Pirate"Thank the Throne! Normal-looking faces! We thought we were going to die here with these nutters!" The old man with a gap-toothed smile drops his weapon and holds out his hands in a placating gesture. "Please don't shoot us, Yer Nobleness! Let us speak a word!"
YOU"Give me a reason not to execute you on the spot."
Pirate"Here's the deal: we're honest, quiet inmates. We didn't want to riot! But, well, sitting it out wasn't really an option either. The warden's lapdogs made short work of those who refused to join in the festivities. So we had to — you know — play along. But that's all it was — play! We never meant no offence to Governor Medineh nor to the lawful authority of House Winterscale."
Pirate"Give us a chance, eh? We just want to wait until everything blows over and we can go back to our cells and quietly do the rest of our time..."
YOU"Give me a reason not to execute you on the spot."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me more about the warden and the riot."
Pirate"Pah, why soil yer tongue talking about that heretic? But if you insist... Here's how it is. The warden of this here prison, the honourable Master Casteglia, was a crackpot from the start. The previous warden ran things the proper way: prayer, one meal a day, work, a punch in the chompers from the guards, work again. But the new one... Do you know what his first decree was? He introduced lunches and dinners! By the Nine Devils, that's three meals a day! The man was obviously stark raving mad."
Pirate"Things only went downhill from there. The guards quit it with the teeth punching — the warden forbade them. Instead, the overseers started counting which prisoners were digging up more things in the quarry or swinging their pickaxes harder or whatnot — and then, would you believe it, they put together a list of best workers! And if someone on that list also showed good behaviour, that's when they'd get promoted to an optimate. That's the upper crust among us jailbirds."
Pirate"Or that's how it was at first. Then the warden decided it's the optimates, not the guards, who should be in charge of punishments. And that it wasn't the overseers' job to watch the prisoners work — it was the optimates'. Well, let me tell you: that's when these goody two-shoes really started to shine! The guards aren't even in the same league as our dear fellows, the optimates. In the old days, we had maybe five or ten stiffs kicking it a week, and now, well now we were lucky if it was only fifty."
Pirate"And that wasn't even the end of it! Warden Casteglia moved out of his chambers to live right in the quarry, under the dome. And I think something in his new home really scrambled his brain. He began spouting the wildest things like 'the optimates are saints' who will 'behold the truth.' And he started taking them to the quarry. Not all of them returned. The ones who did, you wouldn't recognise them, more beast than man. They were butchering people left and right. Even guards. And overseers. The warden himself had armed them! And that's the whole sob story. But I knew it from the moment he let us have dinners: oh, this won't end well."
YOU"Give me a reason not to execute you on the spot."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me more about the warden and the riot."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If I spare you, what do I gain from it?"
Pirate"Hmm, hmm, now, how can lowly jailbirds hope to thank yer noble self... Ah! I have an inkling. You see, us here, we're — how should I put this — different from the rest of the prisoners in this place. They're all petty thieves from Rykad Minoris, debtors, guttersnipes. They're no one serious! Now, we, Yer Nobleness, are cut from a different cloth altogether. We're fortune seekers from the void."
Pirate"Why don't we tell you where on Footfall Station — you know Footfall, the only shipyard and the best market in all the Koronus Expanse — yes, so... where on Footfall you can find some very serious, business-minded people, and how you can get yourself a very special discount from them on some very special goods?"
YOU"Give me a reason not to execute you on the spot."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me more about the warden and the riot."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If I spare you, what do I gain from it?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What kind of 'very serious people'?"
Pirate"The most serious kind, Yer Nobleness! Have you heard about the Fellowship of the Void? It's the largest pirate alliance in the Expanse. There is no leader, of course, but there are some terribly serious captains who decided that cutting each other's throats over loot was — what do you call it — counterproductive. But cutting throats together — now that's anti-counterproductive!"
Pirate"And, well, their joint efforts leave them with an excess of spoils, so they need to dispose of it somehow. And I, Yer Nobleness, just happen to know someone who handles such kinds of dealings on behalf of those very serious people."
YOU"Give me a reason not to execute you on the spot."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me more about the warden and the riot."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If I spare you, what do I gain from it?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What kind of 'very serious people'?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are pirates. I came across a voidship belonging to your associates. They were planning to break you out."
PirateThe man grunts, huffs, then makes up his mind. "Well, now that's outta the bag... Our fellows were supposed to come get us a long time ago, but they got tied up somewhere, void kraken's gullet with them! And in all this time we had to wait, THIS happened... Pardon me for trying to pull the synth-wool over you, it's just that we want nothing to do with this whole warden nonsense. So what now? Will you let us go?"
YOU"Give me a reason not to execute you on the spot."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me more about the warden and the riot."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If I spare you, what do I gain from it?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What kind of 'very serious people'?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are pirates. I came across a voidship belonging to your associates. They were planning to break you out."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Very well. I shall spare you."
Pirate"Oh, that's so great to hear, Yer Nobleness! Just great! Now there's a true aristocrat, not that warden creep! Now then, Yer Nobleness, where was I...?"
Pirate"If you're ever on Footfall Station, there's this district there, the Shadow Quarters. It's called that because it's located behind the statue of our holiest Emperor. I've known folks who called it something else, also on account of it being behind the statue. Don't repeat their mistakes, I tell you! Reverend Hieronymus wasted no time finding and burning them all."
Pirate"Forgive an old man for getting distracted... So! Footfall. The Shadow Quarters. There's a bar there, built into the remains of an old ship. And in that bar, in the back room, a certain Ryzza does her business. Tell her Grandpa Bakhval says hello. You'll be her favourite client in the blink of an eye! There we are. Well, Yer Nobleness... we'll be going now if you don't mind?"
YOU"You may go."
Pirate(sequence)
Heinrix"You're serious?" Heinrix glances at you with slight disgust.
end of branch
Abelard"This is unwise, Lord Captain. Most unwise..."
end of branch
Pirate"Will do, Yer Nobleness!" The old man smiles slyly and leaves.
end of branch
YOU"I shall not leave you here to die at the hands of the warden's henchmen. Go, tell my pilot that it is the Lord Captain's order that you be sent to my ship. You will join my ship's crew. You have my personal pardon as a Rogue Trader."
Pirate"Uh... Thanks. We are most grateful, Yer Nobleness!" The old man glances at you somewhat sceptically but then smiles and leaves.
end of branch
YOU[Attack] "I have changed my mind. By His name, I will not let heretical riffraff such as yourselves leave this place alive!"
end of branch
Pirate(sequence)
HeinrixHeinrix lets out a sigh of disappointment. "Old Ryzza. The most well-known fence on Footfall. I was hoping to hear a new name."
end of branch
YOU[Attack] "Consider your request denied. Now die!"
end of branch
Pirate(sequence)
IdiraIdira cracks her neck. "Sure, no problem. Today you tell us a little lie, tomorrow you stick a torpedo in our side from that ship of yours... if it doesn't fall apart the moment our helmsman sneezes in its general direction."
end of branch
YOU"Very well. I shall spare you."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Attack] "Consider your request denied. Now die!"continues where this line first appears above
Pirate(sequence)
HeinrixHeinrix tilts his head slightly to one side, listening intently.
end of branch
YOU"You are pirates. I came across a voidship belonging to your associates. They were planning to break you out."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Very well. I shall spare you."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Attack] "Consider your request denied. Now die!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What kind of 'very serious people'?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are pirates. I came across a voidship belonging to your associates. They were planning to break you out."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Very well. I shall spare you."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Attack] "Consider your request denied. Now die!"continues where this line first appears above
Pirate(sequence)
IdiraIdira nods knowingly. "The old codger's right. Whenever nobles start giving handouts to commoners, something always goes wrong." She notices your look and catches herself. "I mean that with all due respect, Your Lordship/Ladyship, no offence intended."
end of branch
YOU"If I spare you, what do I gain from it?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What kind of 'very serious people'?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are pirates. I came across a voidship belonging to your associates. They were planning to break you out."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Very well. I shall spare you."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Attack] "Consider your request denied. Now die!"continues where this line first appears above
Pirate(sequence)
PasqalPasqal enquires demurely, "Does the fact that this serf is presently confined and therefore has previously betrayed the trust of the Imperium's servants need to be vocalised? Or is it evident to the lait— persons uninitiated in the sacred mysteries of logic?"
end of branch
Abelard"A repentant, honest heretic. How novel." Judging by Abelard's tone, the Seneschal is utterly unimpressed by the old man's ingratiating monologue.
end of branch
Cassia"The lowborn's speech is mottled with colours that conceal his true, darker hues. This old man has a long history of lies, and he is using his wiles on us as well, but... I see no foul corruption or ill intent in his words."
end of branch
YOU"Tell me more about the warden and the riot."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If I spare you, what do I gain from it?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What kind of 'very serious people'?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are pirates. I came across a voidship belonging to your associates. They were planning to break you out."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Very well. I shall spare you."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Attack] "Consider your request denied. Now die!"continues where this line first appears above
Pirate(sequence)
Abelard"Well, this is a welcome change — talking before shooting. Still, Lord Captain, the look of this... ragtag bunch hardly inspires trust."