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* CannotTellALie: Neverfell. It's not that she can't ''tell'' it, it's that it's always very obvious what she's thinking.

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* CannotTellALie: Neverfell. It's not that she can't ''tell'' it, one, it's that it's always very obvious what she's thinking.thinking, including being deceptive or dishonest.
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* MemoryGambit: The Kleptomancer carefully edits his own memories and gives himself sealed orders to follow in order to avoid being understood by the many Chessmasters in Caverna. [[spoiler:He helps Neverfell do the same later.]]

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* MemoryGambit: The Kleptomancer carefully edits his own memories and gives himself sealed orders SealedOrders to follow in order to avoid being understood by the many Chessmasters in Caverna. [[spoiler:He helps Neverfell do the same later.]]
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* BerserkButton: Neverfell's expressions of anger and defiance are this for [[spoiler:Madame Appeline]].
* BigBad: Maxim Childersin.

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%% * BerserkButton: Berserk Button: Neverfell's expressions of anger and defiance are this for [[spoiler:Madame Appeline]].
%% * BigBad: Big Bad: Maxim Childersin.
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* DeadlyDecadentCourt: Caverna is so deadly that the person in charge is basically plotting against themselves.

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* DeadlyDecadentCourt: DecadentCourt: Caverna is so deadly that the person in charge is basically plotting against themselves.

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%%* RedemptionEarnsLife: Inverted.

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%%* RedemptionEarnsLife: Inverted.Inverted by way of "The promise of life brings on redemption".
* RightForTheWrongReasons: Neverfell is drawn to Appeline's Tragedy Range, Faces expressing wistfulness and motherly affection, and almost immediately considers if she is her long-lost birth mother. [[spoiler:Appeline is not her mother, but the Faces are based on Neverfell's mother.]]

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* SpannerInTheWorks: Neverfell functions as this in among everyone else's elaborate plans. [[spoiler:Even her arrival into Caverna as a toddler was a big wrench in Appeline's machinations.]]

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* SpannerInTheWorks: SpannerInTheWorks:
**
Neverfell functions as this in among everyone else's elaborate plans. [[spoiler:Even her arrival into Caverna as a toddler was a big wrench in Appeline's machinations.]]]]
** The Kleptomancer's describes his heists as this. He steals what is most likely to cause a stir in Caverna, an object essential to someone's plot, simply so he can observe how the schemers react.

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* AffablyEvil[=/=]SoftSpokenSadist: Maxim Childersin. [[spoiler:Also, Madame Appeline. ''Dear god'', Madame Appeline]].



* AliceAllusion: Neverfell is led out of Grandible's labyrinth by a white rabbit. Neverfell is also "a little mad" and the city she lives in operates under rather warped logic.

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* AliceAllusion: Neverfell is led out of Grandible's labyrinth by a white rabbit. Neverfell is also "a little mad" and the city she lives in operates under rather warped logic. In the climax, she is even given a flask of Wine with the label reading, "Drink Me."



* InspectorJavert: Enquirer Treble, chief of Enquiry (the closest thing Caverna has to a constabulary) and the Grand Steward's righthand woman, is convinced that Neverfell is at the heart of some secret conspiracy. [[spoiler:Technically, she's right, just not in a way either of them expect.]]

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* InspectorJavert: Enquirer Treble, chief of the Enquiry (the closest thing Caverna has to a constabulary) and the Grand Steward's righthand woman, is convinced that Neverfell is at the heart of some secret conspiracy. [[spoiler:Technically, she's right, just not in a way either of them expect.]]



* TheSociopath: Considering Cavernans must learn to project emotion, it should come as no surprise that faking kindness and interest. The Grand Steward cares for nothing except keeping his throne and regaining the ability to experience pleasure, [[spoiler:but even he's a saint compared to Childersin and Appeline]].

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* TheSociopath: Considering Cavernans must learn to project emotion, it should come as no surprise that faking kindness and interest. interest is rampant in the den of liars. The Grand Steward cares for nothing except keeping his throne and regaining the ability to experience pleasure, [[spoiler:but even he's a saint compared to Childersin and Appeline]].
* SoftSpokenSadist: Maxim Childersin. [[spoiler:Also, Madame Appeline. ''Dear god'', Madame
Appeline]].



* TokenGoodTeammate: Enquirer Treble is the only member of Caverna's high society shown to have absolutely no schemes in play or interest in one. Not that this makes her a good person, mind you, as she is devoted to keeping order, not justice.

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* TokenGoodTeammate: Enquirer Treble is the only member of Caverna's high society shown to have absolutely no schemes in play or interest in one.them. Not that this makes her a good person, mind you, as she is devoted to keeping order, not justice.

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* TheBeastmaster: Tybalt Prane, a killer for hire known as the Zookeeper, utilizes trained snakes to track and kill his marks. [[spoiler:He tries to kill Neverfell, but ends up dead in a scuffle with the Kleptomancer.]]

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* TheBeastmaster: Tybalt Prane, a killer for hire known as the Zookeeper, utilizes trained snakes to track and kill his marks. [[spoiler:He tries to kill Neverfell, Neverfell under contract from Appeline, but ends up dead in a scuffle with the Kleptomancer.]]



* BerserkButton: Neverfell's expressions of anger and defiance are this for [[spoiler:Madame Appeline]].



* CapitalLettersAreMagic: The extraordinary delicacies are always spelled with capital letters, unlike the more mundane cheeses, wines and perfumes.

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* CapitalLettersAreMagic: The extraordinary delicacies are always spelled with capital letters, unlike the more mundane cheeses, wines and perfumes. Also, Faces with a capital F refers to a facial expression which has been learned.



* ConnectedAllAlong: [[spoiler:Five year-old Neverfell and her mother were smuggled into Caverna by Childersin and Appeline, and she was rescued from Appeline by the Kleptomancer.]]



* DayHurtsDarkAdjustedEyes: [[spoiler:Aware of this, Neverfell packs smoked glasses for the climactic escape to the aboveground. She, however, is far too enchanted by her first sunrise to wear a pair.]]



%%* EarnYourHappyEnding
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Treachery runs so deep in Caverna society that concepts like altruism and empathy are unheard of. Neverfell's instinct to help others perplexes even the least loathsome of characters.

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%%* EarnYourHappyEnding
* EarnYourHappyEnding: By the end, [[spoiler:Neverfell, her friends, and a good chunk of Caverna's lower class are free above ground, and the underground nation is going to be ruled by a man who plans to improve conditions for the drudges and cow the aristocracy into behaving themselves.]]
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Treachery runs so deep in Caverna society that concepts like altruism and empathy are unheard of. Neverfell's instinct to help others perplexes even the least loathsome of characters. characters.
** In Maxim Childersin's mind, if it cannot be owned, it has no worth. At one point, he genuinely attempts to bribe Neverfell into complacency with the promise of a section of the aboveground her's to govern and gain tributes from, when what she really wants is to ''see'' the world above.
** [[spoiler:When Neverfell was five and her memories of her birth mother first erased, Appeline tried to coax happy Faces from the child by giving her sweets and pretty clothes. The woman never realized trinkets are a poor substitute for parental affection.]]



* IndyPloy: Neverfell thinks more with her heart than her head, leading to many halfcocked courses of action which snowball into these.



* InspectorJavert: Enquirer Treble, chief of Enquiry (the closest thing Caverna has to a constabulary) and the Grand Steward's righthand woman, is convinced that Neverfell is at the heart of some secret conspiracy. [[spoiler:Technically, she's right, just not in a way either of them expect.]]
* IronicName: "[[spoiler:Neverfell]]" is perhaps the worst name for [[spoiler:a child from aboveground living underground]].



* LaserGuidedKarma:
** One is a KarmicDeath; [[spoiler:Madame Appeline's precious face is cut by Neverfell, the girl whose mother she imprisoned and tortured emotionally and mentally, then she falls into a giant trap-lantern, similar to one she caged her victim in, to be slowly digested.]]
** The other a FateWorseThanDeath; [[spoiler:Not only is Childersin's very own illegal tunnel used by Neverfell to save the working class he used as guinea pigs for poisons, but the niece he used as a minion splashes Perfume that makes people want to befriend the wearer...while he's surrounded by Cartographers. Excited, ''chatty'' Cartographers.]]



* MadArtist: [[spoiler:Madame Appeline could probably be classified as one. Her occupation is more of a craft than an art, and she does it not so much for its own sake as for money and respect in high society, but her discovery does turn out to be groundbreaking in her industry, and the way that she discovers the Tragedy Range and ''especially'' uses it on Neverfell is plain horrible]].

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* LoonWithAHeartOfGold: Cartographers are incurably mad and feared for the ability to spread it to others, but not one is malicious or violent. While a former one, [[spoiler:the Kleptomancer]], can be pushed to kill, he doesn't enjoy it.
* MadArtist: [[spoiler:Madame Appeline could probably be classified as one. Her Appeline's occupation is more of a craft than an art, and she does it not so much for its own sake as for money and respect in high society, but the truth behind her discovery does turn out to be groundbreaking in her industry, and the way that she discovers invention of the Tragedy Range puts her squarely in this trope. She had a woman from the surface lured into Caverna under false pretences, and ''especially'' uses it on Neverfell is plain horrible]].kept her locked away in the basement so she could study her face. She would even let the woman spend time with her young daughter once a day then rip her away, just to provoke the expressions of motherly love and despair.]]



* NoNameGiven: The Grand Steward's real name is never revealed, nor is the Kleptomancer's. The latter may have forgotten it due his use of amnesia-inducing Wines. [[spoiler:]]
* NoOneGetsLeftBehind: [[spoiler:When Neverfell learns of the secret tunnel out of Caverna, the thought of escaping without her loved ones and any brave servants or drudges ''never'' crosses her mind. It serves her well, since the exodus is only pulled off through everyone's combined efforts.]]



%%* RedemptionEarnsLife: Inverted.



* SpannerInTheWorks: Neverfell functions as this in among everyone else's elaborate plans.

to:

* TheSociopath: Considering Cavernans must learn to project emotion, it should come as no surprise that faking kindness and interest. The Grand Steward cares for nothing except keeping his throne and regaining the ability to experience pleasure, [[spoiler:but even he's a saint compared to Childersin and Appeline]].
* SpannerInTheWorks: Neverfell functions as this in among everyone else's elaborate plans. [[spoiler:Even her arrival into Caverna as a toddler was a big wrench in Appeline's machinations.]]


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%%* TimePassageBeard:
* TokenGoodTeammate: Enquirer Treble is the only member of Caverna's high society shown to have absolutely no schemes in play or interest in one. Not that this makes her a good person, mind you, as she is devoted to keeping order, not justice.


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* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: Neverfell's ultimate gambit. Justified, since [[spoiler:she initially does not remember the plan due to a MemoryGambit in play]].
* VictoryIsBoring: [[spoiler:In his last scene, the Kleptomancer is in a position to become ruler of Caverna, and he reads the final note he wrote himself. All it contains is congratulations and a warning against drinking Wines again. While not totally disappointed, the Kleptomancer finds this anticlimactic and wonders what he should do with the city he now controls.]]

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* AffablyEvil[=/=]SoftSpokenSadist: Maxim Childersin. [[spoiler: Also, Madame Appeline. ''Dear god'', Madame Appeline]].

to:

* AffablyEvil[=/=]SoftSpokenSadist: Maxim Childersin. [[spoiler: Also, [[spoiler:Also, Madame Appeline. ''Dear god'', Madame Appeline]].



* TheBeautifulElite: Neverfell notices that the Childersins are taller, more beautiful and healthy-looking than the rest of the Caverna. [[spoiler: Turns out to be a justified and enforced trope]].

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* TheBeautifulElite: Neverfell notices that the Childersins are taller, more beautiful and healthy-looking than the rest of the Caverna. [[spoiler: Turns out to be [[spoiler:This is because Maxim dug a justified tunnel above his house that lets real sunlight into a parlour he calls the "Morning Room", specifically so it would make himself and enforced trope]].his clan healthier and smarter than other Cavernans.]]



* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: The legendary "Undiscovered Passage" thought to be imagined by Cartographers really exists. [[spoiler:It's a tunnel up to the surface Childersin and Appeline dug in secret, through which Neverfell descended into Caverna.]]



* GambitPileup: How about ''All of Caverna''? Just about everyone has some plot or plan of their own [[spoiler: Neverfell in the climax deliberately reveals as many as she can at once to throw the court into panic]].

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%%* {{Foil}}: Zouelle and Erstwhile.
* GambitPileup: How about ''All of Caverna''? Just about everyone has some plot or plan of their own [[spoiler: Neverfell [[spoiler:Neverfell in the climax deliberately reveals as many as she can at once to throw the court into panic]].



* MadArtist: [[spoiler: Madame Appeline could probably be classified as one. Her occupation is more of a craft than an art, and she does it not so much for its own sake as for money and respect in high society, but her discovery does turn out to be groundbreaking in her industry, and the way that she discovers the Tragedy Range and ''especially'' uses it on Neverfell is plain horrible]].
* MemoryGambit: The Kleptomancer carefully edits his own memories and gives himself sealed orders to follow in order to avoid being understood by the many Chessmasters in Caverna. [[spoiler: he helps Neverfell do the same later]]

to:

* MadArtist: [[spoiler: Madame [[spoiler:Madame Appeline could probably be classified as one. Her occupation is more of a craft than an art, and she does it not so much for its own sake as for money and respect in high society, but her discovery does turn out to be groundbreaking in her industry, and the way that she discovers the Tragedy Range and ''especially'' uses it on Neverfell is plain horrible]].
* MemoryGambit: The Kleptomancer carefully edits his own memories and gives himself sealed orders to follow in order to avoid being understood by the many Chessmasters in Caverna. [[spoiler: he [[spoiler:He helps Neverfell do the same later]]later.]]



* OnlyOneName: Neverfell, because her past is a mystery. Erstwhile, because he's a drudge and not important enough to have a last name.

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* OnlyOneName: Neverfell, because her past is a mystery. Erstwhile, because he's a drudge and not important enough to have a Erstwhile's last name.name, if he has one, is never mentioned.



* TheReveal: A ''brilliant'' one, concerning [[spoiler: Neverfell's origins]].

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* TheReveal: A ''brilliant'' one, concerning [[spoiler: Neverfell's [[spoiler:Neverfell's origins]].

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* AnAesop: Accompanying the CentralTheme (see below), "Having a friend you can trust and be honest around is worth more than any power gained through deception."



* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Neverfell manages to win the loyalty of [[spoiler:''the entire palace staff'']] by [[spoiler:purposely spilling Wine at a banquet to hide a drop one server had spilled]]. Apparently, no one of the courtier caste (which she was at the time) has ever cared enough about [[spoiler:a servant]] to do something so risky.
* BigBad: Maxim Childersin.



* ChekhovsGun: How about everything? Seriously, everything that is mentioned in the novel at some point - the flytraps that provide the light, the glass grove of Madame Appeline, Grand Steward's death traps etc. - comes together at the end.

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* CentralTheme: Truth and Lies, how beauty and ugliness are found in both, and how the truth will always have more power.
* ChekhovsGun: How about everything? Seriously, everything that is mentioned in the novel at some point - -- the flytraps that provide the light, the glass grove of Madame Appeline, Grand Steward's death traps etc. - -- comes together at the end.



* TheCityNarrows: The Doldrums. No one wanted to live there ''before'' sickness broke out and it had to be quarantined. The Undercity where the Drudgery dwell would count if it wasn't basically part labour camp, part sewer.



* DaddysLittleVillain: Maxim plans to mould his niece Zouelle into another him for a future generation. She complies out of fear of him and fear of what the rest of the family will do to her if she shows weakness, [[spoiler:but is eventually inspired by Neverfell to rebel]].



* FauxHorrific: People commonly react to Neverfell's bare face with alarm, despite it being it plain and ordinary. The citizens of Caverna are expressionless at birth and need to learn how to show emotion, while Neverfell's face can naturally show multiple emotions at once.

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* FauxHorrific: People commonly react to Neverfell's bare face with alarm, despite it being it plain and ordinary. The citizens of Caverna are expressionless at birth and need to learn how to show emotion, while Neverfell's face can naturally show multiple emotions at once. [[spoiler:This is because she was born outside of Caverna, aboveground.]]


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* OnlyFriend: Before her adventure began, Grandible only let Neverfell talk with Erstwhile, a drudge child allowed free range in Caverna thanks to his delivery boy job. He's a JerkWithAHeartOfGold who liked talking with Neverfell because her naïveté made him feel smart, while caring for her deep down.
* OnlyOneName: Neverfell, because her past is a mystery. Erstwhile, because he's a drudge and not important enough to have a last name.


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* PhantomThief: The Kleptomancer. He can escape underwater and through tight, airless tunnels thanks to [[spoiler:a cobbled together diving suit, made out of a suit of armour, and a breathing tube connected to a pack with a trap-lantern in it to provide oxygen.]]


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* UnholyMatrimony: [[spoiler:Childersin and Appeline, supposed rivals, have been in a SecretRelationship for years.]]


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* WrongSideOfTheTracks: The Doldrums. No one wanted to live there ''before'' sickness broke out and it had to be quarantined. The Undercity where the Drudgery dwell would count if it wasn't basically part labour camp, part sewer.

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* TheCityNarrows: The Doldrums. No one wanted to live there ''before'' sickness broke out and it had to be quarantined.

to:

* TheCityNarrows: The Doldrums. No one wanted to live there ''before'' sickness broke out and it had to be quarantined. The Undercity where the Drudgery dwell would count if it wasn't basically part labour camp, part sewer.



* [[spoiler: EarnYourHappyEnding]]
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Treachery runs so deep in Caverna society that altruism is unheard of. Neverfell's instinct to help others perplexes even the least loathsome of characters.

to:

* [[spoiler: EarnYourHappyEnding]]
%%* EarnYourHappyEnding
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Treachery runs so deep in Caverna society that concepts like altruism is and empathy are unheard of. Neverfell's instinct to help others perplexes even the least loathsome of characters.



* EyeScream: Why Perfume makers wear eyepatches. They have their eyes plucked out to strengthen their sense of smell and make them better at the craft.

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* EyeScream: Why Perfume makers wear eyepatches. blindfolds. They have their eyes plucked out to strengthen their sense of smell and make them better at the craft.craft.
* FantasticLightSource: With an absence of natural light, Caverna is lit by trap-lanterns, bundles of venus flytrap-like plants. They breathe people's exhaled air and expel, not only light, but fresh air as well.



* GambitPileup: How about ''All of Caverna''? Just about everyone has some plot or plan of their own [[spoiler: Neverfell in the climax deliberately reveals as many as she can at once to throw the court into panic]]

to:

* GambitPileup: How about ''All of Caverna''? Just about everyone has some plot or plan of their own [[spoiler: Neverfell in the climax deliberately reveals as many as she can at once to throw the court into panic]]panic]].



* GrayscaleOfEvil: The Grand Steward is so devoid of color, Neverfell first mistakes him for a statue. His skin is like marble, hair like glass threads, and even his blood is translucent like liquid glass. It's unclear if this is a result of the potions that keep him from aging, his boredom with immortality, or a combination of both.



* HopeIsScary: After getting to know Neverfell, Zouelle becomes more wary of her because the younger girl's bottomless trust and kindness can't help but make Zouelle consider there is life outside of lies and back-stabbing.



* PeacefulInDeath: [[spoiler:He puts up a fight, but the Grand Steward finally accepts his end when he has a vision that his body is a box he can at last escape from. When Neverfell observes the body, she sees the ghost of a smile on his face.]]



%%* ThatWasNotADream



* WhamEpisode: The sixth chapter, wherein Neverfell first sees her "disfigured" face, discovering it's normal, and why it shocks everyone who sees it.

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* WhamEpisode: WhamEpisode:
**
The sixth chapter, wherein Neverfell first sees her "disfigured" face, discovering it's normal, and why it shocks everyone who sees it.it.
** The nineteenth chapter, which ends with [[spoiler:the death of the Great Steward]].


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* WhiteMansBurden: [[spoiler:Maxim Childersin]]'s plan to conquer the surface world has undertones of this.
-->'''[[spoiler:Childersin]]:''' We will be doing the overground a kindness. Right now it is a ghastly patchwork of petty kingdoms with short-lived monarchs, and in desperate need of a global ruler with centuries' experience behind them.
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* TheBeastmaster: Tybalt Prane, a killer for hire known as the Zookeeper, utilizes trained snakes to track and kill his marks. [[spoiler:He tries to kill Neverfell, but ends up dead in a scuffle with the Kleptomancer.]]
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Added DiffLines:

* WhatIsThisFeeling: Neverfell experiences real, ''burning'' rage for the first time when she sees [[SlaveRace the drudge caste]]'s abominable quality of life firsthand.
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No thank you, autocorrect.


* TheCityNarrows: The Doldrums. No one wanted to live there ''before'' sickness broke out and it had to be guaranteed.

to:

* TheCityNarrows: The Doldrums. No one wanted to live there ''before'' sickness broke out and it had to be guaranteed.quarantined.

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