Khenal

Peek: The Wild Blue Yonder

Just a few short months ago, Yendo would have never dreamed of getting to see something like this. But here he is, overlooking the dropoff into the deep blue, steeling his nerves to go further.

His nerves would be in better shape if his son and his friends weren't stirring up the sediment in their eagerness to go out with him. He sighs and grips his trident before turning to address them all. The tides will keep flowing, no matter how much he wishes they would pause. Delaying won't help...

Chapter Three-Hundred Thirteen

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Zorro

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Being a scion is a lot to get used to.  He’s still trying to adjust, not only to the increase in intelligence, but also to how differently Thedeim runs things.  Take the meeting, for example.

The Southwood would never have a meeting like this of his scions… not that he had enough to even allow for a meeting until very recently.  He would command it, and it’d be done as he commanded.

With Thede...

Chapter Three-Hundred Twelve

The way Olander holds the protection belt reminds me of a few little facts, and a few options I have, too.  Teemo nods at the budding idea and speaks up for me.

“So, are you sending that belt off to the king, too?  The Boss knows how nasty lifedrinking can be, but he doesn’t know how wide-spread it is.  Is it a big concern when delving elsewhere?”

Olander takes a few seconds to weigh the answer, with the others giving him time to think without their input, bef...

Peek: Earl if'Gofnar

Earl Paulte Heindarl Bulifinor Magnamtir if'Gofnar smiles from one of the balconies of his lavish estate as he watches the trades ships come in at the docks. He doesn't need to be there to inspect the cargo to know he'll be making a lot of money. The simple number of ships tells him all he needs to know.

And soon, his informants should deliver him what else he needs to know. For the most part, his plans have done well over the winter. On this side of the Gofnar, his children are running...

Chapter Three-Hundred Eleven

Quick note before the chapter: there won't be an update on Thursday. I'll be spending time with the family eating far too much good food together :P Now, on to the chapter!
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Rocky and I both need to pick our jaws up off the floor after that fight, though him more literally than me.  I don’t have mine anymore, and Rocky’s landed just out of his reach.  Once he gets it back on, it’s in danger of falling off again for how wide he’s smiling.&nbs...

Peek: Learning Damanascus

Hrunter can admit when he lets his passion get away from him. Running around the town yelling about mythril and orichalcum in just his forgeclothes was not his most dignified moment. If he was drunk, he might have had an excuse, but he was stone sober at the time.

Luckily, most of the town doesn't care too much, and his skill as a smith affords him a bit of eccentric leeway. People will tolerate a lot of weirdness if you have solid skill to offer. It's probably why eve...

Chapter Three-Hundred Ten

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Olander

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He hopes he can get his armor and glaive repaired after this.  They were both what he used before he got promoted, and he never imagined anything less than a Conduit would be able to damage them like Rocky has.  The armor damage is one thing.  It’s designed to break so he doesn’t, but snapping the haft on his glaive was truly shocking.

He chuckles as he stows away the two pieces of his old weapo...

Chapter Three-Hundred Nine

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Rocky

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The zombie fidgets in his corner as he looks across the ring at Olander.  From the elf’s own fidgeting, he might be more eager to get back out there than even Rocky!  He smiles around his mouthguard as the first round replays in his mind, savoring and analyzing every moment of the fight.

Olander is at a disadvantage if Rocky can get inside his reach, but his experience with that glaive gives him very few c...

Peek: Darkwater

Whew, we got the tents up just in time. These spring rains always remind me of a story Johul used to tell. Help me tend the fire, and I'll share.

Usually, it's bad form for a bard to tell someone else's story, but Johul isn't around anymore to tell it himself, and I'd hate to have this particular story die with him. Johul was even more well-traveled than me, which is saying something! Now, ports were a lot more open back then, but every time I say that, it feels more and more like a...

Chapter Three-Hundred Eight

Olander looks taken aback for a few moments before he smiles wide at the crowd and the reception.  Noise makers make it practically impossible for anyone to say or hear anything intelligible, but the energy of the arena is infectious.  Teemo points Berdol to the ringside seats before he directs Olander into a small side room.

They have to pass a lot of spectators to get there, with everyone loudly cheering for the coming spectacle.  Once inside the smaller room with the d...

Chapter Three-Hundred Seven

I leave Teemo in charge of the inspection, trusting my denizens to know how these things go by now.  I’ll check back in on them when they get to the forest, but for now, I turn my attention to the arena.  Rocky is doing a little last minute practicing with his affinities, but nothing especially strenuous.  No, what I’m here to watch is everyone else getting ready.

I’ve been treating this a lot like a big sporting event, and what’s a sporting event without souvenir...

Peek: A Spot of Tea

Olander sits in the busy patio of the Dungeonview Cafe, watching the people as he waits for Tula. Cobblebread definitely has the better location, with the main gate of the manor grounds right there, but the cafe isn't terrible. The wrought iron fence here doesn't have much greenery to disrupt watching delvers, and more than a few of the diners enjoy betting on if someone will make it through the hedge maze with their prizes.

While he often likes his tea chilled, he's of the opinion ther...

Chapter Three-Hundred Six

Thankfully, it doesn’t take Tula too long to wake back up, but she still seems pretty overwhelmed.  She doesn’t give an answer yet, but I think once she gets a chance to calm down, she’ll take Rhonda up on her offer.  They escort her out, which thanks to a Teemo shortcut means it’s only a couple minutes, and then they head for the lava labyrinth.

I shamelessly look over the map they have while they go.  I’ve been wondering if there’ll be people who speedrun th...

Chapter Three-Hundred Five

I keep watching as they delve, carefully picking what denizens to send their way.  If they were doing a more ordinary delve, I think they’d get overwhelmed.  Tula does her best, but there really is a significant gulf in her power compared to the others, and I don’t know that they’d be able to pick up the slack if I treated them like a larger party adventuring in the cavern layer.

Luckily for them, they’re headed for the enclave, so I make sure the denizens take it easy...

Peek: The Rumor Mill

If there's one thing that can pique an adventurer's curiosity more than treasure, it's a rumor. The Dungeoneer's Guild is solid proof of that, with adventurers eagerly paying good coin for solid information. They'll also pay decent coin for tenuous information, and while the Dungeoneers take pride in vetting what they sell, there are other information brokers who will offer lesser information for a discount, of course.

Martl is one such broker, a rabbitkin with a very rare combination o...

Important! Stubbing will happen Nov 17th!

With book three coming soon, I'll have to take down most of the chapters off the internet, and unfortunately that includes here. Kindle is very jealous of what it gets, and doesn't like sharing one bit. So please prepare as you see fit for most chapters up to 262 to vanish, and thank you all for your support. It's thanks to you guys that Kindle would be interested in getting my story in the first place :)

Khenal

Chapter Three-Hundred Four

Rhonda looks at Tula and Larrez with curious eyes, wondering why they look so shocked.  Freddie rescues them from saying it themselves, even if they probably only reinforces reality for them.  It kinda does for me, too.  It’s still weird to think about.

“Thedeim’s a god.”

Rhonda tilts her head in confusion.  “Hasn’t he been for a while?  Aranya and the enclaves have been worshiping him.”

The orc chuckles and shakes his head.  “Be...

Chapter Three-Hundred Three

While my enclaves are having a nice social gathering/party, the delvers are having their own kind of fun.  In fact, I notice a particular group has just arrived, and they have an extra friend along this time.  Rhonda, Freddie, and Larrez, along with Lucas and Fiona of course, are also leading along an elven girl probably about Larrez’s age who looks like a scribe who got lost.

It’s pretty apparent she knows she’s in a dungeon by the way she looks around even just the yar...

A Spooptastic Nudge!

It's that time of the year for a refreshed nudge! So let me know what you'd like to see in peeks! Maybe questions, or other ideas for little side stories, or if you'd like me to continue with others, like the shipwright's first delve! And of course, thank you all for your support. It really is difficult to comprehend how much you all have changed my life with your support. I hope I can keep making fun and interesting stories for many years to come :)

Thank you all, truly. 2024-10-28 00:53:31 +0000 UTC View Post

Peek: Campfire Stories

"On a dark and stormy night... just like- uh, Quartermaster? If you would?" Teemo pauses the start of his scary story, looking across the gathered scions in the Forest of Four seasons to the albatros scion of Hullbreak Harbor. The large white bird nods and flexes his affinity, creating a localized rainstorm with occasional lightning.

Teemo smiles before continuing. "Thanks! Anyway, on a dark and stormy night, just like this one, a group of friends sat around a campfire... not quite like...

Chapter Three-Hundred Two

It took a bit of convincing, but my nerd squad is finally willing to leave the topic of kaboom for later.  Thing, Honey, Queen, and Poppy are back to working on how to help with the tree now, and acting like it’s just a coincidence they’re looking into fertilizers.

Well, joke’s on them.  I don’t know much about what goes into making proper boom.  Honestly, I don’t think that part of Teemo’s explanation held too much water for them.  But the safety concern...

Chapter Three-Hundred One

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Rhonda

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The goblin’s mind races as she slowly eats the soup, and even the nice bread with it can’t distract her from her thoughts right now.  How does that new person know about her?  About her being an Ice Sage?  As far as even old Staiven knows, hers is a completely new class!

She’s seen how the church of the Shield has treated Freddie and his unique class: with friendly interest and a desire to help g...

Peek: Navigating the Gardens of Knowledge

While Tula would admit she doesn't have the most experience as a librarian, she's pretty sure the collection at the Slim Chance guild is a unique one. She's heard of grand libraries with shelves so grand they could fit an entire lifetime's worth of books, of sprawling complexes containing dozens of buildings, with gardens and forests and all sorts of wonderful peaceful places to read.

A library with a garden would probably attract bees, but certainly not like the ones here. At first, ...

Chapter Three-Hundred

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Freddie

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The young orc paladin hums a quiet hymn as he walks down the street with Rhonda, both of their minds more on the upcoming delve than in making conversation right now.  Of course, that doesn’t extend to Fiona and Lucas, and the two spiders constantly chitter at each other as they ride their masters.

Honestly, he prefers Fiona chatting with Lucas to constantly fussing over his shield.  She seems to have de...

Chapter Two-Hundred Ninety-Nine

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Rhonda

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The goblin girl scrutinizes her spell as she cycles it, ensuring every last detail is correct.  On the cluttered table nearby, her familiar, Lucas the jumping spider, stands ready with a bit of charcoal to take any notes she needs.  He watches the spell as well, interested in what his master has created.

Rhonda tries to slow the spell further, which has been the truly difficult part of studying it.  In...

Peek: Leaving the Woods

"I hope you two are sure about this," comments the Bear as he leads the two denizens to the border. Neither really is, but the prospect of something new makes them want to try anyway. They're both grateful for the Southwood, of course. He spawned them, after all. And yet, when it became obvious he would like to trade a couple denizens to the ally Thedeim, the fox and smaller bear found themselves drawn to volunteer.

It'd be a lie to say their decisions had nothing to do with how the bat...

Chapter Two-Hundred Ninety-Eight

The sun rises with Teemo and I still kinda chilling.  It’s kinda weird to think that I can’t see the sky unless I’m looking through the eyes of my scions, but Teemo’s cool enough to give me a good view of the sunrise.

Aranya and everyone are only a couple miles out right now.  They were tempted to push on to get here last night, but decided it’d be better to keep to the camp schedule and wake up fresh and have basically the full day to try to settle in, instead of tr...

Chapter Two-Hundred Ninety-Seven

With the return of everyone only a day away, things are busy as everyone tries to finish some last minute bit of prep to welcome them home.  As if this last week wasn’t already a busy one.

My enclaves are a flurry of activity, with every last dweller either preparing to welcome the kobolds in general, or welcome home Aranya in specific.  The ratkin have been digging out their area of the crypt complex, expanding their enclave to ensure there’s room not only for the kobolds...

Peek: What Lies Beyond

Emarlo looks at the log he chose to craft with, wondering if he should pick something better. Most of the others have already started with their projects, taking to Lord Thedeim's afterlife with gusto. He's certainly not complaining, but he's worried the project he's chosen isn't good enough.

Lord Thedeim suggested chairs, and though most have moved on to making the large community workshop, Emarlo feels drawn to making a chair. There really is a lack of good seats arou...

Chapter Two-Hundred Ninety-Six

Aranya and everyone should be getting to the Southwood soon, so I should make sure I’m ready to accept the trade once they’re there.  Poppy and Titania have been working hard on the sections of the forest I’ve purchased, and I think they’re about ready for me to purchase the rest.

I’ll hold off on expanding upward there just yet, though.  While Poppy is having some good success with a yew as a base with the willow growing like a vine, she seems convinced she’s clos...