RECAP 1/2

The Scholar eyed its fellow ego nervously, “I mean, she seems fine, right? Do you really want to corrupt her? What if she turns into a snarling beast like the other corrupted or worse – what if she turns into Grez?”

“What’s wrong with Grez?” said the Sadist, looking offended, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with her.”

The Scholar sighed, “I know you don't,” it said, “I’m starting to feel outnumbered here.”

“Outnumbered how? You have two of those little magic goblins, right?” replied the Sadist, “I’ve only got Grez and now this one and Grez isn’t even a monster.”
”Fine,” it added, “Those little magic monkeys of yours have been useful. Why don’t you take some of our monster points and corrupt something else? Something new that we don’t yet have or understand.”

“Oh, boy,” said the Scholar with a twinkle in its eyes, “Man-made horrors beyond my comprehension!”

------

Time had been ticking by, but the hour wasn’t there yet.
Wanting to avoid another smug, horny bastard from hitting on her, Grez moved to the edge of the upper street and began the descent towards the under-city.
Moving from the pleasant afternoon sun into the dark corners of the snaking passages beneath the Noble Quarters was like moving between worlds.
The skies directly above the under streets were crowded with bridges, streets, and overhanging buildings as if direct sunlight was a luxury that was wasted on the rat-folk of the under-city.
Any light that did trickle down was second-hand at best, reflected off the walls from a building higher up.
There was little wind this far down, not even the faintest of a breeze, and the stink of unwashed bodies and filth clung to the air.

Most folk passing by wore garments typically associated with servants, though they seemed in no hurry to return to their duties.
After all, their employers didn’t even want to be found dead in a place like the under-city.
As she was exploring the place, Grez’s curious gaze lingered on a group of maids squatting down in an alleyway -- puffing on the contents of a box of stolen cigars.

It was around late afternoon at this point and it was still many hours before Grez could engage in her new favourite pass-time.
She already had a target in mind, but didn’t know where they lived or how she was going to go about it.
Her brow furrowed, orphan Grez would’ve had a plan. Orphan Grez had a plan for anything. She had to.
Grez wondered if she had gotten that much stronger that planning was no longer needed or if she had simply grown reckless.
She breathed in deep in an effort to calm herself and immediately regretted doing so.
Gagging, she decided she had probably gotten a bit reckless.

>>5312860

RECAP 2/2

Over the past week she had had many encounters with the dungeon and she recalled a conversation she had with the large, red-skinned, devil creature.
He had called her “Too sensitive“. Sure, she was angry now, but Grez had to admit that she probably wouldn’t last long if she were to follow through on every extreme emotional she felt.
Regardless of how tempting it was to sneak after the snobby family and apply some attitude adjustment, it was probably not to.
Still, there was the itch. How could she sate that deep desire without breaking some bones?
That’s how she had dealt with it thus far.

A fluttering of wings pulled her attention to the ceiling. A small bird, a sparrow, was flying around in a frenzy, looking for a way out.
The poor thing had probably found its way down here somehow, but had no idea how to get back out.
It bumped against the underside of a wide bridge a few times, before darting off into the distance.
Here Grez was – finally human and able to go anywhere, but still relegated to rat-folk and forced to dwell in the under-city lest some unfortunate noble has to dirty their eyes on the sight of a commoner.
Or worse – that some rich mongrel decided to use her as a plaything and that she should be grateful to him for 'saving her'.

Grez’s nose wrinkled as she tried to breathe in through her nose, the stench was nauseating.
She closed her eyes as she fantasied about setting the upper levels of the Noble Quarters on fire.
An intrusive thought spoiled the daydream. The knight. The knight and his iron, vice-like grip.
As long as there were powerful people like him around then she would always be at somebody else’s mercy.
The brand on her shoulder flared up in disapproval of the thought of being under somebody else’s control.

She need power and lots of it.
These people had endless wealth and a network of connections spanning cities and centuries, but there was one thing Grez had that they did not – the support of a dungeon.
There was no telling how fickle that support was or if the dungeon would randomly decide to betray her, but it was all she had.

For now she would have to try and get on the dungeon’s good side. Make it think it couldn’t continue on without her.
Grez noticed that the strange desire, that she had previously associated with killing, diminished somewhat as she entertained these thoughts of manipulating the dungeon.

Grez decided to try and make the best of it. Sure, the under-city stank like a pile of dead men and probably had some in it, but it was also a place full of stolen wares like the cigars those maids were smoking, gossip consisting of things overheard by servants, and plenty of information about the city and beyond.

END RECAP

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>>5312855
Current Dungeon

>>5312875

Winning vote from previous thread
>Other (Write-in)
>Remember that you already had an appointment, the merchant in the Arcane Avenue.
>The Dungeon is still waiting for the Schematics, it said it would provide the necessary gold for it's purchase, it should be loaded after the last invasion

>>5312877
The earlier encounter with the nobles had soured her mood and Grez didn’t feel quite up to lurking in alleyways or squeezing information out of random folk.
Still, the dungeon had send her away for a reason. There was no telling how long Ben and the rest of the invaders would stay inside the dungeon, there’s nothing stopping them from just relaxing for an hour in an empty room.
If she went back too early, then she might run into Ben and his lackeys and then things would definitely take a turn for the worst.

Grez looked up. The buildings seemed to pinch together here, walkways criss-crossed in the air above her.
Balconies coated the outsides of buildings like fungi coats the side of an old tree – vile and crowded together.
Most of them were brimming with people indulging in their various vices, predominantly smoking and drinking.
Though few had laundry lines filled with clothing dotted with stains that would never quite go out.

“Ah,” she said to herself, remembering the deal she had made with the man in Arcane Avenue.
Suppose she could go there, but she hadn’t received any gold from the dungeon and going back to get some was too dangerous for the time being.
Grez decided to check into a small tavern, the stay costing her five gold pieces, and just kill some time.
She lay in her straw-filled bed and stared at the ceiling, a frown on her face as she counted her remaining gold pieces – only eight left.
People said the Lower District was the crime riddled one, but five gold pieces for a room was just a different kind of crime.

Grez started when there was a sudden knock at the door.
One hand went to her mace as she skulked towards the door, the other reached for the doorknob – she opened it a tiny bit and peeked through the crack.

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>>5312889

There stood a pale girl with dirty, ginger hair and wearing a knee-length dress – holding out a tray filled with a meal and a glass of water.
“Suppa',” said the girl, “’ve got mashed pota-toes and sthew. Some carrots in here somewhere, too.”

“I didn’t order any,” replied Grez, then began closing the door.

“'S free!” said the girl quickly, causing the contents of her tray to rattle.
”Well, not free free. Comes with the room,” she corrected.

Grez opened the door and waved her inside, “Just place it on the bed,” she said, “I’ll have it later.”

“Can do,” said the girl, cheerfully bouncing into the room – a small amount of water spilled from the glass onto the tray.

As she entered, it occurred to Grez that she didn’t hadn’t ever seen anyone this pale before.
The pot-girl had probably spend the majority of her life in the under-city, away from the light.

As the girl leaned forward to place the tray onto the bed, her dress shifted and revealed a large bruise on her thigh.
Grez swallowed. The bruise stood in stark contrast to the pale skin, like a yellow and purple flower on a blank canvas.
Beautiful. It would likely bloom further into the days to come, shifting in colours, then disappearing completely.

“You’re hurt,” said Grez.

The girl looked down, “Oh, this? Bumped into the corner of a table,” she said with a small laugh.
”You enjoy your meal, ‘kay?” said the girl, “Don’t worry ‘bout the plates, I’ll get 'em tomorrow.”
She then turned to leave.

Grez closed the door. Her eyes vacant.

“Can’t leave with that closed,” said the girl with a chuckle.

Grez blinked and her eyes regained focus, “Right,” she said, opening the door and holding it open, “Sorry, just tired.”

“S’all good,” said the girl with a smile, “Get some rest, 'kay?”

Grez faked tired eyes and set a half-smile upon her lips, “Will do.”
Just as the girl stepped through the door, Grez swung the door shut after her.
It connected.

“Owh!” hissed the girl on the other side.

Fighting down a grin, Grez plastered a look of concern on her face as she opened the door again, “You okay?”

“Yeh,” said the girl with a chuckle, hunched over and clutching her elbow, “Doorknob got me right on the funny-bone.”

“I’m so sorry,” said Grez with wide-eyed concern, “I wasn’t looking.”

The girl hissed through clenched teeth, “S’alright,” she said, tossing her orange hair over the shoulder to get it out of her face and then walked down the corridor and left.

Once the girl left, Grez carefully closed the door and, within the privacy of her room, smiled.

----

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>>5312891
Should've reduced the size on that image, damn.

-------

Meanwhile, back in the dungeon, the half-angel stood beside the [Dungeon Core].

“There’s something strangely poetic about this, isn’t it?” said the Sadist.

“Not sure what you’re getting at,” replied the Scholar.

The Sadist gestured in the general direction of their new monster.
“Corrupting an angel?” it said, “Pulling out the evil that dwells within her?”

“I mean, you don’t have to corrupt her?” tried the Scholar carefully.

“How can I not, man? She’s an angel! It’s basically law,” replied the Sadist, then did just that.

Sinister tendrils made out of dark smoke slithered out of the [Dungeon Core] and began to loosely float as they wrapped themselves around the half-angel.

“My gratitude for this blessing,” said the half-angel, “I, Eustacia, will use it only in service of you.”

[System: The Dungeon spends four (4) Monster Points (MP) to corrupt a monster.]
[System: Total amount of Monster Points (MP) remaining: 9]
[System: A sliver of [Corruption of Sadism] has taken hold in [Eustacia], transforming it into a [Eustacia the Torn].]
[System: Monster ‘Eustacia the Torn' has gained the following trait ‘Mass Hasn’t Yet Ended’ ]

------

Mass Hasn’t Yet Ended Passive Skill (Corruption of Sadism)
There is no such thing as an early departure for those receiving an education, they must remain until the bitter end and take all of it.
Hostile creatures cannot escape from Eustacia’s [Boss Room] using ordinary means.

------

The holy patterns coating the half-angel dimmed slightly as the corruption coursed through her.
Her skin wavered between the translucent sheen of the banshee and her previous flesh-like skin.
The staff she held began to hover in the air and rotated as it turned into a slender sword.
She looked less like a cleric and more like a paladin at this point, a paladin crusading for a very wicked purpose.
The lights in the room were snuffed out and the shadows began to take on unnatural shapes, snapping and snarling.
Some kind of force trying to claim the half-angel for its own.
A halo shimmered into existence directly above Eustacia and cracked slightly, then faded.
Gradually, the lights returned.

Once the transformation completed, the involuntary shifting settled.
Eustacia raised a hand and willed her skin to go translucent. She had perfect control.
It seemed like she could freely change between her prior appearance and the new one, but a message from the system made the dungeon wonder for how long.

[System: Eustacia the Torn: -10 | Fallen ---------------X--------------- Ascended | +10. Current: -1]

>>5312896

The Sadist tapped his cheek with a finger, “I like the new look more,” it said.

His fellow ego had its head cocked slightly, puzzlement clear on its face, “D-did she just name herself?”

“She’s a fully realized creation,” said the Sadist, “Basically a person. Why can’t she name herself?”

“Just feels off,” replied the Scholar, squinting.

The Scholar rubbed its hands together, “My turn now,” it said, “You told me I could corrupt something as well.”

The Sadist waved a hand, “I’m an entity of my word.”

[System: The Dungeon spends 3 Monster Point (MP) to spawn a Bugbear.]
[System: Total amount of Monster Points (MP) remaining: 6]

A bugbear was spawned in the [Core Room] and enjoyed its few seconds of existence up until the point it received a neck-shot full of corruption.

[System: The Dungeon spends four (4) Monster Points (MP) to corrupt a monster.]
[System: Total amount of Monster Points (MP) remaining: 2]
[System: A sliver of [Corruption of the Crazed Scholar] has taken hold in [Bugbear], transforming it into a [Bugbear Mightcaster].]

Its permanent aloof expression fled as it made space for a smug, knowing gaze.
The tattered piece of fabric functioning as a loincloth dropped to the ground and coughed, then withered to nothing.
In the same span of seconds its suddenly donned a set of robes that only reached up to the knee and did nothing to hide the mass of muscle underneath.
It was more akin to a lengthy tank-top dotted with little stars and moons than a proper robe.

----------

[Bugbear Mightcaster] Monster Upgrade (Corruption) (2 HP)
Nobody ever said you had to utilize actual spells to cast magic. Well, one person tried, but a swift cast of fist to the face ensured they revised their opinion.
The Bugbear Mightcaster is pinnacle of sorcery and spellcasting and will beat up anyone who claims otherwise.

Combat
Attacks made by Bugbear Mightcaster force a DC14 Strength saving throw against a single enemy.

Spells (5 Essence)

Mage Hand (Cost: 1 Essence)
The Bugbear Mightcaster throws a quick jab with their mage hand (their actual hand).
The hostile creature has to succeed on a DC16 Dexterity saving throw or take one point of bludgeoning damage.

Magic Missile (Cost: 3 Essence)
The Bugbear Mightcaster picks up a rock and throws it with unparalleled precision.
Barring forcefields and shield spells, this ability always hits and deals one point of bludgeoning damage.

Burning Hands (Cost: 5 Essence)
The Bugbear Mightcaster furiously rubs its hands together and then slaps the daylights out of one hostile creature.
The hostile creature takes three points of fire damage if they fail a DC15 Constitution saving throw or one point of damage if they succeed.

>>5312902

“I’m not sure what to think of this,” said the Scholar, “Doesn’t look like a scholar to me…”

The Bugbear Mightcaster grunted and stared towards the ceiling, eyes narrowing.

---------

[System: You’ve gained two (2) ‘Dungeon Points']
[System: Total amount of Dungeon Points (DP) remaining: 12]
[System: The Dungeon is currently 13 day(s) old.]

---------

The following day arrived and Grez made her way back to the dungeon.
She had expected a small army of thugs and crooks to surround the orphanage, but none were there.
”I see you’re not dead yet,” shouted Grez, standing in the [Room of Bewilderment].
Grez reached for a book at random and began to leaf through the pages.

The book rustled its pages as if growling and then snapped at her.

Grez closed it and slammed it against the side a nearby bookcase a few times.
The book “Terrorism for Housewives: From Buns to Bombs” whimpered in a paper-thin voice and calmed down.
After reading the book for a handful of minutes, the bookcases at the far-end of the room shifted and parted, Chadaklin walked in from the next room over – the [Boss Room].

“Yes, not dead. Very observant,” said Chadaklin.

“Did they make it to your [Core Room]?” asked Grez.

“Please,” said Chadaklin with a wave of his massive hand, “They didn’t even make it to me.”

Grez smiled at that. It seemed like her pick had been the right one.
She held out a hand, “I need five hundred gold pieces for some scrolls with dungeon stuff on them.”

“You shall have it,” said Chadaklin, then snapped its fingers.

[System: Five (5) Dungeon Points (DP) have been spend to generate and realize five hundred (500) gold coins.]
[System: Total amount of Dungeon Points (DP) remaining: 7]

A small pile of gold appeared on the floor next to Grez.
She opened her backpack and dropped them inside.

“Also, you still haven’t paid me,” said Grez once she finished putting away the small fortune.

Chadaklin once again snapped his fingers.
Yet more gold appearing next to Grez.

[System: One (1) Dungeon Point (DP) have been spend to generate and realize one hundred (100) gold coins.]
[System: Total amount of Dungeon Points (DP) remaining: 6]

“You forced me to wait, so I think you need to pay me interest,” said Grez.

Chadaklin raised an eyebrow, “I think you need to shut the fuck up.”

“Fair,” said Grez, “Can’t blame a girl for trying. You cut down the amount, remember?”
”Just leave this gold here and put it with my other gold,” said Grez, “I don’t wanna get mugged and lose it all.”

“Where was this wariness when you were putting that other gold in the bag?” asked Chadaklin as he relocated the gold to the entrance of the dungeon with Grez’s remaining pile.

“This is different,” said Grez, “This is MY gold.”

[System:There are two-hundred and seventy-five (275) gold pieces remaining in the dungeon.]

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>>5312906

Chadaklin pinched the bridge of his nose, “Just go get the plans and make sure you aren’t spotted.”

“Your concern for me is, as always, endearing,” said Grez, batting her eyelashes.

“My concern is mostly for the coins that’ll be lost when they find and beat you within an inch of your life,” replied Chadaklin, then dismissed her with a wave.

Grez went to, begrudgingly, do as instructed.

Eventually Grez returned. She held up the purchased plans and was beaming with satisfaction.
When she had returned to Arcane Avenue she had faked a sense of embarrassment and helplessness.
Oh, five hundred gold pieces! Such a large sum of money. How could a young girl ever acquire such a mighty sum!
She had then upended her bag on the counter just as the first signs of contempt began to appear in the face of the shopkeeper. Truth be told, Grez was happy to be rid of the gold. Not only did it make her feel like she had a target on her back, but the massive amount of gold had been quite heavy.

Chadaklin had been waiting for her.

“Here are your blueprints,” said Grez as she entered the [Jungle Room], then tossed them to the ground.
The plans were hastily devoured by the dungeon and then studied.

[System: The Dungeon is now able to construct a “Gauntlet of Phantasmal Punishment“.]

--------------------

[Gauntlet of Phantasmal Punishment] - Trap (3 DP, Minimum floor: 2 – 6 DP)
Maces, hammers, bolts, and boulders. This magical dungeon-defence system has it all.
This intelligent trap is smart enough to pick the best weapon for the job.
Strong, but slow? Darts.
Perceptive, but weak? Hammer.
When in doubt: Boulders.
There’s also axes, just give the trap a bit of an edge.

Restrictions
- Minimum Floor Requirement: 2
- Unique. Only one instance of this trap can exist on a floor, though it can be expanded.

Effect
Upon entering the hostile creature has to make a DC13 Saving throw.
The statistic used is the lowest statistic between: Strength, Dexterity, and Wisdom.
Upon failure, the hostile creature takes two (2) points of bludgeoning/piercing/slashing damage depending on the weapon used.

--------------------

>>5312910

“Excellent!” roared the Scholar, “So versatile. A new room. Knowledge acquired just like that! Magnificent!”
The Scholar turned in a small circle, quite giddy, “Wooo! Grez, I could kiss you!”

---------------

Chadaklin looked down at Grez, “You did well.”

“Give me more money,” said Grez.

“No,” replied Chadaklin, “What do you even need it for? Aren’t all your problems being taken care of?”

“I want to have Ben killed,” replied Grez like it was an ordinary task, “Doesn’t seem like you’re managing to do that.”
She was sick of having to scurry around like vermin, always having to be careful and sneaky.
Grez felt like she should be able to roam the streets of Duskmire with her head held high and chest puffed out.

“Why not spend that money on skills and spells and kill him yourself?” said Chadaklin.

“That costs a fortune,” she said, rolling her eyes and looking away, then looked back, “You offering to sponsor me?”

“No,” said Chadaklin, “Work for your money, damn it. Why are you so greedy for coin all of a sudden?”

“SOMEBODY,” said Grez, gesturing widely like it was some grand mystery, “Cut my wages in half.”

Chadaklin sighed, “How much gold is needed to hire an assassin that can take care of Ben?”

Grez shrugged, “Don't know,” she said, “But it’s probably a lot. Depends on how hard he is to kill and the company he keeps.”
”I’ve been told that killing a reputable merchant costs like a thousand gold, but a noble costs ten times that,” she added.

It was something worth considering to keep Grez safe, but other than that there wasn’t much benefit to it.
Ben was no longer the only person that knew of the location of the dungeon now that the woman named Celeste had survived.
The dungeon would also miss out on resources and, most importantly, revenge.

Most of the dungeon’s resources had been spend and there was little it could do besides wait until Ben returned to provide it with a new feast.
For once the dungeon didn’t have to respond reactively to current events, but could instead be proactive.

What's next?
I think I've finally resolved al pending changes.
Write-ins are heavily encouraged in this next vote.

>1 - Investigate the journal found in the Loriander mansion and the treasure it mentions
>2 - Send somebody (Grez / Eustacia) out to learn more about the Delver’s guild
>3 - Send somebody (Grez / Eustacia) to bait / lure somebody to the dungeon
>4 - Time skip to next invasion.
<5 - Other (Write-in)

>>5312913
><5 - Other (Write-in)
Fuck

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>>5312902
>[Bugbear Mightcaster]

Not quiet how i imagined this. But non the less hilarious and very fitting. He has more a Monk feel with his unarmed "Spells" but eh. Fair enough. he did not want to study much.

>>5312913
>5 Have Grez train a bit with Chadaklin to spruce up her technique with her club if she runs into any trouble she should get some more experience actually fighting just in case some victim tries to turn the table on her and is actually armed.

>>5312896
So there is a balance, interesting. I think it's in our best interests to not let it go all the way to one side or the other, or else she might lose her powers/skills. Though I wonder how we'll ever get her to do "good" actions, especially with the Sadism corruption.

Also, that is a very nice skill, especially to catch mappers.

>>5312902
Bugbear Scholar seems to be legit, good choices between guaranteed damage, 3 damage on a high save that does damage even on a success, and a high dex save. The problem with Burning Hands is that it is best used against invaders with 3 or more Health, which implies at least level 3, which a DC 15 might not be super consistent against, but it's certainly not a low DC.

>>5312910
This trap is great, very flexible, but unlike our other options doesn't include an extra side-effect for failing. I personally think it's worth it to favor the Gauntlet, but that doesn't mean we can't also get some other traps.

>>5312913
>1 - Investigate the journal found in the Loriander mansion and the treasure it mentions
>3 - Send somebody (Grez) to bait / lure somebody to the dungeon
not Eustacia because it's dangerous for dungeon safety to intentionally initiate an invasion without a boss

after the bait:
>2 - Send somebody (Eustacia) out to learn more about the Delver’s guild

These don't seem mutually exclusive to me, but in case they are, just do 3

>>5312913
ammending my vote from >>5312917
to also include
>1 - Investigate the journal found in the Loriander mansion and the treasure it mentions

I just had an idea... what if we had Eustacia join the local Delver's Guild? She would gain easy access to hunt other dungeons, perhaps even with a party, but it might make her be away for extended periods. Of course, if this did happen, it would be after we investigated the Guild, and if there aren't any dungeons that close it probably wouldn't be worth it to have her away for so long.

>Hostile creatures cannot escape from Eustacia’s [Boss Room] using ordinary means.
Hot diggity do damn. This means if we can powerlevel our angel by killing other Dungeons, she will become the official Casual Filter of the Dungeon. This also means that 'Angels' from the Diver's Guild can't just snatch people out of the Boss Room but must fight and defeat her before they can retreat, unless they have some bullshit skills, and Mappers can not pass her Boss Room or even return back to the surface to report on her existence without killing her. Very nice.

Mightcaster is also pretty nice, with some serious power behind it's skills, with one guaranteed damage per invasion if we should chose, either from Burning Hands or Magic Missile or five Dexterity Checks, something we lacked beforehand.

>[Gauntlet of Phantasmal Punishment]
>This intelligent trap is smart enough to pick the best weapon for the job.
>Upon entering the hostile creature has to make a DC13 Saving throw.
>The statistic used is the lowest statistic between: Strength, Dexterity, and Wisdom.
Woah mama, what an excellent trap.

>>5312913
>“SOMEBODY,” said Grez, gesturing widely like it was some grand mystery, “Cut my wages in half.”
Oh please, we didn't cut your wage in half. Remember, you didn't accept the original contract so you're working for your agreed upon salary. Continue to provide service to the Dungeon however, and we could consider a raise of course.

>1 - Investigate the journal found in the Loriander mansion and the treasure it mentions
>2 - Send somebody (Grez + Eustacia) out to learn more about the Delver’s guild
I want to see Grez and our new Asset go on an adventure of the surface world together. Means we can see the world without having to rely on an angsty Teenager allowing us access to her senses. Also this let's her see how she has contributed to the Dungeon recently, she still doesn't know about the Second Floor that she helped come about.

Great update, well worth the wait.

>>5312913
>1 - Investigate the journal found in the Loriander mansion and the treasure it mentions
The scout should be able to do any necessary legwork for this, right?
>2 - Send somebody (Eustacia) out to learn more about the Delver’s guild
>3 - Send somebody (Grez) to bait / lure somebody to the dungeon
Some light snooping should be a good first mission for Eustacia. Get used to the outside world.

Mightcaster is real nice, keeping with the theme of large upfront damage. Definitely a nice contribution to the dungeon. Guaranteed damage is also always good to have.
Really like the new trap room, choosing between 2 stats would already be really strong, but three? Very few adventurers are going to have high modifiers in all three, I think its our go to trap for now. Though the "on fail" effects of the others are still worth considering. Maybe we can just get multiple trap rooms.
I expected we would get more for corrupting Eustacia, but this skill will be very useful for keeping her identity secret, so I can't complain. Besides she is broken enough as it is.

>>5312921
>15 might not be super consistent
Very true, but for what its worth Magic Missile and Burning Hands both guarantee 1 damage, and we can only cast one of them once per invasion. Essentially the trade-off would be risking a roll of 3 damage, or going safe and having enough essence leftover for 2 castings of Mage Hand. Though if we position our Mightcaster into the Jungle in lieu of our regular bugbear, they would get a DC of 17. THAT could be really deadly.

>>5312936
I was thinking the exact same thing actually. It could be extremely nice, so long as someone can join it without being expected to be there 24/7. It would be the PERFECT cover for invading other dungeons. We would risk her not being there when someone invades us, which is admittedly pretty bad, but the dungeon is plenty strong as of now, so i think now could be a good window of opportunity to get her out there. Though we would need to gather info first, of course.
Worst case scenario, if her not being in the dungeon is too much of a risk, we wait until we have a third floor. That might take a while though.

>>5312962
Having her in the Delver's league to invade dungeons might be a good way to tilt her scale back towards "Ascended", which is very valuable since I can't think of many ways for her to gain points in that direction.

>>5312913

>3 - Send somebody (Grez / Eustacia) to bait / lure somebody to the dungeon
It'd be interesting to see if these two could work a con together to uh, punish the sinners. Have Grez convince some low lifes that Stacy is an easy mark who meditates in a 'Garden' under the orphanage. They follow Stacy in, then the goblin boys make sure they don't make it back out. Any runners get ran down by Stacy in the tunnels under the orphaned while the scout stalls them. If Grez has more than one HP she can do stall duty as well, but I don't want to risk her life.

>5 Other (Write-in)

Build The Gauntlet of Phantasmal Punishment at the foot of the stairs on the second floor. It's a nice weakness covering trap that fills in gaps in our strategy.

In future shopping runs let's have Stacy escort Grez to keep her safe/keep her from skipping town. I'm more worried about the former, but the latter shouldn't be forgotten.

>>5312999

Amendment: If it doesn't interfere with anything, sic the scout on
>1 - Investigate the journal found in the Loriander mansion and the treasure it mentions
but prioritize the con

>>5312913
>2 - Send somebody (Grez / Eustacia) out to learn more about the Delver’s guild
I'd love Eustacia to become an adventurer... If she could not get spotted as a dungeon creation, which would in turn attract way too much attention.
>3 Send somebody (Grez / Eustacia) to bait / lure somebody to the dungeon
Grez wants gold? Grez get gold by working.

We should upgrade the branding room to floor 2 as we can fit another brand on grez for succubus and see how the brands get upgraded. Like a harder to remove contract would be nice
.>>5312910
How much did it cost 5?

Supporting
>>5312937
Vote

>>5313043

We should ask Grez if she's interested in a demonic upgrade first before we invest 5DP in moving the room. I'm a little concerned about the waiting period where she's a succubus but can't hide it, but Eustacia can handle errand duty now.

>>5313043
>How much did it cost 5?
Yes. Branding Chamber base cost is 5, so moving it one floor down would be another 5.

Voting closed
>1 - Investigate the journal found in the Loriander mansion and the treasure it mentions
>2 - Send somebody (Eustacia) out to learn more about the Delver’s guild
>3 - Send somebody (Grez) to bait / lure somebody to the dungeon

Brief follow-up: How should Eustacia present herself at the Delver's guild?
>1 - [Ascended] A plain cleric without any telling angelic features
>2 - [Ascended] A cleric with slight angelic features that would mark her as "favoured"
>3 - [Ascended] A chosen cleric with all the telling signs of a demi-angel.
>4 - [Fallen] A plain paladin that uses a sword and leads the vanguard
>5 - [Fallen] A reserved and cold individual with some hints of darker sorcery
>6 - [Fallen] Present yourself as a half-banshee and see what happens
>7 -Other (Write-in)

FYI: It is assumed that Grez and Eustacia will meet and interact at times.

>>5313193
>1 - [Ascended] A plain cleric without any telling angelic features

just appearing plain will most likely mean she will rise slowly but also means there will be not too much demand for her and she will be available for us while she will still be out there and can use other people as meatshields so that her nature will not be easily discovered.

>>5313193
>1 - [Ascended] A plain cleric without any telling angelic features

>>5313193
>4 - [Fallen] A plain paladin that uses a sword and leads the vanguard
Similar to >>5313197 but more in line with her full aspect. However, I'm woried about "fallen progression" backfiring on us.

>>5313193
>4 - [Fallen] A plain paladin that uses a sword and leads the vanguard
She's got that Sadism mutation, a more aggressive appearance would be better.

>>5313193
>2 - [Ascended] A cleric with slight angelic features that would mark her as "favoured"
We are totally nice & angelic and not a monster at all. No sir.
>FYI: It is assumed that Grez and Eustacia will meet and interact at times.
I hope so, I look forward to see it. Very curious to see what they would think of each other.

>>5313204
she can still be aggressive. If she plays the healer she would very likely have the party in a stranglegrip after some time. Since you know.... YOu don't want to spoil it with your buffer and healer..

Though i also get your reasoning. I just believe that on the Frontlines herself she is more likely to get killed and found out when she disappears.

>>5313193
>4 - [Fallen] A plain paladin that uses a sword and leads the vanguard
With no current healing skills pretending to be a cleric could backfire

>>5313242
Domain of War cleric
>Domain of War cleric

I'm more concerned in our lack of actual religious knowledge, which could out us. Thus, an "ascended" paladin with a mutism vow could be the safest option.

>>5313193
yeah right. i am convinced. Ammending my vote from >>5313197
to support >>5313203


yeah the lack of religious knowledge is probably gonna be bad. As a Paladin she can probably be for some obscure deity that most people might not question.

>>5313247
We might not have knowledge, but I bet Eustacia herself does, I wouldn't worry about it.

>>5313214
Her ability to reduce all damage dealt to her by 50% makes her an ideal frontline tank, plus I find the a Fallen Angel path more interesting than Ascended. If the specialization is between Cleric (Ascended) and Paladin (Fallen) I would imagine Cleric would unlock more utility focused skills while Paladin is the more Offensive one. Since she's a Boss monster I'd rather have her be more offense-oriented in her skill set, as killing your enemies is the greatest form of Crowd-Control.

>I just believe that on the Frontlines herself she is more likely to get killed and found out when she disappears.
I do not want Eustacia to join the Guild. Go there and feign interest as a potential recruit, gather information, learn the guild's strength in Duskmire (if there's even a regional office to begin with) and maybe figure out if there are any low-tier Dungeons nearby, maybe even go on an evaluation trip for a free Break. Sure, we can do that. Having her spend four weeks out on a Dungeon Slaying Trip halfway across the continent because she signed up with a crew, when we need her at home defending us from invasions? No thanks.

The Guild's worth to us is in it's information on Dungeon locations and their strength, we want to get at that without tying our Boss Monster to a Dungeon Party. This could be difficult without joining up (might have to force a break in with Grez, Eustacia and the Goblin Scout if there's a regional office to steal their local Dungeon Maps for example), but I'd rather keep our Angel away from people who are used to Dungeon shenanigans and could potentially see through her cover and trace her back to us.

>>5313197
Supporting. I don't want her to be a 24/7 worker for our mortal enemy, that's not a double-agent friendly shift. We can juggle cultists another time.

I do want to make it clear we have 3 people that can explore the outside world now.
>Eustacia - Can roam normally
>Grez - Sticks to uncommon shadows
Goblin Scout (Boblin?) - Absolutely must be hidden at all times
I know we take the piss out on goblins but we have a whole scout to lurk the shadows. I get it if its too risky, but between gathering resources, intel from our enemies, exploring other areas for the goods, and networking to gather a following for our own gain, we might run low on a pair of hands every now and then.

>>5313270
Hear me out. What about... Training the scout in the magical arts to turn him into Arcane Thief? Corruption on him would grant us a Magical Lupin.

>>5313276
That's what I was thinking too. The Scout is good at hiding because it's massive forehead (and big brain) makes it embarassed, so a Scholar Corruption could very well increase it's ability to sneaki breeki. Then we could use both Eustacia and Grez to scout locations with valuable items to steal, and then send in the Scout at night to steal the items.

>>5313268
You have a good point about Eustacia's skills and whatnot. Also shoot she probably would have to be at arm's length when it comes to the Delver's League, I don't want her on a roadtrip while we get fucked over because of a missing boss. When we get a 3rd floor with a powerful monster guarding our core, I'd support loosening the leash on Eustacia and getting deeper into the league. A mole from the inside is a great asset, but trust and respect is priceless and easy to lose. We won't strike gold right away, time to play it cool.

>>5313268
>I find the a Fallen Angel path more interesting than Ascended
This is just choosing how we present ourselves, not any actual specialisation. I assume any actual "specialisation" that will be determined by our actions.

Also for what it's worth joining the guild would depend entirely on what that implies. If it really is four week trips, then its out of the question, obviously. I mean we are like 13 days old right no for fucks sake.
But if there are dungeons close by that would take a day or two to reach and clear then we could profit much from joining them.
But yeah depends entirely on what joining them would imply. Gotta gather info.

>>5313276
I like the way (You) think, Anon.
>Thief magician goblin
>can snatch treasures and disappear in the blink of an eye
>or atleast be able to cloak way better than before
>could even have tricks to escape in a pinch
This sounds rad as hell. When we get the chance we should use the scholar corruption on the scout.

>>5313193
>1 - [Ascended] A plain cleric without any telling angelic features
And it seems pretty obvious the treasure is under the tree from the painting, right?

>>5313193
>This is just choosing how we present ourselves, not any actual specialisation.
>I assume any actual "specialisation" that will be determined by our actions.
Correct. This choice doesn't immediately lock in the path. It is, however, the first step on that path.
Having Eustacia behave in that way will mean she will start to identify as a paladin and the path connected to it.

Voting closed
>>5313202
>1 - [Ascended] A plain cleric without any telling angelic features

>>5313203
>>5313204
>>5313242
>>5313248
>4 - [Fallen] A plain paladin that uses a sword and leads the vanguard

>>5313209
>2 - [Ascended] A cleric with slight angelic features that would mark her as "favoured"

Winner
>4 - [Fallen] A plain paladin that uses a sword and leads the vanguard

>>5313242

Support

>>5313318
>And it seems pretty obvious the treasure is under the tree from the painting, right?
And where were you 3 months ago?

Sorry for not counting your vote, it just happened that you posted it as I posted my summary.

>>5313331
Sorry I found the quest two days ago, and the black log is only four threads but still quite long.

Honestly haven’t seen it mentioned here but could we have a bunch of upgraded scout goblins hiding in the orphanage and whenever a party comes into the dungeon have them ambush them from behind when they are fighting the first room? Would be interesting and quit a deadly trap for say a couple of Gobo archers and assassins to appear behind their ‘safe’ area and just trap them

Hey, that was back when our primary concern was a rat with delusions of grandeur.

RIP Raticus.

>>5313341
Thing is we can not create scouts at will. that is the problem. They are a product of mutation.

Otherwise we would have already produced more to scout out more of the city without needing to rely on Grez.

>>5313341

We can't produce scouts on demand, but we could have Eustacia jump people on their way in. We don't reap rewards for kills out of the dungeon though.

... Could send her to assassinate Ben though.

>>5313352
I'd prefer to capture him and let Grez have her way with him, it would be good for morale and retention.

>>5313336
>Sorry I found the quest two days ago, and the black log is only four threads but still quite long.
Just a joke. You managed to guess it while nobody seemed to bother with it at the time.

>>5313397
wait, where is this painting?

>>5313410
I think it was described when the Scout fit the Book. I think the picture was on the wall.

I think i thought something similar like "That painting has probably got something to do with the treasure..... Anywas about these other books here"

Though we did have other concerns then.

>>5313412
That actually slipped my mind entirely. Should we uhh, grab that treasure by sending the scout after it? It isn't urgent probably, but loot IS loot.

>>5313354

> Eustacia kicks down door of tavern room where Ben is staying
> "Let's try some role reversal Ben."
> Invades his home and tries to break him

>>5313410
It's a a painting of the old orphanage owner and his family under some tree.
Either on the orphanage grounds, or at the manor in the country side. Would need to read the book to know where the manor is though

Private Esmeralda Stone of the Duskmire Guard slathered the back of the parchment in glue, then pressed it to the wall.
It was early and not terribly hot, but extremely humid.
She tugged at the corners of her armour, hoping the underclothing, slick with sweat, would somehow unstick itself from her body.

“You done?” said a voice from a short distance away.

Esmeralda looked over, “Yeah, just about,” she said, running a hand over the parchment to make sure it stuck.
She eyed the half-stack of parchment in the man’s hand, “How about you, Roger?”

The man named Roger shrugged, “Some street kid stole my bucket of glue,” he said, “But I must’ve hung like twenty of the damn things, It should be enough.”

Private Esmeralda raised an eyebrow, then guided her co-worker’s gaze down with a hand and pointed at her own bucket, “Good thing I have glue to spare,” she said.

Roger sighed, “Come on,” he said, “I’m sweating my balls off here. It’s not like these warnings are gonna do anything. Half the people here can’t read anyway.”

The knowledge about the specifics on the serial-killer case were limited to a select few, which didn’t include Roger.
Esmeralda wondered if Roger would be so indifferent if he knew what kind of person was roaming these streets right now.
Somewhere in these streets, wearing the mask of a person, was an absolute monster that delighted in the suffering of others.
Despite the many hours spend on the investigation, the guards couldn’t find a motive.
The murders had been completely random. No payback or revenge. No turf war or robbery gone wrong.
Just killing for killing’s sake.

“Doesn’t matter,” she said finally, “As long as the ones that can read tell the others.”

Esmeralda looked back towards the brown parchment hanging in front of her and noticed a corner had already come loose. She smoothed it down.

---------

Warning Notice

Please be advised that the Duskmire Guard has deemed it unwise to travel after sunset.
There have been a string of murders and missing person reports here in the Lower District.
We have our suspects and investigations are proceeding.
Take extreme caution within the Lower District for the time being and only travel if you must.

---------

>>5314035

Roger looked upon the notice, carefully scratching at his tussle of brown hair, “By the way, I didn’t know they already had suspects for that.”

Esmeralda frowned, “We don’t, but we can’t very well broadcast a message saying that we’ve made no progress, can we?”

Roger nodded gravely, his brown hair swaying, “Very dire. We should return to the station and see if we can help in any way. Perhaps we can uncover the golden clue?”

“Nice try,” said Esmeralda, lightly tapping the bucket of glue with her plated boot and pointing at the slender stack of parchment in Roger’s hand, “Get on it.”

Groaning, Roger left to finish putting up the remaining pieces of parchment. Afterwards, they both returned to the station to see if any progress had been made on the case.

Word spread quickly on that day. It wasn’t long until the entirety of the Lower District was at least aware of the presence of this serial killer, though not everyone was afraid.
The day drinkers over in the Sleazy Goat Inn roared with much bravado about how they would surely cut down this murderer should they encounter him.
Many tales spread: some true, some false, and some heavily fermented by wine and ale to the point people couldn’t tell, but were entertained nonetheless.

They call him the Butcher of Baker’s Lane, I’ve heard. That’s where they found the first body, see.

Well, I’ve heard it’s a colossal mountain of a man with fists like cannonballs. He beats his victims to death and laughs as he does so.

I feel so very afraid, Betty. It seems like the killer only targets ladies with fair skin and exceptional beauty.
...Not sure where you got that, but I reckon' you’re safe then, ya pock-marked cunt.

Other than the general populace getting ensnared by fear, there were also a dozen unsavoury folk that chuckled quietly to themselves and thought various things like: “So, they’re finally on to me”, “Heh, so the game begins”, and “Oh, fuck.”
That last one had been accompanied by a more nervous chuckle than the others.

>>5314038

Surrounded by the various sounds of smells of the [Jungle Room], Chadaklin folded his arms behind him and turned his body towards his audience, “I suppose you must be wondering why I’ve gathered you here today,” he said.

Legs folded, Grez sat on the ground and was counting her coins, not paying any attention.
The [Goblin Scout] stood beside her, eyes glittering as it looked up at Chadaklin.

Chadaklin snapped his fingers and Grez’s pile of coins was sucked back into the ground.

“Dick,” said Grez with a frown, then got up with all the groans and complaints of a teenager being asked to take out the trash.

“Pay attention,” replied Chadaklin, then continued, “I’ve gathered you here today for two reasons. First, to introduce everyone to each others and, second, to give each of you your very own mission.”

The [Goblin Scout] trembled with excitement.
It nearly caused its leather cap to slide from its head, but it caught the cap, hastily corrected it, and, despondent, the goblin made itself look small as it firmly held the leather cap down.

Grez looked down on the sorry little goblin and had to suppress the urge to kick it.
”Right,” she said, patting the small goblin much harder on the shoulder than was needed, “Nice to meet you.”
She then turned towards Chadaklin, arms pressed into her side and smug in the knowledge she was needed yet again, “So, what errand am I running now?”

A lone bug skittered into view on the ground before them, felt awkward about it, and slowly walked backwards into the bushes.

“Not yet,” said Chadaklin, getting slightly annoyed at Grez’s arrogance, “Wait until everyone’s here.”
There had been a time when Grez had feared the dungeon. Perhaps the dungeon had been too soft on her lately.
At this point, Grez probably considered Chadaklin as little more than a mouthpiece for the dungeon.

“There’s more than just this thing here?” said Grez, patting the [Goblin Scout] on the head.
She smirked then and gripped the leather cap tightly, pulling it off the goblin’s head in one go.

Yelping, the [Goblin Scout] jumped in place as it tried to reach the leather cap which Grez held above it, just out of reach.
Its thin, green fingers managed to connect with the cap a few times, but never enough to try and grab hold of it.

A armoured hand then settled upon the hand Grez was holding up from behind and forcibly lowered it – slowly.
Grez glanced behind her, but was then forced to look up, the woman standing behind her was nearly a foot taller than her – and had a soft smile on her lips.

“I do hope I didn’t catch you tormenting the creations of my radiant star,” said the woman in a sing-song voice.
The voice had a warm, almost motherly feel to it, but with an icy undertone.
It was the most pleasant threat Grez had ever heard.

>>5314038

A corner of Grez’s mouth curled up, snarling, she fought against the pressure weighing down on her hand, but proved no match.

Eventually, the leather-cap was lowered enough that the [Goblin Scout] was able to grab hold of it and quickly donned it.
It scampered a few feet away, putting some distance between itself and Grez.

The tall woman still loomed over Grez from behind.
Grez’s hand was stuck in a grip as strong and cold as iron itself.
A second hand with great strength settled on Grez’s shoulder to ensure she kept facing forward.

The woman leaned in, her long, silver hair draping over Grez’s shoulder, “My radiant star has told me so much about you,” said the woman, slowly increasing the strength of her grip on Grez’s hand, “I do hope we can get along.”

Grez winced as her knuckles were squeezed together, but she grit her teeth and endured it.
Pure malice was evident on Grez’s face as she looked over her shoulder, breathing in heavily through the nose as she fought against the pain.

Slowly, the tall woman let go of Grez’s hand and shoulder.
Grez kicked off the ground and sprang away, putting some distance between the both of them.
This manoeuvre landed her beside the [Goblin Scout], which yelped and ran to the safety of the tall woman – hiding behind her.

Grez eyed up the woman. She stood at least 6 foot tall and was wearing fitted, dark-silver armour.
Long-silver hair framed her face and she wore a white-silver hood that was currently lowered.
The disposition of the woman was both lovingly warm and relentlessly cold at the same time. A living contradiction.
A scabbard containing a sword hung from a belt on her side. Grez hated to admit that it all looked very impressive.

The tall woman kneeled down and stroked the back of the small goblin affectionally, then looked towards Grez. ”I am Eustacia,” said the woman in a kind voice, but with icy-blue eyes that were void of any kindness.

“Grez,” said Grez, shooting glances at Chadaklin. Chadaklin seemed indifferent about the relationship between the both of them.

>>5314041

------------

The Scholar sniffed, “They, uh, don’t seem to like each other,” it said.

“Hardly unexpected,” replied the Sadist with a half-shrug, “They both house a fragment of me.”

“I had hoped that would, maybe, make them closer. Like a shared hobby or something,” said the Scholar.

“Like exchanging manipulation tactics? Discussing the superiority of the bullwhip versus the multi-tailed Cat o' nine-tails?” answered the Sadist, “It might, but only if there’s something else they can target. If they target one another it just simply becomes a bit of a mess. Neither of them would want to lose.”

“So, they’ll hate each other forever?” asked the Scholar.

The Sadist sighed, “Even if one did end up subservient to the other -- they would resent them for it. That’s my guess, anyway,” it said, “But who am I? Only the pure incarnation of Sadism. What do I know?”

The Scholar tapped its chin, “We’ll have to see,” it said, “They’re not PURE sadism like you. There’s more in there. Maybe that’ll tip the scales a bit. One also has a brand versus a sliver of corruption of the other. I wonder if that matters.”
It went quiet for a moment, then pondered, “One would say angels are naturally more docile, no? Forgiving?”

“Did you not pay attention?” replied the Sadist, it’s mouth dropping in disbelief, “Eustacia damn near crushed the hand of Grez just now. Docile in what way? We made her less-angelic only yesterday and I plan to make her as cruel as I can.”

------------

Chadaklin clapped his hands together, “Attention,” he said, “Now that we’re all here I will announce your missions.”

The [Goblin Scout] poked its head out from behind of Eustacia.

“I’m sure you can all remember the journal that the scout found in the mansion above the dungeon,” began Chadaklin, “The one that promises of treasure that we’ve been using to lure people to the dungeon? Well, we plan to find that treasure and use it ourselves. Grez’s recent venture into the city revealed that there’s a lot of things in the city above that might be useful to the dungeon.”

Grez gave the tall woman a look that said: And what have YOU contributed?

Chadaklin continued, “Only they’re very expensive. That’s where the treasure comes in. This mission will be carried out by the Goblin Scout. Considering it would likely be killed on sight if it were to move beyond the walls of the orphanage, this is the only mission it can do. Come on over, Scout. Take the journal. I know you can’t read, but share your sight with the dungeon and it’ll read the contents to you.”

Its chest puffed out and head held high, the [Goblin Scout] strode towards Chadaklin to receive the journal.
It spared a moment to glance to the side where the other goblinoids had gathered and wiggled its eyebrows.

>>5314043

“Next,” said Chadaklin after handing over the journal, “There’s the matter of resources. Grez brought us an interesting schematic, but, like everything else, it takes dungeon resources to build it. So, we need more of those. The dungeon needs Grez to go out there and bring back a person or a group of people we can consume for resources.”

Grez tried to speak but stopped, glanced at Eustacia, and then opted to raise her hand.

“No, you won’t get a raise,” said Chadaklin.

Grez lowered her hand, then puffed out a breath.

“Finally, we’ll be sending Eustacia to a place called the Delvers guild. As far as we’ve gathered it’s somewhere in the Upper Trade District. Shouldn’t be too hard to find. They are our enemy. Make no mistake, they are our primary enemy. Ben Nielsen and his buddies are only a mild annoyance when compared to this guild. Their entire existence revolves around finding, cataloguing, enslaving, and destroying dungeons. We need Eustacia to gather as much information about the guild as she can. She’ll be taking on the role as a frontline fighter, a paladin, in an effort to infiltrate this place. Share your senses with the dungeon at all times and learn as much as you can.”

Grez raised her hand, then simply opted to just speak, “Why the hell does she get to go?” she said.
”Where did you get this bitch anyway?” she added, “I’ve done EVERYTHING for you so far. I can visit some dumb guild just as easy.”

Yesterday’s plan of making sure the dungeon could not go on without Grez was rapidly falling apart.
In fact, things seemed to be going the opposite route and the dungeon was going to leave her behind.

”Did you see how she nearly pulverized my hand? She’s clearly some kind of psycho. Are you sure you want to send her into the most dangerous place there is? It takes finesse. She probably doesn’t even know how to talk to people in the best way to get information out of them!” cried Grez.

“You have your job and she has hers,” said Chadaklin, folding his arms, “And this 'Bitch' is a part of the dungeon just as much as I am, though she can choose to travel away from it. An insult to her is an insult to the dungeon.”

Grez threw up her hands, “Figures,” she said, “So you’re replacing me with your very own puppet. What happened to that whole thing about TRUST you were so fond of spouting?”

Chadaklin sighed, “Just shut up and do your job,” he said, a vein bulging on the side of his head, “Investigating the Delvers Guild is of vital importance and we can’t have our agent disconnecting the link of their senses between herself and the dungeon on a whim.”

>>5314044

Grez’s mouth dropped open, “Okay, so that’s what this is all about? How petty. I’ve done TONS of things for you. You probably wouldn’t even be alive without me! How many people have I lured here?” she said, the pointed to Eustacia, “In fact, she probably wouldn’t even exist if I didn’t lure all those people here!”

“That’s just speculation,” said Chadaklin, “But here’s a fact: YOU wouldn’t be alive without US. Reminder that you came crawling to the dungeon and begged for help. You would’ve died without us.”

Eustacia placed a hand in front of her mouth and giggled politely.

Grez’s face twisted in anger, she knelt down, picked up a rock and tossed it at Eustacia.
The armoured woman dodged it without much effort.

------------------

“This is going just great,” said the Scholar, burrowing its head in its hands, “Grez’s horrible attitude has somehow gotten worse.”

“Yeah,” admitted the Sadist, brow furrowing, “We might have to think of a way to remedy that.”
It seemed that, somewhere deep down, Grez was still the insecure, strangely-dependant orphan she had always been and these past two weeks hadn’t done enough to change that.
Perhaps it took time, perhaps something else was needed.

------------------

“You don’t need her,” said Grez, “I can do it. I’ve always helped you. Just, like, scrap her or something. Turn her into a flowerpot.”

Chadaklin shook its head, “This is too important. The dungeon’s very survival depends on this investigation. Miss something or get it wrong and we could be wholly unprepared what comes for us. The dungeon needs somebody that does exactly as they are told. Not sever a connection and blinds its eyes to the outside world because they get angry.”

”Ever heard of privacy?” cried Grez, throwing her hands wide, “Maybe I don’t want to be ogled at all times?”

“I would not mind at all,” said Eustacia in a soft voice, clasping her hands on her chest and blushing, “To toil under the watchful, protective gaze of my radiant star is my most cherished desire.”

Grez blinked, then pointed at Eustacia while looking at Chadaklin, “She’s a freak!”

Chadaklin raised an eyebrow, “Because she’s fond of the dungeon and actually wants it to prosper?”

Grez sputtered, “She’s practically in heat!” she cried, then waved her hands around frantically, “And it’s your own creation! This is… like.. like… the dungeon getting off on itself!”

In seconds Eustacia closed the distance between her and Grez.
An iron gauntlet gripped Grez by the neck from behind, causing her to gasp.
Grez was hunched over by force like one might discipline a aggressive, yappy dog.

>>5314046

“I will suffer any insult,” said Eustacia calmly, “But any further insults to the dungeon will qualify you for re-education…”

Grez wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but the words lingered in the air as if something terrible.
She buckled at the knees and in doing so managed to escape from Eustacia’s iron grasp, then stumbled to the side, coughing and then falling.
The sound and impact of her fall caused hundreds of bugs to skitter. I
f only Grez were stronger, then she would’ve beaten the ever-loving shit out of this bitch.

Chadaklin stepped between them, “Enough.”

Eustacia placed a hand on her chest and bowed slightly, “Apologies, first-born.”

“Fucking BITCH,” cried Grez from her place on the ground, then began coughing again.
Her neck was lined with short cuts where the fine plates of the gauntlet had pressed hard into her skin.

Chadaklin’s patience had run thin, his voice was thunder as he turned towards Grez, “If you think yourself worthy of the important missions then It’s well time you start to show it!” he roared in a commanding voice, “This whole tantrum has done little to improve the dungeon’s trust in you. The dungeon has always been kind to you, saved your from death, and even blessed you with the appearance that was but a distant dream. Continue as you have and instead of being rewarded you’ll find that those blessings might be taken away.”

Grez paled, anger and colour draining from her face.

“Get some results,” growled Chadaklin, then waved a hand, “Dismissed.”

-----------

META: What will we do first?

>1 - Goblin Scout - The Search for the Lost Loriander Treasure
>2 - Grez - Grez’s Hunt for Recognition and Resources
>3 - Eustacia - The Half-Angel’s Deep-dive Into the Delvers Guild

I'll be back in a few hours.

>>5314047

> 1 Treasure Hunt!

You got this little guy!

>>5314047
>2 - Grez - Grez’s Hunt for Recognition and Resources
If this comes after either of the other two, it would be suboptimal. If the Treasure Hunt comes first, invaders could possibly steal the treasure, and if the investigation comes first, we might have an invasion without our 2nd floor boss.

>>5314047
>1 - Goblin Scout - The Search for the Lost Loriander Treasure

>>5314047
>1 - Goblin Scout - The Search for the Lost Loriander Treasure
Character arc, ending in its own well deserved corruptioin

>>5314047
>1 - Goblin Scout - The Search for the Lost Loriander Treasure

'ere we gooo ladz.

>>5314047
>1 - Goblin Scout - The Search for the Lost Loriander Treasure
I suppose we might as well do this first. Good ol' gobbo deserves some time in the spotlight

I was hoping Grez would chill but it seems like we are going to need to do something. Increasing her wage back up as recompense for a big haul is my first instinct, but I feel like that will just kick the can down the road. Ideally we would make her realise that we have no plans on replacing her, and that she is pretty damn valuable to have around, but I'm not sure what would achieve that.
Maybe helping her escape that bind she got into with the nobles somehow? Sticking our neck out to help her should send a pretty clear message. Though she would need to tell us about that first.

>>5314063
Or grant her underlings?

>>5314063

I think her desire for more power, more usefulness, could be a powerful lever to get her to take on a succubus brand, if there's any hesitation there.

The ultimate sign of loyalty to Grez would be a home though. QM has hinted that we'll acquire a utility building at some point that allows Grez to rez in the dungeon, that might take the form of a personal chamber. If we're looking to do something nice in the meantime we might consider spending a single DP on a corridor and setting it aside as a room for her, maybe just off the Room of Bewilderment? The dungeon is probably capable of furnishing it with some basic furniture at no additional cost.

I don't think Grez has ever had a place to call her own, could be a powerful token of loyality.

>>5314047
>2 - Grez - Grez’s Hunt for Recognition and Resources

>>5314063
I think something cheap we can do "right now" (after all the missions) is to train her with Chadaklin. Maybe even with Eustacia, to learn "sadistic" techniques of fighting, though I'm cautious about those two interacting more than they have to.

In any case, this isn't an urgent need, but it's something we can think about.

>>5314072
I'd rather not spend more on her than we have to. I don't like giving her a room that doesn't provide a mechanical benefit, and if we use it as a way to repeat traps, she's definitely not going to appreciate that.

>>5314079
i could just be off of the Stairs i think. Though that might bring adventurers there and maybe steal her private stash.

>>5314081
yeah, I'd rather try "free" methods first

>>5314069
That could probably work. We don't really have anyone to assign to her now though.
If we ever get a cult though assigning her as head would probably solve the issue. Not an option now though.

>>5314072
>could be a powerful lever to get her to take on a succubus brand
Could be, but for what it's worth we will need to be careful. The brand transforms them over "days or weeks" but the recipient only gains the ability to hide identifying traits on *completion*. So that means that once horns & tails begin to show, she either needs to lay low or wear a big hat. Either way, caution is needed.
>The ultimate sign of loyalty to Grez would be a home though.
This seems like it would help as well. She seems to be pretty on edge so she might think we just want to monitor her better but hopefully I'm just being paranoid.
We don't have any concrete way of doing that for now, but since we can spawn furniture a corridor could work. It would probably make for a pretty sparse accommodation but its a start.

>>5314079
I like this idea. Might not help much, but it might help anyway. Also while we are at it letting her have some "fun" with the people she returns could be helpful too.

>>5314081
Bottom line is, put it on the second floor. Not very convenient for her, but no invaders are going to go that far easily.
Or hell, we just ask her. Would she rather have her room close to the entrance or nor?

>>5314081

That's why I was thinking off the Bewilderment chamber, no one wants to risk a trap to dig through Grez's junk.

>>5314079

Eh, it's one DP. We can offer it as a replacement for a payment instead, if you're really concerned, Grez would probably like the idea that she 'Bought' the room anyway.

>>5314084
I like the home idea. Of course, we need to give her that in addition to her salary, present it as "an exceptional bonus for a valuable underling", or present that as an option : does she prefer 100 gold more or a room in the dungeon? Singe time offer.

>>5314088
I like the idea of putting it next to Bewilderment.

Making her "pay" for it might lessen the gift, but it definitely helps the cost aspect.

>>5314092

It'd be pretty amusing if Grez wants to exchange gold for rooms on an ongoing basis and slowly builds herself an underground mansion.

We could just buy the Mansion of Mimics and ask if she want to crash in a Haunted house

>>5314110
you mean a house that we order to serve her as best it can?

With furniture that will always be where she wants it.

>>5314047
>1 - Goblin Scout - The Search for the Lost Loriander Treasure

>>5314115

I don't know if Grez would be annoyed or delighted when her dresser gnawed an invaders arm off. Viscera on her things is probably a minus though.

I floated this idea before and i agree we def should get grez a room. It will raise their moral and dependence on us. There really is no need to be cheap even if it dosnt have mechanically benefits the narrative ones are just as important if not more. A loyal happy grez is a useful grez. In fact lets ask insitict if there is anything special around that we can do.

>>5314047
Instinct can we create a customized room for grez, aka bedroom or somthing linked to their desires for a room.

>>5314167
I value fancy new trap room over giving our resident bottom feeder new furnishings. We are 40% dead and I am not keen on that number raising because people wanted to keep someone contractually obligated to serve us (and is happy to do so) spoiled.

>>5314047
>1 - Goblin Scout - The Search for the Lost Loriander Treasure
We believe in you

I like the idea of letting Grez stay in the Mansion of Mimics if we get it, though we'd need to take away six payments for it

>>5314048
>>5314050
>>5314056
>>5314059
>>5314063
>>5314146
>>5314187
>1 - Goblin Scout - The Search for the Lost Loriander Treasure

>>5314075
>>5314049
>2 - Grez - Grez’s Hunt for Recognition and Resources

Voting closed
>1 - Goblin Scout - The Search for the Lost Loriander Treasure

Auto-success because this anon guessed it:
>>5313318

>>5314200
Hell yeah, its time for the scout to shine again.
Bit late to the voting but I just want to say how I didn't expect Grez and Eustacia to get off on the wrong foot so quickly. Also liking how its unanimously agreed that Chad's the second in command of the whole dungeon.

>>5314303
My biggest worry is Chad eventually falling out of his position - I wish their was a method to enhancing Boss Creatures specifically.

Honestly for boss order, I wouldn't mind swapping Chad and Eustacia in the dungeon order; Chad being a devil and big bad just seems way more fitting thematically. Not to mention I feel like a boss theme of heavenly and demonic creatures would make for a great contrast/dichotomy.

>>5314303
>>5314858
Chad is the firstborn that the Dungeon named and is literally our voice and favored by the Dungeon. He will also always be here so it makes sense that he is the Boss at Home.

>I wish their was a method to enhancing Boss Creatures specifically.

maybe we could make something if we get our hands on a drained Dungeon Core. Like fuse the core into him to make him something so much more than he was before. A literal Core of the Dungeon that we might bring back lower since he then is much more of a realized creature and a way to pour more magic into him. And elevate to a true devil instead of just a half-devil

>>5314878

Welllll we could give him scholar corruption. Eustacia gained an ability from her corruption without losing anything, presumably Chadalkin would gain spells. Unless angel mode just weirds everything.

>>5314894
well we kinda need him neither Insane nor a true sadist but with a level Head on his shoulders.

Preferably without Holes.... or cracks. Maybe we should get a Hobgoblin first and corrupt him to make sure that the Corruption would actually be useful for him.

>>5314896

Yeah, it's a little sentimental, but I like him as he is.

>>5314858
>My biggest worry is Chad eventually falling out of his position
I really doubt he ever will. Chadaklin isn't a Chad because he is the strongest, but because he was born one. Any boss we make will need at least 2 nat 100's to rival him.
Besides, with Silver tongue he makes for a natural spokesperson, and we are unlikely to get another boss with that skill since we already have one.
He is not going anywhere.
>>5314894
I suspect the Angel mutation screwed with things pretty heavily, there is no way a Sadism corruption gave a banshee just a "no escape" ability and nothing else. I mean she gained +1 fallen which is unique to her, so it's probably just for her.
Chadaklin is ultimately a regular Hobgoblin with +3 mutations, I imagine that if we corrupted him he would become a Sadist/Crazed Scholar Hobgoblin with +3 mutations, simple as that.
Frankly, if it increases his DC to 16, that alone would be worth it, but I agree with >>5314896 that we should probably test both out first to determine which would suit him best, if any.

>>5314858
Suppose that he does eventually fall to the wayside as we get stronger bosses, no biggie. He's the first creature we've molded into Perfection, and his position on the first floor makes negotiations swifter. I haven't forgotten his usefulness, and to me I don't see how he would be replaced. Assuming that every boss monster would atleast be able to talk, they'd have different roles in serving the dungeon.
>>5314894
>>5314896
He's perfectly fine the way he is. As a matter of fact, he might be the only person on the dungeon's side that isn't a part of the loony bin. Corruption would jeopardize that, and he isn't in any need of a buff IMO, we haven't seen him fight ONCE.

>>5314912
>As a matter of fact, he might be the only person on the dungeon's side that isn't a part of the loony bin.

Well the Scout might also not be completely insane. But i agree with you hence i made >>5314896
comment that we need him with a level head and not with a cracked pot for a mind leaking mindboggling ego everywhere.

As a Chad he has no need to constantly validate himself. His existence is validation enough.

>>5314911

So there is an interesting experiment we could do with regard to Chadalkin, corruptions and bosses.

If a monster is removed from boss status they revert to normal. If they are returned they become the boss they were before, presumably so we don't do silly things like endlessly fish for good mutations, each monster in the dungeon has one and only one boss they can become.

We could use this property of the boss room to preview corruptions on different monsters if we have a corrupted lower level version. For instance we could put a goblin brute in the boss room to see what a sadist bugbear looks like. We can also put a goblin scholar in to verify that bosses don't have their own twist on corruption modifers, our bugbear wizard boss should be identical to our existing bugbear wizard unless bosses have their own corruption effects. Either way we could put our existing bugbear wizard in the boss room to establish what effect the scholar mutation would have.

We have just enough mp to sadist a bugbear, so we could also check if the sadist effect is a boss variant 'No Escape' or if it's species dependent.

Whew, my mad scholar brand is getting the better of me. Ultimately just because we can I'm not sure we should. It'd burn a lot of updates for starters, and while the knowledge would be super cool it feels a little cheaty.

>>5312896
I would have liked Scholar corruption over sadism myself, give the poor ego someone that understands him. Oh well, it will just make his first real friend all the sweeter

>>5314932
This is a good idea, but yeah I'm also worried about burning a bunch of updates on something we will probably figure out later anyway. Though I guess we could just ask QM "hey we want to do this just tell us what would happen real quick".
Either way I didn't realise we had enough MP for a sadist bugbear. I think that seems like a great opportunity, no?

>>5314923
>Well the Scout might also not be completely insane
For now, but I want to inject him with mad scholar as soon as we have the ressources to get our own little arcana trickster stealing stuff for us.

>>5314982
Which is why we need a reasonable voice that carries weight. And who better than the First Trueborn Son of the Dungeon to represent us and our Agenda. And someone that can keep their cool even when the dungeon is being insulted. Which is why Eustacia will be not that useful if she constantly rubs her ego against that of our first outside servant

>>5314992
Yeah, Eustacia's whole hangup about that is understandable but could be a real pain in the ass someday. Its a longshot but I worry that some blue collar from the Delvers' League will call our dungeon a mean name and Eustacia will go
>autistic_screech.wav
and blow her cover. Chadaklin can keep a cool head and control a conversation, Eustacia is nice but a little...unstable.

>>5315267
I think she's smart enough to keep her cool in the Delvers' League. Some guy who doesn't know better in the middle of enemy territory is a vastly different context than some upstart wannabe who's been with the dungeon for a bit in the middle of the dungeon itself.

I know it's rather late, but update soon.
Wanted to post earlier, but got baited into assembling Ikea furniture.

>>5315715
happens to everyone

>>5315715
Ahh, the bane of every /qst/, the evil known as IKEA assembly.

>>5315730

Scholar and Sadist putting together IKEA furniture would be a pretty funny gag.

File: GoblinScout.jpg (112 KB, 1000x1153)

112 KB JPG

>>5314200

All these allies of the dungeon were send out at the same time, each with their own mission.

The Goblin Scout left the dungeon with a can-do attitude and highly eager to prove itself.
Ever since the awful girl arrived, it had been side-lined, but it had, of course, unquestioning loyalty to the dungeon.
If the dungeon deemed the woman a better pair of eyes for the outside world, then so be it.

That being said, that didn’t mean the Goblin Scout had to let its ambitions wither to nothing.
No. It had big plans. It gripped the leather journal tightly in its small, green hands. An opportunity.
It breathed in deep, forced determination into its face, and opened the journal in an effort to read the contents.

The Goblin Scout cannot read. It shrank like a deflating balloon.
Then it felt a presence, like the warmth of a parent looking over its shoulder, and it knew things would be okay.

“Greetings, Scoutmaster,” said the Scholar using their telepathic link, its tone was joyful, “Let’s go over the contents again, shall we? It’s been a while.”

The Goblin Scout nodded and began to leave through the pages while the Scholar read and relayed their contents.

>>5315749

Sealed package: The Journal of David Loriander

The leather-bound package contained a journal, the pages were signed by a man named David Loriander.
The final few entries read thusly:

14th of Jasper, 728

The nerve! He himself had advised me to invest in an orphanage and now he is changing the laws on me?
Regulations against Child Labour? What else are the rats supposed to do with their day? Frolicking?
I had just invested in new machinery. What am I supposed to do now? What a headache.
If that weasel of man thinks I’m going to take this lying down then he’s mistaken.
I’ve got a fair amount of funds left. It’ll allow me to nudge the right people back to common sense.
Child Protection laws. Bah! I’ll visit the direct aides of the Richmond family on the morrow.
For now, I’ll enjoy a picnic under the tree while we watch our dedicated employees work.
Vanessa made raspberry pie, I can smell it here.

15th of Jasper, 728

Things have complicated themselves. The aides of the Richmond family would not take my financial support.
They even said offering them was beneath me and they would, as a favour, forget I ever did.
Such absolute snakes! Even though they readily accepted my offerings barely two weeks prior.
There’s something amiss. I can feel tendrils of influence slithering through the city.
Major players stand idle and dare not move while my business crumbles to dust.
Don’t they realize that they are next?
I’ve send Vanessa and the children to spend the remainder of the week at my uncle’s estate and prepared measures to ensure the survival of my family.
I hope I don’t have to use them, but I will if need be. I’ve hid them in my favourite spot.

16th of Jasper, 728

My worst fears have realized. The alleyways label my name as a product of a bygone age.
The same mothers that begged me to allow their children to work alongside the orphans now turn their noses up as I pass. I’ve been twisted from an entrepreneur into a criminal overnight.
I’ve been summoned to the stronghold by the Duke.
The fact that I have to go to the stronghold rather than their mansion already spells doom.
I suspect I’ve been betrayed. Somebody let something slip to save their own hide.
I haven’t heard of my wife nor children. I hope they got my message regarding the preparations.
If not, I’ll have to take matters into my own hand upon my return.

>>5315751

The entries prior to these were mostly regarding the day-to-day affairs of David Loriander and not going to help much.
Squeezing a grubby finger under the side of its leather cap, the Goblin Scout scratched the side of its head.

“So, we’re looking for the David man’s favourite spot,” said the Scholar is scheming tones, “It’s time to revisit the mansion.”

It hurried up the staircase from the cellar the orphanage above, its nearly-bare feet making barely a sound as it did so.
Once there, the Goblin Scout was confronted with bright, comforting sunlight.
It hissed and shielded its eyes.

“Ah, yes,” said the Scholar as it noticed the light of day through the shared sense of the Scout, “Daytime. Of course. I must admit that I tend to forget these kinds of things because of the time we spend in the dungeon where such things don’t matter. Perhaps it would be best to go back down for the time being and return after nightfall?”

The Goblin Scout’s brow furrowed. Was it really going to return empty-handed?
It had just received a mission of the utmost importance and it was already asked to go back?
Did the dungeon really have this little faith in its abilities as a scout?

It wondered how it ever could prove itself when it was immediately denied the chance to do so.
The small creature set its jaw and crept towards a far off window in the orphanage dorms.

“This is highly irregular,” remarked the Scholar in anxious, yet curious, tones “It’s a good thing the Sadist is keeping its attention on Eustacia. He wouldn’t like this.”
Excitement began to bubble up in the Scholar. Not only was the Goblin Scout, a magical creation of the dungeon, making its own decisions, it even seemed to have a desire to develop itself.

“I won’t tell if you don’t,” said the Scholar with a certain hunger, “But are you confident you can do this?”

The Goblin Scout half-turned and gave a thumbs-up as it smiled with confidence.

“You are aware that I see things from your perspective? As you see them? Where were you turning to? I didn’t see anyone,” asked the Scholar, “Is there anyone to give that thumbs-up to?”

The Goblin Scout used its hands to pull its leather cap down tight over its head, feeling embarrassed.
It hurried towards a window on the left-hand side of the building.
Tall grass surrounded the building on all sides except the front exit.

Peek over the window sill. Look left. Look right.
The lazy light of morning sun warmed the Goblin Scout, causing it to sweat beneath its leather cap as the thrill mounted.
It crept through the window frame and went prone in the tall grass.
Wind swept through the orphanage courtyard, causing the grass to sway.
The Scout swallowed, then soldier-crawled its way to the delipidated mansion.

>>5315752
Voices rang clear. There were humans just beyond the walls surrounding the orphanage. Yet, the Goblin Scout pressed on.
After a span of minutes which felt like hours, it arrived at the mansion and pulled itself through the window frame.
It lay on the creaky, wooden floor of the mansion’s living room, breathing hard.
Sneaking around in daylight is so stressful. What if somebody had seen its forehead?
Attention all guards: There’s a goblin about with a giant forehead! Positively massive!
The Scout shivered just thinking about it.

Applause rang through the goblin’s mind.
”You made it,” cried the Scholar, “And you didn’t even die a horrible death or doom the dungeon!”

The Goblin Scout’s mind coddled around the words that seemed like a compliment. Maybe.

“Take the door in the north and return to the office down the hall. The one were we found the journal,” instructed the Scholar.

And so it did. The Scout crept through the corridors and found itself back in the old office of David Loriander.
Nothing had changed since the last time it was here roughly a week ago.
The floor was still covered with old, waterlogged books (a collaborative effort between an open window and the rain) and it stank of rotten wood and soggy carpet.

The Goblin began investigating, looking for clues. Something that would hint at the location of David Loriander’s 'favourite place'.
After a long while of poking through books that fell apart in its hands, the Goblin Scout sighed and looked up.
Despite the opposition of its sole remaining shutter, sunlight snuck its way into the room through the open window.
The Goblin followed it with half-interest, it landed on a portrait of a smiling family sitting underneath a tree.

Then it knew. It was as if some remote existence in a far off realm had pointed out the final clue for the goblin. The tree.
The journal mentioned a tree. The portrait has a tree. It darted through the building, looking for more portraits.
There were more portraits. They all had trees.
Sometimes it was a blur in the background, but often it was featured prominently. Picnics, family photos, their wedding. The tree.
The sudden shift in behaviour did not go unnoticed to the Scholar, “What is it, boy? You found something?”

Using the leather straps dangling from the side, the Goblin Scout pulled its leather cap hard. It’s face twisted under the effort of remembering.
There was nobody in the dungeon that had seen more of the orphanage grounds than the goblin.
It had even at one point kept guard from the highest point. It should’ve seen everything, but it couldn’t remember a tree.

With great care, the Goblin Scout ran through the house and swan-dived back into the tall, green grass, racing towards the orphanage dorms.
Panting with exertion, it shot up the stairs until it once again reached the highest point and, breathing heavy breaths, it carefully stared out the top-most window.
Searching. Scanning. Hoping.

>>5315757

There, hidden amidst the tall grass, was a tree stump.
The Goblin Scout slapped itself in the forehead. Gobsmacked.
Of course. Considering the fact they had made off with the iron gate, there was no way the people from the Lower District wouldn’t chop down a tree for a nice chunk of free firewood.
Much like David himself, his favourite tree had been brought low.

It raced back and body-crawled through the tall grass and towards the tree stump.
Once there it plunged its lengthy dagger into the soil. Over and over. Until eventually: Thuck.
There was something there, not even hidden that deep. A reinforced, wooden chest.

The goblin dug using its claws and it took barely a few minutes until the chest was revealed.

“Ooooooh,” cried the Scholar with rising joy in the goblin’s mind, “Scoutmaster, you did it!”

Hands trembling because of sheer excitement, the Goblin Scout took hold of the wooden chest.
It felt almost mushy underneath its fingers.
It was likely that David Lorainder didn’t plan to keep this hidden for too long when he had buried it, but clearly things had taken an unexpected turn for him.

At first the goblin had tucked it under an arm and tried to tiger crawl back towards the dungeon, but the chest jingled with the sound of a small fortune.
Terrified, it instead carefully pushed it ahead of it.
Crawling while it pushed out the chest before it, the way back to the dungeon took agonizingly long.
The Goblin Scout’s heart beat in its throat.

A sudden shift in the grass before it started the goblin. Had the unmistakable sound of money travelled?
Half a dozen birds took flight, escaping from the tall grass. And that was all. It had just been the birds.
The Goblin sighed in relief and pressed on.

Through the grass. Through the window frame. Into the dungeon.
There stood the Goblin Scout. Caked in dirt and mud, holding up a small, wooden chest.
It waited for the other goblins to gather and under their watchful eyes, it opened the chest and upended the contents.
A shower of golden coins rained towards the dungeon floor. That, and an amulet.
The Dungeon devoured it all greedily.

[System: The dungeon has acquired one-thousand two-hundred fifty (1250) golden coins.]
[System: Magical item “Amulet of Might“ has been acquired.]

-------------

Amulet of Might Magical Item (Uncommon)
A deeply-set, enchanted topaz held at the end of a golden chain.
This amulet emboldens and empowers its wearer.

Grants +1 to all saving throw DCs for the wearer when defending.
Grants +1 to all rolls made by the wearer when attacking.

-----------

META: What will we do now?
>1 - Grez - Grez’s Hunt for Recognition and Resources
>2 - Eustacia - The Half-Angel’s Deep-dive Into the Delvers Guild

Unlike the previous part, these are not auto-success and will involve rolling.

No further updates today.

>>5315767

> Grez

ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY COINS! We could buy the mystery box core! Or other unknown things!

>>5315767
>2 - Eustacia - The Half-Angel’s Deep-dive Into the Delvers Guild
That looks like a nice item for Eustacia.

>>5315771
Yes, very excited for another shopping trip now.

>>5315767
>1 - Grez - Grez’s Hunt for Recognition and Resources

We'll save Eustacia for last

>>5315767
>1 - Grez - Grez’s Hunt for Recognition and Resources
1250 gold freaking coins and a delightful amulet. I'm so proud of the scout I could almost give him a promotion right now. Maybe a name, or a scholarly upgrade? If it keeps this up it'll have a good chance of being Minion of the Month.

>>5315767
>1 - Grez - Grez’s Hunt for Recognition and Resources

>>5315767
>1 - Grez - Grez’s Hunt for Recognition and Resources
So who we gonna give the amulet to? I think Eustacia is probably a good idea since she can go out and attack and so that both of our bosses have some magical item.

>>5315767
>2 - Eustacia - The Half-Angel’s Deep-dive Into the Delvers Guild

>>5315767
>1 - Grez - Grez’s Hunt for Recognition and Resources

>>5315767
>1 - Grez - Grez’s Hunt for Recognition and Resources
Might as well leave the best for last.

12DP worth of gold is NICE, damn. The amulet is solid too, if we could recreate it it would be extremely useful. Though even just the one would go well with Eustacia, since she would probably use the offence part of the charm and not just the bolstered DC.
Though Grez would probably benefit a lot form it too, if we could give away magic items at all.

>>5315767
>1 - Grez - Grez’s Hunt for Recognition and Resources

>>5315767
Voting closed
>1 - Grez - Grez’s Hunt for Recognition and Resources
>>5315771
>>5315820
>>5315839
>>5316021
>>5316146
>>5316217
>>5316236
>>5316238

>2 - Eustacia - The Half-Angel’s Deep-dive Into the Delvers Guild
>>5315775
>>5316204

Winner
>1 - Grez - Grez’s Hunt for Recognition and Resources

I've been considering picking up drawing so I can add illustrations to the quest.
You guys think that's worth doing or? I have no skill in drawing whatsoever at the moment.

Commissioning stuff is good too, but too expensive to do often.

>>5316424
I think itd be pretty cool, but perfectly reasonable to why you wouldnt as well

>>5316424
i think it is not exactly necessary. If you find no real joy in drawing it would just become a chore to try and learn it.

Might also slow things down more.

>>5316424
I would wait on commissions, but if you want to draw go for it.
Even if your not great it could give you a better idea of what kinda drawings you want in the Future.

>>5316424
If you feel you have the time and patience necessary to learn how to draw for this quest then I'm not in any position to stop you, but it's not something you should consider an obligation you need to fulfill for this quest.

>>5316424
It'll probably take you a while to get good enough to do any 'good' drawings.
I picked up sketching and started doing it in my free time like a year ago, with no real prior experience. I can draw birds and landscapes pretty well, but beyond that I'm still absolute shit. Drawing proper people and characters is hard if you don't know what you're doing.

Pick it up if you want, but it'll probably take you at least a year of focusing on character drawing to get something that doesn't look like absolute shit.

>>5316424
If youd want i may be intrested in doing some art for the quest. I usually just lurk around but. Id be fun. Dont know if id get it out imidiatly though.

>>5316424
Ehh, the only time its completely necessary is when you require something like an elaborate map, and you have a dungeon making program or something for that already. You've said to juggle a bunch of DnD sessions along with IRL on TOP of this quest, and drawing good takes hours. Your writing is already descriptive, and devoting even more energy into drawing and learning how to git gud at it seems like a lot to put on one person is what I'm trying to say. I can live without illustrations. plus, I want to be a dedicated drawfag even though I cant draw either

>>5316642
Whip us up some Eustacia and Chadaklin fan art, practice makes perfect

>>5316424
As an failed artist myself, I can tell you right now that you'll be wasting your time unless you dedicated yourself regularly. Unless you somehow have the time to spare on QMing + Learning to draw, I would advice against it.

>>5316424
The Sun never sets on your dreams DQM.

The others are doing their job to set your expectations low at the beginning, which is good and realisitc, but don't get too caught up in it.

You can do anything as long as you keep at it a little bit every day!

Captcha:
Your
Hope
Xylophone
Prowls
Nearer

>>5314047
>>5314046
>>5314044
>>5314043
>>5314041
>>5314039
Man, the Dungeon is really bad at handling Grez.

All we need to do in our interactions with her is convince her that following our orders or plans is the best thing for her, and not being confrontational. With this Eustacia thing it could've easily been resolved by telling Grez that Eustacia is better suited to visiting the guild because we plan on having her sign up there, and combat is not Grez's forte.

>>5317618
i don't think the dungeon was born with People Skills....

and it is very young still. Also neither the Sadist nor the Scholar have good people skil unless you want the Sadist to intimidate and jerk around weak willed people

>>5317754
Honestly I think that the [Scholar] should take the reigns for negotiations. The [Sadist] has a very persuasive mace in a conversation, but when people refuse to back down we need more of the [Scholar]'s kinder words. A bit of old fashioned good cop & bad cop.

>>5317864
or maybe... just maybe we should let Chadaklin, our prime negotiator, do his thing and just give him a target for any negotiations and only butt in if we need him to use a specific appraoch.

>>5317878
Hm, good idea. Let him think for himself without trying to nudge his judgement too much. Make him the spokesperson instead of the mouthpiece, and put that Silver Tongue skill to good use.

>>5316442
>>5316449
>>5316463
>>5316469
>>5316495
>>5316694
>>5317596
Thank you. I'll just give it a try. I'm limiting my scope to characters for the time being.
I bought a book that'll help me learn it like one learns recipes: completing the steps to get a result without knowing why.
This is probably the worst way to learn it, but I am a very result-oriented person. So I need to get good at something quickly or I drop it.
I have the upcoming week off, so I'll dedicate some time to it between voting rounds.

Plus it'll be fun to post trash tier art in the thread and see myself slowly improve between posts.
/qst/ threads are often up months at a time after all.

>>5316642
>plus, I want to be a dedicated drawfag even though I cant draw either
Neither can I, but I can't get any worse than I am now.

>>5316520
I've never received fan art before, so that would be amazing.
No pressure though. We're all here for the fun of it.

File: Spoiler Image (35 KB, 406x768)

35 KB JPG

>>5316358

Red-hot with fury, Grez stomped her way into the Lower District.
She unconsciously began to fidget with the mace dangling from her belt, her hand on the pommel the handle and just swaying it.
How dare she? How dare she? She thought to herself. Perhaps I should wait outside the orphanage and cave her skull in.
The dungeon wouldn’t like that and considering the bitch got off on being watched it wasn’t likely she would be able to frame anyone else.
Grez had fallen from from a position of importance to nothing at all.

And what was that bit about taking away blessings? Would she become a half-orc again?
Grez’s fingers curled around the handle of her mace, then held it tight. No. Never again.
She just needed to find a way to show the dungeon that she was still its most dependable ally.
Anger, hot as magma, coursed through her body. Eustacia had made such a fool of her, user her as a doormat.
Just thinking about the holier-than-thou wench caused Grez to clench her jaw.
Ah, she had to do something with this rage, but it wasn’t even afternoon yet.

Still, the Lower District with all its alleyways and dead-ends is basically a maze.
She could probably get away with a little stress-relief as long as she made sure the first blow was a good one.
A wicked smile slithered its way onto her face.

“Hey,” said a voice, loud and careful.

Grez snapped her attention to the origin, muscles tense, but then relaxed.
Lost in thought she had wandered a fair distance from the dungeon and now found herself near the market.
The young man that had called out to her was just the dopy son of the fruit vendor and his shaggy collection of dirty-blonde hair.
He was holding out an apple.

“You seem pissed,” said the young man, trying a smile.

“I am,” replied Grez, walking over and plucking the apple from the young man’s hand.
Brow set is a perpetual frown, she bit down and chewed it with much annoyance.
After the orphanage fell into disrepair, Grez and her follow orphans had been left to their own devices.
Her time as a street urchin had instilled in her a habit of never turning down a meal. It bothered her.

“You wanna, uh, talk about it?” asked the young man, he was rolling an apple between his hands.

“No,” replied Grez, finishing off the apple, core and all.

“Let me guess,” replied the young man, sitting down on a crate and resting on an elbow, “Parents?”

Grez gave him a look. She was about to say something about how the man couldn’t have been more wrong, but that would just make the nosey bloke keep prying. “Something like that,” she replied, “A strict aunt that I happen to live with.”

>>5319146

“Aaaah,” replied the vendor in knowing tones, “That’ll do it. She trying to lord over you?”

Grez was slightly shocked, but took care great not to show it.
She played of the comment, “As aunts do,” she said off-handily, despite never have known something like family.

“Just let her,” he said with a shrug, “Meanwhile you can, you know, safe up for a place of your own and move out.”

“It’s a bit more complicated then that,” said Grez, “We also work together. It’s a, uh, family business.”
She was wondering whether or not she was giving away too much, but then relaxed.
There’s no way somebody would be able to deduce the presence of a dungeon from this much, she hadn’t even used the word dungeon or anything similar to it.
Still, she felt paranoid about it. If there was any way to drop in rank in the eyes of the dungeon then it was by accidentally revealing its existence.
Why was the guy so curious anyway? Why couldn’t he just mind his own business?

“Oh, like me and my dad, then,” he replied, then simply stared at her for a moment, transfixed.
The young man slapped his knees and got up, “Tell you w-what,” he said, “My break is coming up.”
Some of his confidence began to leak from his voice and his face began to flush. He swallowed.
”Why don’t w-we, as in you and I, go to the Sleazy Goat Inn and t-talk about it over a drink?” he said, stammering here and there, “Any other place is fine, too. Of course. I mean if you don’t wanna go the Sleazy, then that’s fine.”

----

Vote: What do you do?

>1 - Go with the man to the Sleazy Goat Inn
>2 - Tell him you’ve got another neat place you’d like to show him and lead him to the dungeon
>3 - Say that you don’t have time and go your separate ways.
>4 - Other (Write-in)

>>5319149
>4 "I don't have time right now. But how about later tonight."


Plan. Tease him and tell him that that evening we will show him something great and have a right old time together. As long as he tells no one about it we meet in the old city and bring him to the dungeon under the prestense that we have a secret hideout soemwhere undergound. Then when he is distracted. Mace to the back of the head.

Well if he disappears he is just a Farmboy that went into the bad part of town at night an disappeared. There is a murderer out there

>>5319155
Supporting that.

>>5319149
>>5319155 +1

>>5319155
Jesus Christ can you be a bit more obviously sinister please?

>>5319149
>Go with the man to the Sleazy Goat Inn

>>5319169
>"So how about later tonight? I bet i can get your heart pumping just the right way and absolutely blow your mind"

Like this?

>>5319149
>1 - Go with the man to the Sleazy Goat Inn
Could be a good way for her to blow off some steam in a way that isn’t killing people and potentially drawing heat. Who knows, maybe she’ll actually start to like the guy and we get even more leverage over Grez. I also think it would be an interesting story line.

>>5319149
>>5319155
+1 Looks good.

>>5319149
>1 - Go with the man to the Sleazy Goat Inn
I feel like there is a good chance that the boys father will look to us for where the boy went, and I doubt he will give us many points, with him being a sales-boy and all.
Probably better targets to find later, might as well go along with him for now. He might be useful contact later.

>>5319149
>1 - Go with the man to the Sleazy Goat Inn
She’s never going to get over herself if she keeps killing everyone she meets.

>>5319149
Voting closes in an hour

Current:
>4 "I don't have time right now. But how about later tonight."
4 votes

Short question regarding the above >>5319155
Do you mean to go to the tavern later tonight and then the dungeon or straight to the dungeon?

>1 - Go with the man to the Sleazy Goat Inn
3 votes

>>5319149

> 1. Go with the man to the Sleazy Goat Inn

Let's go with him. Too many eyes to lure him away for the kill right now. We'll reel this fish in later, then make a show of concern worrying about where he vanished to in the morning.

>>5319149
>2 - Tell him you’ve got another neat place you’d like to show him and lead him to the dungeon

>>5319269

If it comes down to it feel free to disregard my vote if it would result in a tie.

>>5319250
yeah lets got to the tavern later. Maybe give an excuse that Grez has to do some work right now.

Then to the dungeon after getting him somewhat drunk.

>>5319250
Straight to the dungeon.
If people see him leaving with us it will raise uncomfortable questions.
If he just "goes to meet someone" then disappears then we can just play dumb and people will say the serial killer did it.
And going to the tavern is a waste of time if we plan on killing him anyway.

>>5319250
You miscounted btw, inn had 4 votes at the time of your post. Just making sure it doesn’t get counted out

>>5319305
Maybe we don’t plan on killing him

>>5319280
Fyi
>4
Definitely is not a “go to the tavern but later”, it’s “lure him out to the dungeon/streets and kill him but later”

>>5319344
yeah your right. I thought i had written something else there when i originally put it to text.

The whole make him frunk thing only appeared afterwards in my head. but yeah meeting him in the seedy part of town would allow Grez to do pretty much anything she wants with him

>>5319155
support, and bring him away when fewer people are watching and are around.

>>5319149
>4 "I don't have time right now. But how about later tonight

>>5319149

>>5319354
Thanks for clarifying.

Voting closed

>>5319155
>>5319158
>>5319161
>>5319195
>>5319467
>>5319403
>4 "I don't have time right now. But how about later tonight."
6 votes

>>5319169
>>5319188
>>5319199
>>5319211
>>5319269
>1 - Go with the man to the Sleazy Goat Inn
5 votes

Winner
>"I don't have time right now. But how about later tonight."

>>5319515

Ever the actor, Grez dropped her shoulders in just the right way, staring up at him with large eyes, “I can’t,” she said in tones stating that missing it was the biggest regret of her life, but then forced excitement in her voice, “But I have time later tonight? I have to run errands now, but I can do later tonight!”

The man’s face exploded into a smile, which then deflated slightly.
He hissed in a breath through clenched teeth, “I don’t know,” he said, scratching a cheek with a finger, “Haven’t you seen the notice? There’s a murderer on the prowl. Not sure if my dad would le--”
He coughed, “I mean, I wouldn’t want you to get hurt!”

Grez cocked her head slightly, “Notice?”

The young man pointed to a piece of parchment hanging from a wall a short distance away, “Murders and abductions, it reads. Some kind of serial killer is active in the Lower District, but the guards are looking into it.”

Grez gasped. That was her, wasn’t it?
Maybe the dungeon didn’t take notice of her, but somebody out there definitely did.
To the guards she was this big, looming problem and a terrible, unseen danger to the residents here.

A tiny part of her mind reminded her that once upon a time she wanted to “clean this place up”, but that part was slapped in the face and hidden in a small closet by the much larger part of her that brimmed in excitement at the idea of her presence instilling pure terror in the hearts of the people here.
The [Brand of Cruel Intent] warmed on her shoulder, content.
Involuntarily, a smile found a way onto her face – she pushed it back down.

The young man, momentarily speechless at what he believed to be the innocent smile of a charming girl, swallowed, “What was that smile for?” he said, half-smiling himself.

He had noticed. Grez decided to double down and allowed the playful smile to consume her face fully.
”It’s just funny,” she said, looking away slightly, “I didn’t think you’d be scared of some rumour.”

Allowing himself a nervous chuckle, the young man spoke, “I mean, I’m not. It’s just that my da-- I just think it’s not safe. Why tempt fate, right?”
The man wrung his hands, his eyes settled on the fruit before him.

Smug, Grez continued, “I mean, we don’t even have to go to some stuffy tavern. We could just get a bottle on the go and relax some place more private,” she said, leaning in slightly towards him, then patted the mace dangling from her belt, “I’ll even protect you. I can probably stop the bad, evil killer if I want to.”

Something about the shaggy haired man’s expression told her the man hadn’t heard that last part.
His mind was pre-occupied with the implications of the first half.
He was doing some thinking, but it probably wasn’t being done by the brain.
The man’s ears ran red as he stared into the empty distance.

Grez snapped her fingers.

The man’s eyes refocused, “Huh,” he said, “I dunno…”

>>5319550

Need DC12 Charisma saving throw for Grez Wildflower against the fruit vendor.
Grez had advantage and a +4 modifier.

Please include the following message:
Rolling for Grez Wildflower against fruit vendor

Roll: 2d20+4 (Taking highest d20)

Rolled 14 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>5319551
Rolling for Grez Wildflower against fruit vendor

>>5319551
To add: To convince him to ignore the danger and the eventual wrath of his father

>>5319552
That'll do.

Rolled 17, 14 + 4 = 35 (2d20 + 4)

>>5319551
Rolling for Grez against fruity boy

>>5319551
>>5319550
You know, a raise for Grez isn't appropriate...because she fucked herself out of the money when she refused the first deal.

I wouldn't be opposed to paying her more when she brings in more prime specimens though. That orc-ess should net her more than this farm boy, else she's incentivized to target people that will soon be too weak to whet our appetite.

>>5319551

The young man released his attention from the fruits before him, looking at Grez.
He swallowed. Pretty girls like her were exceedingly rare here in the Lower District and even if he did meet one they usually straight-up ignored him.
Yet, here was a chance. Some leather-clad woman was not only giving him the time of day, but even inviting him somewhere private.

If only there wasn’t some annoying serial killer, then he could’ve just gone with this girl without issue.
Still, he had to take the chance, hadn’t he?
If he didn’t it would just add to the pile of regrets that consumed him on those nights where he couldn’t sleep.

He had been staring without saying a word.

Grez turned her head slightly, friendly and waiting for an answer.
She didn’t even have to do anything. Just stand there and smile.
Men and their habit of overthinking would supply both ends of the conversation.
A fierce debate between logic and lust. Utterly devoured by it.

The young man grit his teeth. Even if there was a killer, he had to! Such a chance would never come again.
She had such a dangerous occupation from the looks of it, but he was certain that could be remedied.
Perhaps they could man his dad’s fruit stand together. It would be perfect.
Just look at her! Imagine what she would look like with that raven-black hair tied up in a bun, wearing simple robes and an apron as she pulls fresh apple pie out of the oven – much to the delight of their two children.
One black-haired and one blonde. They’d probably inherit her desire of adventure. Man, that would worry him to no end, but he’d secretly be proud…

Grez carefully waved a hand, “Hello…?” she said innocently.

The man snapped out his haze, “Yeah,” he said, “Let’s do it. To hell with the serial killer. Meet me here at nightfall.”

Throwing her hands wide, Grez smiled, “There you go!” she said, “I’ll be back! I’ll be sure to bring something good!”

He watched her walk along the street before she turned a corner and faded from sight.
”Ah,” he said to himself, “I never actually asked her name.”

--------

Grez has about twelve hours remaining before nightfall.

Vote: What is she going to do?

>1 - Visit a tavern or inn and listen for rumours (PIck: Lower District, Upper Trade District, Noble Quarters)
>2 - Go the Arcane Avenue and just browse and window-shop
>3 - Go to the Upper Trade District and check out the Auction House there
>4 - Look into the matter of the serial killer. See how much the guards know.
>5 - Try and track down Ben to see how his preparations for the next invasion are coming along.
>6 - Go shopping for skills in the speciality shops over in the Upper Trade District
>7 - Grocery shopping. Just getting food to share with the goblins back in the dungeon (Timeskip)
>8 - Other (Write-in)

>>5319596
>5 - Try and track down Ben to see how his preparations for the next invasion are coming along.

Ben my beloved enemy

>>5319596
>1 - Visit a tavern or inn and listen for rumours >Lower District
I imagine rumours will include gossip of the serial killer as well. We might as well listen in and see if we hear something interesting.

>>5319596
>8 - Other - get someone else to lure to the dungeon

>the dude takes a full minute to live out his life with Grez in his head before he answers
What a guy. Shame their time together will be much shorter than he imagines.
>>5319596
>1 - Visit a tavern or inn and listen for rumours (Upper Trade District)
Alternatively we could browse wares at the Arcane Avenue. Go visit the same merchant we bought the room schematics from and build a little bit of rapport with him. He could become the main supplier of magic items for us if we play it right.

>>5319596
>Go shopping for skills in the specialty shops over in the upper trade district
I want to know the ballpark for how much these cost, they're a potential avenue for improving Eustacia as well.

>>5319596
> Go the Arcane Avenue and just browse and window-shop

I got money burning a hole in my pocket!

I'll side with the upper district shopping if there's a tie though.

>>5319596
>4 - Look into the matter of the serial killer. See how much the guards know
As tempting as the rumour nugget is, I want to be on top of this. The rumour shit sounds like another sidequest, and while the shopping options are nice I'm not feeling the strong need for more stuff. Also, the risk of Ben clapping eyes on Grez again despite her heavily altered appearance is a potential shitstorm that I'm NOT willing to risk, the man has insane plot armor. The longer we leave the whole murder thing unaddressed, the more it'll build up to something probably bad, like a freaking nightwatch at every corner and making surface exploration a NIGHTMARE. Or worse, an active lead that will somehow incriminate the dungeon.

But what I really want to know is if the Dungeon can get rid of the bodies and eat a good meal for it, like how we consumed Myrin about 2 weeks ago and got rewards. Ofc there's the obvious logistics like carrying a freaking corpse all the way to the orphanage, but that sounds like the easiest DP/MP ever.

On the topic of Grez the Ripper...have her lips turned red yet, or does she still have some vestigal orc-ness to burn off? The goth look is pretty cool, but the more distance she has from her prior appearance the better her odds.

>>5319596
>4 - Look into the matter of the serial killer. See how much the guards know.

>>5319596
>3 - Go to the Upper Trade District and check out the Auction House there

>>5319596
>4 - Look into the matter of the serial killer. See how much the guards know.

>>5319831
Still think she has the lips. The dungeon mentioned something about the brand still settling in or something.

Hmm, you know, if Grez can get some self control we could always have Eustacia turn in some poor sap that we claim is the serial killer. Might have to torture him until he believes it, but it's not like they've got CSI in duskshire. Might even score some reward money.

>>5320054
Plus, we can always use a brand of broken mind.
>4 - Look into the matter of the serial killer. See how much the guards know.

>>5320099
>>5320054
Problem is what will be our next excuse when the killings continue. Grez isn't the posterchild of self control.

>>5319596
>4 - Look into the matter of the serial killer. See how much the guards know.

>>5319596
>1 - Visit a tavern or inn and listen for rumours >Lower District

Voting closed

>>5319611
>>5 - Try and track down Ben to see how his preparations for the next invasion are coming along.

>>5319616
>>5319629
>>5320139
>>1 - Visit a tavern or inn and listen for rumours

>>5319621
>>8 - Other - get someone else to lure to the dungeon

>>5319631
>>Go shopping for skills in the specialty shops over in the upper trade district

>>5319719
>> Go the Arcane Avenue and just browse and window-shop

>>5319899
>>3 - Go to the Upper Trade District and check out the Auction House there

>>5319787
>>5319892
>>5320015
>>5320099
>>5320116
>>4 - Look into the matter of the serial killer. See how much the guards know

Winner
>4 - Look into the matter of the serial killer. See how much the guards know

>>5320236

Grez decided to spend the time until her night-time escapades by looking into this whole serial killer thing.
There were several reasons for this: first and foremost to confirm whether it was her that they were after, second being figuring out how much they knew if they were indeed after her, and finally, well, there was some kind of thrill to it -- to see how her existence might affect the people in the Lower District.

By doing this Grez unknowingly played into the age-old phenomenon of the criminal lurking around the scene of their crime.
Like how arsonists linger in the crowd looking upon the burned down wreckage, how whitewashers mess with the numbers until their accounting becomes so superhumanly plain it transcends back into suspicious, and, in the case of Grez, how murderers return to the site of the murder to do little more than gloat.

Resting her back against a wall, Grez closed her eyes to simply think about her next move.
She felt like she had to get involved in the investigation in some way. Leaving it all up to fate was far too dangerous.
Relinquishing all control like that? Insanity. No, she had to get involved.

There were a fair few things she could do. She decided to….

---------

>1 - Visit the scenes of her crime to see if there are any on-going investigations
>2 - Go the Guard Barracks and enlist as a trainee so she can overhear things or perhaps get involved in the case
>3 - Go the Guard Barracks and kick up a fuss as a concerned citizen and see if you can persuade them to release some info to “calm you down”.
>4 - Lurk near the Guard Barracks, pounce on a guard in an alleyway, and beat them until they release information
>5 - Prowl the city’s taverns looking for any off-duty guards and try to get info through drink and persuasion
>6 - Other (Write-in)

I should’ve done this last time, but I forgot:
You can vote on multiple of these at a time.
Highest vote count still wins however.

Example:
>3 - Go the Guard Barracks as a concerned citizen and see if you can persuade them to release some info to “calm you down”.
>4 - Lurk near the Guard Barracks, pounce on a guard in an alleyway, and beat them until they release information
>5 - Prowl the city’s taverns looking for any off-duty guards and try to get info through drink and persuasion

>>5320262
>>3 - Go the Guard Barracks and kick up a fuss as a concerned citizen and see if you can persuade them to release some info to “calm you down”.
>5 - Prowl the city’s taverns looking for any off-duty guards and try to get info through drink and persuasion
>Tell the guards you have a lead
>Proceed to detail the Fruit merchant, say you know where he hides corpses
>Lead a guard patrol to the dungeon. Kill them all.
>Later, use guard's weapon to beat up the fruit merchant an inch to death
>Mark him with the insanity and sadist brand
>Release him
>Profits.

>>5320262
>3 - Go the Guard Barracks and kick up a fuss as a concerned citizen and see if you can persuade them to release some info to “calm you down”.
>5 - Prowl the city’s taverns looking for any off-duty guards and try to get info through drink and persuasion

>>5320262
Supporting >>5320276

They should not be too hard on her since she looks kinda respectable now

>>5320262
>>5320276 +1

>>5320262

Voting closed

Winner:

>>5320276
>>5320282
>>5320298
>3 - Go the Guard Barracks and kick up a fuss as a concerned citizen and see if you can persuade them to release some info to “calm you down”.
>5 - Prowl the city’s taverns looking for any off-duty guards and try to get info through drink and persuasion

Too late now, but might not have been a bad idea to get Grez some training. And as a guard she'd have lots of outlets for her urges.

>>5319596
>4 - Look into the matter of the serial killer. See how much the guards know.

>>5320411
Point and LAUGH at Anon for being late!

>>5320411
Haha! Look at this guy, he's LATE!

>>5320274
We don't have any means of forcing people to complete the dungeon once they enter it yet, so that's a hella bad idea.

>>5320262
Is there any way we can get a trap room that forces people to contend with at least a portion of the dungeon before they can exit?

>>5320464
> Is there any way we can get a trap room that forces people to contend with at least a portion of the dungeon before they can exit?

Been wondering this myself. Here's an idea for implementation:

Frames: A frame is essentially an outline around a section of the dungeon that applies some effect to its contents. The simplest frames apply an effect to one or more rooms. More complex frames can create relationships between rooms, where events in one room change the behavior in other rooms. Examples:

Bloodlust Frame: All damage creatures and invaders cause is doubled.

Arena Frame: Room can't be exited while monsters are alive, can't contain boss rooms.

Mini-boss Frame: [A, B, C ]Magically seals a door leading deeper into dungeon in room C. Room A empowers a single monster. When room A is cleared, room B is disabled and room C is unlocked.

>>5320494
I wouldn't mind this. Looking at the Mini-boss frame specifically; I know we've been talking a while about the idea of sealed doors / "Boss keys" to turn the dungeon into something less linear. No clue why it never came to pass.

>>5320612
The DM decided we might get it later, since forcing invaders back into rooms like the marsh that way would be too powerful for the first few floors

>>5320617

Yeah, that's why I included a trap disable into the frame. It let's us have more interesting layouts but with restrictions that prevents it being outright broken.

>>5320494
I think that's an overly obtuse system.

I think it's as simple as having a door that closes after people enter, and then needs a key to unlock and get back out. There can even be restrictions in the invaders' favor about where the key is, but the free back-and-forth in and out of the dungeon that's possible now just seems silly.

>>5320344
Hey DungeonQM, I just wanted to say that I love your writing! It has and continues to maintain a darkly entertaining feel to it and yet, never feels out of step with the story itself.

So, thank you, and keep it up!

>>5321774
Eh, as much as I'd like a way to lock people in, I think it makes sense that people can just move in and out. It even works in our favor somewhat, every time they leave, we get resources for a successfully defeated invasion. One way we can soft-lock people inside the dungeon is to make the Jungle really powerful, or include other trap rooms at the beginning, to make it harrowing to backtrack instead of defeating the dungeon to be able to safely exit.

>>5321790

Something sneaky we could do is use stairs right at the entrance to make part of the second floor be before the first floor. If the first room invaders see is the magic mansion they might not realize they're even in a dungeon until the sofa tries to eat them.

>>5321819
Using stairs to frontload with our most dangerous trap is a really good idea.

Also i have a question i though grez would be rescued by the dungon if hitting 0hp while fighting in it not die? Where did the idea grez would die come from?

>>5320344
Also qm any update on ally rooms aka a home room for grez. I know some are against it but i would like to know if its possible so when next rooms vote comes around we can plan with it.

>>5321819
That's a neat idea if stairs work that way. We'd also need to make sure that this mansion is separate from the other floor 2 rooms. I'd still like to buff up our jungle.

>>5320344
Instinct, can Stairs be used to (temporarily) bring invaders to a lower Floor?

>>5321823
Grez is not a dungeon monster, merely a dungeon ally. Allies don't have the capability to respawn. We've been told that if it is possible for them to respawn, we'd need to get a room for it that we don't have yet.

File: julien-carrasco-gobelin-d(...).jpg (1.02 MB, 1748x2480)

1.02 MB JPG

>>5321787

Thank you, I've come to disappoint you.
"The Little Dungeon That Could" will be going on a brief HIATUS.

This hiatus will last about a week. During this week I'll be running a one-shot in a different thread, but set in the same world.
This purpose of this one-shot is to test a bunch of mechanics from the "Invader" POV that will likely not survive the transition to "The Little Dungeon", but some might.
I'll also be testing the alternative combat system I've been messing with in this thread, which is part of the reason why I'm making a new one instead of continuing here.

Truth be told the "We are the invaders now" angle that became viable upon acquiring the "Heaven's Blessing (Angel)" mutation on Eustacia caught me a bit off-guard, but I still like it.
I just need a place to beta-test some stuff (that doesn't immediately become locked in) while I at the same time flesh out some stuff about the Delvers Guild.

Keep in mind that the mechanics for the one-shot might change on a whim if we figure out they don't really work all that well.
For anyone that can deal with that, you are most welcome in the next thread that'll be put up later today.

What we will be testing in the one-shot
- Limited equipment system (Equipment should play a larger role, it is too rare, but at the same I don't want it to be overbearing.)
- Explicit ranking system for items and skills (Similar to games like World of Warcraft)
- Alternate combat system (Larger numbers for health and the like. It's hard to introduce items with the current system because the small numbers make even a +1 very impactful.)
- Slight change to the writing format (I've read some books on writing and I want to practice some of stuff I've read about)

The New Combat System
- Is based on things like Darkest Dungeon, Pokémon, Fire Emblem, Octopath Traveller, Dragon Quest (Pattern here being turn-based combat)*
- Will NOT include movement (Voting on moving on a grid seems like a nightmare)
- Will involve rolls for both sides, though dungeon monster rolls are done by the QM in bulk to keep things moving along.
- Will use D100s and a "Dice stack" mechanic instead of advantage / disadvantage
- Has no "Classes" just like "The Little Dungeon", your "role" in a party is a result of the equipment, statistics, and skills/spells you have
- Will include rounds and turns similar to D&D. With turn order being decided by statistics and skills.
- Will retain "Essence" based casting system and "Per invasion / Per room" mechanics. It is a dungeon crawler and I plan to keep it that way.
- The goal is simplicity

* I also looked at the combat system of a bunch of TTRPG systems, but they often want to roll as much as possible or not at all.
Furthermore, those systems are often designed for "Players" -- I move here, I say this, I attack that -- which would take forever to resolve through /qst/ voting

>>5321875
Sounds cool QM, maybe we can get some ideas for our own dungeon from this.

>>5321840
But when they hit 0 wouldnt we just shlopp em up like the invaders? And then be able to heal em woth our weird dungeonness that fixes stuff.

I guess only worry is if a hit like brings grez to like -3 that would probabaly kill

>>5321899
see >>5276126
>Keep in mind that without the presence of certain utility rooms they cannot be respawned.

>>5321875
NOOOOO, NOT THE H WORD
But in all seriousness this is some thoughtful foresight you've made. A non-canon adventure set in the same universe where WE play as the invaders sounds pretty rad. I'm looking forward to it and what we can learn from another perspective.

>>5321875

Neat! Looking forward to our side trip.

>>5321875
sounds interesting. Might also be useful as a casestudy to see how other dungeons work and how the Society exists. Those things have been pretty thin right now and as a Dungeon we can not truly interact truthfully with the World.

>>5321875
Will you be posting a link to that thread?

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>>5321974
I will.

>>5321875
Setup: Some quick setting questions

Location
>1 - Duskmire (City of The Little Dungeon)
>2 - Whitewater (Neighbouring city of Duskmire)
>3 - Somewhere else entirely (Random country on the world of Amman)

Character is a
>1 - Male
>2 - Female

Role
>1 - Guardian
>2 - Short-range physical damage dealer
>3 - Long-range physical damage dealer
>4 - Magical supporter / healer
>5 - Magical damage dealer

The above roles will determine the main character's stats / starting gear.
This isn't directly related to their "Delver Role" (Breaker / Mapper / Supporter / Angel), but could make it easier to progress into one of those roles.

The rest of the stuff regarding the main character I will simply fill in myself.
This vote will remain open for an hour.

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>>5322042
>2 - Whitewater (Neighbouring city of Duskmire)

>1 - Male

>2 - Short-range physical damage dealer