Welcome, Dear Reader of my Journal. I know I might be making a no, no in storytelling, but no one ever said I was a professional writer. This is a record of my adventures, and I forgot to write about my cool new trap rooms.

So, it was a few weeks after the large attack, life was pretty standard for the people and my forces. Everyone was busy working on a task, and I had most of my stuff on autopilot for now. I am shifting my attention to the underground lakes I discovered in the early days of my domain. At the largest lake I had created pump stations that I used to fill Nightmare’s swamp land above, and the water would slowly drain back down to the underground lake.

In the back of my mind, I knew I had to do something different.

As I descended into the depths of the underground cavern, my heart raced with anticipation and determination. The passageway, illuminated by the soft glow of my overseer view in my HUD. I watched with a smile on my core as my view gradually opened up into a vast subterranean world. I had discovered this hidden place during my early tunnelling endeavours, besides using the water, I hadn’t touched it.

It was here that I planned to hone my dungeon floor-making skills, gather rare resources, and find inspiration for my future grand projects.

The cavern was a magnificent sight, adorned with glittering stalactites and stalagmites that seemed to sparkle like diamonds in the lantern's light. It felt like an otherworldly realm, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the surface world. Sound echoed softly in the immense chamber as I made my way deeper, I added a few light crystals to the walls and they began to cast long, dancing shadows.

I continued onward, my destination lay in the heart of the cavern, a hidden island in the center of the massive underground lake. At the heart, I found an array of rare materials, ancient blueprints, and treasured relics from the past. I felt a desire to move my core to this place, but it was safe in the temple, and I planned to make this my new dungeon.

It was a place of solitude and contemplation, for now, away from the prying eyes of my scions and the ever-watchful Council. This was where I would prepare for my forthcoming enemies. I knew bullies from my world. A bully never gives up, until you put them down. These bullies had lots to learn.

So, with a smile on my core, I started my project and set to work in my underground dungeon. I was determined to create a network of trapdoors and secret passages that would serve as one-way entrances into my subterranean death trap. I meticulously mapped out the cavern's layout and carefully planned the locations for these hidden access points. All the entrances were created around the outside walls.

My goal was to provide easy entry into the depths of the cavern while making it nearly impossible to find the way back without guidance, luck, and fighting skill.

Using my mechanical expertise, I designed a series of concealed doors and tunnels that blended seamlessly with the cavern's natural formations. These entrances could be easily triggered from the inside, allowing guests to descend into my future underground world. However, once they journeyed deeper into my dungeon, they would discover that returning to the surface was a complex puzzle, known only to myself.

To outsiders, these entrances would seem like ordinary crevices or minor irregularities in the cavern walls, invisible to the untrained eye. But I had spent months perfecting these mechanisms, ensuring that they operated silently and swiftly. My inventions, as always, were a testament to my craftsmanship and innovation.

It helps that I could remember every textbook and novel, word for word, from my old life.

The exit was going to be in the heart of the island. My future plan was adventures would get a choice, they could return to the surface once reaching the heart, or they could venture deeper, into my future dungeon floors. Plus, I was going to create treasure rooms within the heart. My resources and materials were building up, and a great way to store these excess materials was to create loot. Hopefully, the promise of treasure would give these outside forces, like the wolves, a reason to keep me alive and lure more into my grasp.

As I worked tirelessly on this labyrinthine puzzle, I knew that my domain's security was paramount. I had no intention of allowing any uninvited guests to roam freely. It was essential for me to maintain control over the comings and goings in my hidden world, ensuring the safety of my creations, my people, and the security of my airship project.

I sat alone in the dimly lit chamber of my underground lair, muttering to myself as I tinkered with a delicate array of gears and springs. I couldn't help but ponder the current state of my team. While my "chosen" warriors were undoubtedly skilled, I found myself growing wary of their need for me. I was always having to manage their upgrades, a trait I deemed as predictable as the ticking of a clock.

I whispered to the cavern walls, my voice filled with frustration, "More of these 'chosen' warriors? Do I really need them? Growth can be such a double-edged sword. It's too predictable, too unreliable."

“I have the spiders, the foxes, Hades and his people, Nightmare… Arg,” I screamed.

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I knew that my mission to construct the perfect dungeon required more than just skilled hands and unwavering loyalty. I needed those who could follow orders without question, even if it meant putting their lives at risk. My ambitious project demanded an unyielding workforce, not one that second-guessed my intentions. I needed drones or basic grunts.

Where are some goblins when I need them? I remember sitting with my friends and playing D&D, each dungeon our game master liked to start us off had the classic beginning monster. I needed something like that, set it and forget it.

"Perhaps it's time to enlist some good old cannon fodder," I mused, my eyes gleaming with a strange determination. "They may not be 'chosen,' but they'll follow orders without hesitation. And for what I'm planning, that's exactly what I need."

As I continued to tinker and build, my thoughts were consumed by the designs for my new recruits, warriors whose sole purpose would be to serve me unwaveringly, with no questions asked. It was a calculated decision in my quest for perfection, and I was determined to see it through, no matter the cost.

I pulled up my interface and started to look at my three main spawners: Spiders, Violet Mushrooms and Dolls. I crossed off dolls, I didn’t want them spawning down here, but I did want the snakes from the swamp area. They would be a must, but would they work in the cave? Would the mushrooms or spiders work in the cave?

I began to problem-solve. Going over tab after tab. I had enough resources and experience needed to unlock upgrades for my spawners, but I didn’t want intelligence. I need basic monsters that didn’t think, that just hunted, like the basic spiders and snakes that were roaming around.

My brow furrowed in contemplation. As I gazed at the HUD for my upcoming aquatic section, I muttered to myself.

"Now, let's think about this. What's the scariest water creature we can find in this world?" I pondered the depths of my imagination as I mentally listed potential aquatic threats. "Sharks, sure. Terrifying, but maybe too common. Giant squids? Hmm, perhaps. But what's going to make this place truly challenging, something that no one's ever seen before?"

Up on the floors above, in the hanger, I shifted my viewpoint and tapped my mechanical fingers on the workbench. My mind is racing. "I know! How about a biomechanical leviathan, part machine, part living nightmare? It lurks in the dark waters, its metallic scales clinking ominously as it glides through the depths. And it's not alone. The waters are infested with clockwork piranhas that swarm anything that dares to venture into their territory."

I chuckled to myself, a sinister glint in my eye. "Yes, that should do it. Any adventurers, or invaders, won't know what hit them. It's time to make this underwater realm a true challenge, one that will test their mettle and their loyalty."

I pulled open my skills, and I remember the creations I made for my Oath Bound. How much more powerful they had become thanks to the upgrades I made for them. I set to work, designing my mechanical horrors and trying to perfect the terrifying landscape of my underwater lake. I couldn't wait to see how the bugs or wolves would fare against these nightmarish creations.

I continued to pace around my underground workshop, mulling over the challenges. The idea of biomechanical sea monsters and clockwork piranhas certainly had its appeal, but I couldn't help but feel that something was missing.

I paused from my designing and reminisced about the wisdom my mother had shared with me years ago. I sat back, my mechanical fingers tapping lightly on the blueprint as my mind wandered down memory lane.

"I remember what Mom used to say," I muttered to myself. "When someone comes into the ER, you have to check out the whole body, in case you missed something."

“Vi, when someone is hurt you have to triage. The process begins with a trained nurse or medical professional assessing the patient's condition to determine the level of urgency. Patients with life-threatening conditions are given top priority.”

I nodded along.

“But never forget history and physical examination. A physician or advanced practitioner performs a thorough history and physical examination. This step helps identify the patient's condition and any associated symptoms.”

Then my mom went into a story where she saved a man’s life because when he fell, he created a hidden wound (internal bleeding), besides the obvious broken leg. But my mother's advice, originally meant for a medical setting, had an unexpected resonance in my current mechanical endeavours. I realized that the same principle applied to my creations. Just as a doctor needed to examine a patient thoroughly to ensure nothing was overlooked, I needed to assess every detail of my biomechanical ideas to make them as immersive and challenging as possible. It was the little things that could make the biggest difference.

"What if," I mused aloud to myself, "What if I took this to the next level? Rather than just a section of the lake, why not create an entire underwater biodome? A self-contained world filled with unique and terrifying creatures, all designed to challenge and test those who dare to enter."

I turned my attention back to the blueprint. No, the blueprint was the wrong word now, I turned to my food web, like the ones I had to make in my middle school science class. Ready to delve into the finer intricacies of my biodome project. I understood that it was in those intricate details that the true creations lay. The world I was designing was about to become even more immersive, more treacherous, and more exhilarating, thanks to the wisdom I had inherited from my mother.

The thought excited me, and I sketched out the preliminary plans. "In this biodome," I continued talking to myself, "I can have eerie coral formations that release poisonous gas, mechanical eels with electrified tails, and schools of robotic jellyfish with paralyzing tentacles. The adventurers could navigate through treacherous underwater caves to find treasure. Oh! I could add hidden air pockets for survival and could add rock traps forcing them to avoid being crushed."

As I spoke, my enthusiasm grew, my mechanical fingers flying across the paper. "And at the bottom of this biodome, a massive chamber where the biomechanical leviathan resides, guarding a valuable treasure that the adventurers can retrieve. But they'll need to gather unique artifacts and solve intricate puzzles to unlock the way forward."

The possibilities seemed endless, and I couldn't wait to bring my vision to life. With each passing moment, my underwater biodome took shape on the drawing board, a nightmarish world that would test even the bravest of adventurers.

“Oh,” I squalled, “I have an idea. It will be called a Sea Searcher, it is a plant that is home to little fish, but the top of it has vines to ensure anything that swims above it.”