when there is so much beauty outside the door!" Beauty? Where?
"I am Justin. Welcome, my friends."
You meet a large, affable man, walking about the city and, seemingly, enjoying looking at everything. If he wasn't wearing priest's robes, you'd think he was mad.
0
stnd
6
"So they sent me and my friend Patsy down here. Bastards, the lot of them."
"For frivolity. Can you believe it? They thought I was a parasite! ME! And annoying too, they said. Annoying. What sort of a crime is that, I mean ... , I mean really, darling?"
0
empi@exil
5
"And the Empire, they did this to me! Sent me into this Exile, or whatever you call it!"
She jumps up in fury, taking a bottle of ale along to steady herself, and swings the door open. "Look at all of this! Just look at it darling! Mold and fungus as far as the eye can see! No shoppes! No culture! Just little gross things every-bloody-where!"
0
stin@hole
5
Fabulous Rations
6
4
11
purc@rati
5
She lurches forward. "Look, darling, look at all of this! I have the most fabulous rations in all of this stinking hole!"
She smiles in a mildly sincere way. "Hello, darling! Welcome to my humble little shop! You can call me Eddy."
The counter here is covered with food, lots of it, and booze, lots of it. Behind all of it reclines a heavy-set woman with long, frizzy brown hair and an imperious look.
0
stnd
5
He turns for a moment to heap abuse on his trainees.
"Yes, just to the north are the Empire lands. Their army is not there, at the moments, but their patrols and raiding parties are in firm control. If you plan to head north, sharpen your sword and strengthen your mind!"
0
fron
4
"Expensive learning is, I know, but what of value was ever gained without cash and work, eh?"
0
gold@effo
4
""
9
trai@know
4
"Knowledge is what we offer here, in return for gold and effort. And knowledge is what you'll need, so near the front."
"Welcome to this place of learning. I am Oliver."
A small, powerfully built Moor takes a group of archer trainees through some rather grueling muscle-building exercises. As they puff and moan, he comes over to speak with you.
0
stnd
4
5
She takes your coins, and serves you up some powerful, somewhat drinkable mushroom ale.
"That's five gold!"
10
grog
3
29
19
She takes a swig and looks at you disgustedly. "You don't have the gold for such fabulous accomidations!"
3
rich@fabu
3
28
24
She takes a swig and looks at you disgustedly. "You don't even have five gold?"
3
poor@lous
3
"Lousy or fabulous room? Or do you want some lovely grog first?"
0
purc@room
3
"Well, we can give you a poor room for 5 gold and a fabulous room for 15. Depends on whether you want to be eaten by lice, eh? Also we have the finest grog in the Great Cave, only five gold a round!"
"Welcome, welcome! I am Patsy! Welcome to my alehouse and inn!"
There is a tall, thin, blonde woman working busily behind the counter. She is doing her best, considering that she seems to be drinking one mug of ale for every mug she serves.
0
stnd
3
"Some advice - speak to Leith. He has been helping us in our quest. He could help you. Ask him about the search."
He frowns. "Her Ladyship and I are trying to find a spy. We recently found papers, giving instructions to an unnamed party here to find what he or she or it could about our defenses. We have had no luck learning who this letter was addressed to."
0
assi@diff
2
"Lady Vicky is a fine and noble woman. The greater the responsibilities her job entails, the better she meets them. It is an honor to serve under her."
0
lady
2
"We often have call to use snipers and set ambushes, and when that happens, it is the archers who perform the greatest services."
0
arch@snip
2
"Well, I'm an archer much of the time. My skills are needed often enough. In addition, I have been friends with her Ladyship, and have been assisting her with certain, umm ..., difficulties."
He shakes your hands. "I'm Bruce, master archer and assistant to her Ladyship."
You meet a heavy-set man with a chainmail jerkin and a bow slung over his shoulder.
0
stnd
2
"Don't mention his name to me. My only regret is that he died so slowly."
She looks over at the archer sitting nearby. "My assistant, when he's around. We've been working together to solve this problem. He can tell you some good places to start looking for the spy."
9
1
bruc
1
""
135
evid@proo
1
""
134
miss@adve
1
"I'd drop it in a second, but for one thing. I seem to have a knack for it." She smiles resignedly.
"Once, I ran the inn. Then I became the mayor, back when it was not such a job. Then, I had to leave the inn behind, because my responsibilities as a leader absorbed my whole being."
0
blis@innk
1
"And, of course, I need to use all the resources I have. That is why I sometimes seek adventurers to do a mission."
Her chest heaves with an ample sigh. "My job for the last ten years. Before that, I was, blissfully, an innkeeper. Now I hold this city together and marshal its forces against the Empire."
0
runn@blos
1
"What do you think? Running Blosk, in all its glory."
She stands to greet you. "I am Mayor Vicky of Blosk, high and esteemed mayor of the city of Blosk. You can call me Vicky." She plops back down again.
A buxom blonde woman wearing a sash of office sits at the end of the table. She stares at its polished surface and the papers covering it with undisguised antipathy.
0
stnd
1
The statue continues to stare at you impassively.
0
gnrc
0
"Praise the Empire. That is all."
The statue speaks! "Greetings, agent! You have your directions. Act on them soon, or things will go very badly for you. Also, we've been losing important papers lately. Be sure everything we give you ends up in a brazier."
0
worms
0
The statue continues to stare at you impassively.
The statue stares at you.
How odd! You've seen paintings of people in which the eyes seemed to follow you, but this statue's eyes are definitely following you!
