He spits on your boot. "It's not your place to ask, filth!"
"Move along, Exile scum."
You see an Empire soldier, looking like he's only recently from the surface. He looks you up and down appraisingly , as if deciding whether to leave you alone or not.
0
stnd
25
"The maggots dig their own holes!" He laughs nastily. You refrain from killing him. This is probably the kindest of the abuse the Exiles near the Empire receive. "Pretty funny, huh?"
0
answ
7
"Yeah. Hey, listen to this one. What's the difference between a maggot and an Exile?" He laughs. "Wanna' know the answer?"
0
magg@exil
7
"They sent me out here to grow crops for the troops. Me, a soldier, tending food fit only for maggots and Exiles."
0
foul@mush
7
He snorts. "I'm tending a crop of your foul mushrooms, that's what I'm doing."
"I'm Packrin."
You meet a man with the flushed look of a recent arrival from the surface world. He looks at you disdainfully. He holds a rake, and is quite dirty.
0
stnd
7
"Islands. To the north. Real remote. But the Empire has a dock to the northeast, past Pyrog's Cave. Well guarded, but with some boats! I'm not sure what's on the islands, but the Empire thinks it's real important! Lots of stuff being taken up there."
0
nort@isla
6
"Third, I know some things about the northern islands!"
"First, don't go west. The troops will kill you for sport. Second, Pyrog's Cave is northeast. Big Empire fort. Has a big magic lab, doing all sorts of weird things with weird things. Don't know what. Real well guarded, though."
0
info
6
"Good people, scattered or dead. Damn the Empire. All I have to say on the matter."
"The Abyss, you knew about it, right? That's where Exile put all its rowdies and malcontents. Not a bad place, 'til the Empire got there. Tore the place right up!" She shakes her head sadly.
0
abys
6
"I don't have much information for you, but I have a little."
Her voice quiets down, but only a little bit. "Yeah, yeah! That's right! I'm part of the resistance ... not much of us left out here. Not after what happened to the Abyss. Big, ugly mess, that."
0
scim
6
"Just stuff to pass the time. Could you be a little bit more nosy?"
0
writ
6
"I sit here and write."
The word abrasive doesn't begin to describe her voice. "I'm Delaria. Jeez, don't feel the need to know or anything!"
You meet a short, very stocky woman with closely cut black hair. She eyes you carefully.
0
stnd
6
"It's to the northeast. Tell 'em Anthony sent you. They'll let you clean or somethin'."
0
pyro@cave
5
"So move on. I hear they need a few of you folks for scut work at Pyrog's Cave."
He grins. "Well, ya' know, some Exiles who work for us, I show them to the guards and say they can be around safe. But the others, like you, well let's just say if some guard takes a dislike to you, I'm not gonna' sweat about it."
0
acci
5
"Exiles we don't know, they tend to end up in accidents."
He pats his sword meaningfully. "Still, I don't have any work for you now. I already got forty adventurers running errands for me. So you'd better be movin' on."
0
ince
5
"We wouldn't be able to do so well down here if it weren't for you Exiles. Everything we don't know, you help us with! All it takes is a little incentive."
0
turn
5
He laughs. "What do you think? I run this place. And what's your story? You turncoats?"
He looks you up and down arrogantly. The pallor of your skin betrays you as a native. "I'm Captain Anthony. I'm in charge here. What do you want?"
A man in the armor of the Empire sits at the desk. He has an almost alien appearance to you - he's not deathly pale. He must have come from the surface recently.
0
stnd
5
""
27
purc
4
"Just a little spell I learned before the war, but a powerful one. It makes the weapon shoot flames on your command, but only a few times. Let me know if this is something you'd like to buy."
0
bett
4
"About the only thing I can do on my own, for my own money. But they're very special repairs. They make a non-magical weapon even better."
0
repa
4
"But you're Exiles around these parts. You know the score."
She gestures at her shop. "They brought me here, built this big shop for me, let me live, and all I have to do is forge for them." She smiles sadly and shakes her head.
0
weap@empi
4
"It's tough times, and sometimes I look out for people. But I said they call me mother - that don't mean you can."
0
moth
4
She spits into the forge angrily. Then she smiles in a not entirely sincere way. "Making weapons for the Empire. And sometimes I do repairs."
"I'm Sharon, but people around here call me 'Mother.'"
There is a thin, middle-aged woman behind the counter, wearing a heavy leather apron and holding a pair of iron tongs. Sweat pours down her face.
0
stnd
4
He lifts the mug to his lips, and takes a deep swig. Then he starts twitching again.
He mutters a few slurred words loudly, and then speaks very softly. "You've been there. Your description's gotten around. Find Delaria. Ask her about the Scimitar. Now go."
0
vahn
3
"You're a long way from Vahnatai lands." He lifts the mug to his lips, but you can see, now that you're looking, that he isn't drinking.
0
trav
3
His voice grows very low. "Exile. You're from there, aren't you? Travelling?" You notice his hands aren't twitching.
0
exil
3
He looks up at you, and his bleary eyes focus on you. Then they widen in surprise. Then they fuzz over again. All he says is "Hello, Exiles."
His voice rasps out of him. "I'm Scab."
A wretched, pockmarked man sits behind the counter, hoisting a mug of strong, foul mushroom ale to his lips again and again. His hands twitch constantly.
0
stnd
3
""
13
sell
2
44
42
Suzanne's Shoppe
12
purc
2
"The Empire needs all the supplies it can get - it just has me purchase for them."
She looks very weary. "Captain Anthony, the Empire adjunct for this town, brought me with to handle supplies for him. I packed up what I could to come with him. He lets me run this shop on the side."
0
fled@abys
2
"I fled the Abyss. I don't have much stock left, but you can sell me your goods."
0
reop@shop
2
"I just reopened shop."
"I am Suzanne."
A tired-looking woman with the pale skin of an Exile sits behind the counter. As you enter, she moves a pitiful collection of copper coins below the counter.
0
stnd
2
""
21
iden
1
Her face lights up. "You're interested? If so, I can identify items for a small fee!"
0
sage
1
A look of horror passes over her face, then fades. "It got very ugly there. Many fled. The ones that didn't ..." She shakes her head sadly.
0
abys@nast
1
"To work, make food, run inns, you know. Do things the soldiers can't or don't want to."
0
tole@exil
1
"I'm out of the Abyss. It got very nasty there, so I came here, The Empire tolerates Exiles here."
0
hard@time
1
She indicated the crude paper she uses and the rough state of her clothes. "Making my way in hard times. It's rough going for a sage in a war."
She smiles. "I am Renee. Welcome."
A dark skinned woman sits behind the counter, making notes in a lichen-paper notebook. She wears clothes that have been patched and patched again.
0
stnd
1
Crude rations
6
8
11
purc@rati
0
8
10
"That's five gold, Exile."
4
room
0
He doesn't look inclined to elaborate.
His voice is calm and friendly, but his eyes burn with anger. "Empire's a good safe place for an Exile to work nowadays. Some of them run shops, like me, but some of 'em do ..." He pauses. "... other things."
0
exil
0
"Oh, yes. We get plenty of Exiles working for the Empire here. Round here, there's two sorts of Exiles - dead ones and trai ... uhh ... ones working for the Empire." He watches you warily, as if afraid you might attack him.
0
work@empi
0
"Well, working for the Empire must be tiring work." There is a constant edge of contempt in his voice. "I have rations for you, and a room is five gold."
"I'm Carswin. This is my inn."
A burly man with the pallid look of an Exile stands behind the counter. He watches you with distaste.
