"Big as me! And sometimes they blow this foul, nasty gas at you! I run when I see 'em. You should do the same!"
0
rats
7
"Preparing for attack. We haven't had any troubles lately, but that can change!"
The guard looks you over, and decides not to salute. "Alfred."
You meet a guard. He paces around warily.
0
stnd
25
"From the rats. It used to be bandits, but they found and killed them all! They were stealing the ore. I'm glad they never bothered with me!"
"From the storeroom, with all the barrels. I hear scraping in there all the time. I try not to go back there - it sure don't sound like rats!"
2
1
nois@nerv
7
"It's nice to see someone. This place makes me nervous. I keep hearing noises."
0
swee@ware
7
"Sweeping up the warehouse."
"Hi! I'm Kev!"
You find a very young man, just starting to get fuzz on his upper lip. He's rearranging the thick piles of dirt on the floor with a large broom. Huge piles of ore dwarf him on either side.
0
stnd
7
"They're gone now. They got broken down. We'll live."
"It's awful! Big magic barriers, cutting us off from Exile! Ask Commander Anford about it! He'll tell you."
0
1
barrier
25
"Well, they're down now, thank heavens. But I'm trying to think of a way to deal with this situation should it arise again."
"The barriers appeared a week ago. We just found out about them. Magic barriers, of a sort we've never seen before, cutting off this area from the rest of Exile. We can't break them down, we can't touch them. It's a disaster! Exile needs our help!"
0
1
barrier
11
"We have a different threat now. I'm mainly thinking about the barrier."
"This is where I do my thinking about the fort. My office, so to speak. Normally, I'd be planning tactics, defenses, that sort of thing. But not lately. We fought off a bunch of Empire assaults, and they've left us alone lately, so that's not on my mind."
0
fort@comm
11
"I've been an apprentice mage for five years. In the slith wars, I got assigned to this fort, and they found I had a knack for tactics. I never returned to the Tower of Magi."
0
mage@impo
11
"I am the fort commander. I'm also a mage, but that isn't as important."
He looks up at you. "Welcome. Join me in enjoying the view. I am Anford, commander of Fort Draco."
A middle-aged man is reclining against one of the statues, looking out over the water. The green light from the fungus above shines eerily on the river. He wears the robes of an apprentice. Strange - he's old for an apprentice.
0
stnd
11
22
purch
10
"The Empire don't got many boats down here! Don't have the know-how. It's the one thing we got over 'em - people like me!"
0
safe@trav
10
"I carve 'em outta' the cavewood myself! By hand! They're small, but they'll get you south just fine. Safest way to travel!"
0
boat@qual
10
"Whaddaya' think? I make boats. Wanna' purchase one? Only 300 gold. Highest quality!"
"I'm Tess, the shipwright of Fort Draco. Pleased ta' meet'cha!"
You meet an energetic, long-haired woman, her belt laden with tools of various sorts. She holds a ruler and a scroll, and her jerkin is covered with a light layer of sawdust.
0
stnd
10
"You heard me. I'm drinkin' here. Go away."
0
drin@peace
9
"Let a man drink in peace."
"Harg."
A large, filthy dirty man sits at the bar, swilling mushroom ale.
0
stnd
9
"I've always hated spiders! And having them hit on me only makes it worse!" He's ranting. You get nervous.
"They're what did this to me! It was the happy spiders! I can't get them out of my brain! I hear them speaking to me sometimes! A whole bunch of them live to the west. Some of them came around not that long ago, looking for someone to help them. I ran!"
0
spiders
8
He twitches alarmingly. "It's the spiders! I have to clear away their webs! All of them!"
He twitches. "All the ashes! I never knew when I bought this place there would be so many ashes! A ton a day, piles and piles of them, all over. And smoke too! And it isn't just that..."
0
clean
8
1
"Here's some of our finest!" He serves up several mugs of mushroom ale, with little flecks of soot floating on top. It's strong, and not entirely repulsive.
He shakes his head. "Come on! I'm sure you can find gold somewhere."
10
drink
8
40
32
"I'm afraid I have to insist on the five gold."
4
room@sleep
8
Iron rations.
6
1
11
purch
8
"Drinks are a gold. You can sleep in the common room for 5 gold. And you can even buy rations! Feel free to stay and rest for a while. Just never mind me. It takes all my time keeping the place clean."
"Welcome to my inn! My name is Crisper."
The bar is tended by a handsome man with somewhat deranged demeanor. He fights a constant and futile battle to keep the counter free of soot.
0
stnd
8
"Soldiers often get sent to me to learn. The Empire soldiers are fast and deadly. It's all I can do to give them the skills to avoid being butchered."
0
teac@soldier
6
""
9
train
6
"I train people who need it. I teach stuff to a lot of soldiers."
"Boris." His voice makes the air vibrate.
A brawny man paces edgily about. He looks you up and down, and is clearly unimpressed.
0
stnd
6
""
8
sell
5
88
81
"Orson's Weapons"
7
purch
5
"Well, even though the barrier's down, it still is taking a lot of time to get the supply routes up again. You know how it is!" He smiles, and reclines. "At least his Majesty got the barriers down. Something to be happy for."
"Well, I won't be able to get much new stock with those barriers up, but I still have a lot here. I just hope they get the thing down soon."
0
1
barr@stoc
5
"I run this fine little shop. You can buy and sell weapons here." He waves at his stock. "Not bad, despite the barrier. Really messed with my stock."
He looks up at you. "Ah! A customer!" He brushes soot off the counter with his hand. "I am Orson. Welcome!"
You see an aging and graying man behind the counter, wrinkled and grumbling. He is sharpening an arrowhead. His skin is like parchment, bleached white.
0
stnd
5
"His smithy is just down the road. He's a bit full of himself, but let me tell you, he's the finest hammer and anvil man in Exile. And maybe the world, too."
0
boutell
4
"My husband. His weapons shop is just around the corner." She sighs. "We came down into Exile together, 10 years ago. We're old timers."
0
orson
4
""
6
sell
4
62
55
"Esther's Armors"
5
purch
4
"You can buy and sell armor here. It's not fancy stuff, like Boutell makes, but the price won't break you. And when you're done here, Orson can help you more."
"I'm Esther. Welcome to my shop."
A graying woman, pale to the point of translucency, sits behind the counter polishing a helmet.
0
stnd
4
2
0
"Cheryl's 'Things'"
12
purch
3
13
sell
3
"They're mine. And you know what I hear? Bandits were hiding under them! Bandits so cruel they might harass and shake down innocent ladies trying to make a living. But they're all dead now. What a shame!" She smiles.
The corner of her mouth begins to twitch. "Just stay away from them. Please? OK?" Somehow, despite her pleading, she doesn't seem entirely sincere.
2
1
pile@prop
3
"There's nothing wrong here. Nope!" She's shaking a little. "And the ore piles back there! They're my property. I can prove it! So stay away."
0
lega@ille
3
"Just sitting. Maybe with some things you could buy. But things that are perfectly legal to sell! And you can sell me things too, nothing wrong with that. Nothing illegal going on here." She is intensely nervous.
She looks uncomfortable. "Cheryl."
A small woman with curly hair sits behind the counter watching you silently.
0
stnd
3
"Well, we can ship stuff past where the barrier was, but it's taking some time for the roads to be rebuilt. The barrier broke them up. Things will be all right soon."
"Because of that barrier that just appeared, we can't send stuff anywhere else. It's a bad thing. Lots of fortresses count on us for weapons."
0
1
barrier
2
"Biggest city up here. It's some ways to the southeast. Have a large barracks there." She frowns. "Lucky thing our next steel is going there, what with the barrier and all."
0
formello
2
"I'm the forewoman here. We can't talk long. We have a load of ingots due in Formello."
She slaps you on the shoulder in greeting. You think she sprained something. "Hi! Call me Cappy."
A short stout woman is taking notes on a sheet of lichen parchment. She, like everything and everyone else, is covered with a thick layer of soot.
0
stnd
2
"Up north. They took all our mines from us. Hope we get back at 'em soon. Exile needs Draco weapons." She grabs another sack of ore. "Look, I got a lot of work to do."
0
nephilim
1
"Those cursed Nephilim have cut us off from our fine ore, but we've got plenty stored up, so we'll be making steel for a while!"
0
foundry
1
"I help keep the foundry going! While I can."
She gives you a brief nod. "I'm Della."
A tall, thin woman heaves sacks of ore over to the smelter. The muscles of her arms show through her pale skin like steel cables.
0
stnd
1
101
94
"Boutell's Fine Weaponry"
7
purch
0
""
25
augment
0
"If you're ever interested, bring me a weapon and ask me to augment it. Make sure you know exactly what it is, first!"
He leans close to you. "Let's just say not all of my skills are mundane - some are magical. For a fee, I can take any nonmagic weapon and give it an enchantment. Make it stronger. I'm the only man who can do it! Only works once for each weapon, though."
0
improve
0
"A powerful weapon, one of the greatest ever, and we own it. It cuts through demons as if they weren't there. It's in the Castle now, for safe-keeping. And to think I repaired it!"
0
demonslayer
0
"Yes, indeed. Mighty Demonslayer itself was reforged by my hand!" This seems implausible, but you let it slide. "I can repair any blade you need reworked, and I can improve weapons too."
0
repair
0
His boasting seems justified. The weapons you've seen here have been of extremely high quality.
"Fort Draco is the only city in all of Exile that can make steel! It rare and expensive stuff, and the devil to make. But they're the best weapons we have! Draco blades will show the Empire a thing or two!"
0
steel
0
"I work steel! Only person down here who does! If you want a good weapon, you can buy it here! I also do repair work."
He grabs your hand. "I'm Boutell, master blacksmith of the caves." He doesn't seem terribly humble.
You are greeted by an enormous, heavily muscled man, stripped to the waist. Somehow, his ruddy glow manages to shine through the paleness that comes from years of living in these caves.
