You see a tell, wrinkled old man, carrying around a sheaf of papers.
He shakes your hand. "I'm Elmer. How are ya'?"
"I run the auction house."
4
house
0
"On the west side of town. Go take a look! Lot of good livestock there."
4
auction
0
"Yeah. The farmers 'round here bring up the cattle and lizards. Then they bring them here to be sold and taken north and west. Good deal all around."
5
stnd
0
A small blonde woman works behind the counter. She looks at you with a broad smile.
"I'm Terri. Interested in supplies?"
"I sell farm supplies, mostly. But I sell stuff for the merchant caravans too. You might be interested in purchasing something?"
5
caravan
0
She nods. "Lizard-drawn sleds. They haul shrooms and preserved meat to the Great Cave. Takes a lot of supplies. Business has been good. Food's cheap here. If you need to buy rations, let me know."
5
purch
0
"I have rations. And supplies. Which would you like?"
5
rations
11
2
15
5
supplies
12
Terri's supplies
0
3
6
stnd
0
You see a tall, awkward brown haired man. He's polishing a shield.
"I'm Matt. I'm Tina's husband."
"I buy and sell armor. Lots of demand, what with the undead. You can sell some if you want, or buy stuff."
6
undead
0
"Yeah. From the Grim Cavern. The skeletons don't attack the towns and farms much, thank goodness, but anyone leaving town is fair game."
6
purch
5
Matt's armor shoppe
1
8
6
sell
6
7
stnd
0
You see a beautiful woman with long, brown hair. She is quite pregnant.
"I'm Tina. Pleased to meet you."
"I run this half of the market with my husband Matt. You can purchase armor from him, and weapons from me. You can sell me your weapons too. I recommend the bronze spears. They'll keep the zombies well away."
7
zombies
0
"Plenty of those outside of town. They just appear and come out of the west. They used to attack the farms, but we got good at butchering them, and now they stay away unless we leave town. Then they mob us." She sighs, and starts polishing a spear.
"Still, they aren't so bad. Nowhere near as bad as the Nephilim or Sliths anyway."
7
purch
7
Tina's fine weaponry
8
15
7
sell
8
8
stnd
0
You see a noble-looking woman in long, flowing robes. She wears a wooden ankh.
She nods calmly. "I am Esther. Welcome to this tiny island of peace."
"Serving this village as best I can. I provide much more healing than I should have to. I have helped fight the undead on occasion as well. I wish I could rely on goodness more and spells less."
8
village
0
"This is the only settlement between the northern cities and the Great Cave." She corrects herself. "No, the mage's tower is to the south. But they set themselves apart."
8
healing
20
8
undead
0
"They appear in the Grim Cavern, and come out to raise havoc. We really don't know what makes them appear. They aren't a terrible threat anymore, but once they were a horror to behold."
8
spells
0
"I am a spellcaster of small skill. I would love to teach you, but I cannot. You would have much better luck in the Tower of the Magi, to the south." She smiles sadly. "My aboveground magical training was limited, I'm afraid. I was nobility, you see."
She sighs sadly. "I would be still. But a minor power struggle landed me here."
9
stnd
0
You find a man hiding back here. He seems terrified to see you.
"Bertrand. Don't tell anyone I'm back here, please!"
"I'm hiding."
9
hiding
0
"I'm supposed to go with a caravan back to the Great Cave. But the undead are too much for me! They're horrible! The beady eyes and stuff! I'm staying here, where it's safe! Now go away.
9
brooch
0
He yelps in horror. "It's mine! Not Eldins, whatever he says. It's mine!" He looks you over, and smiles slyly. "Although you could purchase it. Just a hundred gold."
9
purch
104
10
stnd
0
You see the bartender. He's cleaning the already spotless countertop.
"Welcome to my humble inn. I'm Mark."
"I run the Mertis Arms, the finest inn in Exile! We serve merchants, travellers and farmers alike, with the best drinks and the best rooms! Let me know if you need help."
10
help
0
"A fine meal is 3 gold, and the most luxurious room you can find is 15. You can't go wrong at the Mertis arms."
10
meal
10
"Alas, the Mertis arms is not so luxurious that we can afford charity."
You are brought thick, steaming slabs of lizard steak, with mugs of some sort of wine. It's delicious.
3
10
room
3
"Alas, the Mertis arms is not so luxurious that we can afford charity."
39
8
11
stnd
0
You see a stout, striking woman sitting at the bar. She's carrying, amazingly enough, a guitar. She looks at you as if you're nothing special.
"I'm Gypsy."
She doesn't say anything. She simply starts playing. A truly stunning torrent of song pours forth from her guitar. Then she pats it lovingly and looks back up at you.
11
guitar
0
She seems pleased you noticed. "I made it. Only instrument of its kind down here. Took me a year. Would have been worth ten years. And now, I'm a minstrel."
11
minstrel
0
"I travel from town to town. That's not so hard, as there aren't too many of them. I'm on my way to play for Motrax now. That'll be a first."
11
motrax
0
"He's a dragon. Lives to the north, far to the north. And he likes humans. I'm looking to see what he would give someone who showed him what human music was like. Plus, I've never played for a dragon before. I bet nobody has. It would be a first!"
"You know, I hear a dragon lives in the honeycomb. But I prefer an audience I know is friendly."
12
stnd
0
A mage sits in the corner, working out equations on a sheet of vellum.
"I'm William. Apprentice mage of the Tower of Magi."
"Research. I'm going to the library at Formello, to learn how to make a special sort of crystal."
12
crystal
0
"A piercing crystal, it's called. A long, thin blue crystal. You throw it at a magic barrier, and it dispels the field! I'm going to try to make one. A crystal, I mean, not a barrier."
13
stnd
0
A soldier sits dourly at the table.
He grunts.
He says nothing. You sense he is less than pleased with your presence.
