The Explorers Guild had a long and storied history, one that spanned nearly every conceivable metric of measurement – distance, time, race, culture. Old enough that no one, not even the longest lived races, could claim to remember its founding; so old, in fact, that even amongst such elders, you would be hard-pressed indeed to even find someone who could claim to have known someone who remembered such an ancient event. Suffice it to say, the Guild was nearly as old as the dungeons themselves, and its members knew well how to handle them.
Which was why it was very surprising to have been caught off guard by the newest dungeon on Veldheim.
* * * * *
"And these readings are accurate?"
At the central guildhall in the sylvan principality of Berylwood, three figures were arranged around an ancient redwood desk, grown out of the very living tree that housed their headquarters; a swarthy, red-haired sylvan woman in robes the faded viridian of a master-ranked seer; a chitinous green dragonclad of no discernible origin, wearing the sturdy brown shirt and trousers of a guild artificer; and seated at the desk itself the current Guildmaster, an aging human man, in casual dress not too dissimilar from the dragonclad, with the broad build of a strong warrior.
"They are. All members of the Observation Council confirmed the data matched from all three triangulation points, and the Head Artificer has cleared the Essence Register of any suspected malfunction – the report is accurate."
The buzzing, echoing voice of the dragonclad did very little to set the guildmaster's mind at ease, brow and lips both furrowed in a tight frown. New dungeons appearing wasn't particularly strange – dungeons came and went the same as all things, and many managed to muster brief frenzies of activity before destabilizing and collapsing in on themselves. Perhaps a few hundred dungeons at most, across the whole of the world, ever managed to sustain themselves for longer than a few months.
But this particular dungeon was an odd one, if this report was to be believed. A brief and sudden spike in local essence, flaring up as the initial dungeon formed – that was nothing unusual. But then well over a day of complete inactivity, followed by more sudden spikes of essence exchange, then silence, then another round of steady expenditures, in similar cycles. That meant the dungeon was intelligent enough – and worse, patient enough – to give itself time to rest and recover between expansions, and that usually meant a dungeon that carefully considered its own design and growth. Which of course, almost always indicated a dungeon with potential for some real longevity.
"Interesting. Have you managed to confirm the core type yet?"
A slow shake of the head from the artificer, followed by a shrug.
"Negative. We know it's an advanced type, given it appears to be drawing in multiple forms of essence simultaneously. But it's hard to pin down; the closest thing that we can find in the archives is a white-type core, but even those readings don't quite match up to what we're seeing here."
The guildmaster sucked in a deep breath at that, as did the robed woman. White dungeon cores were the rarest in the world – maybe a dozen such cores ever existed in the world at the same time. A new one arriving would be a massive change indeed. Not necessarily for the worse, but it was guaranteed to be a headache either way.
"Thank you, Observer Hawthorne. I'll give your report a thorough examination and put together an observation team once I've decided the proper approach. You're dismissed."
The Dragonclad bowed, and retreated from the room, leaving the two of them alone.
"And your thoughts on the matter, Camilla?"
The sylvan woman had been mostly silent throughout the exchange, contemplating her own thoughts, and slowly turned to properly face the Guildmaster. Those piercing, slitted, emerald eyes always gave him a little chill when she turned them on him, and the pointed ears and needle-sharp teeth only reminded him that no matter how human the sylvan looked, they weren't.
"If you must have my thoughts, then I shall be honest. I mislike this news, Guildmaster Hugh. White cores are rare for a reason; they are strange and dangerous things, and nothing in their sphere of influence survives unchanged. And this one is stranger than most, for it is unforeseen. You know I serve the goddess of knowledge, and yet neither I nor any of my order received a single vision of this dungeon's coming."
"If it even is a white core."
Camilla raised an eyebrow, as if challenging that statement.
"Don't forget – the readings are only similar to the white cores in our archive, not a match to them. It could be a white core dungeon, or it could be something even stranger."
"I am skeptical of that, but I suppose you have a point. How do you plan on handling it?"
He leaned back in his seat, already reaching for a sheet of parchment and his ink pen.
"In the short term? Same as any other dungeon – draft up an observation request and forward it to the closest primary guildhall. After that, we'll see what the initial observation team finds, and then I'll put together a follow-up team of master-rank adventurers."
The woman nodded, and gave a short bow in his direction.
"Very well. Then I shall leave you to it – my fellow clergy are going to be most upset to discover that an event of this magnitude has occurred without our foreknowledge. I predict we will be in discussions over it for weeks."
"No offense, but that sounds positively hellish. Godspeed, Camilla."
"And yourself, Guildmaster."
* * * * *
The Dyrfyri Xatriarchy was known for many things, most notable among them the many beastkin tribes and its roaring trade in lumber, rare herbs, and exquisite pelts. It was not, on the other hand, particularly well known for its adventurer community; while the nation of course had its fair share of them, the Explorers Guild was thin on the ground, with half a dozen halls between the nine Marches, one of them being the central Guildhall in the capitol.
It was one of the very few places in the world that had no long-standing dungeon presence, and lacked high rank adventurers beyond the usual handful of obsessive and ambitious trailblazers that can be found in any nation – with no local dungeons save for a tiny number in neighboring lands, most of which were far from major settlements or roads, the majority of adventurers in the Xatriarchy focused on more mundane occupations – foraging, border patrol, crafting, and escort work. Many of the guild members didn't even have proper combat classes, making their branch even more unusual with the preponderance of crafters and support personnel.
And to some extent, that was how most of them preferred it. The lack of powerful warriors and devastating mages limited the opportunities for glory, but there was always a steady demand for their alchemists, their enchanters, their healers, and it left them both prosperous and popular, if somewhat less respected. A small price to pay for the surety of a comfortable life – but that was before the revelation of the newest dungeon.
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Guild Captain Siobhan had very much considered herself part of that group – she enjoyed the relative peace and quiet that came with the lack of overpowered, arrogant, dungeon crawling buffoons. But all that was about to evaporate, and all because of the damned letter the rabbitkin currently had clutched in a death grip; orders from the High Hall itself, informing her of the new dungeon and commands to assemble an initial exploration team. Siobhan of course had never assembled a team like that – sure, she'd explored a dungeon or two in her day, who hadn't, but never as the primary mission planner. She couldn't think of anyone currently attached to her branch of the guild who actually had any experience putting one together, but she'd have to figure out something. Ignoring the order wasn't an option, and 'I don't know how to do it' wasn't generally considered an acceptable excuse for a Guild Captain.
First things first of course: figure out what her team would need, and how to make that work with her limited options. She'd almost certainly have to go herself – it wasn't technically required for Guild Captains to accompany the initial exploration of a new dungeon, but it was a long-standing if informal tradition, and her reputation would take a hit with her peers if she didn't. There were also practical considerations; as a high-level rogue, she had both the necessary combat skills and sufficient training in stealth and sleight-of-hand to avoid detection and disable any potential traps. A second melee combatant was also crucial, someone durable; war priests were reasonably easy to find this time of year, as many would be making the summer pilgrimage to the main temple. She made a quick mental note to see if Padma was available, the old tigerkin was as handy with her mace as she was with her cures.
That just left a ranged specialist, a magical specialist, and support. Support would be easy – most adventurers around here dipped their toes into that particular pond, and many focused entirely on that, so she quite literally had her pick of the litter. Ranged combatants would also not be particularly difficult, given the large population of Hunters, Rangers, and other bowmen. It was the magical specialist that was really going to make things challenging; most arcane spellcasters in the Xatriarchy focused on support classes, like artificer or bard, and most dedicated spellcasters tended to be druids or priests. Which, while both druids and priests were very helpful, they were also somewhat useless when it came to deciphering magical traps and diagrams, countering arcane magic, or engaging in sustained magical combat. Filling that position with a more support oriented class was technically doable, but it was much more feasible to get a proper wizard or sorcerer if one can be found. She'd just have to scour the registrars extra thoroughly.
Guild Captain Siobhan pulled out her Guild Registrars, sheets of enchanted paper, and quietly got to the task of assembling her party.
* * * * *
Druids barely turned an eye here in the Xatriarchy, but Florian was something of an exception, being not only a human druid, but one living at the heart of the beastkin seat of power. Being summoned to the guildhall was an unexpected and uncommon occurrence – he showed up regularly as part of his duties, of course, but it was rare to actually be called for specific mission.
Entering the assigned meeting room, he could see that the rest of the party was already assembled. There was Guild Captain Siobhan on the far side of the table, sitting in deep conversation with an aged tigerkin woman he knew only by reputation, the war priest Padma; on his immediate left a pale batkin idly perusing a spell book, and sitting a few seats down a broad, jet-black, and almost ornately scarred dragonclad of clear dvergar descent.
It was Padma who first acknowledged his presence, glancing up at the door from her seat and waving Florian to join them.
"I'm afraid we'll have to return to this conversation later, lady Siobhan. I do believe our last has arrived."
That got the batkin to look up from their book, and all four faces turned to regard Florian, who took his seat with a slightly flustered expression.
"Almost late, Florian. Meeting is at noon sharp, and there's barely a minute left."
"Apologies Guild Captain, it won't...ah... It won't happen again."
Siobhan's expression was skeptical as she pulled out a scroll and started unfurling it across the table.
"Well then. Since we're all here, I officially bring this meeting to order. First, I believe introductions are in order. Guild Captain Siobhan, for those who haven't met me before, and this is Padma, of the Temple of Malik."
She quietly gestured to herself, the tigerkin at her side, and then to each of them in turn, from Florian to the batkin, and lastly the dragonclad.
"Florian, of the Wardens; Vesper, our master enchanter; and Hakon, the huntsman. You've all been summoned here today for a singular task, and one that this particular branch of the Explorers Guild hasn't had the privilege of performing in over two centuries."
Her dour expression was quite serious as she turned the scroll so the three seated across from her and Padma could see the proclamation for themselves:
'By order of Guildmaster Hugh of the Explorers Guild, an observation and reconnaissance team is to be assembled, for the purpose of the initial observation of the fledgling dungeon recently detected on the borders of the Blackbramble.
The dungeon is considered medium-high risk, and may potentially be an advanced type dungeon with an unusual essence configuration. The aforementioned team must consist of no less than five adventurers in good standing, of no lower than 40th level, and must possess a minimum of two trained melee combatants, at least one ranged combatant, at least one healer and one dedicated support, an exploration and stealth specialist, and a dedicated arcane specialist.
It is acceptable for party members to fulfill multiple roles at once, should the number of qualified adventurers be limited.
Signed,
Guildmaster Hugh, Guild Captain of the High Hall'
Padma was the only one besides the Guild Captain who wasn't wearing an expression of surprise – a new dungeon and here of all places? Florian was the first to recover, a hand raised as he began to speak.
"Wait, so that means we –"
"Yes, Florian. We're going to be the initial observation team for a brand-new dungeon, right here in the Xatriarchy."
Siobhan ruthlessly pushed the conversation forward as she pulled out another scroll, unfurling it to reveal a map, tapping her finger against a small black dot near an abstract illustration of the Blackbramble forest.
"If you'll turn your attention to the map, we've kindly been provided the general location of the new dungeon. Unfortunately, the only major teleportation circle near the area is in Rust Bend, which is just a little over one hundred and twenty miles east of where we need to be."
That little announcement made the batkin grimace, before speaking up.
"That'll be quite a hike. What are we looking at for potential travel time?"
"An excellent question. While we do need to attend to the dungeon in a timely manner, all intelligence suggests that it's been active for just a little over three days at this point. Since we have no particular need to rush, we'll be sticking to a standard pace, around ten miles per day, with multiple stops. We don't want to approach this thing tired, stressed, or otherwise at less than full capacity. At that speed, and allowing for rest, forage, and other necessary breaks, it should be about two weeks each way. I plan to leave while we still have most of the day on our side, so take the next hour to prepare for the trip and report to Archway Five once you're prepped."
All of them recognized the dismissal for what it was, the orders punctuated by the scraping of chairs as all of them left their seats, making their way back to the guildhall to start the tedious process of stocking up for a trip.
Florian didn't consider himself an ambitious sort – few druids ever did – but he would be lying if he said he wasn't feeling a certain thrill at the moment. Not every adventurer had the opportunity to explore a brand-new dungeon for the first time, and he was burning with curiosity over just what might be found in a woodlands dungeon…
* * * * *
Vesper and Hakon left together, as they always did. Travel as a pair for long enough, and you forget how to move to the beat of your own footsteps – but neither of them regretted their long companionship. It meant neither of them had to explain anything to the other, knowing each other's style as intimately as their own, and between the two of them they had their packs completely stuffed with the necessities for a long trip – bed roll, tent, utensils, water, rations – and all of their latest, fanciest gear ready to throw up the challenge of a brand-new dungeon, in less than a quarter hour.
"So what do you think we'll find there? Woodland dungeons aren't particularly common, so there's bound to be something interesting there, right?"
Hakon shrugged in response, his ebon carapace clicking as the plates ground against each other.
"Uncertain. Uncommon location, high risk. Maybe interesting, maybe not. Will be strange, probably."
A nod from the batkin, then quiet and companionable silence as they used the rest of the hour to fetch a small meal at the commissary, not wanting to set out on the journey with an empty stomach.
Of course, stopping to eat did mean that despite technically completing their tasks first, they were the second to last to arrive at Archway Five, at ten minutes to the hour, with only Florian following them at just barely before the deadline. Siobhan arched one eyebrow up high, unimpressed at the poor time management.
"You made it. Good, we can set out immediately."
She looked to one of the guild porters, and motion for them to activate the Archway. Quick hands darted over an array of arcane symbols, directing power towards a specific configuration of runes, and the space within the arch unraveled, a yawning kaleidoscopic rip in the world filled with dancing color of all hues.
"Establishing Archway connection… receiving response from target arch… teleportation corridor is established, you may enter at any time, Guild Captain."
"My thanks. We'll be back as soon as we can, try not to burn the place down without me."
Affirmations and the quiet and companionable laughter of the technicians was the last sound before they stepped through the twisting vortex of un-space, spirited away to their final destination through the place between places, and the portal in Archway Five winked closed once more.