Disclaimer: I don't own them nor am I making any money off of them. I'm only borrowing them and will put them back when I'm done. Big thanks to Antoinette and Augustus for doing an awesome beta job and putting up with (and correcting) my odd quirks. This AU is based on Avernum, by Spiderweb software. The introduction is copyrighted Spiderweb Software. This is a new and open AU, so enjoy.

You are never going to see sunlight again. You will never breathe fresh air, or be warm, or feel safe.

That is your punishment. For your crimes, you are to be thrown into a magical portal and banished to Avernum, never to return. What was your crime? Not what you might think.

Not murder, or arson, or crimes against other people. No, your crime was against the Empire, ruled by the cruel Emperor Hawthorne. You spoke out against an unjust law, or you angered some politician, or you may just have been a misfit.

Not being able to fit in is a crime in the Empire. Thus, you are being sent to Avernum. It is not a different land. After all, the Empire controls the entire surface of the world. All four continents have completely submitted to its rule.

No, Avernum is a series of caverns far below the surface of the world. It is a dark, subterranean prison, a place where exiles like yourself spend the rest of their lives, far from the light.


What is it like there? Nobody on the surface knows. All they know is that it is dark, and unpleasant and that it is a place to be regarded only with fear.

Some people believe that there is no air, warmth, or food, and death comes with merciful speed. Others believe that there is enough food to enable Avernites to endure a miserable, wormlike existence. Until, of course, the monsters get you.

And a few believe that Avernum is a paradise. A subterranean land of pleasure and relief, and of freedom from the Empires iron rule. People mad enough to believe Avernum is a paradise soon end up there themselves.

They don't really know what it is like. Nobody on the surface does. But soon, you will. There is no appeal to the judge's decision.


Early one morning, in a low stone building far from any city, you are taken to the teleporter. You breathe clean, fresh air one last time.

Then they throw you in…

The two soldiers blinked slowly as their eyes adjusted to the change in light from the surface. So this was Avernum. While it wasn’t the hell they expected, neither was it heaven. They were in what appeared to be a fortress, the walls and buildings created from rough-hewn stone. It wasn't dark like they had expected, and looking above them they found the cavern ceiling covered with a luminescent fungi that appeared to be a part of the stone itself. The only wood they could see was the doors of buildings, and the occasional scrawny tree that looked to be more fungus than wood. The harsh landscape and rough stone buildings oddly reminded the dark haired soldier of his time spent on the frontier. The other soldier hardly seemed to notice, pushing past his companion and another man in what, by the raucous noise, appeared to be the direction of the Fort’s pub.

"Sorry ‘bout that." The dark-haired man extended his hand to the man who had greeted them and introduced himself as Andrew. "Name’s Buck, he’s Chris."

"Hi," Andrew timidly took the soldier’s hand and, gaining confidence, continued his usual spiel. "Welcome to Fort Avernum. As I’m sure you know, Avernum was the mythological name of the Underworld. A rather appropriate name, or so we thought. All newly arriving citizens are asked to report to Tor for supplies. Any information can be had from Thairl. He can tell you about the surrounding area and any jobs to be had."

"Hmm, supplies from Tor and information from Thairl. Anything else we’ll need to know?"

"No, though I suggest you see Tor soon, to get your allotted allowance of gold. Your friend’ll need it for his beer."

"Good point." Buck took leave of Andrew and headed in the direction he had been shown.

It did not take long to get the supplies, though he was forced to haggle with Tor to get Chris’ supply as well. Thankfully a delightful young woman named Diane, who introduced herself as Tor’s wife, had seen them come through the portal together. And she had seen Chris’ beeline for the pub.

After the supplies he stopped to see Thairl about information. He had no problem admitting he knew nothing about his new home. And, as a soldier, he knew that they needed all the information they could get to survive. Especially since they were both former soldiers of the Empire. That made them the enemy, even if they were now exiles themselves.

Upon entering the pub he could see Chris in a corner, nursing a beer. Already the occupants had learned to give him a wide berth, Buck noted with a grin. Halfway over to his friend, however, something else caught his eye.

Chris rolled his eyes upon seeing his oldest friend veer in the direction of a young woman sitting alone. He wasn't surprised at all to hear the self-described ladies man introduce himself and ask if she were new here as well. Despite the fact she hadn't the pale skin of a long-time Avernite, she wasn't necessarily a new arrival. Warrick, as she introduced herself, had been sent here two weeks ago and was now looking for her sister, who had been sent through the portal two years earlier. Promising to look out for Anastasia, Buck excused himself from the despondent young woman and joined Chris at the bar.

Pushing a glass of mushroom ale over to him, Chris took a sip of his own, grimacing as the harsh liquid went down.

"That good?" Buck asked, eyeing the dark amber liquid with caution. "What's it made with?"

"Mushrooms," the blond answered. "Everything down here is mushrooms."

"Probably about all they could get to grow," Buck replied knowingly. "The trees are definitely few and far between. And not much to look at either."

Chris nodded his agreement and looked at the supplies Buck had set in front of him. He had a pretty good idea of the area from listening to the conversations around him. And he was ready to move on. Formello, to the north, sounded like a good place to start out. Silvar was closer to the west, but Formello was larger and a mayoral city at that. He was sure to find a job of some sort there. Grabbing his share of the supplies, he stood and paid for his drink. He quickly tapped Buck on the shoulder, "I'm heading up to Formello, see you around."

Buck nodded absently and continued his conversation with the barmaid, not realizing for a good hour just what it was his old friend had said.

Chris kept to the well-traveled road that led north to Formello. He could see Fort Duvno to the west, near a small subterranean lake. Making note of the location of the fort, he noticed a number of abandoned farms further on. Only one appeared to still be slightly occupied and burning. Moving closer, he could see a traveler coming from the north who had noticed him as well. Hoping he was friend rather than foe, Chris kept an eye on him as he moved closer to the farmhouse.

The two men met at a grove of trees. From that meager shelter they could see what were obviously bandits attacking a dark-skinned man who wore the robes of a shaman. He appeared to be holding his own - for now.

The stranger spoke first. "Reckon he needs some help."

"Yep. I've never been one for bandits.

The two men jumped into the fray. Keeping their backs together and each using their short swords with deadly accuracy, they were able to lure the attention of the bandits away from the shaman. Chris vaguely noticed a kid entering the fight, stabbing in the back a man who was trying to creep up on the shaman. He flinched, wondering just who had taught the kid to fight, but didn't miss the look of appreciation from the man he had saved.

Just as the last of the bandits tried to rally together for a final stand, Buck of all people showed up, fresh and ready to fight. The new arrival was enough to scare off the remaining bandits. As they ran off, the five men introduced themselves to each other.

"Thank you for coming to my defense," the tall, black man said to the four newcomers. "My name is Nathan."

"Vin," said the longhaired stranger who had fought with Chris. "Saw smoke headin’ west, thought ta check it out."

"West?" the kid asked incredulously. "Why were you going west? That's where the bandits and sliths and nephil are!"

"That's why I'm goin’, kid. Cap’n Johnson at Fort Duvno’s offerin’ a nice reward for bringin’ ‘em in."

Chris interrupted before the kid could say anything more. "Name's Chris. Just came through at Fort Avernum with Buck here. Was heading up to Formello when I saw the smoke. Why were the bandits after you?"

"I'm a healer," Nathan grimaced as he looked at his hands, "but that doesn't make me all powerful. They approached my camp several days ago; their leader was sick and dying. I did what I could, but I recognized it was a curse more powerful than I can cure, probably from the mage who took control after their leader's death. His first command was for them to kill me if I didn't agree to join their little band. I waited until most were asleep and snuck out. Got this far before they caught up with me."

"So, you been in their fort?" Vin asked, wheels silently churning in his mind. "Could ya tell me the layout an’ sentry shifts an’ posts? It'd make it easier to get rid of ‘em iffen I knew."

"I'll do better than that," Nathan replied, fire burning in his eyes. "I'll help you. He may not have been a saint, or even a good person, but their leader was murdered so someone else could take power. Not to mention they've decimated all these farms." He pointed to the burnt-out homes around them. "Those bandits, especially that mage, need to be stopped."

"I'm in also," Chris added, looking at the ruined homes and triggering memories of a similar scene on the surface. While he couldn't take his rage out on the Empire, down here he could use it for some good. And that was better than spending his days in a mushroom ale stupor. He shuddered at the thought of the vile drink - definitely an acquired taste.

"Me too." Buck replied from behind them. "Hey, someone has to keep that old war dog out of trouble."

"You said there was a reward?" the kid asked, a guarded look on his face as he thought it over. He was headed south, to the Tower of Magi, but he was going to need more coins and supplies to get there. "I'm in."

"No you aren't kid," Buck reproached him sharply. "There ain't no way I'm gonna let you. You aren't mercenary material, kid; you'll just get yourself killed. Can't even hardly hold your own in a fight. Bet you never learned the proper way to use a sword."

"Then teach me yourself," he retorted, continuing with a logic that they had to accept. "And I ain't a kid. If I'm old enough to get sent down here, I'm old enough to fight."

"He did save my life," Nathan intervened on the young man's behalf.

"By stabbing someone in the back," Chris replied angrily. "If you do stay with us kid, you're gonna have to learn to use a sword, and fast. And the first lesson is not to stab anyone in the back."

"But he was gonna do it to Nathan…"

"And it makes ya no better then ‘im." Vin pointed out. He softened, though, at the stricken look on the kid's face. "But'cha didn't know any better. Jist don't do it again. So, gotta name, kid?"

"It's JD."

"That's not a name," Buck protested loudly, "that's a coupla letters."

"My name is JD," he said with a finality that left no room for question.

Nathan quickly intervened, taking in the minor scrapes and scratches the motley group of warriors had sustained. "We should camp here," he said looking at the partially burned out house that offered meager shelter. "It'll be better to go after the bandits when we are all fresh."

He and Chris entered the old building to see if it was safe enough to use for shelter as Vin moved off towards the bodies. Chris nodded approvingly when he saw him rifling through the remains for any objects of value. As he did so, Buck took the kid - as he was still calling him much to JD's chagrin - aside for his first lesson in swordplay.

Buck kept himself from swearing as he worked with the kid. It was obvious he had never had any weapons training. It was a amazing he had survived for this long. With that thought, it briefly occurred to him to wonder just how a kid like him could get sent down here. But he also knew that it was none of his business.

Despite his inherent clumsiness, the kid was a quick study and had the basics of protecting himself with a sword down within only a few hours.

By then, with sweat dripping in his eyes and his stomach growling from the smell of food in the air, Buck called an end to the lesson. "C'mon, kid," he said heading for the farmhouse. "That's enough for now. Let's get some food."

"My name's not kid," JD grumbled behind him as he followed him in, but there was a smile on his face as he continued his retort. "It's JD."

Entering the building behind Buck he could see Nathan adding some final herbs to the pot of soup he had made. Off to the side, Chris and Vin were sorting through a pile of armor, weapons and assorted other things. He could see coins of various sizes and denominations, jewelry, swords, shields and breastplates of different sizes. "Where'd you get all that stuff?"

Even as the words left his mouth he knew the answer, his gaze straying out the window to the pile of dead bodies. He paled in realization as Chris answered him.

"It's a fact of life down here, kid. We need this stuff to survive. You don't have any armor, nor does Nathan here. And while he has a fine set of throwing daggers, all you've got is a piss-poor stone short sword. What we don't need ourselves, we'll sell or trade for better weapons and food."

"Here." Now that JD was getting some color back Vin handed him a bronze short sword. It was about the same size as the sword he had been using, but with a stronger blade. While there had been some extra bronze long swords in the spoil, they were worried they would be too much for the kid to handle. Depending on how well they did in the bargaining they could possibly keep one back for when he had more training. Once they were certain he could handle a long sword without hurting himself, they'd get him a better sword.

JD took the sword, handing his old one to Buck. Even his untrained eye, he could tell that it was of better quality than the other. It was also lighter, making it easier to handle. He hefted it carefully, remembering Buck's earlier instructions. But, instead of spending too much time on it, he put it aside. He knew that Vin and Chris wouldn't give him a faulty blade and Nathan was looking a bit impatient to get them fed. He'd look over it more carefully after they ate, and have Buck help him. "Thank you," he said quietly before turning to Nathan, who held out a bowl of soup to him.

They ate their meal quietly, with Nathan describing to them the abandoned fort where the bandits were now living. It was not far away, but Vin wasn't worried. He was pretty sure they had scared them off for now.

They carefully made up their plan of attack. It was to be a coordinated surprise assault. Nathan had told them of a secret passage into a storage room built into the outer wall that would get them past the sentries. They needed to put all their effort into destroying the mage first. Once the leader was out of the picture the others would be easier to clean up. And then the area would be safer for the farmers to move back to their homesteads.

"Except for the goblins to the north and the Nephilim to the west," said a rough voice from the doorway.

Four of them quickly grabbed their weapons while falling into defensive stances, wondering just how the huge man had sneaked up on them. Nathan, however, paid them no mind. Instead he held out a bowl and motioned to the pot of soup. "Father Josiah, I wasn't expecting you."

"But I expected you, seven days ago. When you never showed, I became worried and came to find you. When I saw the carnage, I feared for your life. Until I heard your voice here, plotting. You're going to go after them, aren't you? The bandits to the west? Hope you have room for another sword."

Chris studied the newcomer carefully. Just as with the other three he had just met, he felt he could trust this man. "Welcome. From what Nathan has been telling us of the fort, we will need another sword."

"He is a skilled priest as well," Nathan stated. "He knows several of the higher level spells."

"Despite that, I am not the healer you are, you have a natural skill for healing, even without the training I have."

"We'll probably need it,"Vin stated quietly, looking at the diagram they had drawn in the dirt. "Nate here says the bandit leader's a strong mage. He's probably got the most magic skill of us all."

They all looked rather uncomfortable at that thought. JD had paled considerably and Buck put a hand of encouragement on his shoulder. He was impressed with the kid's determination to stay with them and help fight the bandits, but that didn't keep him from thinking that the kid should be elsewhere. The boy was young; he had his whole life ahead of him, even if it was to be spent in Avernum. He shouldn't be traipsing around with a makeshift group of mercenaries. He deserved better. Yet he was determined to stay with them.

The experienced members of the team quickly explained the plan to Josiah. That done, none of them were really ready to turn in. While they took turns keeping watch in case the bandits returned, they stayed awake longer. Buck, outspoken as usual, immediately began to quiz their youngest member on everything from the fighting techniques he had learned that day to the circumstances behind his arrival on the scene of the fight. JD answered truthfully, until the next question.

"So, why'd you get sent down here?" Buck didn't expect the fiery anger that flared in the brown eyes. It was a simple question, or so he thought.

"Why'd you?"

"I disobeyed an order." Buck was serious, yet he had no problem admitting what happened. "In the army that meant dishonorable discharge. And a dishonorable discharge means getting sent down here."

Chris looked at his friend, amazed at how lightly he put it. And touched that he didn't expand upon the circumstances. It wasn't everyday that someone gave up everything they had in the name of friendship.

"You disobeyed an order? What kind of order?" Nathan was the curious one now, wondering just how much this former soldier could be trusted. He liked the man, but if there was a possibility he was going to put them at risk, he wanted to know.

"It doesn't matter."

"It was to kill someone," Chris explained quietly. Those five words quickly got the attention of the others. While he could see the astonished look on his friend's face, he felt he owed it to them to explain. "He was ordered to kill me.

"After my family was killed while we were on maneuvers, I suspected another soldier. Or, more to the point another soldier's wife. He was a higher-ranking soldier than me. I had refused to dally with Ella, his wife, which made her jealous of mine." He brushed a stray piece of ash from the fire off his boot as he continued. "She tried to get me to kill her husband for her; she found him to be too restrictive for her taste. I refused that as well. Then we returned home to find that my wife Sarah and son Adam had been murdered. I suspected her immediately and confronted her.

"That in turn offended the captain. While he realized that she wasn't exactly faithful, he didn't like having his wife's faults paraded in front of him. To anger him more, she told him I was plotting to kill him. Outraged, he ordered me to be put to death. ‘Avernum was too good for me,’ those were his exact words. Buck here was the first person he found to give the order to; he was coming to explain what had happened. So when he refused to kill me the army tribunal took up the matter. They decided to send us both to Avernum."

Suddenly uncomfortable with the airing of his past, Chris stood and walked out the door of the house.

Buck found him there, contemplating the turn of events of the past few days. Contemplating their new home in these twisted, strange caverns. Above their heads the phosphorescence of the fungi clinging to the cavern roof could almost be mistaken for a night sky on the surface. If you closed your eyes and imagined it. The barren, rocky landscape surrounding them looked like the many battlefields they had seen, the surface ground destroyed by the warring mages’ magical fireballs and other spells of destruction. Yet here it was a way of life, a home. It was their home. They just had to find a way to make it theirs in their hearts.

"You should have killed me," he stated softly to the man behind him. "I didn't want to live without them. Whenever I close my eyes I see their faces, see them laughing. I see Adam playing with the wooden boat you whittled for him, and Sarah stirring a pot of yet another of her home remedies. I tried drink, yet still they haunt me. I'm not worth the exchange of your life. You should still be on the surface, not here in this underworld."

"They were my family also. I refuse to stand aside while the real murderer goes unpunished." Buck put his hand on Chris' shoulder as he continued. "Besides, Sarah used to always say that everything happened for a reason. What if this is the reason? What if we were supposed to end up down here, to make a difference for these people? We both know that we weren't doing any good up there. You know what we stood for up there and hated it, so did I. But here we don't stand for that. Here we are helping farmers who have been chased off their property to reclaim their lives. Not everyone down here is a criminal; there are good people here too. And maybe we were supposed to end up here to help them."

Chris smiled at that thought. It did sound very much like something Sarah would say. But that didn't fill the ache in his heart. Nothing would but time, he realized that, and even that wouldn't completely fill it. Buck's next words were what really caught his attention. "Besides, if I had killed you, Ella would have won. And I wasn't about to let her win."

He slapped Chris on the back before heading back into the hut where the others were continuing the discussion. While he hadn't expected the conversation to take this turn of events, and he did still wonder just how the kid had ended up down here, he was glad for the chance to clear the air between he and Chris. As he seated himself by the fire, swatting JD on the head for good measure as he passed him, he saw Chris returning from outside. While there was a melancholy look on his face, a good deal of the grimness was gone. Oh, it'd be back in time for the raid on the bandit camp, but for now a bit of the old Chris had returned.

Around him, Josiah was quizzing Vin on the plan for the attack, while Nathan and JD were discussing something. Finding his way into that conversation - after all, he told himself, someone has to watch out for the kid - he caught the tail end of Nathan's question about the reward money.

"Yeah, is that why you're here? 'Cause you need money? You could probably find an easier job in town somewhere."

"Not really." JD played with a small rock that had been near his foot. "I don't exactly have much training in anything, not good employee material. Or that's how they explained it to me up in Formello. And I'm too small to join the army, too skinny to haul mine ore at Fort Draco and have no farming experience. Yet, everyone does need food to survive, or at least get to where they're going."

"And where would that be, son?" Josiah asked.

"South, like the rest of you. But I need to go to the Tower of Magi."

While both Buck and Chris looked confused, the other three looked astonished. "The Tower of Magi?" Nathan asked. "What would you want there?"

"I just need to go there."

"Now is not a safe time for the Tower. Things beyond the Triad's control have been brought to a head. I would suggest visiting another place." Josiah spoke with the air of a man with superior knowledge, his words acknowledged by a nod from Vin.

"I heard Triad's summoned a demon they can't control and can barely keep captive."

"A demon? Why would they summon a demon?"

"For many reasons," Josiah explained. "To do their bidding, to destroy the Empire, just because they could. Who knows what the Triad was thinking? Not for the safety of those in the Tower."

"But that's…" Buck's exclamation was cut off by a wave of Chris' hand.

"Enough. We need to rest to be ready for tomorrow." As they all settled in to rest, Chris couldn't help but wonder if things would go well at the bandit outpost. This wasn't the finely tuned regiment of men he was used to leading. This was a ragtag group ranging from a teen to an old priest. While he was sure Josiah could hold his own in a fight, he wasn't so sure about JD. Yeah, the kid had potential, but he was far from ready to go into battle. And that worried Chris. Finally he resigned himself to the knowledge that whatever would happen, would happen. Satisfied with that, he settled down to get some sleep.