The alien peoples and their cities.

Which peoples you will meet

The home universe has no alien peoples of its own. Other universes have two to five peoples each. The harder the universe, the stranger and more numerous they are. A people lives on the kinds of worlds that suit its architecture, and may have a station keeper at a star.

Dispositions

Disposition	What it means
Friendly	Welcome strangers. Their guards only turn on those who are wanted.
Wary	Keep their distance until you have shown good standing. Guards warn you away.
Hostile	At war with strangers. Their folk attack you until your standing is high.
Fallen	Gone. Only ruins, relics and a few echoes or automatons remain.

Their cities

Each people builds in one of eight styles: spires, floating cities, mountain halls, hives, crystal lattices, rings, reefs and groves. A world may have up to three of these cities, built by the peoples who live or lived there. Living peoples' cities are lively places. Fallen peoples' cities are ruins, with vaults sealed behind puzzles and crates full of old goods.

A city's people come out when you come near. Its plaza has citizens and traders, and its council has an elder and guards. An ambassador may stand at the landing pad.

The people you meet

Role	What they do
Citizen	Go about their day and talk about their city. Echoes of a fallen people are citizens who speak in fragments.
Guard	Keep the peace. A guard turns on anyone wanted, and watches strangers closely.
Trader	Sell their own goods. Their stock changes each day.
Elder	Gives the bigger jobs to those they trust.
Ambassador	Speaks for the people and gives jobs to friends.

Their words come with a translation after them. Each word always means the same thing in one tongue, so you can learn them over time.

Your standing with them

Each people keeps its own standing with you, from -100 to 100, using the same tiers as villages (see Reputation). Standing rises when you trade with their traders, take their jobs, give gifts or do what they ask, and falls when you attack them or break their law.

Their creed is a rule they will tell you, and they like and dislike certain kinds of goods. A gift of something they dislike does little good.

Wanted

An offence against a people makes you wanted by them. Theft, assault, trespass, smuggling, damage to the Gate and murder each count against you, and the worst ones add up. Wanted people are attacked by guards and cannot trade. There are eight ways out:

1. Pay the fine. Hand over goods worth the fine. Not possible for murder.
2. Do a job for them. A short task that clears the matter when done.
3. Give back what you took. Return the stolen goods.
4. Surrender and serve a sentence. You are held for a while.
5. Talk your way out. Another people may vouch for you, or you may pay a bribe. Not for murder.
6. Sneak past. Needs a silk disguise. Your chance depends on your stealth and the severity of the matter.
7. Fight the Warden. Only at the Gate. The Gatewrights remember it.
8. Wait it out. The matter cools over time. A killing never fades.

Tips

• Approach a people's guards slowly and keep your weapons sheathed in their cities.
• Learn the creed before you give gifts.
• A people's ambassador is the best source of work, once they know you well.
• Ruins are worth the walk. Their vaults hold relics and far-universe metals.

← Back to the wiki · Last updated 25 October 2026. Mantlenaut is in alpha, so things change.