The Moon Lords Guild

Gert arrived at the meeting spot just before the agreed upon time. In addition to her robust but worn heavy armor and normal stiff leather pack of gear a second bulging soft pack was strapped to her front, and she pushed a handcart loaded with various bits of stone, crystal and metal. If all those bits had carved mountains on their faces one could easily think she was a normal vendor at Dwarven tourist trap, like The Motherhorn or The Mile Deep Club.

She spotted Devon and Kali equally dressed in their respective leathers. Their heads were close though, deep in conversation, and Devon's hand gripped her tasset. Not tasset, she couldn't remember the name for lighter armor. It didn't matter, Devon's hand, Kali's thigh, Gert was NOT jealous.

"Excuse me!" Gert said ramming her hand cart into the one loaded with crates the lovebirds were cooing on. "Where are the others? We have a scheduled slot. The other groups will not wait for us.".

Kali nearly fell over jumping away from Devon so quickly. Despite their relationship being known, it was still embarrassing for her to be caught in an intimate if wholly innocent situation. Devon flexed his fingers; glad he had his gloves. "They're running late, on the next tube from Short Town, then about five-minute walk.... well sevenish for them. They sent a message on the stone, but I guess you couldn't get to it in time loaded down like that." He fished a stone ear from his pocket.

"How much longer you two? Were on a schedule." He said into the ear. The was a slight buzz from Kali's and Gert's packs. "Well at least I know what to buy you two to celebrate" he deadpanned. After a moment the ear buzzed, and Florence's voice came out. "Quarter bell at best, boss-man. Will be faster if Kali comes and helps at the station." Gert and Devon stopped their stare-down to look at Kali.

Kali nods quickly then started to jog away. "Reinforcement is on the way." Devon said before replacing the magical stone communicator into a high pocket on his chest. He didn't turn back to Gert though, preferring to keep an eye on his girlfriend's retreating backside. "You've got a good load there. Raid the storehouse?"

"Yes," Gert didn't hesitate against the casual question. "I also have three copies of the total inventory for the guild, me and the monster farm, with values, incase this whole thing falls apart." she says digging several pages of paper from her pack.

"Did you not try to bring anything fun for yourself? The malt drink you like from Lumzy's, or maybe the whole roasted cave cricket from that cart downtown?" Devon finally turned to accept the receipt from Gert. "I had a mage port to the capitol just to snag some to-go orders and few summon stones."

"Ugh," Gert was disgusted by the excess. and the thought of eating food from a dungeon. "Never put anything from a dungeon in your mouth! That's in the top twelve rules for crawling. Just because something isn't poisoned doesn't mean it is safe to eat. Rations and water only during a crawl! "

Devon started to laugh. "This is why you're the field leader. Eyes for detail and you remember the rules. All I can seem to remember is 'blah blah gold, blah blah death, blah blah rewards.' and the one about not taking shits in holes you haven't investigated. Must have been a very hard learned lesson." Gert just nodded solemnly, mentally adding a review course for the dungeon crawling rules to the team's itinerary.

After several minutes of waiting and idly reading through their combined inventories Gert shouted almost triumphantly. "Finally! Let's get moving!" Devon looked up confused to see Gert pointing to the returning Kali with Marin and Florence in tow. They were all carrying several large bags. They must not have been very heavy if Florence and Marin had managed to get them all to the station. Gert could tell they looked like they had been dragged most of the way their size making the transportation slow. "Hope you didn't forget all the stuff you were supposed to secure before, whatever in the nine hells you've dragged out of Smalltown." Gert rolled her gauntleted hand in a general acknowledgement of the bags.

"Yes, yes, all in our packs. My Aunt is a spinner, and she works with a weaver, and they work with a clothier making old fashioned handmade clothes. But they picked up this side work recently making slip covers for furniture. They segued that into beanbag chairs... but, those aren't selling well, so they practically gave these to us!" Florence was very energetic for how sweaty she was. Marin didn't look much better off, a wizard's constitution was usually low, and she had likely been busier today than the last week combined, unless sleeping off hangovers counted. "I only went to get some yarn, basic instructions for knitting, cloth, some patterns and a middle grade sewing kit! But when I explained what was going on they gave us all sorts of things! Bits of cloth they couldn't use for major pieces but were too expensive to throw away, a few bits of leather and beast hide, a couple animal pelt for furs, and three skeletons a mouse, a fox and a wolf. Oh, and a couple broken whalebone ribs from a corset repair."

"Great! Let's go ladies!" Gert ignored most of what Florence had said, just trying to get back onto her imaginary schedule. "Looks like those are the gate guards." She pointed out a group of guards across the street, two clothed in red trimmed guild guard armor and one with a green trim. Heaving her shoulder into her metal and stone covered cart they were quickly moving as Florence continued to talk about her aunt. The more she spoke about their little habits it sounded more and more like a witch's coven than business partners.

Devon, being somehow the lightest burdened with a cart filled with crates, made it to the guards first. "Sorry lad, no admittance, this isn't some park, it's a bloody dungeon. You'll have to go around to deliver your packages or whatever... quest you're on." The green trimmed guard had been shooing away citizens for some time and completely missed that the party was fully kitted out behind their wares. "Devon Moon, Guild Charter 205, Rouge Banshees. We're a bit late but we are expected." The guard stiffened a bit at the reply, they had been waiting for the first group to arrive all day, and from then on, it'd be a parade of guildies hauling all sorts of things into a dungeon. "Right then, good luck. Stay safe. Oh, and I don't know if you have any pull with the guild but the thing that's calling itself the dungeon. It's asking for more furniture, says that most of what it has is gnome sized." Devon nodded and waved the others forward. "I'll put it in my reports."

The walk got a little rougher as there wasn't a smooth path of concrete to roll the carts on. the half block walk to the squat tower suddenly became deceptively hard. They ended up doing a rally, getting all the loose bags to the entrance, then going back for the carts with Kali assisting. Gathered before the sole door of the tower the group took a quick moment to catch their breaths. "What now? We shovel it into a hole and leave?" Marin groused. "No, there should be someone inside to take all of the things we bring. Though I don't think some of the larger stuff can fit through that door." "Larger?" "Yeah, some of the requests were for fairly large objects and creatures. The elevator system is the one that stands out the most. How deep is the Dungeon going to be? Based on its promises, fairly deep, even at one level per floor, thirteen or more levels easily puts it high on the list of largest known dungeons." Devon was talking more to himself by the end thinking of the logistics.

"Alright, ladies, it's a dungeon, it's a door, form up!" Gert had enough of sitting around even after the short time they'd been resting. She readied herself shield and axe ready, standing beside her cart. The others filed in behind, Kali, then Florence back left and Marin back right. Devon moved to the door and rubbed a small metal tool at the edges of the door frame. "No traps, no lock, might be barred." Devon reported. "No magic." Marin reported eyes glowing blue after a mumbled spell cast. "No poison or evil detected." Florence added eyes not just glowing but casting light like a lantern. "Open it." Gert instructed. Devon pushed the door open and spun to the side getting out of any line of sight. The block of women charged through the door but pulled up short as Gert barely avoided crashing into a countertop. They had just performed their perfect dungeon door entry into what appears to be a general store.

"Oh, hello." A small voice called out. "I was wondering how long you would be out there." a green haired Gnome popped up over the edge of the countertop clearly having climbed a stepladder. "Oh, goody I get to use the short side of this thing too!" He waved them forward. "You must be the kind folks from the guild I was told to expect. All women too, very surprising." Devon entered the building pulling some of the bags in with him, wordlessly putting them to the side before retrieving more. "Slave?"

"Yes." Gert replied with a grin.

"No." Kali protested with stomp.

"Basically." Marin corrects.

Florence mostly gaped like a stunned fish at her party. "What? No, Gert, this is no, no time for jokes Marin!" She was practically beet red.

"No worries, I'm a bit old and it's hard to tell some things out of context." The gnome pretending to be the dungeon waved off the concern.

"I'm actually their boss, officially at least." Devon said bringing in the last of the bags. "So how do we do this exchange?"

"Oh, yes, the agreement. Easy enough. Just show me what you got, explain what it is, and I'll put it.... under the counter. When we are done with everything you brought, you go down the stairs." He pointed to something beyond the counter, only Kali was close and tall enough to see an opening that might be a stairwell. "Run the first level of the facility and when you come to the treasure chamber the items will be there waiting for you, along with the Advantages, and a small amount of additional treasure for completing the level."

"Exactly as agreed." Gert nodded recalling the crystalized memory that blazed like a torch in her mind, being so foreign in origin. "Okay, for ease we'll go in order we arrived at the meeting spot, Devon, Kali, Me then Flo and Marin can fight for fourth."

"Marin can go fourth, it's my fault she was late. I asked for her help." Florence immediately folded.

"At least roll for it Florence." Kali said almost offended at the spinelessness of the party's tiny healer.

Florence was starting to protest but Marin dragged Florence to the side. "It's gonna be over an hour anyway. Did you see the carts of junk they brought?"

Devon pulled a large book from his back. "This has to be the first item though." He pressed the book into Kali's hand. she flipped it open to see what it was and almost recoiled at the contents. It was a full book of the Guild Rules and Regulations including the often-truncated rules for dungeon grading, that were only used by guild officers. "You're up, babe." He patted Kali on the back before turning outside to start dragging in the carts.

"This first I guess." She put the book down on the counter for the excited looking gnome man.

"This... First." The gnome tapped a hand shaped indent in the wood surface. "Just need to be able to identify you deeper in the dungeon, helps for tracking status and for rewards. Put your hand in and say your name.

Gert nearly had a heart attack as Kali simply did as she was told. Hand in the relief "Kali Stormhammer" there was a slight tingle but nothing else. Gert shoulder-checked kali away from the counter.

"Come now, I swore many binding god oaths that I would not try to kill you and several that I would actually help you get better. " The gnome protested. "I know you know because that was also part of the agreement!" He pulled the book from the countertop and deposited it in the underside. "Anything else Kali Stormhammer?" he was back to a bright smile, though it was likely forced.

Kali rubbed at her side, "Not much, but yes." She started to hand over various household items, clothes, towels, boxes of cleaning agent, a small pile of various fruits, basic cooking ingredients like flour and sugar, salt and pepper, a small basket of eggs. "I only really need the clothes back out of this lot." Kali mumbled while pulling work related items from the pack. Three daggers of various make and quality, a great sword that glowed slightly, backup armor, and a few personal charms one copper, one wood and one that looks like a chunk of meat. "These are wards, handy items that use themselves. These prevent fire and acid damage and the last prevents disease."

"And this glowing blade?" The gnome patted the flat of the great sword, and idly noted his full hand length didn't reach from edge to edge.

"Old family heirloom, it's got a very low-level damage boosting enchantment and glows around Orcs. It's a few hundred years old. I guess my bag too, it's magic, bigger on the inside."

"Very interesting, when I get around to customizing items that sort of enchantment will be very useful." the gnome nodded. "Anything else?"

"Couldn't get most of what I wanted today. May have more if we come back later this week." Kali nodded. "You're next Devon."

He was already ready, wheeling his cart of stacked crates to the counter. With a weary look back at a barely chastized Gert he put his hand into the obvious recession. "Devon Lawrence Moon-Lorde Junior." There was a round of giggles from Florence and Marin, they always loved it when Devon used his full name, so pretentious. His grandparents were a dungeon delving power couple that combined two of the largest guilds into the largest guild. Then they sat back and raked in the gold. Basically, took over the government in any city with a branch. He was basically a prince by the thoughts of most guild members.

The was a slight tingle in his hand. but after it passed, he started to unload the crates. Over a hundred books passed between their hands and under the countertop. He had taken the time to arrange them by topic. Magic, Crafting, and History. "So much great work there. You use a standardized magic system... that makes learning easy but limits progress speed and power. Strange." The gnome looked a bit punch-drunk about halfway through the books about magic.

"Yeah, but now we can learn in a few years to be useful as opposed to a couple decades of painful trial and error during apprenticeships." Marin called out from the wall. She and Florence had unpacked a couple of the beanbag chairs and were relaxing against the wall. Kali was sitting on one too but hadn't unpacked hers.

The second and third round of books didn't take a long time, nearly passing without comment. "Is this the farthest back your written history goes?" The gnome patted an old and worn book.

"Unlikely, but it is the oldest we had access to on short notice. Not much exists from more than a few hundred years ago. We're looking into various sources and hope to have something by the end of the week. The elves or fairies might have something, or someone old enough to just tell you." Devon had asked much the same questions to the sages that had prepared these crates of books.

With the last of the books away, the gnome looked up blissfully. "Anything else?"

"Yes, but not too much." He pulled off his pack and began to unload. The small tower filled with the smell of fresh food; the gnome's stomach gurgled ominously. "Dragon steak with mushrooms and mashed potatoes, red wine to go with it, Chicken and bacon fried rice, Chimera Curry, Chocolate volcano cake ala mode, and a crispy spicy deep-fried onion. Bottle opener and wineglass." Devon had been pulling steaming barely closed Styrofoam containers from his pack.

The gnome had to visibly swallow the mouthful of drool that had accumulated in his mouth. "Oh, I thank you sir. This will be a great joy to the denizens. I almost can't resist tearing into one right now." With a bit more care each of the bulging boxes was put under the counter.

"These are summoning stones. Hard to create and near impossible to mass manufacture. These are a few of the most common though. Giant Rat, Wolf, and Horse. Short-term one-use summons, last about a bell, take orders like they're fully trained." Once the gnome had deposited the stones under the counter Devon pulled the last item from his pack, a large leather sack of coins. "Finally, Coins. A variety from across the lands, and each smaller pouch has what is expected to be found in a first level dungeon, per the guild book."

"The guild will need to adjust the windows for future groups." Gert pushed her cart forward and slapped a stack of papers on the countertop. "Here's the inventory, everything is numbered to match the list." she pulls a random example from the cart. "See here. There's a little blue sticker with the number, nice and simple." She handed over the first sample then started to unload the cart. "Wait. Why am I even bothering to unload? Can't you just take the whole cart?"

"Not really, I have to take each item individually, it will slowly be turned to power if just left, but that is much slower than with my focused attention. But first you need to put your hand on the spot, so I can keep track of your accomplishments." Gert gritted her teeth but did put her hand on into the recess. I didn't fit well, but the Gnome seemed happy with it. "Name?"

"Gertrude Silverhammer." There was a slight shock to her palm.

"Alright, nothing too complicated, stone, metals, gems, and a few pieces of jewelry." The gnome noted the growing piles of stone cores, cubes of metal, and bags of gem flakes. One by one they went over and under the counter until the counter and the cart were empty. "Anything else?" The question was already being answered though as Gert unsaddled the pack from her front. Much like Kali's it was mostly home wares, though dwarven in make, unlike Kali's it was just a normal pack so far less of it. A leather apron rolled around a selection of axes and hammers, A pair of forge gloves with an enchantment to prevent fire damage, some dwarven clothes, a cutlery set, a set of hammered copper bowls, and a large wineskin. "That's got Dwarven Fire Wine in it." Finally, she tossed the empty pack on the pile. "This too I guess, it's wider for dwarven shoulders and it fits over armor nicely."

The gnome gave her an expectant look noticing the second pack on her back. "Anything else?"

"Marin, Florence, whoever, go." Gert barked moving back to the center of the room.

"Seven to five. I still got it." Marin struggled for a moment to get out of the beanbag chair she had melted into. She tossed her small pack onto the short side of the countertop where it expanded to match the size of Kali's. There was a smaller hand shaped depression here, that she slipped her hand into. "Marin Tilley Alabaster." Modern by halfling naming standards, human names all, but within the rules of halfling name schemes. Personal name, mother's name, family profession some three hundred years ago when the rules were formalized at a clan moot that have nothing to do with modern applications. She wasn't even sure if it meant they mined the stone or worked it into art.

"Okay most of this is basic stuff. Potions, herbs, a few scrolls, bottle of quicksilver, minor spell components, a few books on magic, an old spellbook used to teach theory because most of the spells are practically useless these days but have good fundamentals, and a new spellbook with all the guild approved spells from first and second orders. Everything is labeled still from the commissary, so that can also teach you how much these things cost us to just buy." The gnome hurried to put the items one by one under the counter. "And here's the good stuff!" The clinking of small bottles filled the room, followed by the thunk of a bigger bottle with a swinging resealable top. "Every flavor I could find and a big bottle so when you make more you have a big bottle to make it in." Devon came to investigate and found Marin had dumped between two and three dozen single shot bottles of alcohol on the countertop, each sporting a fresh label and price tag from the commissary. "Last but not least." She pulled a towel wrapped block of ice from the pack. "Ice. Good for lots of things. Mostly cooling down these drinks."

The gnome took the brick of cold confused at first. "Very handy." A minute later the countertop was clear, and Marin had put her pack back on. "Anything else?"

"Not for me, nearly broke after buying all that booze. Though I am going to miss these beanbag chairs. You're up Flo." Marin moves to help Florence and Kali move the bags.

"Hi! Nice to meet you. I'm Florence Brightspark." She reached across the countertop to shake the other gnome's hand.

"Dungeon. Pleasure to meet you." Their eyes locked as he took her hand and a pulse rippled down his arm and up hers. "Oh dear, did not expect that. Are you alright?"

"Oh, it went all tingly like when my foot falls asleep." Florence flexed her arm a bit. "Feels fine now. What happened?"

"You touched me. My defenses flared, looks like this body can't divert my whole power, even what I have currently should have stunned you. This is quite annoying. I am going to have to completely rework the whole place and get the Denizens to work the intake. Hiding, what a waste. I need finish you up at least."

Luckily Florence was relatively unfazed, a quick examination showed she wasn't injured or under any strange effects. "Well, much like Marin I have basic supplies, but instead of the mystical these are religious. Texts from the twelve major churches in town and a... pamphlet from the Cult of the Endless Maw. Holy water, blessed incense, potions, minor scrolls and a Corpseheart. It's a fairly annoying item made by necromancers as a trap, it has two uses. One if put in the place of a heart in a dead body it will animate in either a day or when a living creature gets close. Two it can be eaten.... doing so causes the... imbiber to return as an undead, and they'll be more powerful the longer they're alive after eating it. It only works on the type of creature the heart came from though, so this one only works on humans." Florence had quickly drained of color discussing the necromantic artifact. "My church doesn't want the Corpseheart back, but if you can figure out how to cure someone that eats one, we would be grateful."

She silently emptied the rest of her pack onto the counter. All the small things that they had discussed on the way back from her aunt's work. The paper boxes of bones were handled extra gingerly to not jostle the loose lids. "I figure you would mostly be getting boring things that only adventurers would care about, so there's a bit of. Mixed bag of stuff for making clothes and anything else out of wool, and these beanbag chairs." she sort of just gestured to the pile. "But I think the hole you're dropping things down might be a bit narrow for those."

"Clever girl. Leave them there and I will away them to the first treasure room." Dungeon gave Florence a sly wink. "But for now, work your way to the far side of the counter and you can head down to the first door where you can run the level one dungeon, per your guilds guidelines. Good luck!"