Friar Brown had not left any of his people behind in the Death Marsh, which made sense. He needed every person he had. The friar wasnt going to start the civil war yet, he wanted to gather his strength and build a position of power he could move from. It was smart because if he didnt prepare correctly, he would be crushed. Hed suggested I do the sa.
The forr camp of zealots had zombies wandering around. I had shrouded myself in a concealing spell of dark magic. I was not here to fight, but to explore. Raven was out in the marsh soplace as well, no doubt hunting or getting into so kind of mischief.
The zombies in the camp were mindless and uncontrolled. And even as I watched, a snake covered in dark, almost black, scales struck out of the water and grabbed one of them. The snake slithered back into the water dragging the struggling zombie with it. It wasnt a massive snake like I had used on my way in, but the zombie was helpless against it.
It didnt take long before I lost sight of them in the water. Part of expected things like the zombies in the camp to be soplace in the middle of the food chain in these death bios. But in an hour, Id witnessed multiple zombies taken out by everything from a swarm of hand-sized insects to a vine covered plant one had andered a little too close to.
These mindless uncontrolled zombies were likely pretty darn near the bottom of the food chain. Death bios were predatory, like the blood marsh, but even more so. Zombies being the bottom of the food chain, in a way, made sense. Any living creature that wandered into a death bio and was killed would co back as a zombie eventually. Whatever killed them, assuming they did not consu their bodies, would move on and the zombie would then wander around the bio.
They would either grow strong enough that things wouldnt eat it, or it would serve as sustenance for sothing else. But that second death would likely stick. Reanimating bodies after being killed a second ti beca more difficult, and when they did reanimate, they werent as strong. There were ways around this, but I doubted they existed in a natural environnt like these death bios, though I wasnt certain.
The bio was fascinating.
I started to develop a theory about how these bios could fully function. They couldnt only rely on wandering creatures, so there must be so way of reproducing. A swarm of insects caught my attention. And after they failed to eat or harm , I was able to follow them back to their nest. It was sothing akin to a wasp nest except made of bone.
Using rcy, I carefully cut away so of the layers so I could see the inside. To my surprise, there were little larva pulsing with death energy in there. Just a spark really. Then I noticed a larger insect giving little dollops of death energy to the larva. She was in turn being supplied by the wasps that were flying in bearing small payloads of death energy.
I spent several hours investigating the different aspects of this death bio. It truly is remarkable when you think about it. When I first started, I assud death bios only existed and could only thrive by creatures wandering in from the outsidethat simply wasnt true. But that is a very complex subject that is not useful at this point.
I was further out in the marsh, watching a seemingly unthreatening pack of lily pads flow around, slowly chasing so large creature under the water. They just about caught whatever it was when Raven strode up in her lynx form.
So of those guild people, Raven said after she transford into her human form, are on their way here.
I wondered if they would co back. Do they seem problematic?
Not from what I can tell, Raven said. But Ive been careful not to get too close.
Take to them, I told her. She gave a worried look. Ill be fine. I doubt theyve changed their stance, and if they have, I can always flee back into the marsh. Nothing can hurt in here, but they would have to be very careful in how they progress.
That and Vito has your phylactery now, Raven agreed. I heard him grumbling about making so cautions against your idiotic antics.
The attack that traveled from into my phylactery had worried Vito. Fortunately, he was a vampire and could use soul energy. He said he was going to be doing so things to further prevent that from happening, though he warned it would not be possible to completely stop it. It would rely be more difficult.
It didnt take long for Raven to lead to the oncoming players. I was still shrouded in my spell, so they didnt notice right away. I identified the group quicklya combination of the first group to have cleared the dungeon led by Ezra and the group I had sent on the bogus quest led by Aaron.
I let the spell fade as I stepped out from behind large bush. Co back for more?
Ezekiel! Jessica said when she saw . She was one of the two rangers on Aarons team. We were worried, youre outside of the dungeon?
Yeah, no longer the dungeon boss. The new guy is way stronger than I am, and honestly hes probably making better gear than I could.
Oh really? Ezra asked, a hungry glint entering her eyes. Livia will love to hear that.
I will warn you that the lower levels of the dungeon are likely to get a lot harder, I said. My warning wouldnt slow them down, players were drawn to loot like a moth to a fla.
What exactly happened here? Marcus asked. When I first t Marcus, he was an asshole, and I still thought he was. But once he realized I wasnt all that I seed he dropped a lot of his pretentious role-play routine. I still didnt like him. From what we have heard another army of priests showed up and attacked the ones besieging you? Now the entire country is in uproar.
That is more or less what happened, I agreed. Friar Brown showed up and saved my ass.
Yes, Aaron nodded. That fits. This Friar Brown fellow is now stirring up problems, and just by the quests people are getting, it feels like things are going to get ssy.
Youre players, I scoffed, dont you love that kind of stuff?
All of them winced a little at that. Ezra was the first to speak. Yes, its a good way to earn experience, levels, and loot. But when that instability is threatening to tear apart the guild, we are less thrilled about it.
I gestured for them to follow , I didnt mind easing their trip through the death marsh. Why is the guild under threat?
People like Marcus, Derek grumbled.
Hey, Ive gotten better, Marcus protested, though he still sounded pretentious to .
I know, Derek admitted. But you rember what you were like. We put up with you for months. It took you finding out Ezekiel is from Earth for you to finally chill.
What Derek is saying, Aaron said to cut off Marcus before he could further protest. Its that the guild has many priests and paladins. Enough of them are in the Church of Olattee, and they are being forced to take a side wherever they go.
Despite playing a role, Marcus glared at Derek. No one likes to be forced to take a side or make a decision they dont want to make. But thats whats happening.
I nodded along, understanding the issue. Players tended to be an independent lot and never liked it when they got forced into things.
Livia sent us here to see what happened because shes hoping to move the entire guild out to the swamp, Ezra explained.
I looked at Ezra in surprise. Technically its a marsh, I said offhandedly, processing what she said and what that would an. Being here would get you away from the churchs influence Though this is not necessarily a safe place.
She knows, Aaron agreed. But she is certain we can make it work.
How have things gone so quickly downhill to the point that shes ready to uproot the entire guild from wherever you guys are set up? I asked.
They havent, Aaron said. Livia has so interesting contacts within the church and the governnt. From what shes let slip, she knows this is only the start. And there is a whispered rumor that there will be a third side in this war.
Aaron gave a very pointed look, I shrugged. Its no secretthe friar is my friend and Im going to help him. I owe him.
You cant ruin my marsh, Raven chid in. I like all the different critters that live here.
Oh, we wont, Jessica smiled at Raven. We dont want to get rid of all the fun stuff either.
Raven gave her a suspicious eye and transford back into her lynx form.
I suppose its not unusual for guilds to set up on top of dungeons, I said.
Its not, and I think Livia wants to get a move on with your dungeon before anyone else realizes how good these weapons are, Derek said, hefting the hamr Id made him.
Killing two birds with one stone I see, I nodded.
Is this going to be a problem? Ezra asked carefully.
I walked for a few minutes without responding, just doing my best to think through what the implications would be and letting them stew for a little bit. We ca to the large body of water that was up next to the ziggurat, where the stream coming from the top flowed down.
The sun was setting, and the dark stone of the ziggurat reflected it in different places where the crystalline substance within shown through. The reflected light wasnt bright though, it was ominous. I thought it was cool.
No, I said. I do not have a problem with thisunder one condition. Your guild has to protect my dungeon. I might not be the dungeon boss anymore, but I am still connected to it. I didnt want to explain what the dungeon Lord was, I doubted many people knew.
Livia will be more than happy. She figured that would be part of the requirents, Aaron agreed. After all, it would be silly for us to go to the effort of controlling access to this dungeon only to let it be destroyed.
Just dont be too controlling about who you let in, you dont want to piss off Kellnock. I t Aarons gaze. Trust , you really dont want to piss him off. And if you stymie his access to the energy by not letting enough fodder in, he will beco very annoyed.
We know how to feed a dungeon. Ezra rolled her eyes. Does our agreent with you about the archive still stand?
Kellnock is the controller of that now. You will have to reach a deal with him.
I left them after that, returning to the ziggurat. I figured I should let Kellnock know what was about to happen and hoped Id received news back from Vito.
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