Dungeons are curious creations. Their exact nature is a mystery to this day, but some facts are known. Firstly, they are controlled by some kind of sentience that manipulates the area and monsters within. There are large differences to their makeup, environments, traps and monsters not only attributable to their affinities or locations, suggesting a personality guiding those developments. Secondly, Combat is life for them. Growth and advancement always follows strife, similarly to how Adventurers level up via combat. Truly, a dungeon delve is a mutually beneficial activity, if one is adequately prepared and respectful of the Dungeon. - Professor Nathaniel Dawn, “On the Nature of Dungeons”
Darkness and stale air are the first sensations that I experience. No light enters this room that I have found myself in, yet I see the surrounding area clearly. The scent of damp wood is unmistakable… Yet I find myself struggling to recall how I know what wood is. Coming up blank, I decide to move on with the inspection of my surroundings. This shall have to be investigated at a later time.
A wooden floor can be seen under me, the floorboards somewhat rough. I seem to be situated on this elevated wooden floor. Looking beyond, rows upon rows of wooden seats can be seen, though they are rotten and decrepit. The whole arrangement is surrounded by what once must have been artfully carved walls and ceilings, littered with balconies and lounges on the upper floors, of which there are at least 2. Large sections are missing however, many more are overgrown with moss and fungi of various shapes and sizes. Lots of the seated floor area is covered in rocks and debris. Unfortunately the details of this area are a bit hard to make out on account of the general state of disrepair of this place, but I seem to have found myself on top of some kind of theater or opera stage.
Speaking of myself, I inspect myself in my sight. While that vague sense of strangeness rears its head again, it vanishes easily this time. Beholding myself in this vision of mine, I revel in my appearance, a sense of pride filling me.
I am a beautiful writing pen, resting atop a stack of scrolls. My exterior is covered in elegant designs and amber gems, sometimes sparkling in shifting hues despite the absence of light. I move around experimentally, and sure enough I start floating around, penning a few words experimentally on the scrolls.
"At rise".
The vague discomfort is back and this time it's much clearer. “A pen can’t float”, my subconscious seems to be screaming at me "much less write on it's own!". Well, me, that might be the case, but I'm clearly no ordinary pen.
As if bidden by that particular thought I feel much more than see what I can only describe as a… pop up?
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Greetings, new Dungeon Core!
Dungeon System initialized.
Measuring Affinities.
Affinities detected.
Affinity Classified as Dual (Transmutation/Illusion)
Please choose a monster type to receive an initial monster template in from the following lists:
Transmutation: Slime (Lesser) Chimera (Lesser) Animated Object (Lesser) Shapeshifter (Lesser) Plant (Lesser) Animal (Lesser) Elemental (Lesser)
Illusion: Fae (Lesser) Demon (Lesser) Naga (Lesser) Spirit (Lesser) Abomination (Lesser) Plant (Lesser) Animal (Lesser) Elemental (Lesser)
A "Dungeon Core", huh? Well, that certainly is… something. I know most of the things that are mentioned, and when I focus on them I get a little more information in a similar manner to this screen thing… which doesn't go away even if I ignore it, so it seems like I need to choose…
Well, most of these seem interesting in one way or another... some of these can be the strangest creatures that make no biological sense it seems... you know, like a flying, sentient pen. Not to speak of abominations. In fact, I vow to never speak of those again. Nuh uh. They are hideous and abominable, and go against my aesthetics in their entirety. Its in the name, even!
I discard what seems like the basic choices, Plant, Animal, and Elemental, pretty quickly. While they would doubtlessly be solid, they lack a certain... flair.
Most of the other picks I feel ambivalent about, except for 3 of them.
The Shapeshifters, the Fae, and the Animated Objects. I liked the idea of shifting terrors, lurking in plain sight, disguised as something they are not, like a treasure chest that hides not gold but razor sharp teeth. I liked the idea of whimsical and mystical creatures, befuddling and confusing my foes.
But, most of all, making it the decision I ended up with, I liked the idea of dancing silverware, sweeping brooms, Armor that moves all on its own except for when it motionlessly stands guard for as long as it is required.
So I chose the Animated Object (Lesser).