* * * PARTHIA – BLUE LAGOON * * *

Trisha had come to investigate the new dungeon Mary had created. She had been still hoping to use it as a real dungeon. But everything she was seeing was not encouraging.

She found it impossible not to laugh at the children’s enthusiasm. The new fourth level of the Buried Palace or decoy dungeon was full. The stories in the strange but somehow enticing cartoon style were proving ridiculously popular. According to Mary the stories were, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rumpelstiltskin.

How could she decide on monsters when the place was already infested by a band of small, shrill voiced monsters. Little monsters. Maybe that was the reason Mary seemed to be so fond of them.

She sat by the entrance and watched, as what was surely every child currently living in their dungeon paraded before her eyes.

* * *

Danilus Oakborn sat on the shore looking out at the breakers crashing over the reefs. He was conferring with Altor Seaswept. They were trying to decide how to handle the current situation. They both hoped that Ocidon would restrain the Adventurer’s Guild. So any execution order would at worst be delayed. Personally they were sure no execution order would be issued. Blue Lagoon was too remote and too difficult to reach. Especially considering the force that would be needed to challenge Ocidon.

But they were worried that Mary was going to be classified at a higher category than she truly merited.

Finally, after much discussion they decided to hope for the best, and wait to see what came of things.

* * *

Mary for her part was unhappy at how effective the adventurers enchanted mithril armour had proved. The obvious answers didn’t appeal to her; they just seemed too easy to counter. So, once again she dropped into one of her obsessive phases. She emerged several days later full of ideas.

* * * PARTHIA – SANDERSON THE WISE * * *

Sanderson the Wise was dreaming. He found himself floating in an open looking underwater temple. The water was crystal clear, and his god, Ocidon was presiding at the altar. A pod of dolphins were swimming through the slender pillars, obviously in play.

« Good, you’re here my faithful friend. I’m sorry to impose but I have a task for you. A task that I know you will dislike. I have a message for Sofos Ironfist, you will deliver it to Sarannas. »

Ocidon beamed at a young dolphin that was inspecting him, then he reached out and stoked him gently.

« A brig belonging to Mary Silvestre, and charted to my temple will be arriving in Garonmouth this morning, the captain has a small box containing the guild badges of the adventurers sent to evaluate the Blue Lagoon Dungeon. Mary Silvestre killed them in the first engagement through the use of cunning tactics. By playing to her strengths. »

« My message to Sofos is simple: Hands off my ally. Mary Silvestre ruling intelligence of the Blue Lagoon Dungeon is MINE. »

Sanderson floated around the other half of the temple. He then drifted seeing all that was to be seen in regards to the nascent settlement and castle. The dream concluded with Sanderson dropping off into a refreshing dreamless sleep.

* * * PARTHIA – ADVENTURER’S GUILD – GARONMOUTH * * *

Sofos Ironfist was busy trying to get ahead of his paperwork when his assistant, and second in command asked for a moment of his time. He looked up in irritation as Sarannas came into his office and sat down. He noted that she was looking very unhappy.

“I was summoned to the temple of Ocidon by Sanderson the Wise. He conveyed Ocidon’s displeasure with the fact that we sent, quote; ‘a team of overeager dungeon killers’ to access his dungeon. His dungeon;” she said unhappily.

Sarannas reached out and placed a small wooden box on Sofos’ desk. “Sanderson gave me that. And he ordered us in Ocidon’s name, to advise the God, via his temple should we contemplate doing anything as reckless again.”

Sofos exploded, “HOW DARE THAT LITTLE PIPSQUEAK!”

Sarannas winced, “Sanderson wasn’t happy,” she said. “He was operating under orders, he’s an easy man to read. This wasn’t his idea, and as the only being that he can’t disobey is Ocidon, I believe Ocidon is the one telling us to be careful.”

Sarannas indicated the box, “that’s not the only bad news, the Sea Sprite, a small brigantine flying the temple flag arrived this morning, I assume it fetched that box, it also fetched the remaining crew of the Heron, the ship Torgan the Black sailed on.”

Sofos played with the box then he opened it. He froze for a moment, then he emptied the five guild badges out on his table. “Who has them?” He grated.

“They’re dead Sofos, according to the sailors we’ve talked to, when they entered the dungeon’s domain, Torgan and the Stinging Hornets came out on deck, armed and armoured and stood watch at the ships rail. About half an hour after they entered the domain something attacked the ship and sank it. Nobody saw what it was. The Stinging Hornets equipped their magics and jumped into the ocean to confront the monster. One of the crew reports that they were engulfed in a cloud of squid ink and nobody saw them again.”

“That’s ridiculous, no squid however large could have killed them.”

“I tend to agree, but we have their badges, and their lifestones are dead,” stated Sarannas. “I know I said it was a bad idea, but I never expected this.”

Sofos fumed quietly while examining the five tags. He looked up at his assistant guild master, “We will have to classify Blue Lagoon Dungeon as Elite. Another such incident... and we can classify it Godlike, and damn the consequences.”

* * * PARTHIA – HELL’S MOUTH & ZARNJDFJGMN * * *

It hadn’t taken Zarnjdfjgmn long to find a suitable location to begin his search. The stench of corruption had spread far. Whatever the cause was, it had been festering for some time. It had drawn him to this mountain village.

The incubus drifted quietly above the small village, it truly smelled deliciously corrupt and evil. Someone or something had infested the place, and it was ripe for the picking. He was almost thankful that Hell’s Mouth had summoned him. Damn but that dungeon was truly in the middle of nowhere, it had taken him over a day to get here.

Down below, he could see the remains of a large fire. The remains of the fires surrounded a chain bedecked iron post. It had been erected in the centre of the village common. Then too, one of the houses near the common radiated agony and despair. Delicious!

This village had all the signs that it housed a witch hunter, or something of the sort. He should be able to establish a link with someone from this place. There should be someone corrupt enough, probably more than one. Yes, but first he had to see to Hell’s Mouth’s request, or he might not survive.

Zarnjdfjgmn phased through the roof of the delicious house, eating richly of the miasma of despair that surrounded it. He found two men torturing an elderly woman in the front room. In the rear, a badly mutilated young woman occupied one of the cells. He inspected her and smiled to himself, no darkness or light affinities, water and earth, yes but also air and life. She fit the requirements and the extras might screw up Hell’s Mouth’s plans, which was all to the good. But first he had to ensure he would not be interrupted.

Zarnjdfjgmn manifested in the torture room, behind the man supervising the torture. With a swift blow he knocked him out. The hoarse despairing screams of the victim prevented the torturer from hearing anything, so he was easily able to slip behind him, knocking him out in turn.

He was unable to resist his nature, and Hell’s Mouth had given him the go ahead. Zarnjdfjgmn quickly raped the delirious victim, taking her soul and her life. He freed the body from the rack, and tossed it into one of the room’s corners.

Taking possession of the head torturer’s keys he open the door to the room containing the cells. The young woman in the cell wasn’t really lucid, and thus Zarnjdfjgmn found it ridiculously easy to get her to agree to becoming a dungeon core. Just the possibility of future vengeance, and a cessation of the agonies she was suffering.

Zarnjdfjgmn was far more careful this time, and he plied his art to the full. He collected another soul and ended another life. He soothed the soul he had collected and examined his victim. He looked back at the open door to the torture chamber and smiled nastily.

He picked up the young woman’s body and carried it through to the chamber of horrors. Then he carefully arranged her body on the rack. He studied the scene for a few instants before further damaging the body. He stepped back with a feeling of satisfaction. The way things looked now, the two torturers would be blamed for the death.

Zarnjdfjgmn phased through the roof of the torture house and spent some time exploring the village. He found several potential hosts. He explored these human monsters carefully before he located the perfect host. Very carefully he insinuated his soul seed into his chosen, oh so evil and corrupt future host.

As he drifted over the village he decided that Hell’s Mouth had indeed done him a favour. But he was most definitely not going to let him know. And then, almost reluctantly, Zarnjdfjgmn reached for his summoning circle and he found himself back in the depths of Hell’s Mouth dungeon.

* * *

Hell’s Mouth, Arbogar and Zarnjdfjgmn stood – if gems and wraiths could be said to stand – at the three points of a triangle around a brown tourmaline. Arbogar chanted his ritual while Hell’s Mouth fed him mana. Zarnjdfjgmn sweated – figuratively – nervously. At the appropriate point Zarnjdfjgmn released the soul of the young woman slowly and carefully, absorbing some of her worst memories as he did so.

Then Arbogar’s magic caught hold of the soul and it was sucked into the gem. With a final twist, Hell’s Mouth and Arbogar, sealed the now glowing tourmaline. They noted with satisfaction that the glow in the heart of the new dungeon core, was comprised almost equally of blue, green and brown.

« You have done well Zarnjdfjgmn, leave now and enjoy your reward. » Hell’s Mouth voice echoed in Zarnjdfjgmn’s head.

Zarnjdfjgmn sneered and snarled a few times for show, then vanished. As hell strove to claim him once more he clung desperately to his soul seed he had planted in the boy, and slowly dragged himself back into the world.

Joyfully Zarnjdfjgmn poured his soul, his very being into the thoroughly corrupted youth he had selected during his visit to the village and started to access the child’s memories. The soul of his victim proved elusive, it slipped away from him, it was literally jerked out of his grasp as it snapped into his former body, as this was dragged down to the hells.

Something had gone wrong, Zarnjdfjgmn, no he was Abriman now. Abriman shook his head and scanned those few memories of his new body that he had been able to retain. Abriman had been truly evil, his father’s teachings and example had guaranteed that. Abriman had so far always appeared under his father’s shadow. He could use that. He had to use that. And with that atrocious witch hunter in the village he had to be careful, very careful.

* * *

Hell’s Mouth and Arbogar watched carefully to ensure the incubus was indeed gone. Only after they were they sure did they turn their attention to the new dungeon core. Not being particularly subtle they told Sandrinna why they had done what they had done. Then they withdrew from the first three levels of their former dungeon, passing over control of the domain and creatures to her.

They sealed the stairways linking level three to level four, and withdrew with their guards to the depths of their slightly reduced, and still mostly abandoned dungeon complex. Hell’s Mouth grumbling all the while, at having had to expend a bit more of Azurea’s mana.

* * *

Sandrinna was feeling bewildered. The demon Zarnsomethingorother had actually been telling the truth, the memories of the torture she had endured at Rovoc’s orders were blunted, she was in a dangerous position, and she didn’t trust either Hell’s Mouth or Arbogar a millimetre. But she realized that for the time being, they needed her. She had a small three level dungeon, with two levels partially occupied. She seemed to have been given a lot of knowledge, but she had no idea what to do with it.

« Congratulations young dungeon you may choose one starting monster type, please choose from the following. »

« Wha—? »

« As you lack the affinities to control two of the standard starting monster types they will be exchanged for more suitable types. »

« What? »

« Be aware that you will be restricted by your choice until you accumulate sufficient mana and experience to obtain further advances. »

« Insects— » « Eeek! »

« Goblins— » « ... »

« Kobolds— » « ... »

« Wisps— » « ... »

« Slimes— » « ... »

« Lesser Beasts— » « ... »

‘Hmmm...’ Sandrinna looked round her domain, lots of beasts present so that option was covered.

« Hmmm... I’ll try Kobolds please. »

The System seemed surprised, « A polite dungeon, what is the world coming to. Done! Kobolds it is. »

And Sandrinna was submerged in more information about Kobolds than she really wanted.