NPC Guide
Not everyone who shapes your run joins the party. Gadola's NPCs control prices, whisper clues, file reports that raise exposure, and stand between Hills and the city's sealed history. This guide catalogs the NPCs worth tracking — who helps, who hinders, and which interactions carry long-term consequences for endings and economy.
NPC Categories
NPCs fall into four practical buckets for wiki purposes: service (shops, crafting, healing), narrative (main and side quest givers), risk (exposure and curfew triggers), and gatekeepers (district access, permits, noble invitations). Overlap is common — a market guild NPC both sells gear and reports suspicious player behavior if you fail payment timers.
Track service NPCs on the Items Hub when hunting rare stock. Track narrative NPCs alongside How to Complete for chapter pacing.
Market District NPCs
- Master Quill — Guild registrar; sets escort quest tier and discount rates. High Presence lowers fees.
- Tamsin — General merchant; refreshes inventory every two days. Sells base consumables referenced in All Items.
- Harreck — Fence with rotating rares; appears only after Kael mediation or equivalent neutral path.
- Audit Clerk Vorn — Risk NPC; excessive selling of quest-tagged goods raises audit chance and exposure.
Market NPC schedules compress during festival week in mid-game — plan shopping before spending AP on distant districts per Market District notes.
Slums NPCs
- Medic Ilya — Gateway to Suri's clinic arc and healing discounts.
- Rook — Gang liaison; Kael recruitment hinge. Aggressive dialogue raises riot risk.
- Sister Cal — Shelter operator; low-cost rest that saves AP but skips training.
- Watch Officer Pell — Risk NPC; patrol density scales with exposure. Bribes work until Justice conviction exceeds Pragmatism by wide margin.
Slums NPC trust often moves in opposite directions — helping Ilya may anger Rook unless you complete the triage side quest from How to Protect.
Noble Quarter NPCs
- Lady Serenne — Dorian's patron; invitation letters and ballroom events.
- Chamberlain Holt — Gatekeeper for archives; needs forged or legitimate permits from Key Items.
- Captain Dresche — Security chief; exposure checks during infiltration. High Presence can bluff once per chapter.
Noble NPCs punish inconsistent Hills stories. If you claim mercenary background to Serenne, avoid scholar dialogue with Holt in the same week or hidden trust penalties apply.
Hidden and Cross-District NPCs
Informants in Hidden Locations — Whisper Nadi, Tunnel Guide Essa, Archive Ghost (interactive echo) — provide clue shortcuts. They rarely appear on the official map until Micoco or Vessa flags them.
The recurring figure Gray Postman delivers letters that start optional economic puzzles; ignoring three deliveries locks a deluxe side comic referenced on Deluxe Edition extras.
Exposure and Reporting Mechanics
Risk NPCs increment hidden "Notice" when they witness crimes, failed stealth, or unpaid debts. Notice converts to Exposure at day end unless mitigated. Mitigation includes bribes (coin sink), completing Calm the Streets quests, or using rare items.
Consult How to Protect for event chains tied to Pell, Vorn, and Dresche. Saving before entering noble grounds with high Notice is strongly recommended in Save Points.
Dialogue and Gift Tips
Most NPCs accept category gifts rather than specific favorites: documents for scholars, tools for engineers, luxury goods for nobles. Presence raises gift impact. Giving quest-critical key items by mistake can soft-lock arcs — the game warns on bound items, not story items.
NPC Schedules and Day Parts
NPCs appear in morning, afternoon, or evening slots. Master Quill mornings only; Harreck evenings only after unlock; Lady Serenne ballroom nights chapter three; Officer Pell patrol density rises evening across all districts. Attempting NPC scenes at wrong day parts wastes AP — Relations screen shows next available window if you have met them once.
Festival week compresses schedules: many service NPCs relocate to central plaza; risk NPCs double patrol in periphery. Plan shopping before festival if you rely on Tamsin's static shop location.
Economic NPC Interactions
Guild rank from Master Quill reduces escort payouts but unlocks better gear — economic NPC optimization is long-term. Tamsin friendship (hidden counter from repeat purchases) unlocks credit line for one emergency loan before chapter four; default interest is steep unless Presence high. Harreck prices move with Exposure — high Exposure raises fence buy prices on contraband.
Document every NPC economic trick on first playthrough if aiming for 100% Completion; second playthrough can ignore if routing for speed endings.
Quick Reference: Who to Talk to When Stuck
Locked out of nobles: Lady Serenne or Chamberlain Holt after Presence check. Cannot afford gear: Master Quill escorts or Sister Cal cheap rest to free AP for work. Rising exposure: Medic Ilya calm quest, then Officer Pell bribe once. Missing clues: Whisper Nadi in hidden tunnels after Broken Compass. Auction confusion: Tamsin morning, Micoco evening same week.
NPC Relationship Gifts Cheat Sheet
Scholars want documents; guards accept food; nobles prefer luxury trinkets from Noble Quarter shops; slums leaders respond to practical tools. One gift per NPC per day maximum. Gifts never replace key story items — if dialogue asks for a specific object, it is flagged in journal as mandatory, not a favor gift.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which NPC raises exposure the fastest?
Officer Pell with failed stealth escapes and Audit Clerk Vorn when selling contraband. Both stack if you operate heavily in Slums and Market the same day.
Do NPCs remember dialogue across chapters?
Major choices persist. Minor fluff resets do not affect mechanics, but noble NPCs track consistent cover stories across the whole game.
Can I attack or kill NPCs?
No free combat against civilians. Some story fights involve NPC adversaries framed as battles on Boss Strategies.
How often do merchants restock?
Tamsin restocks every two days; Harreck every three if unlocked. Festival week uses special tables documented under All Items.
What if I antagonize Rook before Kael recruitment?
You may need a mediation quest from Ilya or bribe path to recover. Worst case delays Kael until riot cooldown — see All Companions.
Are any NPCs required for the True Ending?
Testimony from specific nobles and neutral slums figures is required. Exact names are on Requirements Checklist to avoid spoilers here.