A/N: The wonderful world of Exile/Avernum remains the property of Jeff Vogel and Spiderweb Software. I promise to return to the game unharmed following this bit of fun the following persons: Scab, Zagat, Bela, Molly, Cabanero, Calder, Cleese, Rogow, and Vennel; and places: Spire and Bargha.

Passing beyond Fort Spire, the huge cave was dominated by a number of awesome stone spires. They were gray pillars, shaped like the dripping wax from candles, stretching from the cave floor to the ceiling many feet above. This is the Abyss—home of the criminals and violent exiles who cannot fit in with the peaceful, cooperative society to the south.

Without question, the Abyss had been given the least desirable of the caverns of Avernum. Though this was a beautiful place, it was a rocky one. Mushrooms did not thrive here, and it was colder than to the south. This was an inhospitable place, and potentially, a very dangerous one.

Continuing, they crossed a bridge network into the first community they had seen, presuming the place to be Spire.

"For now," warned Ansel, "we'll keep our heads down and try not to raise too much fuss."

As they entered, they saw signs warning that the laws were harsh here. To emphasize this point, in the center of town, there was a large gibbet—a single tree magically grown atop a platform in the middle of town square. While there were no bodies there at present, several nooses suggested that it could easily be otherwise.

Finding their way to what appeared to be an arena, they saw a rather non-descript man watching the arena.

Brynja sidled up and came close to him, and said, "We're adventurers, looking for valuable loot."

His head swung around. "Really?" he said, giving the others and appraising look as his sedate demeanor disappeared. "You know, there's a person living here named Meena."

"I think I know a bit about Meena," said Brynja.

"She's the mayor. Runs this place like her own personal hell. Thieves that don't work for her die. Don't like that. Well, she's got this magic, silver circlet. Don't think it does anything, or at least that she knows how to use it, but it's an artifact," said Scab. "That means it must be valuable. Anyway, some of us tried to steal it. But we failed."

"How did you fail?" asked Brynja.

"She found out. She doesn't know that I was in on it. But the others were killed. They died slow. Two of us lived, one's far away now," said Scab. "Anyway, just to get her back ... to get that troll, I want to see someone steal it."

"That sounds like a good job," said Brynja. "I'm in for it. Could you help me ... uh, us?"

"Maybe. First, I want to see you show you're good enough. Go fight in the arena," said Scab. "You win, and I'll tell you how to get to the circlet."

"Sure," said Brynja, and she edged back to relate the information to her friends.

"Arena fighting? Well, I guess the purse has gotten a little thin," said Ansel. "It has to pay something, right?"

Moving around to the arena's office, they saw a man sitting with his legs up on the table, sharpening an axe.

"Hello," said Ansel.

"This is the Arena," said Zagat. "I'm Zagat, the arenamaster."

"Can you tell me how that works?" said Ansel.

"I don't expect voles such as yourself to appreciate the fine art of blood sport, but we enjoy it immensely. Combat between criminals. Gladiators battling captive sliths and giants. It's a beautiful, beautiful thing," said Zagat. "And we can always use gladiators. If you want to enter, let me know."

"We're a bit down on the purse," said Ansel. "I'd like to enter."

"Good, walk through the open gate and down. We'll let out some monsters. Survive the battle, and walk out the gate on the other side, and you'll get a reward. You die, you become monster chow."

"Fair enough," said Ansel.

They continued down into the arena, when suddenly the portcullis slammed shut behind them. In a flash of impressive magical pyrotechnics, several monsters appeared. After the fight ended, the portcullis ahead opened, and they found their way to an exit, where an ogre laboriously counted out their winnings.

"You've seen us fight, right?" said Ansel, as they sat down by Scab. "You know we're tough. Help us get to the circlet?"

"Ok, I'm impressed. I'll tell you two things that might help. One of my friends, he got a key to the box Meena keeps the circlet in. It's hidden in a small, secret cave west of this town. That friend's dead now," said Scab. "Another friend, name of Asp, he knows how to disarm the traps. He fled to Cotra. Tell him I sent you, and he'll help you, I think. Good luck. We have to put that Meena in her place."

"But where actually is the circlet?" asked Ansel.

"It's in Meena's chambers, somewhere in the northwest corner of town. You'll have to find your way in there. We never figured out how to get back there. You're smart, though. You'll figure it out," replied Scab.

"Thanks," said Ansel

Deciding that Spire was not a good place to get noticed in, Ansel led the group out of town.

As they continued on the road north, they met a few of the other residents of the Abyss, none of whom seemed friendly, although they refrained from overt hostility. As they went on, they noticed a body against the cave wall. The body had been savaged and shredded, and it seemed he had been killed perhaps as much as a year ago, but curiously, his armor—or what remained of it—seemed to be from the surface world. The cave wall had a red scimitar design painted on the cave wall, with the single word carved into the stone: "Beware."

The small cluster of farms was surrounded by dense walls, pits, and fields of caltrops. The people working there had a frightened, tense look, but they seemed to want to have nothing to do with Avernites, and so Ansel and his companions continued on to the city of Bargha.

Bargha was a walled city, and a narrow windowed passage ended at a closed portcullis. Through one barred window, an ancient, heavily wrinkled man peered at the group.

"Are you a town guard?" asked Ansel.

He emitted a rattling cough. "Ach, ya," replied Bela. He spit on the ground. "I'm too old to defend the wall, so I watch the gate. If you want to enter the city or leave it, let me know."

"We'd like to come in," said Ansel.

After entering the city, it seemed that the people of Bargha were much better behaved than those of Spire, and that the rules were not so harsh or designed to benefit only one. An eerily pale, shy little girl was playing in the open area.

"What are you doing out here?" asked Jynx.

"I'm scared," replied Molly.

"What are you scared of?" asked Jynx.

She shied away from the group and said, "Giants thwow fings. Woud. Scares me." She seemed frightened of the group, as well.

"You don't have to be frightened. We're here," said Ansel.

"You scawy too. You voles. Hate people here," she said, backing away. "Gotta go."

"Well," said Jynx. "I'm glad they're so open minded here."

A young priest, dressed in ratty robes was running about, looking for wounded soldiers, but stopped at the approach of the group.

"You must be a priest," said Brother Theo.

"Once. Now I patrol these walls and heal those who need it. There's more havoc here than I could ever help with," said Cabanero, "but I have to keep trying. It is, after all, the fate I chose."

"Why are the injuries so serious?" asked Duncan.

"Giants are very strong. They come here and lob boulders over the wall for fun. Then when they get serious, they charge," said Cabanero. "Were it not for me and Prynne, many more would have died. As it is, the bloodshed is still horrible."

"So, the fates cast you into the Abyss?" asked Jynx.

"I shouted and shouted for the poor and downtrodden on the surface. Then, the Empire tired of hearing the truth and threw me down here. I did the same thing around the voles, but they got sick of me, too, so they sent me to the Abyss. And I came here," said Cabanero. "It's miserable and dangerous, but I can fight for good here, and nobody tries to shut me up."

Entering Calder's bar, Ansel said, "Hi, I heard you could tell us about the Sci--

"Quiet," hissed Calder. "There are those all around who will kill you if they hear you say that word. We've been watching you. You have the potential to do us all much good. There is a stairway hidden behind this inn. Go down it. The password is Phaedrus."

"Why are you cooking so much?" asked Jynx.

"I cook and brew for this whole gods-forsaken outpost! The few travelers we get, and the many fighters we support, they come here for my fresh stew. For you, two gold a bowl. And we have empty rooms with clean beds. Five gold."

"I'll take some of that stew," said Ansel.

He gave them huge bowls of stew—thin stuff with stringy meat, but edible.

"The giants haven't taken everything from us," said Calder. "Give thanks!"

"So, you know much about the giants?" asked Duncan.

"They have taken much from us, but those above can take much more in an instant," said Calder. "Think on it."

"We'll take that room," said Ansel, after they'd finished.

In the room, they soon found the concealed door and made their way down the stairs, through a storeroom, where they met a man at a desk.

"What are you doing in here?" asked Ansel, surprised that this man didn't seem surprised by their entry.

"Just sitting around," replied Cleese.

"Phaedrus," said Jynx.

"So, at last you have come to us. Welcome to this cell of the Scimitar. You may join us, if you perform a mission. We need someone to destroy an orb the Empire soldiers in Avernum are using to communicate with Emperor Hawthorne. The Scimitar is a group dedicated to fomenting rebellion against Emperor Hawthorne and his Empire, the tyrants which sent us down here, and which crush the freedom of every living being in our world."

"What else can you tell us about the Scimitar?" asked Rudel.

"I can tell you this much. The surface worlders have not forgotten about us. They watch us. They have spies and outposts down here," said Cleese. "And thanks to us, they have opposition."

"What sort of opposition do we offer?" asked Rudel.

"They victimized us by putting us down here. We will not stop being victimized until we strike back. This is the noble cause we are giving you a chance to be a part of," said Cleese.

"Fine," said Ansel. "Tell us what we have to do on this mission."

"We have found out that, in the southwest corner of the Scree Pits, to the east of Fort Spire, the surface worlders have a secret base. From it, the Empire spies watch us and report to their masters through a crystal sphere," said Cleese.

"How would we recognize this sphere?" asked Duncan.

"It is a large orb, which enables them to communicate with those above. Your job is to attack their fort, and destroy the orb. This will severely damage their communications with the surface world. When you have done so, come back and speak with me," said Cleese. "Oh, and watch out for the gremlins."

"Great!" said Ansel with a groan as he rememembered the other gremlins in the southern Great Cave. "Gremlins, too?"

"The cave you are looking for will have lots of gremlins in it. Be careful about them. They'll strip you of flesh in an instant," said Cleese.

"All right, then," said Ansel. "I guess we'd better get on with it."

The journey back south was no less uncomfortable than the journey north, for they were clearly in an unfriendly area, but they made their way to the Scree Pits.

"This looks familiar—looks like that fort isn't the only way into the Abyss," said Brynja.

"Yes," said Ansel, "and if they don't know it, best not to mention it. Never know when such knowledge might come in handy."

Through the mists, they saw a cavewood fire, and decided to get closer. It was a large band of men and women, but their conversation couldn't quite be discerned, so they decided to approach and talk, figuring that fighting could always follow if need be.

The group of merchants was relieved to see that the approaching party were not bandits. The leader explained that they carried supplies through these caverns between the Great Cave and the Abyss. Finally, after a long time of swigging various beverages and talking together, the merchants gathered their things to head southeast, while the companions began looking to the southwest.

Finally, they found a low, misty tunnel full of the sounds of maniacal laughter and the smell of decaying flesh. The constant cackling made it hard to concentrate.

Ansel said, "I think we found them."

"Afraid so," said Duncan. "Well, we know what to do ... find some big ass orb and smash it. And anything on the way."

After killing all the gremlins they had met, they still had not found anything like an orb.

Brynja said, "I bet it's concealed, let's start searching."

After a long search, they finally found a magical portal, and stepping through, ended up in a hallway where there was a sign with the royal symbol of Empire and a ducal seal from the surface.

"Just great," said Duncan. "I thought we were away from those shits."

"Well, we'll just have to deal with them," said Ansel. "Get ready, I don't think they'll be happy about seeing us."

The sun symbol of Emperor Hawthorne here, in Avernum was on the door in front of the group. But barely had they stepped toward it, a short, sharp alarm sounded, and shouts of alarm could be heard through the door.

Ansel drew his sword, and said, "I hate being right."

"No, you don't," said Jynx, readying a spell.

The fight was long and bloody, as the companions were downright surprised by the sheer number of Empire troops which were in this hidden base, but they felt no sorrow at putting them all to blade or sword. Soon, the fight was over, and after more searching, they finally found a way to the orb—a rune covered thing shrouded in mist, and it seemed they could almost see inside. Rather than risk looking in, Brother Theo took a mace and smashed it.

Quite suddenly, the chamber was filled with the smell of sulfur as two demons appeared, but by now, the companions had little fear of a pair of demons, and fought them, and at long last found their way out.

"That was a good day's work," said Ansel. "Now, let's go see what Scimitar can do for us."

After a long trip back, the party returned to Cleese in the hidden office.

"We smashed the orb, as requested," said Ansel, without further preliminary.

"Well done. Now, if you wish, you can join the Scimitar, the secret organization that longs for nothing but the undermining and destruction of the Empire and all of its forces. Be warned, however, that membership in the Scimitar is for life," said Cleese. "But, if you join us,we will give you your best chance to achieve your true destiny in Avernum. The choice is yours. Will you join us?"

"Yes, we would be honored to join," said Ansel.

"There is no special ceremony to join us. No testing beyond what you have already experienced. There is but your word, and you have given it. You are now one of us," said Cleese. "Our password is 'Icarus'. Say it to anyone in our organization, and they will help you as best they can. Now proceed through the secret passage to the south, and speak with Rogow. She will teach you more about us."

"Thank you," said Ansel, and he ushered his companions through the indicated passage.

After passing through a guarded hallway, they came to a nimble-looking woman with a deadly expression and a short sword.

"You're well-hidden down here," said Rudel.

"We have to be. The Empire has spies everywhere down here. The fools in Avernum think that the Empire is unaware of what we have built down here," said Rogow. "They could not be more wrong."

"We were told to come and see you," said Ansel.

"I'm in charge of this particular cell. You are now a member of the Scimitar," replied Rogow. "The Scimitar is large, and getting larger. Alas, spies and assassins of the Empire above are everywhere, and many of us were being killed. So we split up into small groups, any one of which only knows a few others." She sighed. "Makes recruiting hard. In particular, we're looking for a group of skilled, dedicated adventurers."

"What would you have adventurers do?" asked Jynx.

"I thought you'd never ask." She chuckled. "We're all down here. They're all up there. But we are harder to control and watch in these endless tunnels than they expected. This is the ultimate breeding ground for rebellion. But, there is one problem."

"Of course," said Duncan. "There is always a problem."

"So it seems. Luckily this one is simple. There is one advantage they will always have over us. They can get at us, but we can't get at them," said Rogow. "To be on equal footing, we need to find the exit to the upper world."

"There is an exit back to the outside world?" said Brynja.

"Yes. This is something I'm sure you don't know. They left an exit unblocked. We know where it is, and we know how to get to it. But we don't have everything we need. That's where you would come in," said Rogow. "We need a small, strong group to get the right information."

"Ok, what's the information you need?" said Brynja.

"Our greatest ally is an archmage named Erika. She told us the location of the exit and about the password," said Rogow. "We know the exit is in the tunnels west of Fort Remote, near the northern end. What is not known is exactly where. However, we know a dragon named Sulfras lives around there. Almost undoubtedly, he knows something about it."

"Can you tell us the password?" asked Brynja.

"No, I don't know it. Erika says that there is a four part password necessary to get through the exit. She has known that for some time, and has been using her magic to try to find out who knows it or who might know it," said Rogow. "Try to find her. Tell her that you are questing for the lost route to the surface. Now that you are one of us, I am sure that she will help you."

"Tell me about Erika," said Jynx.

"She is one of the greatest archmages ever. She was sent into Avernum, and has never forgiven those who did it. She's wonderful," said Rogow. "Her desire for revenge will save us all. Go see her, by all means! Her tower is to the southwest. In the meantime, rest if you need. Talk to others if you wish."

"Thank you," said Ansel.

Walking around, they came to a small prison, and saw a man in rags sitting in his cell, munching on stale bread.

"Why are you locked up?" asked Ansel.

"I'm your prisoner. Well, the Scimitar's prisoner," replied Vennel. "So, I guess your prisoner too."

"What did you do?" asked Rudel.

"I guess it's because I'm a soldier for the Empire. Not a Dervish or anything. Just a grunt. You guys captured me when I got separated from my group," said Vennel. "I told them all I know already. Now I'm just homesick."

"Where's home?" asked Brynja.

"Oh, no place you've ever heard of, I'm sure. I was part of a group they teleported down to watch all of you, but I got lost in all these tunnels. I've already told them about the fort. I don't have much else to say," said Vennel. "Please, don't kill me."

"Relax, we're not going to kill you," said Jynx.

Vennel got twitchy, and said, "That's what's going to happen, isn't it? They told me you were all harmless, and I'd be away from my family for six months. Now I'm going to die in this pit!" He was clearly on the edge of hysteria, then regained control.

"Tell me about this fort," said Ansel.

"Ah, ok. There's a hidden fort in the Cave of Spirits. That's where we keep the orb we used to communicate with the surface. I told them this already. They didn't need to torture me or anything," said Vennel. "You aren't going to torture me, are you?"

"No torture," said Jynx. "We promise."

"Know much about the Scimitar, then?" asked Brother Theo.

"Oh, I don't know anything about that!" said Vennel. "I don't know anything about any of you or anything you do or anything! Don't kill me!"

"Sure," said Ansel. "C'mon, let's go get some grub."