A/N: The world of Exile/Avernum remains the property of Jeff Vogel and Spiderweb Software, not me. I promise, following my non-profit fun here, to return to the game unharmed Anaximander, X, Erin, Elsner, Gwost, and Tucker and Fort Emergence. Nigel is still mine, though. While Daniel, Phaedra, and Angarahad are all encountered as children in Exile/Avernum 2, personalities and career choices are mine. Frrrrrr, of course, is the default name from both Exile 2 and 3. However, with the events of the beginning of Exile 2, it never seemed appropriate to me to include a nephilim in the party, while the division between good and bad sliths was well-established. By the time of these events, I believe the Empire War cemented relations between the three races of Avernum, but that it wouldn't be appropriate to include a slith in the surface exploration team.
There had never been a declaration, but they knew ... Avernum had won the war against Empire. In the years that passed, nothing was heard from Empire. Five years had passed, and the Avernites had decided it was time to return. Explorations had discovered a new network of caves, and Avernite troops were sent to beat back the walking fungi, the giant rats and lizards, and a handful of settlements were established.
In Fort Emergence, there was a bridge leading north ... to the surface.
Anaximander paced the office, scowling. "I don't like it," he said. "I still don't like it."
"I understand," said Nigel, his hair now something more like ginger than it had been ten years ago when he had been one of the greatest heroes of Avernum. Now, though, the batterings he had gone through had left him with a severe limp which rendered him unfit for anything more active than the desk job at Unspecified. "I never much cared for X myself."
"Interfering old bastard!" said Anaximander. "He's given them a bunch of crap, filled their heads with self-importance, and will have them looking for ..."
"Giant anvils and ways to drop them on surface-worlders heads," said Nigel. "I know. Believe me ... X has to be ... Honestly, it was easier talking to Erika."
"Don't start," said Anaximander. "Erika has decided to move up here ... all we need is for her to start interfering too. You know what happened when she got too much a free hand? Total disaster! That's what."
"Well, this is something different," said Nigel. "From what I understand, she couldn't actually go anyway. I don't know why she wanted to get closer to this."
"No one knows. She built her tower and promptly sealed herself off. Probably scrying on us as we speak," said Anaximander.
"No point in worrying over it," said Nigel. "We have to brief them."
A knock at the door, and Anaximander said, "Enter."
The four adventurers had been hired by Unspecified Services, trained, and then X had stuck his oar in and insisted on giving them some eccentric equipment. Now, they entered ... sauntered, more accurately, and sat down without invitation: Erin, Gwost, Elsner, and Tucker.
Anaximander said, "Thank you for coming so promptly. As you know, King Micah has decreed that we are to send a team to explore the surface to see how safe it is to emerge. You're young enough, you might never remember having been up there on the surface. We don't know much beyond preliminary scries, as you can see on the maps here. We need to know about the populations, about their attitudes toward Avernites, and prospects for settlement. Do you have any questions?"
"Can we go now?" said Erin.
"When you have discovered answers, you are to report back to me," said Anaximander. "I look forward to hearing from you. Dismissed."
The four left the office, swaggering as they made their way through the northern exit.
Weeks had passed without a single report. Scries had failed to pick up signs of them.
"Anaximander, we're going to have to admit it's a failure," said Nigel.
"No," said Anaximander, "we can't do that—we still have public sentiment on our side. People want to know what's up there."
"Then you'll have to get another group," said Nigel, "and hope it doesn't turn out the same way."
"That's it," said Anaximander. "I'm sending another team, and this time, it'll be done my way."
"Here are the dossiers," said Nigel. "Shall I have them sent up?"
Anaximander picked up the papers, and said, "Anicka. Hometown: Silvar. Age: fifteen. Mother: Warrick, deceased. Father: Ansel, missing, presumed dead ... not the Ansel?"
"Well, that's what her mother put on the birth certificate," said Nigel. "Anicka was born right after Grah-Hoth's final defeat. Near as anyone can tell, Warrick did spend one night with Ansel while traveling from Fort Avernum to Silvar. Whether anything happened, who knows. Knowing Warrick's reputation, it probably did. Whether she got pregnant from him ... well, could be him, could be anyone ... The girl doesn't seem to put much stock in it, though."
"All right," said Anaximander, "I guess she'll be all right. Daniel. Hometown: Dharmon. Age: seventeen. Mother: Malka, living in Dharmon. Father: Daniel, missing, presumed dead. Skills: Mapping. Good, we need that. Frrrrrr—what the fuck? Nigel, we can't be sending kitties ..."
"I've seen Frrrrrr," said Nigel. "He's a ginger—put him in robes with a hood, he'll just be a guy in need of a shave. He's from Almaria, raised in the inn there. Doesn't have much accent at all, but he has all the kitty senses and archery skills."
"We're not sending them to fight," said Anaximander.
"You hope," said Nigel. "You don't want them going up there unable to defend themselves if need be."
"All right, all right," said Anaximander. "Phaedra, hometown: Blosk. Age: sixteen. Mother: Lystra, deceased. Father: Justin, living, whereabouts unknown."
"She'll be living her father's dream," said Nigel. "He's a wanderer, wanted to go all sorts of places he couldn't get to during the war. Guess he's trying to get them now."
"Angarahad. Hometown: Cotra. Age: seventeen. Mother: Samantha, deceased. Father: John, deceased," said Anaximanader. "OK, and Nathan, hometown: Mertis. Age: sixteen. Mother: Sylvia, current whereabouts in Mertis area, Father, Acheron, deceased. Yeah, fine. Send them up. Don't tell them what their job will be. We'll do it my way, and not let their heads get swollen up."