by Allan Joyal
“Dungeon?” the creature asked in fragmented Trade.
“This is a dungeon,” Faestari said. “What do you need?”
“Orc? Gone?” the creature asked.
“They are in the dungeon,” Faestari said.
“Protect?” the creature asked in a pleading voice. “Orc, kill, hurt. Tribe gone.”
Faestari looked at the creatures. They needed goods, but if they could recover they might be good monsters for the second floor.
“The orcs are inside, but they won’t harm you. I can offer you six rooms, a lair and food for now. Later I might give you weapons, but you have to serve,” she said.
“Serve good,” the creature said. “Twitch Ear need god. Need protector. You protect?”
“You’d serve the dungeon. I can’t save you from adventurers, and you must engage them,” Faestari said.
“Good, good,” the creature said. “Twitch Ear know dungeons. Can serve. Can worship. Will fight and flee.”
“Follow me,” Faestari said. “I’ll show you to your new lair.”
Faestari turned and started to walk deeper into the dungeon. As she did she opened up a tunnel from the deeper dungeon to the second floor. She reached out to the matriarch of the wolf spiders that was her first monster. She commanded the matriarch to send four females and a small band of males up the tunnel.
The creatures scrambled to follow her. Faestari could feel their desperation and hunger. She was stunned to feel their desperation. She slowed her walk and watched as the leader and the strange one with the staff helped the females move forward. As they did she was stunned to realize that two of the females were missing a foot and hobbling along on a mangled stump. She immediately routed some mana to these creatures, offering them some healing.
“What kind of creature are you?” Faestari asked once the group had passed her two open chambers.
“People,” the leader responded. “Others, pest.”
“Say it in your own language,” Faestari said with a sigh, using a bit of mana to translate her words.
The creature paused and then barked three times. It was a high-pitched series of yips, but with her mana tuned to the meaning of the words, Faestari translated it as People of the Fur.
She sighed. “I can’t use that. Perhaps I’ll learn it later. Now we have just one floor to cross. Don’t panic about the spiders. I’m bringing them up to help you.”
“Spiders friends,” the creature said.
Faestari led the creatures down the stairway. As she had planned, the spiders were arrayed in the entry room to the second floor. She reached out with her mana to the first one in the room, commanding it to mature into a matriarch for the floor.
The leader stumbled down the steps, dragged a bit by one of the injured females. He reached the floor and looked at the spiders. The creature pushed the injured female forward.
Faestari grabbed the female before she stumbled close enough for the spiders to strike. The leader just stood in shock. “Feed, make friends,” he said as he pointed to the spiders.
A dozen rats rushed into the room, summoned by Faestari’s mana. “Use rats,” she commanded the leader of the creatures.
All of the strange creatures with the exception of the female Faestari rescued and the one holding the staff rushed to catch the rats. They soon had a dozen live rats and were carefully offering them to the hungry spiders. The wolf spiders happily accepted the offering and then headed down the passage deeper into the dungeon.
“We live?” the dog-headed leader asked.
The one with the staff rushed forward and knelt at Faestari’s feet. He held the staff up so that the strange bird skull was just below her mouth. Nothing was said but Faestari realized that the creature wanted her to kiss his staff. Gingerly she touched her lips to the top of the skull. As she did she used a touch of mana to make the eyes glow for a moment. The other creatures barked in pleased surprise.
As soon as Faestari leaned away the two unarmed males dashed off. The leader came and bowed. “We go. Find rooms. Stay floor?”
“Stay on this floor,” Faestari said, backing that instruction up with her mana. “And don’t kill the spiders, they are to help you.”
“Good, good,” the creature said one last time. “We go.”
The leader ran off before she could say more. She could feel his excitement as he and the two weaponless males explored the room. They would often stop and examine rough ground and oddly shaped walls. There was a bit of worry about a lack of concealment. Faestari decided to help. As she walked through the rooms she added small tunnels that the creatures would be able to scamper through, but which would not allow a full grown human to move through easily. She also added limestone formations and oddly shaped granite outcroppings. The worry she felt in the creatures was eased as they found more places to stage ambushes from. When they finally found the lair rooms and realized that no fully-grown human could enter there was some rejoicing. The males rushed back out in search of rats to harvest as the females began to organize a sleeping area.
Chapter 9: Mentors and Messengers
Fourteen days later and Faestari was frustrated. The orcs had quickly spread out their warriors, creating a system of traps and challenges. More than half of the ones she had considered youths had joined the warriors. Another generation was being formed in the wombs of the breeders as well.
The problem was that the leader of the orcs had proved to be extremely demanding of the dungeon. At first it was simple things like improvements to some of the rooms to help the orcs get around. However, it soon became demands for Faestari to spend mana to permanently enchant traps or weapons. She ignored many of these requests, which soon became near constant as the orcs prepared their floors.
She did learn that the dog-headed creatures were often called kobolds in the trade tongue. The orcs hated the small monsters, but her edict forbidding use of the stairs had kept the orcs from moving to wipe out the tiny tribe. They were also growing.
The surprise from the kobolds came when they took one of the chambers that was branched off from the main path and turned it into a temple. Faestari first noticed it when they started bringing rat skins and stringing them on a thong they had created from other rat skins. Soon they had built an altar out of granite. They would offer rat hearts in a shallow bowl of granite.
The worship surprised her, but she soon realized that the kobolds were providing more mana than the orcs. They also were far more diligent about preparing for adventurers. It was a surprise to Faestari who had heard of orcs before her parents sent her away. She began to wonder if other dungeons had similar experiences.
Her slow increase of mana had increased her domain again. This had the benefit of allowing her to ensure that the flat stone she had told the other dungeon about was fully prepared and the sapphire placed exactly in the center. She was wondering when the delivery might occur when she felt a band of about twenty humans gathering at the base of the western slope.
Faestari retreated to the dungeon heart. She then reached out to see what was happening in the caves.
The kobolds were still looking for weapons. One of the two adult males that had been without a weapon was weaving a small bundle of spider silk. He had a pile of small stones at his feet. It took a moment before Faestari realized that the kobold was trying to fashion a sling. The other kobolds were training the thirty babies that had been born since the tribe had moved into the dungeon.
The orc warriors had gathered near the stairway leading deeper into the dungeon. Faestari was a bit dismayed to see that they were setting up to be able to ambush anyone coming up the stairway. She looked over the walls and resolved to form a new stairway hidden near the middle of the dungeon so she could bypass the orcs.
Her other monsters were continuing to thrive. She did notice that the fungus the orcs had brought had sent spores out. Some of the spores had drifted down to the fourth and fifth levels of the dungeon. Faestari vowed to check the fungus later.
; The humans were still standing at the base of the mountain and looking up at the slab of granite when a whirlwind began to form in the dungeon heart. Faestari smiled as she watched the dwarf’s body coalesce in front of her.
“Wynterhold Dungeon is that boring?” she asked playfully.
The dwarf sputtered. “No! But there are no adventurers in there at the moment, and I thought I should check on you. You are a remarkably ignorant example of a dungeon.”
Faestari pretended to burnish her fingernails on her blouse. “Oh? I’ve now got monsters on the second, third and fourth floors, and even some on the fifth. I have treasures set up. I even plan on getting more once I have time to look at the fungus the orcs brought.”
“You still have no idea how to handle anything,” the dwarf said. “And you’ll be discovered soon.”
Faestari felt magic probing the edge of her domain. She looked to the west and frowned. “How about now? I have some humans on the west slope of the mountain using magic to find the edge of my domain.”
“You can feel the edge of your domain? That’s good,” the dwarf said.
“I thought you said these messengers wouldn’t look into more than where they were to place the items,” Faestari said.
“They do study dungeons, but they never try to control one,” the dwarf said. “Are you afraid?”
The probing had ended. The humans started climbing the slope. It was not very steep and Faestari estimated that they would reach the location for the trade in just a few minutes. She probed with her mana trying to see what they were carrying.
As the seven humans who were climbing the mountain entered her domain she could see that only three had packs. The packs were full, but it was clear that any weapons they contained were small or broken. Faestari hissed in anger.
“What?” the dwarf asked.
“Your friends are bringing three packs full of junk. There isn’t a single spear or bow. They are going to steal from me if I accept this trade.
Faestari lashed out with her mana, causing the stone concealing the sapphire to fuse with the landing. She then looked at the granite nearby. Her original plan had been to wait for the humans to leave and then slide the weapons towards the heart. Now she created a cave just north of the slab. The stone she carved out was formed into an eight-foot tall man made out of stone. His massive hands formed fists as he stepped forward.
“Varnil, are you sure we should be bringing this?” a man carrying a pack said. “You said that we’re providing a gift to a dungeon.”
The man in the lead snorted. He was dressed in velvet robes that were a deep purple in color. He looked up at the mountain. “A dungeon out here? We know how dungeons form. It takes generations of adventurers entering a network of caves or chambers. They have to fight life or death fights throughout their trials. Eventually the mana released by their struggles will awaken a dungeon. There are no caves out here. There are no monsters. This was a trick.”
Faestari snorted. “What?” the dwarf asked again.
“You like that word,” Faestari said. “And I guess you don’t know men very well. They are sure that the message they received was false. The man leading this expedition is sure that there is no dungeon here.”
“Why?” the dwarf asked. “I can’t believe of a time we lied to the Kindred as they call themselves.”
“Kindred?” Faestari asked as the first man found the slab. He was not carrying anything and was able to clamber onto the slab.
“The Kindred Bound to Adventure,” the dwarf said. “I believe that is what they are called. No one is sure, the language the name is in was lost long in the past. I’m not sure they know where it came from. But they have always concentrated on dungeons.”
“And you forgot how unique I am,” Faestari said. “They have learned all there was to know about dungeons. I’m the first you ever heard that lived as a human. Did you ever consider they would be confused by that?”
“They get confused if you move a passage in a dungeon,” the dwarf said. “They are short sighted and foolish creatures.”
“Still, I have to work with them,” Faestari said. “And I’m not happy with the items they brought as gifts. The kobolds on my second level offer better tribute, and they arrived with nothing.”
“Kobolds?” the dwarf said. “You have kobolds? When did they arrive?”
“They followed the orcs,” Faestari said. “And I’m thinking I’ll get rid of the orcs if I can find better monsters. They are already looking for ways to disrupt the other floors. I don’t need them running around.”
The dwarf frowned. “They do tend to cause trouble. At least until they respect you. Kill a few, that usually helps them understand their limits.”
“It would just waste time,” Faestari said. “I’m already sure the kobolds will be a better basic challenge for adventurers. As the adventurers move deeper I can use my creatures. It looks like I have a new one.”
“What?” the dwarf asked.
“Just a simple stone golem,” Faestari said. “I’m going to introduce myself to the Kindred using him.”
“What?” the dwarf asked. Faestari could hear the fear in his voice. “But, we never.”
“No,” Faestari said as her senses told her the last of the seven men had set foot on the stone slab where they were to leave the weapons. “That is the problem. The Kindred only know part of the tale. Perhaps it’s time to let them know the truth.”
Faestari turned and closed her eyes so she could send a part of her spirit into the golem. It stepped out from the alcove where it had formed and began to stride towards the seven men.
“What is that?” one of the men carrying a pack shouted.
“Golem!” a short heavy-shouldered man said. He pulled a hammer from a sling on this back and ran to stand in front of Faestari’s creation.
“Varnil?” another of the bearers said. “I’d say that the presence of a golem suggests that there is something here. And it was definitely waiting for us.”
“I wasn’t,” Faestari made the golem speak. The lack of vocal chords in made the voice have a strange echoing sound. Two of the bearers covered their ears as the others took a step back.
“You’re the dungeon?” the man named Varnil asked.
“Only a construct serving the dungeon,” Faestari made the golem say in its booming voice.
“But there are no caverns here? No history of adventurers,” Varnil said. “How can a dungeon exist.”
“You need to learn more about what a dungeon is,” Faestari said. “But I am not going to reveal too much. Your failure already has me less than trusting.”
“What?” Varnil squawked in outrage. “How have I failed.”
“You were to bring items. You were told that a gemstone would be available in trade. I can see what you have in those packs. No bows, no spears, axes and hammers with broken handles. Even the swords are dulled, pitted and bent. They are hardly worth a few pieces of silver,” Faestari said firmly.
“We didn’t know,” Varnil said.
“You could have trusted, but you did not. I already know that the other dungeons have failed to understand why you do what you do. However, they trust you more than the other wizards who study dungeons. Now, they will wonder what your real stance is,” Faestari said.
“We did not know,” Varnil complained again.
“It matters not to me. I’ve decided that I’ll take the junk you brought. I can repair some of it, and the rest may prove useful. I’ll even pay the price I promised. However, your group is not welcome to return,” Faestari said.
“We can bring more,” the man with a hammer said. “We’ll want to learn more.”
“Learn from other dungeons,” Faestari said. “I won’t help you.”
Varnil smiled. “We can use magic to learn all we need.”
“Fool!” one of the porters said as he threw the pack down on the slab. “Any dungeon can block those spells.”
“No they can’t!” Varnil howled.
Faestari reached out with her mana. She could feel the magic Varnil had at his disposal. It was surprisingly easy to block the mana flows to him, leaving him with a mere fraction of his power. She also could see the weaves he used to probe her powers. Once she saw the weaves it was simple to create a net of mana that would smother any similar weaves within her domain.
Varnil looked around frantically. He whirled in place as the other three porters set their packs down. One walked over to the stone dome that covered the gemstone.
“It can’t be moved,” he muttered as he knelt down and tried to pick it up.
Faestari dissolved the dome, causing it to melt into the slab and revealing the sapphire. The one porter hissed as the gemstone reflected the sunlight.
“Wow,” he said. “The dungeon isn’t wrong.”
“What do you mean?” the man with the hammer said. He was still glaring at the stone golem Faestari was animating.
“This gemstone would have paid for forty packs of the junk we just brought. We did try to cheat whoever is powering that golem,” the man said.
Faestari carefully walked around the man with the hammer. The golem picked up the packs and returned to the alcove in the granite that Faestari had used to create it. As it stepped into the alcove Faestari had the stone flow up behind it, sealing it in as a new passage was generated leading down into the dungeon. The passage was never more than about ten feet long and four feet wide, just large enough for the golem to continue moving forward as the stone continued to fill in behind it.
As the golem walked through the mountain Faestari spared some attention to the stone slab and the seven men standing on it. All four porters were standing around Varnil. The wizard had a distressed look on his face as he spoke.
“Look, none of us knew. You all heard the message that we received from that Minotaur dungeon. We all agreed that it might be fake,” Varnil said.
“But you were the one who obtained the goods. You filled that wagon with straw and hid that fact under a few packs that turned out to be filled with broken weapons and daggers. And what if other dungeons learn about what we did,” the lead porter said.
