Sildvael's Guide to Trading while 'Evil'

It gets so lonely being evil

What I'd do to see a smile

Even for a little while

And no one loves you when you're evil

I'm lying through my teeth

Your tears are all the company I need

- When You're Evil, Voltaire

We've all been there; you are bored of being a hero, so you decide to take a walk on the dark side. We're the Tier`Dal clerics of Innoruuk and the Iksar necromancers, living outside the bounds of good taste and it feels good. Sadly, what doesn't feel good is being loaded up with plundered loot and finding that every vendor you see is scowling and ready to attack. Think how bad it is for those Iksar monks who managed to sneak and FD their way to Greater Faydark only to destroy every coin they earn and leave every rusty weapon to rot on the corpse because they just can't carry them.

That is where this guide comes in; we can trade and travel and thrive in foreign lands, we just need to play it smart.

Faydwer

Let's start with the big challenge. This is not a continent meant for those of our darker persuasion, so most of its inhabitants are not sympathetic to our needs. It's a pain to get there, even worse to get back home, and nobody wants to trade with you.

The easy answer is to make friends with the locals. Most adventurers are pretty mercenary, so they will buy your Crushbone Belts and change up your money for a small commission. When you need to come and go, there are wizards and druids who can bring you in and out of the continent. Do not underestimate the ways that you can make use of the weak-minded and greedy among the 'heroic' races.

For those who cannot, I recommend seeking out the ruined druid rings in the Butcherblock Mountains and the Steamfont Mountains. These are both served by traders who consider themselves 'above' the petty notions of good and evil. Their devotion to neutrality above all else serves our purposes though.

• Ellona inhabits the druid ring in the southwestern region of Butcherblock. She hides behind one of the pillars, so you will need to travel to the north if you wish to find her.
• Crisyn is based at the druid ring in the southwestern corner of Steamfont.

Odus

Odus is a paradox; the continent boasts a robust community of practitioners who specialise in the dark arts and yet the journey may prove fatal to those who are not prepared. Most will make use of druids or wizards teleporting them into Toxxulia Forest and this is by far the most viable method for many evil souls. Fighting, sneaking or running from the Erudin docks to the forest is a fool's errand.

Should you find yourself in the region however, I have been informed that the druid ring (like most druid rings) is home to a trader with more interest in your coin than your race or religion.

• Martyn Firechaser inhabits the druid ring. I cannot vouch for him, but I am told that he is not hostile to our kind.
• Stylla Parsini in a hut near Erudin is indifferent to dark elves.

Antonica

The main continent is home to many of our kind. Neriak and Oggok are safe for some of our kind, less so for others, but there is little to be said here. The true concern would be for the human cities at each end of the continent.

Freeport

Freeport is a wretched hive of scum and villainy, but still infested with fools who worship the light. My advice? Stick to the tunnels below the city; we are welcome enough there and not easily preyed upon by the guardsmen or the paladins. I pray you avoid the northern sector; it is home to the worst of these hypocrites, who will have your head as soon as look at you. A number of traders and guilds are present in the eastern tunnels.

Enter the city through one of the hidden doors.

• An illusory wall hides the western entrance, south of the western gates as you approach from the Commonlands.
• A second illusory wall hides the northern entrance, north of the western gates.
• Another illusory wall is just west of the main gates as you approach from the Deserts of Ro.
• The penultimate entrance is hidden at the docks, behind the barrels beneath the Seafarer's Roost.
• The last entrance is hidden at the mouth of a cove south of Freeport docks, should you feel the need to swim that way.

Qeynos

Qeynos is clean and bright and, like so many cities, rotten beneath the surface. Evil roams the Catacombs and not all of it to our benefit. Entrances open to the bank, to the warrior's guild, to the docks, to the Crow's Nest tavern, to the eastern gates and many other places. Should you find your way through this maze of tunnels, there is a temple to Bertoxxulous in the southeastern corner.

For those trying to bypass the city itself:

• Follow the city walls east of the northern gates to find a hidden entrance into the catacombs.
• An underwater tunnel can be found by jumping off the southernmost pier at the docks in south Qeynos.

Kunark

The land of the Iksar, there are three main settlements and each one seems to hate visitors from the others.

The Overthere

The Overthere is home to the darker races of Antonica, filled with Tier`Dal Dragoons and constructs of one form or another. Curiously, their loyalties appear to lie with Venril Sathir and not any of the Antonican cities. One must be careful not to draw their ire by hunting in Karnor's Castle, Kaesora or Trakanon's Teeth, though it is easy enough to help the outpost Protect the Shipyard to convince them of your loyalty.

Cabilis

Cabilis is home to the Iksar, so you can make peace with them if you wish and them travel to their city. I would rather not...

Firiona Vie

Firiona Vie is filled with humans and Fier`Dal, considering itself a beacon of light against the darkness. Our kind is not welcome here, nor would any true child of Innoruuk wish to enter the outpost for any reason but the wholesale slaughter of the inhabitants. I pray you avoid it until you come to raze it to the ground.