Samuel Cristophen
I've been told to notify all you dear readers out there, that this issue will be much more dark and we've had to remove whole sections of details because they wouldn't be good for young minds to know the details of. The full, unedited version of this issue is available at your local Mage's Guild, for the same price as what this one sells for.
After the amazing success of our previous attempt, our employers are urging us forward and supplying funding to delve further into the Dungeon. Many of you wonderful readers pointed out that we should have a Magick User, or we could have used potions of water-breathing. Our wonderful employer the Trylla News Reporting Group has provided us with all of that and much more.
Our team now consists of not one, but two new Magick Users. Our designated healer who is named Tek, is a gnome-kin cleric of the God Brille. While some people might have consternation with a cleric of the God of the Underworld let me assure you as I'm writing this after our attempt on the Dungeon; the healing of a Necromancer is faster and more effective than that of a potion or the Clerics of Rael. Even if it is a bit more painful. Our pyromancer is named Sarn, I wish I could elaborate more but he didn't talk much about himself.
Better prepared with our extra team members and some potions of water breathing, we headed out of the house we have been operating from. Down the main streets to the coastal beach. Several new signs adorn the Dungeon entrance here. More Delvers line up outside of the cave leading inward, a metal gate stopping unwarranted entrance. Lady Erifis, the voice of the Dungeon, and the Mayor equivalent of the sprawling city that has formed here in the last month approaches us. The Reaper floats behind her, groaning and gasping as it's only form of communication. She explained to us the major changes that have taken place since our first visit. The Dungeon had made a safe trap "obstacle course", between the main spiral entrance and the park we had witnessed in the main chamber here on the surface level. The people here in line are residents who found large increases to their abilities and strengths relative to the progress they make in their attempt.
She went on and said that the Dungeon had to limit the attempts of some people because they were starting to injure themselves. That since our team is here to spread information about the Dungeon that the Reaper has a special "adjustment" for us. We had waited in line and as our team was set to go a Dungeon Quake shook the Island. A loud CRACK sounded and a thunk followed a sign embedding itself in the sand behind our group. It read as follows.
"For the Remainder of today:
Upper level access is limited to level 5 teams of 3 or more individuals.
Fighting will only take place from the 2nd floor and below.
You may still surrender at any time to save yourself.
Traps can cause injuries now.
Denizens inside Dungeon are actively hostile below 2nd floor.
Quest: Read the plaque at the bottom of the pit, and successfully complete the puzzle.
Reward: One item/weapon/armor of choice."
We discussed among ourselves and agreed that as a group we should try to achieve the goal of the quest and we entered the spiral. A row of pointed metal bars scraped out past the floor drawing sparks as we passed from the sunlit entrance to the torch lit spiral. The uninformed may think this is a trap- but it isn't. It's assurance that we won't be approached from behind by another group of adventurers attempting to delve, or otherwise hinder our progress. It would be wonderful if all the Dungeons in the land incorporated this one feature into them. No dear readers, the most dangerous thing to encounter inside of a Dungeon is not a monster, but another team of Delvers with bad intentions.
The new "obstacle course" is almost immediately evident. Large bricks on either side of the wall leading inwards extend out becoming flush with the opposite wall before sliding back to their start position. There isn't a pattern any of us were able to discern to it. It took a while to make it though the sliding, crushing, brick section. Once we passed it there was another section, almost more dangerous. Jason had been in the lead, and was hit in the arm by a very sharp stone dart. It was Tek, our new necromancer/healer who figured out what this section entailed. Hundreds of small circular entrances line walls floor and ceiling here. Each one has a few threads of difficult to see spider web strung between them and the ground. When the web is broken the trap activates, which sends a dart from it's housing in the circular divots outward as fast as an arrow to impact the point where the webbing had connected to the floor.
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The music that hadn't been present in the last section, began here with a different tune this time from before. Our group sneaking over, under, and around the webs that activate the traps only setting a few off total but without injury. The music accompanying our trial was fast paced with short sharp notes to emphasize our progression. The music definitely heightens our awareness to our task and myself and my team all agree that we would have been in much more danger without it. The next portion of the course was a combination of both the sliding blocks and the dart traps. The music picking up to louder notes with the increase in difficulty. Much to my chagrin dear readers I was the only one in our group of 5 to set off a dart trap here. I was hit on my right ass cheek, one of the few parts of me uncovered by all my leather armour.
Our entry to the park had us greeting Lady Erifis sitting on the same bench she had been before. A hunting-dog-sized spider, beautifully blue in color sat on the bench next to her. Erifis waved at us and the spider did as well. "He already drained the water for you all so go on ahead." I started to stutter for a moment readers, while I'm not adverse to spiders, this one was behaving like a well trained pet. Once I regained my ability to think I informed Lady Erifis that our group came prepared so we'd like to do the flooded maze if possible. Then inquired about her spider companion as I could already hear the water refilling by the time I had said as much.
Betty is the name of the creature and the Dungeon identifies her as a "Regal Blue Jumping Spider of Outrageous Size." Extra information was also given. Betty has killed 483 squirrels, 789 crows, and 1 human, since I am writing this after the fact, this was very obvious foreshadowing. She is allowed to roam around the upper levels by the Dungeon because apparently she is smarter than the other spiders from the Pit Platform. Moreover according to the Dungeon "she doesn't seem to want to hurt people, she wants to help them, at least from the limited information the Dungeon gets when he looks at her." She is also fond of the word Conductor. Our questions answered, our wounds healed, we all quaff the wonderful potions of water-breathing, then descended into the maze.
Swimming through the underwater maze portion of this Dungeon is definitely the way to complete this floor. We arrived at the chamber housing the fight platform much faster this time, the maze changed and I wouldn't recommend trying to swim it without the water-breathing potions. There is fish in the water of the maze, plants that limit visibility and while not dangerous, the plants are what makes me worry for those who try to hold their air in the maze. The plants in the tunnels are easy to get wrapped around your ankle, hand or neck and could easily drown someone.
Once we had dried enough to be able to use our equipment without chaffing we all piled into the middle of the arena platform. As it descends a new song begins.
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If you see this message this is an unedited version of the article written by Samuel Cristophen.
The song is hopeful and energetic, with several notes played simultaneously, it picks up to a point of speed, that it sounded like the pianist had more than two hands. The spiders started descending and the fight progressed smoothly. We had not been idle, we had practiced every day. As the song ended and the last of the spiders on the platform fell it was surreal. We had achieved what was our goal the first time we delved this Dungeon. We bypassed our failure from the previous visit and then we heard it.
Loud squeaks from the doorway. We approached them cautiously. Once we saw it we realized what we were hearing. Two stone sculptures of large rats on either side of ominous stone door. Large rubies are set into them as the eyes, the bodies are hollow, cages with stone bars. A silver plaque at the bottom designates that this is where the Dungeon Core keeps the beings it punishes here.
The former Lord Ricard is listed with an amount of Reincarnations Remaining, and a description of the crimes he was being punished for.
The second name is of no import, but the crime matched the punishment received by a degree so exact that our team hopes this rat gets an extra 500 Reincarnations. I doubt the editors for our article will let it get published so I'll just write it here so that the office back home knows. The name was (removed) and he murdered a woman after forcing himself on her. In the cage is two rats one is lacking legs and doesn't have a tail or teeth. In the same cage is former Lord Ricard Motvilea, known to be a womanizer in his life and a tyrant. Put two and two together, and while we didn't witness it, you can presume what happens here frequently.
I believe our group is the first adventurer team to make it here. Someone else left large footprints in the dust but other than those this area looks untouched. The floor looks to have a puddle on it from the solo adventurer who made it here before. We determined it was a hint about how to progress and began inspecting the door.
While doing so our turncoat pyromancer Sarn drew a blade from his sleeve and stabbed me in the back with it, it was poisoned and I felt the effects quickly. Jason was his next target and then he was able to slice both Kelsey and Tek. He started laughing then saying that his task was complete, then said he would surrender to the Dungeon and be taken above. Leaving our bodies here to be absorbed. While he was talking all about his goals and what his plans were he was walking around. We owe the Dungeon our lives. As Sarn was almost done charging the biggest fireball spell I've ever seen, the spider matriarch that we saw last time, the big one, the one that is almost as big across as the pit itself is- she fell on top of Sarn. Her body large enough to absorb the blast of the fireball without injury and when she got up from the divot she has left in the Dungeon Stone floor, Sarn was splattered everywhere some of his flesh stuck to her body as she climbed back up the pit walls. Good riddance.
The poison wore off eventually. Not before the same spider from before, Betty, came crawling over us, stuck her fangs into the hole in the center of the door and then walked through the now open door. It clunked shut after admitting the spider, who came back out minutes later before netting us up like flies. I feared we would be eaten and without the ability to even talk from the paralytic poison that was used, we couldn't surrender and be spared by the Dungeon. We needn't have worried though. He has known what had happened, he had seen what had happened and he had saved us and given us our reward for completing the quest. We didn't get to choose it but Betty moved us across the floor, one by one into the same Tunnel up as last time.
The poison wore off and up we went, back to the surface of the Dungeon.
Our prize was beautiful, and while I didn't think it would be as strong as it is, it has already saved my ass- literally. Betty the spider had spun us slightly improving our armor, it's very lightweight. It isn't sticky like spider webs usually are, and it's very very strong. I can't cut it with a knife, not that I would try, or need to try. Our armor and robes is covered in crossing lines of web, even in places it isn't thick enough to see. Tek is even happy about her robes, she says it makes her feel closer to her Goddess, I'm just happy I didn't meet her Goddess.
We will definitely be back to delve again. Our team still wants to attempt to solve the puzzle to unlock the door.