The group looks around for their first look at what is to be their new existence.
Farseer looks behind at the still active portal.
"Do you think we might be able to go back through?" he mutters.
Ochita looks in distaste at the rocky floor, "We might as well give it a try, who knows, maybe nobody ever thought of it before."
The group trudges up to the portal, the heat becoming more and more intense until River cries "Okay, back up, its too much, the heat will kill us if we go any further!"
The group backs up quickly into relatively cooler air, all sweating madly, with burns here and there on all of them.
Anju mutters a quick prayer and the burns dissipate, though still stinging.
The group reluctantly climbs down the hillside.
There is a small man at the base of the hill, waiting for the group.
"Why are you here?" asks Farseer.
The man wipes his forehead. "My name is Andrew. I wait for new arrivals, such as yourselves, and welcome them." He takes a bow. "Welcome to Avernum."
"So we're in Avernum? What's Avernum?" asks Anju, slightly clueless.
"Avernum is what we call this place," he says, guesturing to the walls. "In days of old, Avernum was the name of the underworld, where lost souls were sent to be punished." He smiles sadly. "Sort of makes sense, when you think about it."
"Why are you welcoming us?" says River.
"Its my job. I'm here to ease the considerable shock of being sent to the underworld, of course. So. Welcome to the underworld." Andrew pauses."I'm also here to say where you can get supplies and information about Avernum."
"Supplies? Someone will give us things?" says Farseer.
"To prevent certain problems, new arrivals are sent to Tor to get modest supplies to support themselves until they find work. He's in the building to the south. We've found doing otherwise results in desperate, dangerous, and violent new citizens."
"This way, you'll have a fair chance. What you do with it when you leave here is your business."
"You mentioned something about Information." Ochita says.
"Thairl is the town sage. He lives and works in the building just a bit to the southwest. He's a bit glum, bu the does his job well. He will answer any questions as best he can. Of course, you should get your supplies first."
"Is there no way to go back through the portal?" Anju says.
"I wouldn't recommend it. It's not a wise Idea, as I can see you found out earlier. Someone tried an experiment once. it was... messy. Arrivals that came through shortly after that panicked and fled into the wilderness. Ask Acacia about it, she was there. Didn't come out of a house until a week after the accident. It was
very messy. You can still find bit and pieces in places."
"Thank you for the information." River says.
"Your welcome. Have a good life, or as good as one can get down here." Andrew says. He sits back on the bench.
A nearby sign catches Farseers eye.
"By proclamation of King Micah there is no anarchy here. Those who harm others will be banished to the Abyss or slain." He reads.
River raises an eyebrow. "There is a king in these parts?"
"I'm more worried about the fact that there is a place where the banished are banished." says Ochita.
Further along the small street, they come upon a sign proclaiming 'Tor's supplies. Newcomers get their supplies here."
Walking inside, they see a tall man wearing bronze armor, with a rack of crude stone weapons behind him.
"You must be Tor." says Anju.
He looks up from a sword he had been working on. "Yep, that's me. I'm Tor, I maintain the guards weapons, I occasionally guard travelers going to Silvar, but I mostly give supplies to newcomers."
"Do the weapons need a lot of maintenance?" River says.
He glares down at the stone sword on the table. "Pretty crude work, eh? Stone swords my arse. Can't make swords out of stone. They're pretty much clubs by another name. But metal's rare down here, tools to work it rarer still. And good luck with enchanted items."
"What is Silvar?" says Ochita.
"Town to the west. Need to know more about it, ask Thairl."
You mentioned something about supplies." says Farseer.
Tor nods, writes a few things down on a sheet of parchment, and hands your group a small pouch, a bottle, and a bronze longsword.
"This is the starting allowance all new arrivals are given to help them get established. We want you to become productive citizens of Avernum as soon as possible. Good luck to you."
"Thank you for your time." Anju says.
Outside, you look through the pouch.
"Two hundred coins." Says Farseer. "Not too horrible of an amount to start off with."
"I am liking this sword much better than the dagger." River says, testing the balance of her new weapon.
"And this appears to be a restorative drought." says Anju. "Drink it and some injuries will vanish."
"Right." says Ochita. "Glad that's all settles. Shall we visit the sage now?"
Right next door was the place.
Office of Thairl
Newcomers may recieve guidance and reassurance here.
As you enter, you are hit with the scent of old, worn paper and ink. A slender, worried looking man wearing impeccably pressed wizards stands behind a book laden desk.
"You are Thairl?" says Ochita.
He grimaces. "Yes, I'm here to help you."
"Help us?"
"Well, every day or so, our benevolent overlord throws a few more souls into this hellish cesspit. Then they come to me, and I tell them just how bad things are here." He chuckles dryly. "Normally I'd be cheery, but today I'm just not in the mood."
"Anyway, I'm here to give information."
"Information?"
"Yes. For example, on our lovely neighbors, the Nephilim and the slithzerikai. Or on nearby Towns. Or on your chances to escape. Or how to get supplies. Or on the local politics."
"I've heard of the Nephilim, but what are Slithzerikai?"
"Lizard men. Only live below ground. Intelligent, powerful fighters, very magically talented. We've been at war with them for years and recently things have been at a stalemate. They live to the west."
"What towns are nearby?" Anju says.
"Duvno is to the north. It's a farming community, ravaged by Nephilim raids. You'd have better luck at Silvar, to the west. It's the largest settlement nearby. Help Duvno If you ever can. If it falls, this fort is the next to go."
"Who runs things down here?" says Farseer.
"Each town has a mayor. The mayors form a council that co-rules with King Micah, lord of our homey little pit. Mical lives in The Great Cave. To get there, go a ways to the south and a ways to the west. By the way, the council meets in the Castle. It's a place you should know about."
"What is the castle?" River says.
"it's our pride and joy. We built a real castle, of rocks, crude magic, and spit. King Micah lives there, orchestrating our desperate defenses. You should see it. it's in the Great Cave to the southwest."
"What are our chances of escaping from avernum?" Ochita says.
"No chance. None whatsoever. We all stay down here until the monsters hunt us down like dogs."
He sits down. "I think that's enough questions." He waves his hand. "Have a good one."
"Thank you for your services." Anju says.
The group walks outside, and the future seems bleak, but they know, somehow, that everything going to be okay.
(My fingers hurt.)
Author
Topic: Legends of Avernum, Chapter One. (Screenshot LP, Minor CYOA elements) (Read 2876 times)