Peek: The Crown Inspector

In the elven capital city, there are many who directly serve the crown.  Those that do are often recognized as the pinnacle of their particular class, whether it's the Crown Chef or the Crown Sculler, it's a title with honor.  Of course, sometimes the honor paid is mere lipservice, and sometimes the position would demand honors even without the association with the Crown.

Such as with the Crown Inspector.  Most often, the position is filled by a retired Dungeoneer's Guild member, one with experience with dungeons.  While the guild is still the authority on dungeons, it behooves a government to have an expert on its own payroll.  Olander Wideblade is the current Crown Inspector, and he likes to think he does well enough at his job.  From the nervous looks he tends to garner when he goes about his duties, he gathers everyone else would agree.

Usually, he will simply run independent inspections of the dungeons local to the capital, like the Royal Cemetery.  It's a strange dungeon and a quick delve.  The Capital Sewers is a much less pleasant delve, despite how jovial its Voice is.  A sewer can only do so much to make a delve pleasant.

Occasionally, though, he is tasked to investigate other dungeons around the nation.  He's even been requested to go on diplomatic inspections in Holdhome and the Principalities, to offer a second opinion on odd situations.  But now he must investigate an odd situation in his homeland.

He wears his full regalia as he strides the streets, his armor bright and unblemished, his glaive on his back with his signature wide blade sticking over his shoulder.  The Royal Insignia stands proudly on his chest and the base of the blade, a final warning to the foolish that Olander is not someone to mess with.

Despite his fearsome equipment, his elven face holds a friendly smile.  He's looking forward to this investigation, and having the King himself backing it only makes him more eager to get to it.  None bar his path as he enters the Dungeoneer's Guildhouse, though the receptionist troll looks like he may need a change of pants after this.

"Oh!  Uh... w-welcome, Crown Inspector!  H-How can I help you?"

Olander decides to skip the small talk and tries to have mercy on the troll by making their interaction brief.  "Would you please let the archives know I'm coming?  I need to investigate a new dungeon from the north."

"Yes sir!  Uh, do you need a... guide?" he asks, realizing too late the elf before him must know the route.  Olander has mercy and just smiles a little more as he shakes his head.

"No, but thank you."

"Uh, v-very good, sir.  I'll let them know you're coming."  The troll trails off a bit, still fighting his embarrassment, but starts scribbling a sending note to the archives.  The elf nods and makes his exit, making a mental note to compliment the troll's professionalism.  He's had receptionists literally faint at seeing him.  A few verbal stumbles is nothing.

It doesn't take him long to get to the archives, where a stern matron of an elf greets him with a focused stare.  Even with his training, he has to fight flinching under that look, and soon it softens and she speaks.

"You're here about Fourdock," she states, not questions, and Olander nods.

"Yes Ma'am.  The dungeon, obviously, not the town."

She smirks at him and motions for him to follow her through a door, and past a legion of scribes plying their trade.  "Obviously.  You are also out of the loop.  The dungeon has a name: Thedeim."

That earns a raised eyebrow from the Crown Inspector.  "A name?  Already?  Who gave it to it?"

The Chief Archivist smirks as she opens the door to her office.  "It did.  It named itself, approximately three months after discovery."

Olander stops and stares at her as she enters her office, before hurriedly following and closing the door behind him.  "Naming itself at only three months old?  That's impossible."

"Isn't it wonderful?" she replies, her excitement fully at odds with his growing dread and confusion.

"Wonderful?  Since when do you think lying on your official forms is wonderful?"

"Because it's not a lie!  I did not say it was three months old, nor did the report.  The report said approximately three months since discovery.  Inspector Tarl is one of the few whom I think could succeed you, once your tenure as Crown Inspector is finished.  He just needs some more levels, possibly some more varied delving experience.  His choice of wording was no accident."

Olander frowns at that, his mind turning over what she's saying about the dungeon's age.  "Since discovery... you think it's been there for a while?  If this Tarl is so skilled, how did he miss it."

"As I see it, there are two options.  The first will be the official opinion of the Guild, because it is the most likely: Thedeim was Cloistered.  Inspector Tarl failed to notice it earlier because of several mitigating circumstances, including, but not limited to the loss of his mentor to a toybox turning extremely belligerent, and an active murderous dungeon nearby.  Dungeon Thedeim likely stayed unnoticed by the inspector and the other two dungeons for a decade or more, probably helped by its Fate affinity."

The Crown Inspector's frown turns thoughtful at the news.  That kind of confluence of coincidences is exactly the kind of thing Fate dungeons get mixed up in.  But he knows the archivist isn't finished.  "And the second option, that I assume is your own opinion?"

She laughs at that.  "I don't think I'd even go that far, but it is an intriguing possibility.  It's outlandish, but nothing in the reports contradicts the conclusion, and much of it arguably supports the idea."  She pauses, hoping to goad Olander into asking, but he declines to give her the satisfaction.  It also helps he knows she won't be able to resist spilling the idea quickly.

"I think it's Lost."

Olander's eyebrows shoot up in alarm, before quickly furrowing in confusion.  "Lost?  How?  It's in the middle of a town!"

"Which is what makes it so intriguing!  It would have had to traveled to get there, but Dungeon Menagerie of the Principalities has shown that traveling dungeons are theoretically possible!"

He finds it difficult to not let his imagination run away with that idea, especially with how excited she looks, but he manages to try to be the voice of reason.  "What makes you think it's Lost instead of Cloistered?"

The archivist deflates a bit.  "There's... little direct evidence, but its growth rate, and scion growth rate especially, indicate more than just the unorthodox methods of a Cloistered.  It could just be its Fate affinity, but something doesn't add up.  Unfortunately, I have too many variables and not enough equations to solve them."  Her grin returns as she stares at him, and Olander soon sighs.

"Give me everything you have on Dungeon Thedeim, and I'll do an independent inspection of it once the roads clear in the spring."  He knows she's just trying to play him to get what she wants, but he wants that information, too.  Besides, doing it this way will get him a quest that mirrors what the King wants.  The only thing better than completing a quest is being able to complete two quests with the same goal.

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Inspired by Kebbitevoke, who wanted to see a follow-up to the king asking for information on Thedeim.