A Living Dungeon's Madness

by Allan Joyal

  Faestari recognized the leader of the trio as one of the sub-chiefs of the orc band. This one was screaming something as the shaman’s followers worked to impede his progress. She turned her full attention to the chamber so she could hear what was being said.

  “You defile the clan! We should not follow the weak one!” the angry sub-chief said.

  “The elf girl is not weak! She provides for the clan! She protects the clan!” the shaman said in a booming voice.

  The crowd roared in approval. They pushed at the sub-chief’s followers as they surged towards the dead bear.

  “We should follow the new one! The great one has power. We should give him power!” the sub-chief roared back.

  The crowd seemed to back down. The acolytes holding the dead bear rushed the body to the wall and carefully laid it on the ground. A couple of female orcs moved forward and started using stone knives to carve the meat of the bear.

  The shaman stepped forward. He placed a hand on the chest of the sub-chief. “The one you call the great one is weaker than our lady.”

  “The great one is one of us!” the sub-chief said to the approval of the crowd.

  “I’ve seen this great one,” the shaman said. “He’s a dogman. Dogmen are nothing. We step on them. They should be our slaves.”

  “The Great One is more powerful than any dogman. And he’s not some weakling elf child!” the sub-chief said.

  Faestari wanted to move, but the argument was getting louder. She looked around the level and found the orc leader standing in the final room on the level.

  She woke her avatar and moved to her hidden passage. She rushed up the stairway to reach the orc floor. As she moved, she could feel the conflict between the shaman and the sub-chief grow.

  The orc chieftain looked over at Faestari as she stepped out of an alcove she created in the wall of the room. It stood patiently as she verified that he was alone.

  “You know,” the chieftain said.

  “I’m not sure I do. Your shaman appears to have decided that I am the one to follow, but one of your sub-chiefs,” Faestari said.

  “Has turned on everyone. He’s got about a third of the warriors on his side. They want to raid your town,” the chieftain said.

  “Not my town,” Faestari said. “I welcome having the adventurers, and I’ve seen that your people have thrived as they delve the caverns.”

  “It’s been a good challenge to fight against the adventurers. But I’m sure that is not your reason for seeing me out,” the chieftain said.

  “You used to be willing to argue with me,” Faestari said as she had a flat platform emerge from the wall. She sat down on the bench and leaned back against the wall of the chamber.

  “I have to maintain my position,” the chieftain said. “My people want to see their chieftain rage against those who would order them around.”

  “And yet, you’re not there for this current conflict,” Faestari pointed out.

  “I’m being pushed out,” the chieftain said. “Either the Shaman or Grosthak will be the next chieftain. The people haven’t decided, but it will happen soon.”

  “Can I do anything to prevent it?” Faestari asked.

  The chieftain knelt down in front of her. “I lost my people’s respect. That other dungeon showed up while we were on a raid. I made the mistake of trying to attack it.”

  “And once you were defeated in front of the sub-chief and others, they spread the tale,” Faestari said with a sad nod. “Do you have any followers left?”

  “Why?” the chieftain asked.

  “I can’t allow Grosthak become the new leader. He’s no threat to me, but he’d threaten the relationships I have with the local adventurers,” Faestari said firmly.

  “He’ll win. The Shaman has some passionate followers, but Grosthak offers the joys of raiding,” the chieftain said.

  There was a disturbance back in the caverns. Faestari and the chieftain both gazed at the entrance to the room. The chieftain listened quietly and then bowed his head. “Kill me.”

  “What?” Faestari asked.

  “I failed my people. Grosthak will lead them to ruin, but if you kill me then you might convince them to back the Shaman,” the chieftain said.

  “Are you sure?” Faestari asked as the disturbance began to move closer to the duo.

  “You must. My people can’t survive a winter in these mountains. Not without shelter. Grosthak will either try to rebel and anger you or will lead his followers to the other dungeon,” the chieftain said.

  “You should never have come close to it. It’s in the opposite direction from where I allowed you to raid,” Faestari said.

  “It implanted the location in our minds. We remember exactly where it is at all times,” the chieftain said.

  “All of your people?”

  “No, just the ones out on that raid,” the leader said sadly. “You’ll have to eliminate all of them. And you’ll need to close our exit until you do.”

  “Why?” Faestari said.

  “So, no others leave until you find a way to prevent the other dungeon from affecting the minds of my people. It just had to look at any of my warriors and they were worshipping him,” the chieftain said.

  “Not you?” Faestari asked.

  “I had already given you my full allegiance. When you offered us the ability to raid, I realized just how much you were willing to do for my people,” the chieftain said.

  Faestari nodded. “I’m sorry,” she said as she summoned hands of stone from the floor. They reached up to grab the chieftain. Once the hands had secured his feet additional hands rose up and pulled him down until he was kneeling and bent over in front of Faestari. She stood up and walked to him. The chieftain smiled and nodded towards his axe.

  The elven girl took the axe and then walked to stand next to the chieftain. “I’ll do my best to protect your people.”

  “I’ve watched you. You protect all creatures in your dungeon. Please, I have younglings. Make sure they become warriors,” the orc chieftain said as Faestari held up the axe. The orc chieftain bowed down.

  Faestari lifted the axe and brought it down on the chieftain’s neck. She channeled a bit of strength into her arms and sharpness into the blade of the axe. It carved into the chieftain and separated his head from the rest of his body. The severed head rolled from the room.

  The disturbance was just one room away as the severed head rolled deeper into the orc territory. Faestari stood over the downed chieftain with tears in her eyes as the noise suddenly came to a halt.

  Faestari carefully shouldered the axe and then walked over to the bench she had created. She sat back down and watched the entrance to the room.

  A moment later the Shaman entered the room carrying the chieftain’s head. He gazed in shock at the body and then looked around the room. “Why?”

  “It was time,” Faestari said. “I’m wondering if it might be time to banish all of the tribe.” She was trying very hard to sound cold and heartless.

  “But,” the shaman said in protest as the sub-chief strutted into the room leading a large group of followers.

  Faestair said nothing as Grosthak and his followers shoved the Shaman. The sub-chief had been looking at the stairway. He stepped over the chieftain’s body and walked directly towards the stairway leading downward. His minions stopped and just stared at the body.

  “What?” Grosthak said when he noticed that none of the other orcs were near him. “We know there are great mushrooms below. We can use those to make armor and to find the fake one.”

  “Fake?” Faestari said trying to sound poisonous. “If I am so fake than why is your clan without a chieftain.”

  Grosthak looked down and noticed the dead body of the clan chieftain. He smiled cruelly. “I was going to do that anyways. Who cares if you did it?”

  “Well, the exit has been closed. No orcs will leave this level of the dungeon until I decide to allow it,” Faestari said.

  “Then I shall just kill yo
u!” Grosthak said as he charged towards her.

  Faestari sat calmly as the orc’s followers scattered out of the way. She waited until Grosthak was starting to raise the club he was carrying and then had the floor of the dungeon turn to quicksand under his feet.

  Grosthak fell downwards until he was waist deep in the floor. Faestari reversed her magic causing the floor to solidify and trap the sub-chief. He struggled, dropping his club and pressing against the floor as Faestari turned away from him to stare at all of the other orcs in the room.

  “Does anyone else want to challenge my authority within these chambers?” she called out. She used her mana to get her voice to echo throughout the floor.

  Once the echo of her voice faded the caverns became silent. The majority of the orcs in the room quickly and quietly retreated towards the lair caverns. The shaman was still holding the head of the former chief. He approached Faestari with slow steps, nervously twitching every time she moved.

  Seven orcs had surrounded the trapped Grosthak. They tried to pull their leader from the stone, but soon figured out that Faestari’s power had him trapped. One seized Grosthak’s club and charged at Faestari.

  The young elf woman raised a hand. The orc seemed to melt away as a beam of light cut through him. The other orcs around Grosthak cried out in fear. One started to run back towards the lair only for the passage to close.

  “I did not say you could leave,” Faestari said coldly.

  “You are weak!” Grosthak roared out from the floor. The orc was pressing against the ground with his hands. “You trap us here. We should rule!”

  “And if I let you go to the new dungeon, you’ll be ruled by it,” Faestari said calmly. “But I can see its poisoned you.”

  “I have no poison in me! I am orc! I am strong!” Grosthak said. “Free me and I will destroy you.”

  “You don’t understand,” Faestari said with a sigh. “I can see it’s a waste to argue with you.”

  The Shaman knelt at her feet and held up the head of the chieftain. “Why? We need a leader.”

  “You will lead them for now,” Faestari said.

  “I am a Shaman. Grosthak will never follow me,” the Shaman said.

  “You understand what your people need,” Faestari said. “Grosthak only understands power. I am about to teach him and those with him the dangers of playing with power.”

  “We need him to lead,” the Shaman said sadly. “I don’t know war. I treat my people’s spirit.”

  “There is another sub-chief,” Faestari said. “Has he been poisoned like this group?”

  “No,” the Shaman replied as it continued to kneel.

  Faestari nodded. She reached out to take the chieftain’s head from the cowering orc. “I’m not going to harm you. Your ceremony was welcome. Go, and let your clan know that I will continue to watch over them. For now, you’ll need to lead. Train up the sub-chief so he can take over in the future, but remember to keep your people focused on what is really important.”

  Faestari set the head down on the shelf she sat on and then leaned forward and lifted the Shaman to his feet. She was looking at him and did not notice the movement of Grosthak’s followers until two of them rushed forward and stabbed stone daggers at her abdomen.

  The stone daggers appeared to enter Faestari’s body, but there was no blood. The young elf girl just collapsed around the knives and grabbed the arms of the two orcs who hooted in triumph.

  They tried to withdraw the knives and realized that their arms and hands were trapped in Faestari’s grip. Both began to thrash around as they fought to free their hands.

  Faestari looked up with an evil smile on her face. “Did you really think you could hurt me?” she asked. Her eyes seemed to turn white. The orcs thrashed one last time and then their skin started to turn gray.

  The struggles of the orcs were frantic for only a couple moments before slowing down. Their skin went from the green of a healthy orc, to gray and then turned white as crystals of ice began thrusting up out of their bodies. The came to a halt and stood, strange gray and white statues.

  Faestari released the orcs’ arms and then withdrew the knives from her body. They gleamed with a strange metallic sheen. The watching orcs groaned in surprise and fear as she carefully reversed the knives I her hands and then brought the pommels down on the shoulders of the two who had attacked her.

  The orcs shattered. Pieces of ice and frozen flesh poured out onto the floor as Faestari stood up. Her tunic glowed as the two holes made by the daggers sealed back up.

  “Now,” she said. “I have already said that you are not to cause me trouble. I demonstrated to your former chieftain that I had the power to enforce my edicts. And yet, some of you decided to challenge me once again. This will be the last time.”

  Faestari waved a hand. Grosthak’s remaining followers were swallowed by holes that appeared under their feet. Grosthak was left alone as the holes immediately closed back up silencing the cries of fear coming from the captured orcs as they died.

  “You,” Faestari said looking at Grosthak.

  “The Great One will avenge me,” Grosthak said.

  “I’ve met your great one multiple times. He’s weaker than me. The only thing he can do is destroy your mind,” Faestari said.

  The Shaman stepped forward. “What about Grosthak’s passage key?”

  “None of the old keys will work. The other dungeon has felt their power. I have to reset the system completely,” Faestari said. “But winter is coming and you will need time to calm the clan.”

  The Shaman nodded at that. “What about Grosthak? Are you going to allow him to live?”

  “I have my own plans for him,” Faestari said. “You should return to your people. Let them know that Grosthak will not welcome his fate.”

  The Shaman bowed. He quickly retreated from the chamber leaving Faestari alone with the still trapped Grosthak.

  “Release me!” Grosthak demanded.

  Faestari walked over to the struggling orc. “I am going to release you; however it is with a message I want you to take to the dungeon you call The Great One.”

  “I will destroy you!” Grosthak said. “You are weak! The Great One swore I would rule!”

  “He never said what you would rule,” Faestari said. “So how about I give you an incentive. I’m going to change you slightly. The Great One might be able to fix it, he might not. But if it is not fixed in twenty days your eyes will liquefy. Now, I’m going to dump you out on the western slope. Do not attempt to return.”

  The ground rose up forming a half-sphere over the torso and head of the orc. The sphere then sank into the ground as Faestari moved it down and over to the absolute edge of her domain. It would break the surface and eject the orc down a small cliff, leaving it alive.

  Chapter 18: Negotiation Breakdown

  The strange fight Faestari had with her orcs seemed to signal the final rebellion of the ones who remained. The Shaman soon had three solid war chiefs working under him as the orcs reorganized their caverns. It ended up that Faestari had to divide up the floor into three sections as each of the war chiefs had their own followers. The Shaman maintained overall control, but did request that a central chamber open to adventurers be set up. The orcs soon started using the chamber for challenge fights between the three sub-clans.

  The other creatures in her dungeon appeared to be quite content. With the number of adventuring parties dropping the kobolds had started working on improving their lair area. Soon several small burrows had been placed and lined with bedding formed from spider silk and the scraps of clothing the kobolds had kept after defeating inexperienced delvers. The bug-headed creatures had found Faestari’s coal deposit and started forging spears and strange curved swords.

  It seemed pleasant until Dared rode out of the gate of his still developing town. Joward and his workers had completed all of the outer walls and were attempting to solidify the inner ones before the first storms, but only the few buildings raised during t
he summer were complete. Dared was accompanied by two officious appearing men wearing shining chain mail over orange and red tabards.

  “Why are we riding here?” one of the officious men said in a whiny voice as Dared jumped down. He held out the reins of his horse to the gatehouse guard.

  “Remind Koltiss that we need to install some kind of small stable and horse shelter near here. Most adventurers don’t ride horses, but it makes sense to have a place they can rest comfortably near here,” Dared told the guard.

  The second officious man just glared down at Dared. “Sirrah, why have you brought us through that ruin you call a new town and stopped at this gatehouse. In fact, why do you have a gatehouse here? There is nothing to guard.”

  Dared turned to look at the man. “You asked about the raids Fairview has been suffering from. I said I might be able to quickly obtain some information for you.”

  “So?” the officious man said again. “When we indicated that we liked the idea you lead us away from Fairview, through your poverty-stricken town and stop here? We warned you that Toligant and I aren’t going to provide a favorable review to the council if you refuse to cooperate.”

  “Oh, but I am cooperating,” Dared said as he carefully stepped over line of stones that had been placed to mark the edge of Faestari’s domain. “I brought you out here to talk to someone who knows far more about what is causing the raids than I do.”

  The two officious men looked at each other. Toligant threw his reins at the guard. “Look Dared. You might be a king’s son and have received some training, but you’re still a bastard. Fairview isn’t contesting this little town because we all know there is nothing here. But if we return to Fairview and let people know that you’ve gone mad.”

  “Dared mad?” a female voice called out as Faestari’s granite avatar started to rise out of the ground. “I’ve never noticed that he is particularly taken with madness.”

  “What?” Toligant said.

  Faestari rose up rapidly and her granite avatar was standing right at the edge of her domain before Toligant had finished gasping out in surprise. She turned the stone visage to face him and his companion. “Did you not know there is a dungeon here?”