Role

Chapter 11

The following appeared in the Arial City Daily Screech, a multipage
leaflet that is popular among the inhabitants of the city in the clouds,
but largely unknown elsewhere as it is published in Avian.

Q:...here with Eck Nestless, formerly of the First Arial City Underdark
Expeditionary Force, but now a Scout for the Barbarian Village of
Battleragers. I'll start by letting you know, Eck, odd name there, one of
the old numbers, is it not?

A: Yes. It certainly is. Eck is Olde Arial for the numeral 'five.' You'll
find, I'm afraid, that many of the Nestless are named as such, the
denominations given by the egg-tenders who care for them before they
hatch. Easier to keep track of if you go by numbers. Ach, Zet, Rah, Tatz,
Eck, and so on.

Q: Fascinating. I wanted to say thank you for meeting with us. It's
awfully hard to pin down members of The village for an interview. You'll
notice that I'm using just regular old ink, none of
that other kind. But as I was saying, it's hard to get you Villagers to
talk, and when you do, it's usually nothing printable, the foulest talk
you could imagine, but you've been nothing but unfailingly polite. Hardly
barbaric at all. Why is that?

A: Oh, certainly that is a remnant of my upbringing. We were taught, of
course, the best of manners. It was the least they felt they could do
for us, as most of us would not turn out to much, I'm afraid. Either the
army or the streets, and in either case a bit of manners could only help.
It was their way of giving us a wing up, if you will, the least they
could do.

Q: So, manners aside, I notice quite an assortment of blades hanging
there. Might I ask which....