Tomas

After receiving the first few letters from the woman named Erifis I had determined it was too fictitious, pages describing the odd dungeon here on the Island of the Dead. Dungeons don't involve themselves in the lives of the common people, they allow Delvers to enter and make attempts but to date none had been known to bother setting up a government, providing food and housing, enforcing laws or caring about music. Those ideas were put to rest when I received more letters, at least one a day every day from the people that live here and call it home. Some reports were a bit ghastly describing extreme punishment to those who happened to break the laws set forth.

What convinced me it wasn't a falsity though, was that everyone had described the caretaker here almost exactly the same way. Some mentioned eyes of royal purple, others claimed they were blue, some said they were dim and others still said they were a mismatched pair, one blue burning brightly, the other of purple fire visible on occasion even when the reaper itself was obscured to human eyes. I tried teleporting several times but it was always blocked, then I received word that some human Noble had declared war upon the Dungeon, as well as the inhabitants of the island the Dungeon laid claim to. I had figured it would be destroyed by the time I got there, but decided to risk it anyway even for a second hand account of what happened. The human city I ended up teleporting to was the same one the Noble Ricard- who has been slighted by the Dungeon, ruled.

It's important to mention that I was simply seeking to pay for passage to the island itself when I was captured and locked in the brig of the invading vessel. I figured if they made landfall the group present in front of me would most likely be able to break the Core, and I had given up hope. Then I heard it. *CRACK THUNK* silence above and panicked whispers from the soldiers below deck. I began whispering as quietly as I could, my name and my intentions. The letters I had received had described the caretaker as being omnipresent, able to see everything and hear everything so I hoped that my whispering wouldn't fall on a deaf skull. I'll admit having the visage described in print and seeing it appear inches from your face are two very different things and I almost screamed like a child. A human skull, with one eye blue and one of purple fire. Sinew and flesh rotting away without any care. It pointed at me and then put it's hands on the side of its head. I quickly did the same as I've also received letters describing the first encounter with the Dungeons' creature. It seemed to smile at my quick acceptance and I don't think it noticed the soldiers trying to stab it.

One swing, bisecting every soldier in the keel of the vessel ignoring their armor and tearing through skin flesh and bone like a knife in butter. The weapons fell before the people did and I was being pulled rapidly towards the hull. The speed we flew at away from my former prison would have been magical, if I had only been dressed in better attire with some type of enchanted gear providing stone skin. My skin was smacked around by the air, it feels akin to a sunburn, but from wind, a windburn. As we come to an all too abrubt stop on an island with a very very very large cannon on it, and I emptied my stomach contents into the ocean the "Reaper" as it calls itself pushed the barrel of the oversized cannon upwards, one handed. I can't fathom myself ever performing such a feat but I'm a scholar not a fighter. The cannon was pushed to the east, towards me and the reaper made the same cover your ears motion. I obliged and I swear on the divines - it's purple eye lit up more.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

One of the Reapers hands went into the side of the big chamber at the back of the cannon, I was about to curl up for cover, if this misfired surely it would kill me, I was a bit late on that front though as I was knocked on my buttocks by the force of the blast. The reaper had already flown back out to the ocean so I'm not sure if it impacted or not. I doubt a cannon can reach a target that can't be seen on the horizon but it is a big cannon. I inspected it while waiting for the Reaper to return only to discover that it had been a misfire anyways. The whole backside was destroyed... The Reaper eventually returned and I decided to ask it questions on the flight to the island, but it brought us to a house, it even knocked on the door waiting patiently like any normal person would do. I asked about why the buildings were all the same unit number from Seville, a dungeon city to the south but all I got in return was a grumble and some groans.

A beastkin woman, fox I think- is what opened the door. She looked at the reaper, myself then behind us, and I looked too but there wasn't anything there. She led us to her kitchen and I kept asking my questions the whole time. The Reaper did what I was hoping and expressed exhaustion, silencing me by pinching my lips together.... Agreed to answer three questions and that was it. I asked my three and it answered my three. I was surprised when it replied that no one had entered it's Dungeon, and that is was upset about that.

Erifis has taken to calling the Reapers, which she assured me there is far more than just one of, Guardians. The description is apt. We followed the path up to the church and got to hear the guardian play music. I had so many questions.... but I was told to shut up by the rest of the audience. After the Reaper bowed and left through the floor of the church I started talking with Erifis. She thinks that the one with the mismatched eyes is the Dungeon Core itself, or rather the one it is focusing on controlling. I asked her about the others, since I had received reports about them having different eye types and she pointed into the air and said she thinks they're ones that the Core has doing observations for rule breakers. I told her I didn't see it and she slapped me. Almost like an immediate response a reaper appeared where she had pointed, floated down and slapped her just as hard, then floated up and vanished again. It had two blue eyes in the sockets. I'll admit her theory has credit, but I feel like she just wanted an excuse to slap me.

As I have just arrived here I don't have a home yet, so Erifis let me stay on the couch in hers. None of the doors have locks but none of the citizens really have to worry I suppose with the rapid response of the Dungeon. After a long day and all the experiences I had, even with my mind full of questions I fell asleep almost as soon as I laid down on the couch. I was having dreams of the Reapers performance, with such beautiful music, until I found myself on the floor. There was a Dungeon-quake happening - someone was trying to break the Core, but nobody was in the Dungeon.... Eventually the quake stopped and on my way to go check on others I spotted Erifis at her table writing on that nice paper the dungeon had used the other day, writing with the strange quill it used too. The Dungeon had apparently left some questions for her too. She refused to share them though. She seemed embarrassed but eventually revealed the Guardian must have misheard her name. She pointed it out on the questions that were left, clear as day Air If Fist was spelled out. She had scratched it out and wrote in the correct spelling.

The questions were simple enough. Things like what do adventurers like to find in a Dungeon, and what is the value of a gold bar in the money your people use, how much rope does the typical adventurer carry. Do people wear plate armor when trying to explore a Dungeon, can a person swim in plate armor, I need someone who can talk to work for me, do you want a job? If so please send out some messages saying that teleporting to the island is permitted, just not in groups bigger than three for safety sake. Also one more and you can just find one of the Syms and answer this one to them, because it's time sensitive, are there any Dungeons' that have fought a war with a kingdom? I pointed out the last question to her and she blushed again. Quickly running outside and talking to a tree. I only heard the last portion but the answer was a definite "No"