A Living Dungeon

by Allan Joyal

  Chapter 7: Progress Report

  The spring day where the first spider floated into Faestari’s dungeon passed on. Summer came and the seemingly unaging girl worked on adding more chambers. She had managed to find mates for her first spider. The chamber now swarmed with a dozen active hunters while the matriarch of the clan rested in a cave that Faestari had created behind a stalagmite.

  Two more species of spider had arrived. One preferred to set up hidden burrows and attack from ambush. Faestari did not have this one grow as large as the first type. These rat-sized spiders soon had hidden lurks scattered in more than a dozen chambers. They provided a great service by limiting the rat population of the passageways, eating any rat that became careless.

  The second species of spider proved harder to place. It was a particularly venomous web-weaver. Growing it to be as large as a person’s chest was not hard, but the rats had a habit of walking under the webs the spiders spun in the various chambers. Faestari worried that she’d have to bring in additional prey in the form of insects, but the spiders showed cunning. If the rats refused to walk high enough on the walls to step into the webs, the spiders would set up webs on the floor. Soon there were chambers where large sections of the floor were covered in sticky white threads.

  The spiders provided the extra benefit when Faestari realized that their silk had taken on magical properties. The trap using spiders filled their lurks with a strong, durable silk. If someone carefully removed it a weaver could create a cloth that was almost impossible to cut without magic. By the time Faestari realized this the clothing on her avatar’s body were starting to look rather tattered. She could see how useful more durable clothing might be and reformed her dress using the spider silk. The glue on the other spider’s webs would be particularly valuable to alchemists, if an adventurer was willing to cut and take a few pieces.

  As the summer drifted and became fall, Faestari increased her efforts. She had moved her gemstone twice over the summer and now realized she could generate a new chamber below the heart and still not reveal the location of her soul. This allowed her domain to remain almost completely within the mountain, but she kept one connection near the summit of the mountain. At this point it was merely an archway in the granite that ended in a sheer and unbroken slab of black stone. No one had come near, but Faestari could feel mana leak out of the archway whenever she generated a new chamber or moved an existing one.

  The girl lived in fear of her dungeon being discovered. She had generated about thirty interconnected chambers that half-filled the area that had been planned as her main floor, but only nine of those chambers had monsters, and she had only a few items that would qualify as treasures. The seeds that had fallen when she created her underground meadow included three herbs that were valuable alchemical components. She had set up one in the meadow while the other two grew in a concealed room directly above the dungeon heart. This room could only be accessed through the heart and was where she kept potential treasures while she looked for more monsters.

  As the fall started coming to an end, Faestari realized that she was going to have to cast out a full call if she wanted any monsters. The few birds, rabbits and bats that regularly visited the mountain were too small or non-threatening to be effective monsters. She did allow a colony of rabbits to move into one chamber she had set up as a safe zone. The chamber was twice the size of the cottage and stable area she had lived in just before coming here, and was filled with the softest grasses Faestari could coax to grow. She added some herbs for the rabbits and vowed that as long as no adventurer hurt the creatures they would be safe there. She then took a few snakes that had followed the rabbits and gave them new lairs in the chambers surrounding the safe zone. These snakes grew until they could potentially consume a fully-grown man. A few venomous snakes did not grow as large, but became more potent as their scales changed color until the snake was invisible against the walls and floors of many of the rooms. These snakes devastated the rat population, forcing Faestari to set up several nurseries for the rats to prevent starvation from ripping through her monster populations.

  When the snow started to fall, Faestari stopped broadcasting her summon for monsters. It was clear that she would have to resume her search in the spring. With the monster and prey population of the dungeon under control she started working harder on placing treasures and growing more chambers in preparation for opening as a full dungeon. She did not know why, but her instincts were telling her that her caverns would be noticed sometime in the coming summer, and she wanted to impress any adventurers who discovered her home.

  “I don’t know why,” she told one of her rabbits. The five stone figurines were immaculate as they sat in a half circle just outside the sleeping alcove she had created. “I just feel like it’s important for adventurers to like the challenges and treasures I provide.”

  Faestari was still considering this when the wind in the center of her chamber began to swirl. She could see white mist fill the cyclone. The mist gained color as the wind died down. The same misshapen dwarf stepped forward. He looked around the chamber and snorted. “You are still using that body?”

  “It’s mine,” Faestari said.

  “You look like a child!” the dwarf shouted.

  “I am,” Faestari said. “I lived with my mother and father for ten years before I was placed in my gem.”

  “You what?” the dwarf said. “You mean you lived as a human?”

  “I knew I wasn’t quite human,” Faestari said as she brushed her long blond hair away from her head. “Humans don’t have pointed ears, and none of the children in the village could get deer to approach them.”

  “Humans eat deer,” the dwarf said. “I’ve seen that often enough in my dungeon.”

  “We ate deer too. Father killed a deer every thirty days or so and we’d feast on the meat,” Faestari said firmly.

  “You actually ate?” the dwarf asked. He looked interested. “What was it like?”

  Faestari stood there in shock. She suddenly realized that except for tasting the fruit of the two trees she had growing in her one safe zone chamber, she had eaten nothing since awakening in the cave. “I can’t explain,” she admitted. “I never thought about it. It was just something I did with my parents.”

  “Your mother ate as well?” the dwarf asked. “I knew dungeons could, but none do. In fact most don’t use avatars unless they are outside their own domain.”

  “I like having a body,” Faestari said. “And does that really matter?”

  “Nope,” the dwarf said with a smile. “You even have a name and most dungeons will name the dungeon they control if they want to identify themselves. Now you know why I’m here.”

  “Not really,” Faestari said. “You said you’d help, but I haven’t seen you since last winter. You’re early too.”

  “Blizzard,” the dwarf said. “It’s made it impossible for any adventurer to reach my door. And it looks like it will blow for another two days. I had time. And I wanted to check on you. Like I said last time, you are the first dungeon I’ve ever heard of that was active before forming the dungeon. Most form the caves and entice monsters without knowing, before eventually awakening.”

  Faestari shrugged. “I haven’t managed to entice many monsters,” she admitted.

  The dwarf snorted. “I’d have been surprised if you had. Most dungeons exist for decades before they become as aware as you are. Now why don’t you show me what you have?”

  Faestari stood up and started walking to the passage leading from her home chamber. The dwarf looked puzzled. “You’re going to move around?”

  She paused and then turned to look at the dwarf. “I know where everything is, but I like to go and look at it. If I see it the way an adventurer will, I can decide if my rooms and creatures will be a challenge.”

  “Don’t change your monsters when it comes to me,” the dwarf said sullenly. “I want to see how they act.”

  “But,” Faestari said.

  “Th
ey won’t touch me. They can see me and will sense me, but any attacks will just pass through me. I don’t roam my halls and rooms in a body, but I’ve learned to send my spirit at times when adventurers react badly to something,” the dwarf said.

  “Why would they react badly?” Faestari asked as they entered the first room she had created. She was turning to her left to continue onward when the dwarf marched over to the wall and started looking at the black drawings she had made right after his last visit.

  “What is this?” he asked.

  “When you told me about chambers, I felt how much space I could control and then drew a map of how I thought I’d lay out the chambers,” Faestari said. “But that isn’t the pattern anymore. I can add at least two more levels and many more rooms. I just haven’t removed it because it didn’t seem important.”

  As she spoke one of the poisonous snakes populating the dungeon rose up. It struck at the dwarf’s body. The head of the snake passed through the leg of the dwarf.

  The dwarf looked down as the confused snake slithered to the far wall of the chamber. The gray and black patterning on its back made it almost impossible to see in the dim light and Faestari was pleased to see that it vanished as it reached the far wall.

  “What is that?” the dwarf asked.

  “I got some snakes to move in and improved them,” Faestari said. “At least I thought I did.”

  The dwarf squinted as it gazed in the direction the snake had moved. “Let me see. You've made it warm blooded. That’s wise, it won’t be affected by any cold rooms, and this dungeon isn’t warm. Good fangs, they would cut through leather and probably can punch through thin scale or plate mail. Knights would be safe, but anyone else is in danger. That venom though. Did you know it will kill just about anyone?”

  Faestari nodded. “I thought we were supposed to offer real challenges.”

  The dwarf pointed over at the snake. “That is a harsh challenge for a new adventurer. If you have those, don’t have them in the first twenty rooms or so. Some guilds would take offense. Past that point most of them know to watch for creatures like that. I’m guessing it has no special defenses besides the fact that I can’t really see it against the stone.”

  Faestari nodded again. “I do have larger snakes that could probably eat a man, but those aren’t poisonous. They don’t roam this area.”

  “How many different creatures are in your caverns?” the dwarf asked.

  “Three spiders, two snakes, all have been changed in some way. I have rats that I keep in nurseries to feed the spiders and snakes. And I have one room with rabbits,” Faestari said.

  “Rabbits?” the dwarf responded. “Those aren’t monsters.”

  “It’s in a safe room. Somehow I knew that offering a room with no monsters is necessary. It’s just a short distance from here. It has grass, a couple of fruit trees and rabbits roaming the open field,” Faestari responded back testily.

  “Tell me about your spiders?” the dwarf said.

  “I have three types. The first is a hunting spider. They roam a large chamber just a couple rooms from here. The chamber looks natural with a lot of limestone formations and a very rough floor which gives the spiders a good chance of ambushing someone. They have venom, but it’s not as potent as the snakes. They have the worst venom.”

  “Anything valuable from these spiders?” the dwarf asked.

  “The eyes are gem-like and something tells me alchemists would love to have them. The matriarch is in a hidden chamber off the path so she can hatch more eggs if they are killed.”

  “Wise, so you can replenish that room. What about the next spider?” the dwarf asked. He sounded interested in not just the information, but any reason why that Faestari might give.

  “I coaxed a spider that hunts by lurking in place and then ambushing its prey. I grew those so they are big enough to eat a rat, just like the hunting spiders. These spiders havelurksin several rooms. The silk they weave is used to line thelurks they use and also can be turned into cloth that can only be cut with magic. I couldn’t figure out why I insisted on that part, but I figure it’s supposed to be treasure.”

  “That’s a very good treasure actually,” the dwarf admitted. “Adventurers will have to collect it, but the value cannot be underestimated. Just don’t be too generous. Have only somelurks be lined, or make the spiders hard to find. Too much of that level of treasure might cause trouble.”

  Faestari nodded. “I haven’t connected to the surface. Well, I had to allow the spiders, snakes and rats to enter, but I closed those passages once the animals had come inside. I do have a location picked and an entry arch fashioned, but for now the arch ends in a black wall of granite.”

  “You’ll have adventurers peeking around by the summertime,” the dwarf said. “There is enough life in the dungeon to cause mana to leak. There are wizards who watch for those leaks. If they sense your dungeon, they will come to investigate.”

  “Why?” Faestari asked.

  “Because there are things in dungeons that can’t be found anywhere else. Those spider eyes you have created. I’m sure they are valuable in alchemy, although I’d have to examine them closely to know what kind. Wizards know this and when a dungeon awakens they try to arrive early. Often a dungeon is most generous in the first few years when it is still waking. Once they know and feel the adventurers, most dungeons try to limit how much mana they put into the treasures people take from them,” the dwarf said.

  “But I’m not ready,” Faestari said.

  “No, but you have a solid start. What other treasures can you provide?”

  “Some gems, some gold and silver. Not much copper, there is none under this mountain, so I haven’t been able to create any coins. I also have some magic herbs. I put the woundbane out in my dangerous meadow room. The arrowstalk and wolfmint I grow in my treasury greenhouse. I haven’t found a good place to set them up,” Faestari said.

  “Don’t use gems unless you throw out a boss monster for now,” the dwarf said firmly. “You aren’t a big enough dungeon to offer that level of treasure. What about weapons? Armor pieces?”

  “I don’t know how to make them,” Faestari admitted. “I’ve debated on making small stone figurines that are enchanted.”

  “Like your little rabbit companions?” the dwarf said pointing at Faestari’s feet. Three of her rabbits were lounging in a circle just behind her.

  “These just follow me around,” Faestari said. “I like having something to talk to even if they never talk back. However, yes, something like these, maybe a version that can animate for a short time to help an adventurer in a fight.”

  The dwarf whistled. “That is a top level treasure. Don’t forget that idea, but don’t use it for now. It’s too valuable for a dungeon at the level you are. As for weapons and armor. There might be a way I could help.”

  “How?” Faestari asked.

  “First it will be a bit risky. You are a very young dungeon and this group might decide to do more than bring tribute,” the dwarf said.

  “Tribute?” Faestari asked.

  “I’ve told you that wizards seek dungeons. Well, there are factions. Some wizards have tried to take over dungeons. If they can they will force the dungeon to serve them until the wizard dies. I know of two dungeons that have become the sanctum of wizards powerful enough to hold their spirit on this world when the body dies. Those two dungeons have been protecting the lichs for longer than I have existed. Other wizards just want to use the dungeons as a source of rare spell components and alchemical ingredients. Or they study the dungeons. But there is a final group. It’s small, but some humans have decided that dungeons are deities. They offer gifts and sacrifices. Most of the time they are benevolent as far as dungeons are concerned,” the dwarf said

  Faestari looked around. They were still standing in the first chamber. “I don’t want them in here. I’m not ready.”

  “Of course not, but I know a dungeon where a band of these people have set up a permanent ga
thering. The Minotaur Love Field is not a great friend of other dungeons, but he might be willing to whisper to his worshipers that a delivery of trinkets would be rewarded,” the dwarf said.

  Faestari looked around. The young girl closed her eyes. Mana flowed from her and the dwarf looked down. “You’re moving your stone?”

  Faestari reopened her eyes. “There is a flat stone on the west slope. It can’t be missed. You could put a drop of water on it, and the drop would remain motionless. When these worshippers come they will find a single sapphire the size of a human thumb hidden under a piece of granite sitting in the center of the slab. They can take the sapphire and leave their tribute. But they are not to know why.”

  “They might not want to come out here if they don’t know why,” the dwarf said.

  “I’m not ready,” Faestari said. “I still need to fill the upper floors. I’ve always felt that my challenges were perhaps too difficult, but none of the creatures that have come have been right for the upper floors.”

  “Why not enlarge the rats? They are common in many dungeons,” the dwarf said.

  “Too easy, and they’d eat too much,” Faestari said. “I already have four hidden chambers that exist solely to grow the grain I need to keep the rats fed and wandering around the dungeon. I could do rats made out of stone. I’ve considered that, but I wanted something more impressive like a bear.”

  “A bear made out of stone, that would be different,” the dwarf said. “What about orcs? They are common.”

  “If some come near I’ll invite them in, but only a small band,” Faestari said. “My father did not like them and one time when I was six my mother told me that they could not be trusted.”

  “What? Why?” the dwarf asked.

  “We lived in… What was the city,” Faestari said. “It hasn’t been that long, I should remember… Ah, it was Lanheim. Mother went to the market to purchase some fresh eggs and brought me along. There was a band of orcs passing through the town. Mother pushed me into an alley so they didn’t notice us.”