A/N: The wonderful world of Avernum/Exile still belongs to Jeff Vogel and Spiderweb Software. Blosk and its residents: Bartholomew, Demel, Vicky, Kathy, Royce, Sabrina, Bruce, Jonnhalyn, Jeff, and Leith will be put back into the game unharmed after my fun here.
To my readers, I apologize for the long delay. I find Exile/Avernum 1 to be the most disjointed of the trilogy, and it's been difficult to make a coherent story out of it.
The city of Blosk sat atop a higher rise, walled against the dreaded dangers of the subterranean caverns. Entering, however, was easy, for the portculli were open, and the guards seemed to have little interest in those entering.
The streets were not spectacularly busy, nor were they deserted, when a woman whose breath smelled strongly of mushroom ale, her dress a tattered remnant, thrust a bowl at the companions.
"Need some coins to buy more ale?" said Ansel, sounding amused.
"Ahh, how else can I forget the pain of living in this wretched land," she said. "Give me a coin, and I'll tell you my story."
Brynja chuckled, and pulled out a coin, and said, "Ok, I'll bite."
"Thanks! Yeah, things were tough for me on the surface. So I began getting into the wine. Before long, I couldn't stop. Still can't," she said. "They didn't like that up there, so they sends me down here, where they wouldn't see me. For ten gold, I'll tell you more."
"Tell me more, then," said Ansel, who seemed to realize that there wasn't a whole lot more, but he hoped that doing so would prevent the woman from following them about the city.
"They sent me down into Avernum, and I came here," she said. "That's it."
"Maybe there is a way to cure your addiction," said Brother Theo. "Can we help?"
She coughed hoarsely, and said, "That's kind of ye' but I'm accustomed to the wanderin' life. Thanks again." Eyeing Brother Theo warily, she wandered away.
"You mean well," said Brynja, chuckling, "but she probably doesn't know any other way to live. Now, if you'll excuse me--I got something to do, private."
With that, Brynja made her way off into the streets.
Ansel, shrugged, and said, "Let's find us the inn, and get a drink or something while we wait for her."
"Sounds good to me," said Jynx.
Entering the inn, they could see a short, blonde woman tending the bar wearing a sash that the companions had come to recognize as a sign of mayoral office.
Ansel said, "We are adventurers--do you have a noble quest for us?"
"Not a one," she replied. "We run an efficient town here. We don't need to stoop to getting help from random strangers. No offense."
"So, uh, what are your offerings at the inn, then," said Ansel, trying to not show he'd been a little offended by the brush off.
"We have fine rooms for the night. Only ten gold. And we have dinner and a drink for two. That's how I run my inn," replied Vicky, and she smiled. "I'm also the mayor, but I'm sure adventurers such as yourselves wouldn't be interested."
Duncan spoke up, "Not at all--mayors are always interesting!"
"And we'll take dinner and drinks for all," said Ansel.
Starting for the order, Vicky said, "Ah yes. These times call for clear heads, and the townsfolk judged me the clearest head about. It's not a bad job. Takes a lot of time, and I need to hire a replacement to look after the bar when I go to the Castle, but I like it fine overall."
"Why do you go to the Castle?" asked Rudel.
"For meetings of the Council," she said, looking the group over strangely. "Hmm, and don't go asking me for a royal token. The king's looking for adventurers to go on some mission, and I'm not going to be a party to it. Adventurers are loose cannons. Hotheads! If there's anything we need now, it's clear heads. The army is fine. Adventurers? Nope."
"Well, I guess we'll take the meal now," said Ansel, who decided that it was quite strange that no one of the mayors who could give a token would, except for the one who'd been guilted into it by the task they'd done.
As they settled in, Duncan and Rudel seemed to notice a gangly man who was studiously not noticing them, and Duncan said, "Can we buy you a drink?"
As that didn't loosen the man's tongue, Duncan said, "So, what are you up to here?"
"Keeping an eye on things," he replied. "And I've heard of you."
"What have you heard?" asked Rudel.
His voice lowered, and he said, "We've been watching you, but waiting for you to approach us. Calder. In the Abyss. To the northwest. That's who you should talk to. About the Scimitar, that is. That's all I can say."
"Thanks," said Duncan, and he edged back to the others to relate the information to Ansel as Brynja came breezing back to the inn.
Noticing a woman dressed in clerical garb drinking in a quite unholy manner, Brynja said, "Mind if I sit down?" as she seated herself. "Got any stories to tell?"
"Sure, be my guest," replied the priestess. "The sedentary life wasn't for me. I'm an adventurer, much as you."
"What sort of adventures have you been on?" asked Brynja.
"I'd rather not talk about it," said Sabrina.
"So that's why you drink like that?" said Brynja.
"What else is a wandering warrior like myself to do when employment is absent," said Sabrina. "I can only worship so many hours of the day, you know. When I don't serve the faith, I am human like you."
"I'm not impressed," said Brother Theo, moving over. "Your behavior is still most unholy."
She snorted and made a gesture which rather decisively, albeit rudely, indicated the conversation was over.
After a rather uncomfortable round of mushroom ale, Ansel said, "Why don't we head out for a bit?"
"Sounds like a good idea," agreed Jynx, and with Ansel's arm around her waist, they left, while the others ordered a meal from Vicky.
Walking about, they came into a room filled with ovens and flour sacks, and a tall thin woman who was covered, head to toe, in what appeared at first to be gray ash, but in fact was flour.
"Hi," said Ansel, "what do you do here?"
Demel sneezed, then said, "Blosk is mainly a farming town. Farms nearby bring their mushrooms here to be dried, and we turn them into flour."
With a touch of concern, Jynx said, "You seem to sneeze quite a bit."
"Yes," said Demel, sneezing again, but obviously unwilling to discuss her health further."
"So, can we buy mushroom flour?" asked Ansel. "Seems it's an important thing for the health of Avernum, making flour like that."
"Yeah," replied Demel, with a sneeze, cough, and then another more violent sneeze. "Ten gold."
Ansel winced, and said, "Maybe later. Thanks for talking with us."
After they were well away, Jynx said, "Just as well. I'm not sure it's healthy to eat flour made by someone sneezing like that."
"Probably right," said Ansel, the arm around Jynx's waist again as they came nearer a place which, by the heat and noise had to be a forge.
"You're wanting to go in there, aren't you?" said Jynx.
"Well, I'd like to take a look--see what's there," said Ansel.
"Oh, all right," said Jynx. "Make it up to me later?"
"You got it," Ansel whispered in her ear, giving her earlobe a nibble.
Inside, a heavyset woman with long black hair, painstakingly bound so as to stay out of the fire, was working.
"Hullo!" called Ansel, to get her attention. "This your forge?"
"You bet," she said, barely missing a beat. "Can't talk so much, busy supplying the fort, but I can sell you surplus."
"What fort do you supply?" asked Ansel.
"Fort Emerald," she said, putting an errant spark out before it could get her hair afire. "Making me rich, what with their constant need for new weapons and armor and repairs and all. Sliths attack there all the time--I don't mind, it makes me rich.
"You must use a lot of iron here," said Jynx, looking over the surplus goods, though not finding anything to her liking.
"Sure do," replied Jonnhalyn. "Matter of fact, I could use some of that fine ore from Fort Draco. Make better blades with better ore, you know. Pay twenty-five gold for any sacks I get."
"Don't have any at the moment," said Ansel, his eyes lighting up at the thought of making money that way. "But we travel a bit, and next time we're up that way, we can pick some up for you."
"That'd be right good of you," said Jonnhalyn. "Appreciate it. Now, if you're not a buying, I got me some work to do."
"Sure," said Ansel. "Thanks."
"Have a good day," said Jonnhalyn.
Returning to the inn, Brynja cornered Ansel, and said, "Listen, I don't want to stay over here. Got reasons, tell you later."
"No problem," said Ansel, looking a little confused.
"Before we go," said Brother Theo, "I would like to speak with Leith."
"Fine," said Ansel. "Let's get on with it, then."
They walked along the streets, coming to a shop where a youngish blond man, thin like most other Avernites, was sitting behind a desk studying a tattered scroll.
"Hello," said Ansel. "We're adventurers."
"Oh," said Leith. "Well, there is something you could do for me. There's a business matter--message of great importance I need delivered."
"We're not that proud," said Rudel. "What's the job?"
"There's a merchant named Shaynee living somewhere west of here," said Leith. "If she can get a hundred pounds of leather here soon, we can both make a handsome profit. I'm sure she'll pay you when she gets the message."
Ansel and Rudel exchanged glances, but even though Ansel clearly didn't like the terms, it seemed a good reason to hurry out of Blosk.
Brother Theo said, "If I might ... I've been told that there are a few services you provide?"
"Certainly are," said Leith. "Demand for all sorts of things near the front, and I try to provide them. Got rations, I'm a bit of an amateur sage, got torches, and I'm an excellent musician--for five gold, I'll sing for you."
"Come on, Ansel," said Brynja. "Let's hear him."
"All right, all right," said Ansel, handing over the specified coins.
Leith then burst into a bawdy song about a man named Barnacle Bill the sailor.
"That was pretty good," said Duncan. "Remember hearing that ... well, before." He glanced up.
"Yeah," said Leith. "Most sing it up there end up down here. Funny, ain't it."
"So, what's that scroll?" asked Brother Theo.
"Nothing magical," said Leith, "just something historical."
"Well, there are a few items I was considering selling," said Brother Theo tentatively.
"Not a problem," said Leith. "I'd be your man for that."
Within fifteen minutes, the business had been transacted, Brother Theo's pack no longer carrying some of the excess gear he had been carting, while he had added a few coins to the group's fund.
Now on the road again, Ansel turned to Brynja and said, "So, what was it?"
"Well, you remember Dexter in Almaria?" she said. "I got that ring he was looking for."
"Good show," said Ansel, obviously not wanting to probe too deeply into how she had acquired this ring. "Well, let's see this Shaynee, and then figure out where we're headed next."