POV Tor’Duna, The Shattered Peak
Far to the south lay a mountain range that stretched for miles. Dangerous and intimidating due to the high Aether concentrations it nonetheless drew a massive stream of adventurers and Delvers from all over the surrounding lands on either side of the range. The reason was a solitary peak in the heart of the range. The tip of the mountain was jagged and shattered like so many splinters of a tree yet that was not what drew the eyes of Delvers.
It was the fact that the splinters hovered atop the mountain forming a circling vortex of stone. The weather behaved strangely, the Aether cavorting wildly to form rain, thunder, and lightning in sporadic bursts. Delvers who climbed to the peak and survived found a doorway covered in sigils and a singular eye carved into the stone. This was the home of Tor’Duna, once she had earned the Name, and it was a Dungeon of the gods.
Deep in the heart of the mountain far away from where Delvers could reach bar the strongest of them, Tor’Duna watched over her Dungeon. Her Awareness stretched from the shattered tip of her peak to the foundations of the earth below and she had dozens of Floors full of constantly evolving creatures and monstrous entities of her own creation. She also had Named creatures, of course, one of which awaited her nearby.
Korzac was a type of monster that Tor’Duna had dubbed Kruglaz in the old tongue. They were hulking creatures standing some 16 feet tall with a singular eye affixed in the center of their forehead. The lesser evolutions didn’t have much in the way of intelligence which had allowed Tor’Duna to increase every other attribute by a significant margin in their Evolutionary Pathway. They were terrifying, moving far faster than their size would indicate, and tougher to put down than any other creature of their rarity.
They couldn’t escape their one failing, however. They were dumb…really dumb and the Delvers capitalized on it with alacrity. Well, the smart ones did anyway. Tor’Duna had realized early on that some Delvers were just as stupid as her Kruglaz and simply engaged in straightforward brawls that her creatures were singularly good at. The smart ones though eventually caught on and the Kruglaz began to fall more rapidly than she would have liked.
To fix that Tor’Duna fashioned the smart ones. They were a little smaller but vastly more intelligent for it with further Evolutionary energy going toward their brains rather than their brawn. They had been her first mages once they had gained enough intelligence for her to share the secrets of shaping Aether. They learned to control their dumber brethren and further evolutions down the path gave either increased control or further magical prowess. Their introduction changed the equation and her Dungeon was regarded with more respect afterwards.
Korzac was one of the smart ones and one of the oldest. His Name meant Bright One and he was the greatest mage among his people. The Kruzag had become sapient some time ago though the majority still dwelling in her halls were unable to reach that vaulted state. The sapient Kruzag guided their lesser brethren like shepherds ensuring they didn’t die out completely and that many survived to grow in intelligence until they reached the proper threshold.
Putting the finishing touches on a pet project, Tor’Duna was in the process of turning to address Korzac when a System Message began scrolling its way across her Core.
Attention all Dungeon Cores!
A System Update will soon be implemented across all Dungeons. The Administrator apologizes for the inconvenience and will enforce safety parameters for all Dungeons involved.
Tor’Duna had just enough time to prepare herself before she felt a familiar pushing sensation. It took a while but before long the sensations subsided and she came back into an awareness of herself. Korzac hovered over her Core protectively though she knew he felt no anxiety over her state. He had seen it happen many times before over her long life but couldn’t escape his instincts. Tor’Duna sent him a quick assurance before quickly checking her System Logs.
Congratulations Dungeon Core!
The following Dungeon Feature is now available:
Guardian’s Domain:
A territory on each Floor of your Dungeon may be designated as a Guardian’s Domain for a cost of Divine Potential. If Divine Potential is not available then see the attached diagram of how to build an Aether Accumulator Pylon. Such a Pylon placed in a designated area will provide fewer benefits but will still serve this function. A creature that claims a Guardian’s Domain as its own will receive increased power and will increase the speed at which it accumulates Aether.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
In the case of Divine Potential being used, it will also increase its Evolutionary Pool for further Evolutions. Also in the case of Divine Potential being used, when the creature currently occupying the Guardian’s Domain dies via a Delver, it will return to life in 12 hours using its memories and Spark as a guide. If slain by a Dungeon Monster it will remain dead and the creature that killed it will take its place in the Guardian Domain receiving all the inherent benefits.
As a limit to this power only a single Guardian’s Domain is allowed per Floor on Floors one through ten, two Guardian’s Domains are allowed per Floor from Floor eleven through fifteen, and from Floor sixteen onward three Guardian’s Domains are allowed per Floor. If a Guardian goes through evolution they will be protected while evolving in the domain but once the Evolution is complete it must move to the next Floor.
Tor’Duna couldn’t help but read over the message several times. This was certainly something. She could immediately see the benefits and she hadn’t been deaf over the years to the Delver’s nomenclature. To be fair, Guardian, was a recent addition. Before that, powerful creatures on Floors were called Wardens, before that they were called Sentinels. It didn’t matter that those creatures were often freshly evolved creatures that hadn’t moved on yet or simply higher evolutions that had found an Aether-rich territory to reside in. It wasn’t like Tor’Duna could talk to the Delvers beyond a few of her more intelligent sapients who had bothered to learn the languages of the surrounding lands.
She could see how the development of these Guardian’s Domains could be used to increase the defensibility of younger Dungeons while increasing the variety of their early Schemas. In the early stages, it would allow Dungeons to jump rarities easier as the greater Evolutionary Pool would translate into higher rarity options to choose from. Those higher rarities would be able to go deeper into the Dungeon and perhaps find another Domain to occupy, thus increasing their gains once more.
Even in her own Dungeon, she could see how the implementation of these Domains would breathe new life into her Floors. It would foster greater competition, especially on the lower Floors where progress had a tendency to stall. As one of the few Dungeons she knew of whose creatures had surpassed Mythic rarity and were bordering on the Pseudo-Divine the amount of Aether they accumulated was staggering but not quite enough to push them the final way. These Domains would help bridge the gap for those few creatures who could hold onto them thus propelling them into that vaulted state reserved for dragons, unicorns, and other such creatures of Aetheric royalty.
Tor’Duna let her Core pulse pleasingly before turning to Korzac. “We have some work to do,” she said, relishing the look of confusion on his face. She had a storehouse of Divine Potential that she had saved for such a time as this. It looked like she would be using it sooner than she thought.
POV The High Council
“Kratty, you bloody fool.” Tal’Irieth muttered as he looked at the Boon that had been granted to his ‘nephew’. He didn’t know whether to feel impressed or enraged. He, the High Spirit of Knowledge and Intellect, had been deceived. That it wasn’t their resident god of mischief doing the deceiving had only added to Tal’Irieth’s blend of emotions. Even now there was an indescribable feeling surrounding this whole event that set his Domain scrambling. Gradually, the god returned to the present where his fellow High Spirits had been hotly declaring their opinions on Krat’Imos’s choice of bride.
“I mean I understand that she is gorgeous but that doesn’t mean you can just marry one of the Fae! What were you thinking Kratty?!” Maph’Ira declared hotly, her own Domain buzzing in the background. The fact that she hadn’t picked up on her fellow god’s emotions and intent was enough for her to feel as deceived as the rest, perhaps more so.
“I was thinking it was high time I chose a wife and it might as well be an individual who challenges me to be a better god.” Krat’Imos’s calm reply took some of the wind out of Maph’Ira’s sails as his conviction blazed outward to her senses. It impressed upon her that this was not a decision made in haste although that fact alone was enough to raise her hackles once more.
“As much as I enjoy gaining a measure of strength that so seldom happens in these meetings, perhaps we can lay off our brother for the moment.” So saying, Ile’Fen rose and stepped closer to the group from where he had been lounging on his throne. “This is not the kind of conflict I enjoy.” Turning to Krat’Imos, Ile’Fen eyed him pensively for a moment before sighing. “You have added complications to an already tense relationship with the Fae, brother. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Krat’Imos met his brother’s gaze with a firmness that Ile’Fen found impressive. “I have never been more certain about anything in my life. Not to be contentious but I do not need, nor have ever needed, your approval, any of you. I will continue to act in a way that constitutes my happiness without regard to you or anyone else.” He held up a hand to forestall the anger he saw in some of their faces. “I’m not saying I will jeopardize our plans on a whim. What I’m saying is that I believe my decisions at their worst will not harm the plan and at their best will help its success.”
He saw the anger lessen but not disappear and sighed. It was perhaps a century too soon to expect them to completely trust the Fae. Even Trik’Weri didn’t completely get along with them despite having been one of them once upon a time. “Regardless of your feelings, you cannot deny the Boon’s effectiveness for Valterra.” The gods around him looked at each other and Tal’Irieth was the one that answered.
“The boon’s effectiveness has yet to be determined,” he said before sighing tiredly, the anger having drained him of energy. “But yes I agree the idea has merit. It is clear Valterra is excited about it but whether or not it takes him anywhere is still to be seen.”
Krat’Imos would take it. Their attention had been diverted and while angry they hadn’t threatened to have him removed or anything like that. Valterra was now free to explore to his heart’s content and the gods were none the wiser about his inclusion into the System as an administrator. It was at that moment that a figure in green and gold burst upon the scene in a flash of golden light.
“So! What did I miss?” Trik’Weri declared before looking at all of the gods surrounding Krat’Imos and raising an eyebrow. Krat’Imos groaned as the accusations and yelling started up again.