Peek: Answers to Questions

Before I get started, I just want to take a quick moment to thank you all for reading and helping support me.  When I first started writing Dungeon Life, I wasn't even sure I'd post it anywhere.  Seeing the response has been almost overwhelming, and I hope to continue to tell the story until it's done.  Now, on to the questions.

Michael Schiff asks is all spawners have sentient things at the end, and what they all are.  Yes, they do, but I'm not going to list them all, because that is a lot.  However, not all spawners have actually reached that point and made thinking dwellers.

Shiloh Gallaher asks if dungeons die of old age.  They do not, though it's still rare to see one live over a century.  There is a lot of fighting in a dungeon's life, and strong foes can capitalize on a lucky situation.

Deathwatcher asks if dungeons can start businesses.  They can, but none have.  Maye businesses spring up because of dungeons, but very few dungeons can grasp the concept that the coins the delvers loot can actually be traded for things.

Shadow asks if dungeons can have more than one Voice.  No, a Voice is a singular upgrade, and each dungeon can only have one.

Maestro has two questions: How common are thinking undead, and do people fight over particularly-generous dungeons?  Thinking undead are limited to scions... or at least were.  Yvonne's condition is something paranoid zealots could only trade tales of, and is partially why people were concerned, and also why those in the know aren't spreading the information too far.  As for fighting over dungeons: it certainly does happen.  People will fight over any resource.  Fourdock is pretty safe from this by the simple virtue of where it's located.

Douglas Lee asks about languages and if they started in dungeons.  Yes, they did.  The first spoken language was what Voices speak.  From there, ancient dwellers would mimic it for their own languages, and it would drift further when they would leave to forge their own futures.

Robinn57 asks about chest and how they work.  Chests can be manually placed, much like a node, or they will form naturally in places of high mana usage, often around bosses or other difficult challenges.  It could be said to be a bit of dungeon biology.  A worked muscle grows stronger to help exert more force, and an area that encourages mana use from delvers will grow and strengthen a chest to encourage more mana use.

Henry Moyers asks if we'll ever see skelecopters.  I mean... probably not?

Maestro also asks what is the normal distribution for dungeons in a town.  Most town will have several around, though they rarely get to be the size of Thedeim.  Three or so is the average, but some towns will have more smaller dungeons, and some will have a single large dungeon.

Geoff Urland asks who can give quests?  Technically, anyone can give a quest.  It's a matter of wanting something and offering a reward, and spending some mana.  Most of the races are unaware of spending their mana to make a quest, but a few who research that kind of thing understand it.

Raufgar asks how people see levels/stats/skills/etc.  For most people, it's simply an innate feeling.  If someone "sees" a strange title or other mechanical thing, it's more that they're feeling than seeing.  Thedeim and other dungeons actually do get to have menus and windows.  Not everything is plainly stated, for either form of sensing.  People will effectively be fumbling in the dark to try to get more than basic details, while dungeons will have to try to navigate complex menus, sub-menus, etc to try to get more information.  And if someone wishes information to be hidden, it becomes a contest of wills for someone wanting to see more.  It's also considered very rude to try to dig.

And... I think that will about do for the first Q&A!  If your question wasn't answered, it may be one I'm saving for a deeper peek, or I feel it's already been answered.  Or I may have missed it.  Keep those questions and suggestions coming, and don't be afraid to repeat yourself if you think I've managed to miss what you have to say.  Thank you all again for reading and for your support!