A Living Dungeon's Madness

by Allan Joyal

  “You’ll stand by her while she recovers?” Koristal asked again as she knelt down to look at the injury.

  “She saved my life. We would have been recaptured if it had not been for her bravery,” Patris said with a mournful cry. “And I failed to protect her in there.”

  “You stopped the attack!” Ullualia said as she continued to kneel next to Leutal. “She would have taken another hit and died had you not slashed that one monster.”

  Faestari looked down at the women. “It was partly my fault. I never imagined that a dungeon could bring minions through a barrier when it traveled. I thought I had locked that dungeon out.”

  “What will you do?” Roquel asked.

  “I need to talk to some other dungeons. I’m new, so I don’t have the right to make any decisions, but something needs to be done,” Faestari said.

  Roquel nodded. “If you need adventurer help. I will come. I know you haven’t been the cause of this.”

  “I’ll remember that,” Faestari said. “Aylia please help them travel back to Montgar. I need to return to my heart and then travel to visit other dungeons.”

  “I’ll warn the others to stay away for a few days,” Roquel said.

  “They should be fine,” Faestari said. “I hurt the other dungeon and it doesn’t have too much mana remaining. That’s part of why it keeps attacking. It is desperate to increase its power.”

  Roquel nodded. “That may be wise. I’ll make sure everyone here makes it to Montgar safely. And should the dungeon return, I may have a way to force it out of your domain.”

  Faestari nodded and then turned to walk back into her caverns. She needed to get to her heart chamber before she pulled her spirit from the avatar and went in search of Wynterhold.

  Chapter 21: Punished by Dungeon Politics

  Faestari was worried about the potential reception she would receive when she approached Wynterhold. The older dungeon had been somewhat welcoming, but she knew her antics often angered the older dungeon. Still she needed the advice and help so once her avatar was lying down in her sleeping alcove, she pulled her spirit out and set off seeking the Wynterhold dungeon.

  All she knew was a basic direction and the fact that the dungeon was in an area that was often subject to winter storms. She found a couple dungeons that proved to be small and still largely unknown before finally finding the large town that supported the adventurers of Wynterhold. She paused and watched the antics of the villagers.

  She was still watching when the booming voice she remembered from the faceless dungeon rang out. “Should you be here?”

  Faestari carefully turned around. She concentrated on not making any abrupt moves. She could see a mass of mana that she recognized as coming from the great and ancient dungeon that had visited her domain twice.

  “I was coming to see Wynterhold,” she said humbly. “But I stopped to see how his town worked.”

  “Not his. We never claim human settlements,” the dungeon said. “Why are you here?”

  “If you’ve heard about the new dungeon that woke near me,” Faestari started to explain.

  “That is not your concern,” the ancient dungeon roared. Faestari was pushed away by a wave of mana. She had to swim against it for a moment.

  “It keeps attacking me,” she said. “I know that I am a new dungeon and shouldn’t get involved in some things, but this kobold dungeon is out of control.”

  “It is not your place to determine that,” the great dungeon said.

  “I know,” Faestari replied. “I’m not trying to determine that. But I need to talk to another dungeon who may be able to provide guidance.”

  “You want guidance?” the voice of the great dungeon said in an astonished tone. “You who have already broken more traditions than even your mother.”

  Faestari gasped as the voice kept speaking. “Yes, I remember your mother. She was even more of a rebel than you are. She didn’t want to kill anyone, but at the time there were no better spirits that could be moved, and the spirit she replaced was dying. His crystal had been worn away by the very water he used to protect his heart.”

  “I’m not my mother,” Faestari said. “I loved her, and I want to honor her, but I am not her. I want to be a dungeon other dungeons respect, even if none will emulate me.”

  “Big words,” the great dungeon said. “So, the new dungeon continues to be a problem? How?”

  Faestari nodded. “I’m not sure how it does it. The dungeon has managed to have an effect on my people. It used some kind of mental magic to corrupt several of my orcs. I had to kill off a third of them to maintain control. Then it managed to push its avatar past my barriers and carry three creatures from its domain into mine. Two adventurers ran into a fight they were not prepared for and were hurt badly.”

  “Adventurers die,” the dungeon said dismissively.

  “They don’t expect to run into a trio of enhanced kobolds just two rooms into my dungeon,” Faestari said. “I don’t mind if adventurers push too hard and die, but I don’t want adventurers believing that I go out of my way to kill just anyone. That can get another group of dungeon killers headed my way.”

  “I don’t care about that,” the great dungeon said even more dismissively. “That would have no effect on me and would probably make the future less dangerous. Someday tales about you will spread and then all dungeons will discover that adventurers expect something that cannot be.”

  “The adventurers who enter my caverns know I am different,” Faestari said. “I have never hidden that from those that dare to delve. I warn them not to expect other dungeons to be like me.”

  “But once the tales leave the adventurers who exist to test your caverns, what then?” the great dungeon said. “Will others who have never seen your caverns understand that you are different?”

  “Hey!” the voice of Wynterhold dungeon rang out from behind Faestari. “How about you come to my heart chamber to argue. The mana in the air is starting to get the attention of every priest in the town.”

  Faestari turned around to see Wynterhold dungeon’s spirit. The dwarf appeared extremely annoyed. She started to move toward the dungeon she considered her mentor only for it to move away heading towards the dungeon on the far side of the town.

  The dwarf led Faestari on a chase that took her through about half the chambers she could feel in the dungeon before finally guiding her downward through the solid stone floor. She emerged into a small round chamber that contained not only the Wynterhold avatar and the Great Dungeon’s avatar, but three more she did not recognize.

  Faestari formed her elven girl avatar and then dropped to her knees. She carefully looked at the three additional avatars.

  The first appeared to be some strange hobbit sized humanoid with vulture wings coming out of its back and the head of a vulture. It eyed Faestari with interest and disdain. The second was just a mass of what appeared to be red maggots. This avatar formed an eye in the mass to stare at Faestari, but also said nothing. The last avatar resembled the Great Dungeon by having undeveloped arms and legs, but the head was a skull that had glowing blue eyes. It turned to look at Wynterhold.

  “So, who is this and why have you allowed it to enter?” the glowing skull asked.

  Wynterhold frowned and then turned to look at Faestari. “I can’t say this is the source of all the problems we’re having. None of the evidence on how the new dungeon woke points to her involvement. However, this avatar is for a dungeon that hasn’t honored the tradition.”

  “Do you wish for us to punish it?” the mass of red maggots managed to say, forming a mouth just long enough to speak and then collapsing back into a writhing pile.

  “I called you here to deal with a problem near its dungeon,” Wynterhold said. “I have no idea why this one arrived.”

  “I found it looking at the town outside your domain,” the Great Dungeon said. “It said it needed advice.”

  All of the dungeon avatars turned their attention to Faestari. She looked down a
t the floor of the heart chamber and waited.

  “Well,” the strange vulture head squawked. “It knows to wait until asked to speak.”

  “Not normally,” the Great Dungeon said. “But it appears to have some discretion and sense of right. However, I’m not sure what advice we can give. It doesn’t do anything properly.”

  “Shouldn’t it speak?” the mass of maggots asked. “Especially if it is coming for advice. Perhaps we can guide it to do things correctly.”

  The Great Dungeon appeared to raise one of its vestigial arms to stroke its chin. “Fine, speak dungeon. What advice do you seek?”

  Faestari kept her eyes on the ground in front of her. “A new dungeon has risen near me, but something is wrong. It does not seek to improve its caverns to attract adventurers. Instead it attacks my creatures with mind magic trying to get them to betray me and allow it entry into my domain. It has repeatedly attempted to drain my mana. In its most recent attempt, it brought three creatures from its domain into mine. A group of beginning adventurers ended up being ambushed by three creatures far more powerful than they expected. I’ve already had problems with wizards seeking to enchant my crystal to force me into their service. But I’m also very young. I do not feel I have the right to act directly against another dungeon. I sought out Wynterhold because I consider it a mentor to me.”

  “I did not hear a request for advice in that statement,” the vulture headed avatar said. “But I also don’t hear anything objectionable. Why are you not in your domain?”

  “There has been an extended winter storm in the region where my dungeon is. It was partly kept around thanks to the other dungeon. It somehow managed to manipulate the weather and extend the first storm of the winter. No one should be entering my dungeon for at least a day,” Faestari said.

  The Great Dungeon kicked out at Faestari. She concentrated on remaining motionless. It then stepped back. “I’ve heard about you. You speak to your adventurers. How can any advice we provide work?”

  “I need to understand how to reign in the other dungeon. It disrupted a delve and could have angered the humans, forcing them to act against me,” Faestari said.

  “So, this is all about protecting yourself,” the mass of maggots said.

  “Would you not try to protect yourself?” Faestari asked. “I’m probably going to have to ask the humans to act, but I know I don’t have the experience to be sure I’m making the correct decision.”

  Wynterhold stepped forward. “I summoned you to talk about this other dungeon, although I was unaware of all its attacks. It has attempted to steal mana from other dungeons multiple times. I believe you felt it try to steal mana from you, Highcliff.”

  The vulture headed avatar raised its wings. “That kobold avatar is what this dungeon is facing? I can see why she’d want to destroy it.”

  “I wish it didn’t have to be that way,” Faestari said softly. “But it refuses to listen. It just appears and attacks.”

  “And you are the closest so you get attacked more often,” the skull said. “Perhaps it is a just punishment if you refuse to follow our traditions.”

  “I try,” Faestari said.

  Wynterhold seemed to sigh. The dwarf stepped forward and held up a hand. “I’ve had the most interaction with this dungeon. It does not lie about trying to respect our traditions. And some of what it has done will likely benefit us over time. But I agree, we must do something about it sending an avatar without permission.”

  Faestari was shocked as the dwarf put its hand on her head. It bent down and whispered to her. “Sorry, but the others were going to demand a punishment. I’ll get them to send you to your domain and visit shortly.”

  The Great Dungeon ignored Wynterhold. “Something is wrong. We have multiple dungeons acting incorrectly. But it sounds like the kobold one requires our immediate attention.”

  “Let’s order this one to leave,” Wynterhold suggested. “We can decide the punishment later. Our primary concern should be the kobold avatar.”

  “Go!” the Great Dungeon shouted to Faestari. “We will deal with you later.”

  Faestari felt the mana of all five dungeons press against her avatar. She allowed her avatar to disperse and sent her spirit back to her heart chamber. Her goal of talking to Wynterhold had failed completely.

  She had just sat her regular avatar back up when The Great Dungeon appeared in her heart chamber. Faestari immediately scrambled to her knees, looking down at the floor.

  “So, are you ready to accept punishment?” the dungeon said in a booming voice.

  Faestari just shook her head. “I will accept your decision.”

  “You don’t seem to want to accept it,” the dungeon said as it moved to loom over the kneeling elven girl.

  “I have tried to avoid violating the traditions and rules. I am not like most dungeons. I remember talking to people. I remember playing with children and being a child myself. I remember my father having me help plant rows of plants and carefully thinking about how I would place them in the soil. All of that changes how I do things,” Faestari said.

  “If you reveal too much, it could endanger all dungeons,” the Great Dungeon said.

  “I know,” Faestari said. “I try to avoid talking about what I can or cannot do. I never tell them the full extent of my power. Most of my conversations have been about the relationship they have with me. They worry about angering me.”

  “They don’t want to anger you?” the Great Dungeon asked.

  “I do have lethal tricks and traps. I keep most from activating, but if I need to, I can make sure that no adventurer survives to leave my domain. They understand that. Also, the village they are building can only succeed if adventurers continue to find challenges in my caverns. They don’t want me to work to discourage delves,” Faestari said.

  “You could?” the Great Dungeon asked.

  “I would just have to reduce the treasures I provide. Eventually no adventurers would want to enter because the risk would exceed the potential rewards,” Faestari said. “I’m sure that is why some dungeons are rarely visited. Adventurers decided that delving wasn’t worth the treasures they found.”

  “And you know this?” the Great Dungeon asked.

  “Listening to the adventurers. They aren’t careful with what they admit in front of me. They believe my treasures to be better than can be found in most dungeons. But they don’t consider me to be too generous,” Faestari said.

  “You must be punished,” the Great Dungeon said.

  Faestari nodded. She waited for the next words from the Great Dungeon.

  “But you are right, most of what you do causes no harm and may benefit us later. Your punishment will be that you have to participate in the war against this new dungeon,” the Great Dungeon said.

  “War?” Faestari asked.

  “It is going to keep acting until it is destroyed. And you are the closest. You are going to have to spend your mana to thwart its actions,” the Great Dungeon said.

  “I’m glad I stole most of the mana it used to breech my defenses,” Faestari said softly. “I can use its own mana and save mine a bit.”

  “Do whatever you want there,” the Great Dungeon said. “For now, remember that the others consider you a problem. Avoid becoming a bigger problem or I will support having the Kindred directed to destroy you.”

  The Great Dungeon’s avatar vanished. Faestari remained kneeling. She was trying to figure out what actions she might be able to take in order to get it to back off when Wynterhold’s avatar appeared in a swirl of snow.

  “So,” Wynterhold said as soon as it turned to look directly at Faestari. “You know how to get into even more trouble.”

  “I was not trying to create or cause any trouble,” Faestari protested. “The dungeon keeps attacking. It believes that stealing mana is the only way to act. I had it somehow teleport three kobolds into my dungeon.”

  “I thought you had blocked it so that it couldn’t cross into your domain,” Wynter
hold said.

  “I did as well. It used dreams to influence some of the kobolds in my dungeons and then used that influence to open up a portal into my dungeon. The other kobolds are going to be sacrificing the influenced kobolds later,” Faestari said.

  “Sacrificing?” Wynterhold asked with a surprised yowl.

  “I never demanded it. My kobold tribe arrived on my mountain nearly completely destroyed. The clan had only four adult males. One of the adults was a shaman who apparently decided that I was some kind of deity. They set up an impromptu altar and started sacrificing rats to me,” Faestari said.

  “And now they are going to sacrifice some of their own people?” Wynterhold asked.

  “I did not ask for it, although they do need to die. The only other option would be to exile them somehow and they would likely return to cause additional trouble,” Faestari said.

  “If they have been in your dungeon as long as you say, they probably would, especially if they were born in the dungeon. But didn’t you exile an orc?” Wynterhold asked.

  “You knew?” Faestari asked.

  “One of the other dungeons noticed the mana signature. It was not exactly yours, but there is no question that orc had been in your dungeon for some time,” Wynterhold said. “Explain that.”

  “It was another attempt by the kobold dungeon. I have been allowing the orcs to raid to the north and west, into the wilderness. It appeared in front of one of the raiding parties and corrupted the members,” Faestari said.

  “But you only exiled one,” Wynterhold pointed out.

  “I killed the others,” Faestari said. “They attacked my avatar while I was trying to establish who would be their next chieftain. The old one asked that I kill him. He felt that he had failed me by allowing the raiding party to become corrupted.”

  “So, you finally accepted your orcs?” Wynterhold said knowingly.

  “They have taken some time before they appeared to accept me, but part of the problems with the new dungeon raised their shaman’s prestige in the clan. He even led them in a ceremony that fed me a large quantity of mana,” Faestari said.