by Allan Joyal
“I told you that orcs are a great creature for dungeons,” Wynterhold said confidently. “Meanwhile, I’m here to make sure you are happy about the punishment.”
“Happy?” Faestari said. “How can I be pleased to have to fight another dungeon. Sure, I do have to fight it anyways, but now I’m expected to lead the fight to destroy it.”
“You are closest,” Wynterhold said. “And you are on somewhat good terms with humans. If a true kill party needs to be gathered, you can handle those negotiations.”
“I am going to try to deal with the dungeon a few more times first,” Faestari said. “I don’t want to destroy it unless I must.”
Wynterhold waved its hands. “Just be prepared to act when the other dungeons demand it. They are already worried about the human response, and that is without knowing about how the dungeon has allowed raids on human farms.”
“I’ll be prepared,” Faestari said.
The ugly dwarf avatar nodded and then vanished in a quick swirl of snow. Faestari sighed and walked her avatar back to the alcove. “I need to see Roquel again,” she thought.
Chapter 22: A Strange Visit
Faestari checked on the location of Aylia. The water spirit was relaxing in her own pool. She decided to find out how the transport of the injured adventurers had worked and sent out a call.
The nymph emerged from the pool in the heart chamber a moment later. “You’re back!” she cried out happily as she leapt from the water and started walking towards the alcove.
“I just returned,” Faestari said. “Although there was a moment, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to. The other dungeons were angry and I was part of what they were angry about.”
“Why, I haven’t heard you did anything wrong,” Aylia said.
“I failed to show proper respect and it turns out that there already was a meeting of dungeons when I arrived at Wynterhold. The Great Dungeon was particularly angry,” Faestari said.
“That is stupid,” Aylia said. “Oh, I know you care about people and adventurers. The group successfully returned to the tavern. The injured woman was almost fuly healed.”
“Koristal didn’t finish healing her?” Faestari asked.
“Oh, Koristal did all she could,” Aylia said. “But the woman still needs quite a bit of rest and some time to get her balance and muscle back. The healing just mended the damage to a basic level. The other adventurer is worse. He probably won’t be able to walk for at least a fortnight.”
“Hopefully he realizes that fighting without armor and weapons is a bad idea,” Faestari said. “The creatures in my dungeon aren’t going to fight fair. His technique might work in a town against thieves and bullies, but it’s not going to work against spiders and wolves.”
Aylia nodded. “I hadn’t thought about that.
Faestari looked at the water nymph. “I just realized that even though there is no storm it must be freezing cold outside. How is it you did not turn into ice?”
Aylia laughed. “You mean you don’t know all about me already? I might be made from water, but I am magic. And I belong to you. Your mana keeps me from freezing completely.”
“Always, or just when you are in my domain?” Faestari asked.
“Why?” Aylia responded.
“I…” Faestari started to say when she felt a massive shift in the mana fields outside her domain. She stood up immediately, trying to isolate what had caused the shifts.
“Not again!” Aylia screamed. “You just sent the other dungeon away. And it has to be hurting for mana. That avatar was filled with it.”
“You felt me draining it?” Faestari asked. She had figured out that the mana was coming from just north of Montgar, but was still struggling to identify the reason for the spike.
“Of course, I think every creature in your dungeon felt it. That was a wonderful fight. You stood up and smashed the avatar completely. I think some creatures thought you were a pushover,” Aylia said proudly.
“I took care of the orcs before the storms came,” Faestari said. “And this problem is outside of Montgar. It’s not a dungeon.”
“Not a dungeon?” Aylia asked. “What do you mean?”
Faestari could feel the mana flows shifting. The source of the disruption was moving around the village, heading southward.
“I don’t know,” Faestari said. “But I’m going to wake my surface avatar. I get a feeling that we’ll have some new visitors shortly.”
“Again?” Aylia asked. “I’m beginning to think living inside you is somehow dangerous. Every time I think it’s going to be quiet there are new problems.”
Faestari lay back down, preparing to shift to her stone avatar. “I thought you wanted things to be more exciting. You often complain about how you haven’t seen a visitor to the water rooms we thought up.”
“I thought up,” Aylia complained. “You made them, but I found the creatures and offered the ideas.”
“I could drain them all,” Faestari said.
Aylia’s face and body seemed to compress. Her feet dissolved as she sank down towards the floor. “I’m sorry,” she said softly.
Faestari smiled. “I know you helped me. You have done more to help develop the dungeon than you realize, but it’s still my dungeon. I never want to have you fighting me. And if you think something in the dungeon is yours…”
“I know,” Aylia said. She suddenly shivered and then looked towards the mana disturbance. “Is that?”
“Yes,” Faestari said. “You might want to stay here while I investigate.”
Faestari pulled her spirit from her main avatar and then woke the stone one on the mountainside. The mana disturbance was moving closer as she stepped out and gazed past the gatehouse.
The village was quiet. A couple of Joward’s apprentices were walking on top of the wall near the gatehouse. It was clear they were clearing snow and checking to see if the mortar was degrading after the winter storm. The one guard in the gatehouse was kneeling as he tried to get a fire going in a brazier someone had brought. He turned and noticed Faestari standing there.
“Roquel told me to keep people out until you approved new adventurers,” the guard said. “Are you here to open the dungeon?”
Faestari nodded. “The other dungeon is not going to cause more trouble today. But it might try again, so I recommend that groups show up a bit better prepared than those kids were.”
There was a brief spike of mana from high on the mountain. Faestari realized that the kobold shaman must have just executed a possessed kobold. She used a sliver of her own mana to produce a bronze dagger and had it rise up from the altar. The shaman had removed the other kobold’s heart so she had the dagger cut through the back of the kobold and appear in the empty chest cavity.
“Is that all?” the guard asked.
Faestari did not answer, but kept her eyes looking for the source of the mana disturbance. It felt like it was just behind the village, but it was also moving towards her domain. She realized she would have to walk away from the gatehouse to get a better view along the town walls.
“Something or someone is out there,” Faestari said absently as she began to walk along her domain border. The disturbance kept approaching. It slowed as it came to the final corner of the town wall. Faestari could feel several probes reaching out to touch her domain.
“Wizard!” she called out. “I welcome talk. Why the subterfuge?”
The probes stopped. The mana disturbance dimmed. Faestari paused and watched the corner of the town.
Behind her, Faestari heard the guard curse. He started running from the gatehouse, obviously headed for the town gate. The sound of his feet crunching the snow echoed out over the mountain.
A man with a long gray beard, floppy velvet hat and thick velvet robes stepped out from behind the corner of Montgar. He waved his fingers and a rope shot from his upraised hand. It tripped the guard and then quickly trussed him up the way a rancher ties down a steer.
Faestari wanted to help, but the
guard was well outside her domain. She checked her domain’s defenses and watched as the wizard began to slowly walk towards the guard.
“I will not have anyone disrupting my plans,” the wizard said.
“Kill him, and I just might see if my creatures follow my orders outside my domain,” Faestari called out firmly.
The wizard stopped and then turned towards her. He stood silent. Faestari felt several spells splash against her domain.
“I am not accustomed to listening to golems,” the wizard said after the fourth spell failed to penetrate the domain. “And I never indicated I was going to kill the man. I just need to ensure he does not stop my ritual.”
“Using ritual magic right there will definitely get you killed,” Dared’s voice rang out.
Faestari looked around for the voice. She found Dared standing on the top of the town wall and looking down at the wizard as he leaned on one of the merlons.
“Who’d stop me?” the wizard said arrogantly. “I brought others to keep the people of the town from interfering.”
“I don’t see your others,” Dared said. “And you’ll find that we take offense to wizards that arrive without announcing themselves.”
“You have no right to tell Xalesin, the Marder of Destrier’s Bay, what he can do,” the wizard said pompously.
“Destrier’s Bay?” Faestari said. “That is a long way from here. Why come in the winter, and why try to sneak by the town?”
“I did not!” Xalesin proclaimed.
“The mana disturbance I was feeling was some kind of invisibility spell wasn’t it. I didn’t recognize it because no adventurer can make that work in my dungeon,” Faestari said.
“They can’t?” Dared asked.
“Spiders hunt by vibration as much as sight. Wolves use scent. The beetles use vibration and in two cases biomagic. You might be able to sneak past the humanoids, but the other creatures in my dungeon don’t need to see you in order to attack,” Faestari said.
“Your dungeon?” Xalesin called out. “You’re some golem designed to look like one of those elf girls.
Faestari could see Dared shake his head. “Who did you talk to before you came here?” Dared shouted out.
“Why does that matter?” Xalesin asked. “I have investigated dungeons before.”
Dared shook his head again. “If you talked to someone who truly knew about this dungeon you would have been a lot more patient. Why are you here anyways?”
Xalesin waved an empty vail. “I need some brimstone! The last two dungeons that had it threw me out and then reduced how often it was found. This dungeon should be perfect. It’s under a mountain.”
“No one has ever exited this dungeon after finding brimstone as a treasure,” Faestari said.
“Like I’d believe some golem. You were probably created by a wizard seeking to ensure that he’s the only wizard to gather the best reagents available in those caves,” Xalesin said.
“That isn’t a golem,” Dared said carefully.
“It’s a stone figure of an elven girl that has enchantments on it. It probably just speaks a few previously prepared phrases,” Xalesin said disdainfully. “I’ve seen the golems of Zathmorlu and they are far more realistic and lifelike.”
Dared looked over at Faestari. She could see that he expected her to react to that statement. Faestari looked at Xalesin, watching the wizard as he cast a couple of probing spells.
“I haven’t seen the golems of Zathmorlu,” Faestari said. “However, I have to wonder.”
“What?” Xalesin asked after stopping his most recent spell. It was clearly adapted from a Kindred spell and Faestari’s anger at the wizard increased.
Faestari smiled as Xalesin stared at her. She called up a bit of mana and used it to convert the granite surface of her avatar into realistic looking skin and hair. “Can the golems you have seen do this?” she asked as a breeze caused her blond hair flare out behind her.
“What? What are you?” Xalesin asked. “And how can you do that? You are inside some magical barrier.”
“The dungeon doesn’t exactly like wizards,” Dared said. “We’ve unfortunately witnessed an attempt by a wizard to capture her spirit.”
“How?” Xalesin asked.
“If Dared is dumb enough to tell you, he won’t like the consequences,” Faestari said firmly. “No dungeon wants theories about that spread.”
“I wouldn’t spread it,” Xalesin said. He sounded defensive.
“No, you’d just try to sneak into a dungeon,” Faestari said. “And you’ve already demonstrated that you have little to no knowledge of dungeons.”
“I am an expert on dungeons,” Xalesin said.
“But you admitted that two dungeons have banned you. I’m guessing that the entrance kept closing whenever you approached,” Faestari said.
“You can do that?” Dared asked.
Faestari looked at a spot near the snow-covered gatehouse. The snow flowed upward carving out a crater and revealing the chairs and firepit she had created in the late summer.
The mountainside was quiet. Dared paused and then glanced over at the stone chairs. “Oh, yeah. You do have the ability to make changes.”
“Changes like that are simple,” Faestari said. “If I wanted to close the door to my dungeon it requires no more thought than you use to take a breath. Actually, it’s much the same thing. Dungeons feed on the mana generated when adventurers attempt a delve. So, closing off my entrance would be cutting off some of what I need to grow.”
“What you?” Xalesin snapped. “You’re just some strange magic construct!”
“That’s not a construct,” Dared said. “You can’t detect it because the dungeon keeps magic probes outside its domain.”
“Dungeons don’t have domains outside their caverns,” Xalesin said. “And why should you care. I’m not here to harm your precious dungeon. I just want the brimstone.”
“I don’t provide brimstone,” Faestari said. “I don’t use fire features.”
“You have a fire node. I can detect the mana flows and three different fire streams meet under this mountain. You have to have brimstone,” Xalesin said.
“How can you know if they meet?” Dared asked. “You have made it clear your magic doesn’t penetrate into the dungeon’s domain. Unless they meet deep within the earth, you should not be able to detect it.”
“They don’t come back out,” Xalesin screamed. “They go in, but they don’t come out. That’s how I can tell. The only reason they’d come to an end is if they intersect at a node. There must be a fire node inside that dungeon.”
“Try far below my lowest level of caverns,” Faestari said. “Now, Xalesin, if that is really your name. Why are you here?”
“I told you, I need brimstone!” the wizard shouted.
Faestari walked to the edge of her domain and stared with unblinking eyes at the wizard. “Brimstone can be found near any volcano. In fact, it is far easier to obtain near a volcano than it would be in a dungeon. A dungeon would have to have a fire node to have easy access to the magic required to summon it from other planes.”
“How can you know that!” Xalesin said as he stepped back. “And just what are you?”
Dared waved to get Faestari’s attention. She looked up and he pointed at his still tied up guard and then used two fingers to mine walking.
Faestari just nodded and looked at Xalesin. “Shall we play a game?” she asked. “We can play a question game. I answer one question truthfully and then you do the same. We continue until someone lies.”
“What? You’d just lie,” Xalesin said angrily. “If you can even tell the truth. The magic is impressive, but you’re just a golem.”
The guard on the ground snorted. Dared had vanished from the walls of the town. Faestari gazed at the wizard one last time and made a decision. “Fine, use your magic to try to find a way to enter that cannot be detected. However, should you cross into the dungeon’s domain, be prepared to die.”
“Is that a threat!” Xalesin shouted as Faestari turned and started to walk back to the alcove where she kept her avatar’s body. “You can do nothing to me.”
Faestari cast out with her mana. She found three of her ambush spiders had lairs near the border of her domain. They survived by killing small rodents and predators that might otherwise get into the dungeon and overwhelm the fragile balance of grain and rat she had created to supply her monsters with food. She had previously made sure they had a constant supply of mana so that they would be able to endure the cold and lack of prey during the winter. Now she woke them and keyed them to seek out Xalesin should he cross into her territory.
“I’d stop arguing with her,” she heard Dared call out. He was now on the ground from the sound.
“What would you know?” Xalesin asked.
“I know that the dungeon here isn’t what you want. The treasures are usually alchemical in nature. Montgar has an alchemist who is becoming quite wealthy purchasing the items adventurers return with and then making potions,” Dared said.
“Wouldn’t the adventurers run out of money if they keep purchasing potions?” Xalesin asked.
“They don’t actually purchase that many,” Dared said. “The majority of the potions are taken to Fairview and sold in the trader’s market there.”
“I haven’t heard about that,” Xalesin said. “The Fairview council only knows that the dungeon exists and that the town is on land they claim.”
“They may claim it, but they have never sent their military this far. If they tried to collect taxes, the reeve they hired would receive a rather hostile welcome from the people,” Dared said. “Now why are you here?”
Dared had untied his guard. He glanced at the man and nodded. “Go to the tavern and tell Jerisa to purchase you one ale. You deserve it after this fool used magic on you.”
“I’m supposed to be in the gatehouse,” the guard said.
“I’ll clear it with Koltiss later,” Dared whispered.
The guard stood up and ran away. Dared then turned to look at Xalesin. “Now, I’m trying to figure out what we should do with you.”