Trish and Fleur, Arlene’s sprite got together and organised their dungeons, a somewhat bemused Mary was soon talking to Arlene DuChan of Folding Deep. The two struck sparks of each other but on the whole got along well. Arlene got her plants and creatures and was able to get rid of one favour. Mary got another cavern to play with a two kilometres from the dungeon Folding Deep’s front entrance and a scant half-kilometre from the West Gate of the city of Folding Deep.

Mary thought about it then decided to ignore the problem and created another square room with portal flanked with pictures of Lewis Carroll’s Mock Turtle. Then she added that art to the two that lacked it.

That night she despatched a mixed group of ‘folk with full purses to explore the town and pretend to be adventurers, also a team of man-rats and a few meerkat and badger folk to aid with the digging.

* * *

Viscount Travanne had wanted to know how Mary had known where to find him as it was rare that he visited his estates near Garonmouth but Drina merely grinned at him. Finally she admitted that Mary had agents that kept an eye on the ports of Drakoton and Garonmouth.

Despite everything an arrangement was concluded between Viscount Travanne and Mary Silvestre and agreed to by his son Baron Norvaan. Protocols were established for sharing data and ideas and after a feast to which most of the local aristocracy was invited the Voice departed with her guard taking Baron Norvaan with her.

The Wave Skimmer made excellent time back to the islands and after dropping of the Baron and his household at another fishing village near his home proceeded to leave most of Drinna’s escort at the hidden harbour built by the badger folk for Steve and his man-rats so as to be available if the plotters attacked the Temple of Ocidon in the city.

* * *

The private army of the recently installed Baron Alkadees marched proudly into Drakoton from the North and headed for the docks. Marching to their rear came the army of Faruuz the current chief magistrate of the town. From the west came the forces of Baron Ferr Galdon and Chief Justice Stra’gard. From the West came the army of Tinicus the Merchant and Far’diva the banker.

As soon as she heard Serrenica sent a runner to the Harbour to warn her son in law Captain Haardock of the Blue Star.

The Blue Star and the Silver Swan were both just leaving harbour when the men of Baron Alkadees and magistrate Faruuz arrived and started boarding all the ships currently docked or anchored in the harbour.

* * *

Steve grinned savagely at his subordinates, “It’s time! Daniel get yourself to the temple and let Captain Haz’afsad know what we suspect and that he has reinforcements if he wants them. And even if he doesn’t but you don’t have to tell him that. Sally, get the badgers to finish the tunnel to that little house near the temple and lead the wolves and cats there. Lucretia can you get our acquisition teams ready to go, lets empty those treasuries and strongboxes.”

“What about Harr’kardos, do I include him? We know he has over fifty armed pirates or ex-pirated in his mansion along with close on twenty guards,” asked Lucretia.

“I suspect those are the ones destined to attack the Temple so set it up as well. Then we have to send one of our catamarans with news, prepare a second to sail when we have more.”

The room emptied quickly as a lot of happy and excited man-rats went off to wreak havoc on their enemies.

* * *

The docks were filled with unhappy people, probably the unhappiest were the captains and crews of the eight impressed merchant ships especially as their cargo was being unloaded onto the docks willy-nilly and their holds were being loaded with ballast and soldiers. To these ships a further four were added. These had been chartered so their crews were content enough.

The stevedores had been press-ganged and were being made to work long hours for a paltry fixed fee, more unhappy campers. The local merchants, whether or not they had lost ships could see trade departing to other pastures when news of this folly got out.

Later two lean fast looking brigantines arrived towing a large clumsy double-hulled flat-topped barge.

The fleet sailed on the following day’s morning tide; Baron Alkadees was installed on the largest of the chartered ships as the commander of the expedition while the barge to the entertainment of the locals was carrying a wyvern and two griffins.

The man-rats dispatched another of their catamarans with an update of the forces Blue Lagoon was to face.

* * *

The ruling council of the City State of Folding Deep was meeting with the leadership of the local Adventurer’s Guild. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs, the de facto ruler of the city was in full flow.

“... so why are you telling me that we have another dungeon on our hands, the original one is bad enough as it’s getting too strong... now we have a new one outside the West Gate and you can’t tell me anything except that access is via portal... and that according to the diviners the ridiculous looking monster drawn flanking said portal is a mock turtle... whatever that might be...”

“Please Mr Secretary, give us time to send one of our more powerful teams to check it out... the team you forced us to use has not returned.”

“Yes... yes, maybe you should just get rid of it. Meanwhile the city will set up defences around it to collect the appropriate taxes.”

* * * INTERLUDE 1 * * *

Durati had drawn the short straw and he was now escorting the latest batch of new recruits on their first delve instead of heading off with friends to challenge Celestial Peaks. Their guild house tended to get a lot of newbies as the weak unnamed goblin dungeon was ideally suited to rank beginners. This was a common if unwelcome task.

This time Durati and the youngsters he was mentoring received a surprise; the valley now contained two entrances, the new one being much fancier than the original.

Durati decided to leave the new entrance for later and organised his gaggle of hopefuls into two large parties and led the first lot into the dungeon. The dungeon was still not strong but it had improved considerably. The more complex setup of caverns and passages together with the roving patrols forced his newbies to withdraw after completing the first level.

After giving the dungeon a day to recover he led in his second group. The roving patrols gave this lot, and Durati a few surprises. The rear attack when they were engaged to the front almost led to disaster, and did lead to their withdrawal.

The second entrance led to an artistically decorated room featuring the typical doings of one of the baser gods and a portal flanked by carvings of a truly silly looking monster, a turtle’s body with Normal seeming flippers in front, but with the head, rear legs and tail of a calf.

The portal itself led to a hot and humid cavern with sizable pools of water and condensation dripping from walls and ceiling. Then several large and aggressive crabs climbed out of the pools while some fish came to the surface and spat bolts of poisoned water at them.

Durati only just managed to get his newbies out alive.

The adventurers remained in the valley for the full week they had planned and managed to clear the second level of the goblin dungeon and penetrated the third but found themselves unable to pass the jackal man hybrid monster.

Durati reported the marked improvements to the goblin dungeon and the presence of the dangerous new portal dungeon. He shared the bonus for the discovery of a new dungeon with his trainees, much to their joy.

* * * INTERLUDE 2 * * *

School was out again, the rioters, including many pupils were making things impossible once again.

Mary perused her box of fossils and pocketed the one labelled as being found in Montana. She then left via the back door and walked to the park. Once settled on her bench she looked round and for the first time truly recognised what she was seeing, mothers and kids, people taking the air and even some youngsters sunbathing. Not the place for the entrance of a dungeon. On the far side of the park however, amongst the shady bush lined paths where, thanks to that idiot Jinny she knew some drugs dealers plied their trade...

So Mary reconfigured the first level of her decoy dungeon. Then with Trish’s help she finished off the third and fourth levels as far as rooms, caverns and vegetation were concerned.

That afternoon after having gone home for lunch and having a chat with Greg about his frogs that thanks to the demonstrators had all been relocated for safety. Then Mary returned to the park and she and Trish settled in to summoning inhabitants for the dungeon.

As Mary returned home at the end of the day everything was ready for the opening. She really hoped her little surprise would intrigue the naturalists, bones were much easier to read and she now had some use for all that rubbish her father kept sending her as souvenirs of his travels.

She decided to return home normally as her road seemed to be finally clear. She stopped by the bored cops sitting in their car to say hi. They regaled her with the tale of how several news vans had had mysterious breakdowns over the past day or two.

Once home she allowed her mind to range out along her elongated domain as she studied the fossil in her pocket. Something big and with feathers, not huge but bigger than a man. Then she sensed something in the park... ‘Yeah, now’s just the right time!’

* * *

Officer Rachel Rourke was on her first patrol along with Mat Yamaoka when they spotted what looked like a drug sale in the park. Mat challenged the suspect but he ran down a path, they chased him but stopped when they saw their suspect swallowed by the earth.

They approached the new sinkhole cautiously and heard screams and snarling. The screaming didn’t last long and the sides of the hole didn’t look very secure. The hole seemed to be some four or five meters deep and they could occasionally see some creatures in the shadows.

They called the incident in and did their best to keep the local curiosity seekers from falling in the hole.

Emergency services were soon on the scene and the first people to descend into the hole had to shoot to preserve their lives. A bagged partially devoured corpse was removed from the hole together with the bodies of two vaguely doglike creatures. These were later identified as Thylacine or Tasmanian Wolves.