Ur’Tiko stared at the long list of information. There was a lot to process in it, but one thing jumped out at him.
Name: Tiko
Race: Goblin (True)
“Why does it say Tiko? I am Ur’Tiko.”
“As if the Great Mother cares for the name of some minor clan.” Sherry scoffed. “Your People’s ways of adding to your names to reflect a clan is humored by your gods. The Great Mother is not one of them. She does not care. The Ur clan is nothing.”
“I am Ur’Tiko.” Ur’Tiko repeated stubbornly.
“Then look at the slate again.”
Name: Ur’Tiko
Race: Goblin (True)
“The slate is a gift from a goddess. If that is how you wish to be identified, then so be it. It is hardly the important part of this conversation. You, as the Dungeon Master, must make several choices for the development of the Dungeon.”
Ur’Tiko turned to look at the Dungeon Spirit, Leonora, who was busy glaring at Sherry with her hands on her hips. “I will not be ignored for this conversation.”
“The Dungeon Spirit has no say. All choices are made by the Dungeon Master.”
“I still say this is ridiculous!” Leonora threw her hands up. “Dungeon this, Dungeon that. I will not be ignored in what is to be my home! What are we even imprisoning, to call it a dungeon!”
“That is the Dungeon Master’s first choice. Dungeons exist as a blessing of the Great Mother and the other gods to contain the two primordials whose clashes would threaten the world’s continued existence. Some work to contain Chaos, others Order. That will become the Dungeon’s Ethos and determine how it operates. Consult the crystal to see your options and understand.”
Ur’Tiko saw the lines of symbols on the crystal pane shift around and start to form new ideas that were then transmitted to his mind. Before he could catch up to them, however, Leonora’s voice came through strongly.
“I will brook no disorder in my new home. If I am to indeed be here for the rest of my time, then it will be an orderly place.”
“That is not your decision.” Sherry said calmly.
“Ur’Tiko.” Leonora said calmly. “You will pick Order.”
Ur’Tiko looked at her and even though the weird floating creature was claiming he had all the power here, that was very much not how it felt. He immediately and without hesitation picked Order from the two options given to him.
Dungeon Ethos of Order: Use patterns and stories to elevate the defenses of the Dungeon as they behave according to the established Order. Grants access to minibosses, factions, and quests. RESTRICTION: May not use mutations, Dungeon variants, or sanity checks.
A pulse of energy swept through the Dungeon, Ur’Tiko did not have the words for the sensation it carried over. “Very well, you have chosen the path of complexity and planning over wild energies. Be sure to plan carefully for your defense to take advantage of the systems which you have acquired. It will be thus until the Dungeon Master changes.”
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“Dungeon Master changes?” Leonora asked the spirit. Which had claimed to be an angelic messenger of the Goddess of Dungeons, even if it looked nothing like the angels that Leonora had been expecting.
“Yes. A Dungeon Master remains mortal even as a Dungeon Spirit is eternal. The Dungeon Ethos and Abilities will change to reflect the Master. Only the Dungeon Pattern will remain consistent, tied to the nature of the Dungeon Spirit. Of course, the first Dungeon Master will be the one to select it, as you can select nothing on your own.”
Being at the complete mercy of another grated at Leonora. “So I can change Dungeon Masters?”
“No, you cannot. A Dungeon Master is Dungeon Master until they die.” Sherry looked at the little goblin who had stumbled into this position. “While within the Dungeon, the Master will respawn as will any of your other creatures. It is only when outside the Dungeon that the Master may die. But whoever kills this goblin will inherit the position, it is not your choice. Should they fall to age or illness, the control orb will materialize on their chest for any to pick up. Until any of that happens, the choices made now will endure.
“The next choice is to do with your nature as a Dungeon Spirit and is the only choice which will endure. It is the Pattern that will set the tone of the Dungeon. What kind of monsters will serve as the base of your defenses and what sorts of traps you may set for adventurers. Dungeon Spirits are often powerful monsters that also serve as the final boss of the Dungeon, which will be an odd role for you. But your human nature does mean that you have choices for this first Pattern.”
Leonora walked over behind Ur’Tiko and looked over his shoulder at their choices. “Hang on.” She said, pointing at the screen. “What does it mean that I’m a Transplanar Human?”
“It means that, for some reason, when the spirit summoning reached behind the planar boundaries, it picked a human. You aren’t from this world, but you’re here now. As your Dungeon levels up, you may pick additional Patterns that reflect this unnatural origin. But the first Pattern is always a basic one.”
Leonora looked at the crystal. “Do no pick anything quickly, Ur’Tiko. This is an important decision; we must think first.” The little goblin in front of her just nodded. Even if she had gotten him moving, it was clear that the little thing was overwhelmed and having trouble processing all of this. To be fair, so was Leonora. Her memories of her old life ended with a death surrounded by family. She had no idea how she had gotten here. The choices on the control slate reflected the life she had led: raising a family on a small, working ranch, getting them all off to various colleges and programs. Some eventually came home to help on the ranch, others running off to other adventures. All in all, it had been a good life. It was odd to see it boiled down to three choices for her next life, if this set-up could be called a life. She would deal with that existential question later.
Home: Earned making and running a home for a large family. Establish a place to live, defend it from those who would take it away.
Hunter: Earned by surviving in an area with a low concentration of sapient life and living off the bounty of nature. Draw enemies into the wilds and hunt them.
Academy: Earned from a high level of education relative to the mean and helping others rise to that level. Build a bastion of knowledge and defend it from those who would steal your secrets.
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“Hmm … While I may have been educated, I don’t know anything running about a school.” The spirit behind him mused.
“Hunter is strong.” Ur’Tiko spoke up. “Hunting is important to the People.”
The spirit made a sound halfway between a laugh and a scoff. “Look at me, Ur’Tiko. Do I look like I would make a good life out in the wilds.” He did not understand. “Perhaps if I was younger. But no, if I am to spend eternity here, I will do so in my home.”
“But Home is weak!” Ur’Tiko objected. “It is just a place to sleep. A tent, a bed! Maybe a cookfire! What could we do with that?”
“Your view of a home is so limited. In my home, we had a small library of books, rooms for guests, rooms for the family, a large kitchen, washrooms.”
Sherry spoke up from the other side of the room. “Anything that you can think of in a home can be found there.”
“See, Home is the most flexible. Power comes from flexibility.” Leonora chimed in.
“Power comes from power.” Ur’Tiko argued stubbornly. “Ur’Gornun was warrior, Ur’Kils shaman. Ur’Gornun was stronger than Ur’Kils. Both orc, but Ur’Gornun leader.”
“Sure, power leads to power. But did Ur’Gornun only do one thing? I’m sure he had several different weapons he was skilled in. Different abilities he could use.”
Ur’Tiko thought for a moment about the orc champion he had followed to this attack. Ur’Gornun had naturally favored the axe, the preferred weapon of Torag. But he had seen him hunt with the bow. He had taught the goblins who followed him the use of the spear if they were strong enough. Even for the weak ones like Ur’Tiko, he had taught them better ways to use the little stone shivs they were given. Then he had the abilities that orcs were given. Not quite willing to fully concede the point, the goblin just shrugged and looked away. “Hunter is strong.”
“Yes, but it only has one weapon. Animals in the wild. A Home has many different tools. That will make it stronger.”
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Leonora smiled as the goblin grumbled and selected the Home option. She had been worried that he would stick to his guns about being a Hunter. That would have been unpleasant. While this body she was in was spryer than her real body had been by the end, she still did not relish the idea of never sitting in a comfy chair again.
She felt something shift within her as the selection on the crystal slate was finalized. Ideas for structures and monsters appeared in her head. It was bizarre and really drove home the point that she wasn’t at home anymore. This really was a place with magic. The goblins and flying messengers had already informed her that this was an alien world of course. The sense of structure and rightness that had come from picking Order had also been a wave of magic. But ideas being planted into her head directly was strange.
“Very well. There are only two things more for you to select. Then my time with you will be done. The barrier surrounding this Dungeon will fade in a week’s time. You have that week to experiment with your creation and get it ready for adventurers. The things to pick are the name of your Dungeon. It is unimportant, as only divination magic will reveal it to outsiders, so decide whatever you want. The last is of the utmost importance. On the crystal, it is called Dungeon Master Abilities. Every 5 Dungeon Levels, you may select one of these Abilities, which are determined by the character and cl…” The spirit paused. “Right, goblin. Then just the character of the Dungeon Master. New experiences for the Dungeon Master will open up new opportunities for the Abilities.”
It was odd to think that the name was the least important of the things that they were picking. For Leonora, her name had been very important. It had been a source of identity to rally the family around in times of trouble. The lion of Leo had been a critical source of self-understanding. Even if she had not picked the name for herself, it had still been something important to her. But she supposed she could see the point. For now, she put the question of naming to the side and focused on the various options for a Dungeon Master Ability. There were four:
Fodder: Goblins reproduce faster than any other sapient species to create more fodder for the growth of the powerful. This Ability grants the [Fodder] tag, which reduces the cost of a monster by 33% but also its stats by the same amount.
Hero-worshipping: Goblins worship the powerful and lift them up at the expense of any others. This Ability grants two tags: [Worshipper] and [Hero]. A [Worshipper] has its stats reduced by 50%. A [Hero] has its stats increased by 10% for each [Worshipper] they have.
Sneak: Small and easy to miss, goblins have a natural tendency to stealth. The Ability grants the tag [Sneak], which grants above-average physical stealth abilities to recipients.
Leveling: A rare Ability that is made available when the Dungeon Master levels up after receiving the class but before selecting any Abilities. It grants the tag [Leveler], which gives the affected monsters a level. At Level 1, stats are reduced by 15%, but for each level gained, stats are raised by 10%. Levels are gained by observing its role in the Dungeon and are maintained across deaths, although death rests any progress towards the next level. High level monsters may cost more mana to summon than a low level version.
“Sherry, a question. What does tag mean?”
The angel sighed, sounding put-upon. “As a Dungeon, you will be home to a multitude of monsters. Tags are optional modifiers that can be given to those monsters. Most tags will increase the Mana cost of the monster. Now make your selections so that we can be done.”
Leonora bristled. “Now hang on a moment, missy. You said you were sent here as a blessing and gift by your goddess to help us start up a new Dungeon. You said your goddess was the patron of us dungeons. Wouldn’t she want you to help us a bit more than that! You’ve barely told me anything about what it is that I’m supposed to be doing or what it is going to look like. You’ve saddled me with a mental child for a Dungeon Master who was definitely not prepared for this either. If we’re going to be of any good to you and your goddess, you had best explain yourself better than this!”
Sherry looked at Leonora for a moment. Then she sighed and Leonora was reminded of nothing so much as one of those young people at the coffee shop being annoyed at having to explain all the different types of coffee on their menu even though it was their own fault for mucking around and making so many types! “Fine. But I will only say this once because I have other business to get on with. You are likely not to survive for very long anyway. Dungeons cores are a valuable commodity because of their magical properties. If anybody manages to kill both the Dungeon Spirit and Dungeon Master at the same time, or if the Dungeon Master kills the Dungeon Spirit, they will be able to harvest the orb that was created to make the Dungeon in the first place. That is likely to happen to you because you will be so weak. But anyway, Dungeon basics: Dungeons are magical focusers, one of the few places of unlimited Mana regeneration because of your connection to the Primordial, in your case Order. You will harvest Matter, both Organic and Inorganic, from the world around the Dungeon and anything that gets brought in. Using your Mana, you will structure this Matter into various environments and monsters to challenge adventurers. They will grow from challenging themselves in your Dungeon and harvesting rewards that you provide to them as a bribe to not harvest your orb and destroy you.
“You grow in Level by defeating adventurers. As you Level, you will gain more Mana to create more environments, more monsters, and higher quality rewards. You will find that you can only concentrate Mana so much in any one environment, so you will have to create more environments, which the adventurers commonly call rooms. Your ability to concentrate Mana will grow as you Level, but you will always find yourself creating more environments. Most Dungeons acquire some kind of spatial pattern to fit more space inside of themselves than should be possible. Others figure out how to expand their physical space.”
The angel gestured at the goblin. “Dungeon Masters are supposed to direct the Dungeon’s growth and invest their own Mana into boosting Dungeon creatures at specific times. Most are not simpletons with barely the intelligence of a child and a pitiful Mana pool. They are usually one of the strongest defenders of a Dungeon when present, and adventure in the broader world to find things of power or interest to bring back to the Dungeon. A Level 10 goblin will not be able to do any of that. The Dungeon Master class levels up by helping the Dungeon rather than by direct combat, although direct combat will be necessary for his race to level up.
“You will find most of the magical things you will need to do instinctual, like a mortal body finds breathing. As you absorb things, you will gain the knowledge of how to recreate them using Mana and Matter. This will include the arms, armor and items of adventurers, as well as the adventurers themselves. The Great Mother normally warns Dungeons against using sapient creatures as monsters, as the adventurers tend to find it disturbing and since they would lack the Class system, they would be hopelessly weaker than adventurers with classes. Given that you are a human, your final boss will therefore be an old human woman. I do not know how that will affect you.
“Now, pick the final Ability and good luck on building your Dungeon so that it survives.”
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Ur’Tiko looked with wide eyes at the messenger of the goddess before him. It may not have been one of the gods he worshipped, but it was still a divine messenger. And it had just said … a lot. He was sure he had caught less than half of it and looked over at the Dungeon Spirit for help. He had no chance of remembering it.
The old woman looked similarly stunned by the volume of information. She looked at him and saw his face full of confusion and sighed. “Right. Let’s start with that Ability. What do you think?”
Ur’Tiko was surprised. On all the other ones, the Spirit had very strong opinions. It was easier to follow. He did not understand what he was supposed to be looking for. He looked back at the four options. “Ummm … more is better, right? But this tag, [Fodder], it also makes them weaker. Strong is better. Maybe we can make good [Heroes], like Ur’Gornun.”
Leonora nodded. “Yes, I think stronger is the way to go. I’m wondering about the Rare ability, Leveling.”
“But that one also makes weaker!”
“Only at first. But it allows them to grow. What happens as goblins grow?”
“We get strong! Eventually, we become hobgoblin or orc. Some even become troll, but those are really strong. Hmm … Maybe same could happen with our monsters.”
“Wait, you’re saying that you, a goblin, become an orc? I have the ability to create both and I can see the differences.” The spirit looked confused, but Ur’Tiko only shrugged.
“It is the way of the People. We grow and we become more. How can you create orc and goblin already?”
The floating angel answered that question. “When a Dungeon summoning is first completed, it releases a wave of energy that absorbs any unliving and unattached material in its vicinity. A starting reserve of Matter for creating the Dungeon before any adventurers have come in. For this Dungeon, that included the corpses of humans, orcs and goblins.”
“Corpse of orc?” Ur’Tiko struggled with this for a moment. There were only two orcs in the Ur tribe, Ur’Gornun and Ur’Kils. He felt his knees go weak and he sat on the floor hard, his body went numb from shock. “Maybe no more Ur tribe then. If orcs dead, goblins go to other tribes. Maybe Ur’Tiko last of Ur tribe.” With a stirring inside him, he stood back up and brandished the crystal slate that he was holding. “I will make this a new, strong home for Ur tribe! Our name will not be lost!”
There was a pause as the other two occupants of the room were not sure how to respond to the outburst. Eventually, Leonora returned to the topic at hand. “So we pick Leveling so that our people can grow?”
With a firm nod, Ur’Tiko made the selection on the tablet. Unlike the other two times, there was no wave of energy that swept through the entire Dungeon. Perhaps that made sense, as this change seemed like it was much smaller and more focused than the previous ones.
Sherry nodded and floated towards the door in the one-room building. “Oh yes, one last thing. That crystal slate is not just for the Dungeon. It will allow Ur’Tiko to see and make selections for his own growth. Normally, the gods of the various peoples give their worshippers something similar, but I doubt that will happen here. So Ur’Tiko can use that slate to grow himself as well as the Dungeon.” She fluttered her wings and just as she passed the threshold, she muttered just loud enough that Ur’Tiko could hear: “I recommend that he boost his intelligence.”