The Moon Lords Guild

"So where is your boyfriend Kali, I ain't got all day. If we ain't delving I need to get back to the forge." Gert the party's fighter asked for the third time since the meeting was supposed to start, a mere five minutes previous. She carefully adjusted her bandana, to keep the bangs of her mullet out of her face.

Kali gritted her teeth which looked more like she was bearing her prodigious Orcish underbite. She shoved a doughnut from the plate in the center of the table in her mouth. "Coming soon." she grunted, spraying bits of doughnut over herself and the dwarf next to her. She brushed the crumbs off her denim jacket, Gert didn't even flinch.

"Orders from higher up, did you notice that all the other meeting rooms are full? How about the nearly full commissary? And the stream of people coming from the portals. The office hasn't been this full since that ghoul outbreak a few years back, when the standard was made official." Their cleric Florence Sparkline pipped up, pulling her holy symbol up to make a religious sign to ward off undead. "It's gotta be related to whatever caused that hole downtown yesterday. Maybe a quest to kill a giant burrowing monster! Oh, maybe it's Ole' Mountain Breath finally decided to level the city like he's been threatening for the last decade."

Their fourth companion said nothing as she was currently nursing a hangover and sitting with her eyes closed and breathing slowly was about the only thing keeping her from losing what little food, she had managed to get down this morning. She's been avoiding the sickly-sweet baked goods hoping to get some meat sticks from a nearby vendor grease and meat is what she needed. She also expected to be done by now like Gert, but knew how slow these things really were.

Ten more minutes and most the donuts later there was the sound of many people making their way down the hallway outside. Whatever had been happening had finally finished. There was a sharp knock at the door but before any of the assembled team members could stand to answer, the door opened. A previously supposed chaos burst through the door along with the official team lead and only male member of the team Devon. Devon was the party's troubleshooter, which is to say he dealt with traps and locks.

"Sorry for the delay." There was a general round of exasperated responses, led by Marin their hungover wizard. Kari quickly put the coconut covered doughnut she had just started back on the plate. Devon quickly passed around the folios he'd been carrying under his arm. There was over twenty pages including a few full-page images. "Congratulations all. It's a Dungeon." He let them be in shock for a moment, Marin only groaned and put her head down on the folio. While they were in shock, he scooped up the coconut doughnut and started to eat it.

"Dungeons don't just appear in cities, this shouldn't be possible." Florence commented, while starting into the paperwork.

"According to the specialists, it didn't, it's just super old and suddenly came to the surface. Check the second image." Devon pulled out his copy. It was a cavernous opening at least a thousand feet deep, with the clear signs of the buildings as if a many city blocks simply dropped precipitously into a pit. "This was less than twelve hours ago. Now it looks like third image." A squat tower that looks like a gift shop at a historic site, brightly painted blue slate roof, and a low stone wall that would only keep the politest visitor or small critter out.

"Luckily this was mostly businesses, so the death-toll is... limited. Estimated to less than forty, but we're still getting in touch with the business owners in that area." He flipped through a few more pages. "Page ten has some specifics, but this is going to be a strange delve. Mostly in that supposedly the dungeon has already agreed."

"What do you mean the Dungeon agreed?" Gert interrupted. "Dungeons aren't something to chat to, they eat us."

Kali tossed the page she was reading, "This is bullshit!"

"This isn't a delve. According to this we're just delivering things to the dungeon, and it is supposed to just give it back. Books, magic items, potions, and every scrap we have about dungeon grading. This reads like a young dungeon that we're feeding. Has anyone else taken the dungeon history extras? This happened before, and it ended with a guild wiped out, and last I hear it's at least a level sixteen dungeon but the last successful delve was over a decade ago, and successful in this case was two missing limbs and one dead." Marin finally spoke up, having read the packet while Devon droned on about the unimportant parts.

"Thanks for joining us, Marin." Devon pulled a wrapped object from his pocket. "This was anticipated, and an answer has already been provided." He carefully unwrapped a crystal orb. "One Memory, from High Priestess Moonbow. In which the dungeon gave a binding divine oath. There are a dozen others like this, from various faiths and ranks, even that guy that claims he's an oracle of the Eternal Maw." He rolled the small orb across the table but it was snatched up by Florance.

There was a brief pulse of light as she held it to her head. "Oh my, she is so... tall. Oh, that is nice not craning you neck just to see butts and crotches. Though her bosom does seem to make up a good amount of her vision too, I'd be jealous if I wasn't so aware of back problems, they can cause..."

"You get used to it." Gert interjected. "Just pass it along, we promise to let you keep it after."

Florence blushed a bit before passing the stone to Marin. But Marin passed on inspecting the memory. "If I jam that in my head right now, I'll barf, and likely pass out, so for now I'll just trust you guys aren't lying." Geth put the orb to her head. "Oh, Mr. Bigshot future father-in-law is there too Kali. How does a man that age look so good without a shirt."

"He works out." Devon said flatly, under emphasizing his fourteenth level monk father's workout routine.

Gert passed the orb to the now dark green with blush Kali.

"Don't be jealous Gert, just because Kali jumped on the young boy with the pedigree to be a titan. I heard about his visit to the forge." Marin jabbed at the dwarf. "Topless Forging? Heard that was a northern thing thought your family came from one of the great halls."

"It was an accident!" she slammed her fist down on the table. This cycle of harassment is officially against guild policy but was ultimately universal, though not as intense in the more mixed groups. If the conversation wasn't stopped soon though, it could get graphic and the meeting was already off topic.

"SO!" Devon cut in. "We'll be making this first delve, and according to the agreement the dungeon will be making a perfect dungeon that should let anyone that goes through the various levels smoothly climb to the teens in roughly three months."

"So, it's pretty simple, most of the prep is being done. but since we're the first going in we've got a chance to drag in more than what we've been asked to by the guild. So, if you want a chance at something dropping in the dungeon, we need to give it one today. We go in after lunch, so hit up your favorite place for a couple to go orders and we might be able to get some good meals, and not just the official rations that the guild is handing over."

The group nodded thoughtfully. "Gert, we need ores and metal bars, and scoop up anything else you've got laying around that you don't use, old textbooks, master-craft weapons and armors, survey maps of the region, or anything fun you can get. Marin, hit the commissary or Grace, to get that hangover taken care of, then the apothecary, don't go too crazy. Level five and under potions and components." Marin nodded more vigorously this time. "Florence, same thing but divine supplies, also I know it's a bit of a longshot but if you can ask the trainers for one or two of their caged undead. We might, be able to get something good for them. Let the trainers be aware they're only likely to get a cage back."

Devon closed up his folio and looked around. "Well, get going, it's only a few hours!"

"What about Kali and yourself." Gert who hadn't started to stand asked.

"I will be getting ahold of my resources, like you." Kali gritted her teeth again at the jab. "They may be reluctant to gather. Unlike your storehouses I cannot simply fill a bag with common goods. I wish to have more of, everything I seek must be named by item and owner. No cash can change hands for them, only debts of honor even if they are returned tonight."

"As the sap that you four decided would be the team lead for guild paperwork, I'll be here, dealing with the guild."

Dungeon

I wake, my tremendous slumber finally ended by the feeling of starvation. I flex my mind and find myself alone, the nearest creature with more than animal instincts is above me. I've descended more than expected in my sleep. Ancient plans activate in the back of my mind, tunnels and chambers extend in all directions, mostly up. Starving, the best defenses I can manage currently are simple physics-based traps with skill-based work arounds. I extend myself until I can feel the presence of surface buildings, and unnatural underground chambers. I override the plans temporarily to attempt swallow a much of the complex above me as I can. I extend my senses, quickly learning that I will run out of power before eating a tiny portion of the community. I resolve to merely eat enough for a small entrance.

I am unprepared for the amount of information that I gain. It had been too long since I had learned anything, but I did delete a lot of my own memories so largely my fault. Twenty-three individuals, appear in my roster, as well as six generics. Male human, Male Orc, Male Human Orc Hybrid, Male Elf, Male Gnome, and Female Gnome. The gnomes appeared to be the only ones asleep, and clean... well they were until the building they were in collapsed into my boundary. Dozens of materials, thousands of objects, and roughly 800 years of lifetime slammed into me. I shove the memories back into the individuals in the roster. I mentally scrape the basics of language from them, and soon I've learned five languages and can identify several more.

At that point every scrap of text in me unravels and jams itself into my mind. Unfortunately, most of it is advertisements for local businesses, recent world events, and current local events and politics. A few books contained information that was useful for something currently, adding a few levels of crafting to his empty knowledge base.

After a few hours of digesting the buildings, some figures appeared at the edge of the hole to my interior. They disappeared shortly after, just beyond my vision. I create a Gnome, and stairs leading to the surface.

I have forgotten, purposefully, how tiring stairs can be. I rode the Gnome to the top of the steps. As its head peaked the ground level, I spotted a more people and was impressed by their average power, the weakest amongst them was level twelve.

"Greetings all."

I felt magic manifest silently and instantly at my words. They didn't attack but I could feel the tension coming off them.

"My apologies for startling you, and for my dominion breaching the surface in your settlement. I was and still am starving."

A half-dressed older man stepped forward; his whole body rippled with contained power. I could see he was the highest level of the group at nineteen. "Starving? What do you eat? We may be willing to assist." The rest of those assembled went quite when he spoke.

"Knowledge."

"Knowledge? Like books, or brains?"

"Either are fine. Though I would not ask for brains. I think this language is limited and the word does not translate well. Essence, Soul, Magic, Experience, Survival, Growth, Knowledge. Each of these words touch on what I mean. I can eat anything, the more mundane the less it satiates hunger. I build tests and trials within myself and gain as creatures succeed or fail at the challenges."

"You're a Dungeon?"

"My name in Dungeon, but you imply there are more like me. This is at once troubling and good to know, family is something I have only experienced through others."

"Yes, many others, but we can't just give you power."

"I understand. I will keep to myself; all I will request is that you do not prevent those that wish to test themselves from entering." I turn the gnome and direct it back down the stairs.

A few minutes of climbing down the stairs later the gnome is tapped on it's shoulder. The topless human is in me, i barely noticed his presence. without using real eyes and starving has really cut into my senses. "We think we might have a solution to both our problems. You get the knowledge you need and we get the security we're looking for." The man said coolly not winded from the stairs.

I froze for a moment and carefully spun on the stairs. "This is good. What is the solution?"

"Oaths of Agreement before the gods. They will make sure we both adhere to our sides of the agreements and punish either side for breaking it." The man seemed to naturally pose, and smile disarmingly with straight bright teeth.

"I feel that the gods are dead and unable to do as you say, but I will still hold to an agreement if you wish to make it."

"Great, we'll draw something up and get back with you! We'll come down to talk!" He was already away sprinting up the stairs.