Khenal
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Chapter Three-Hundred Thirty-Two
🕑 Added 2025-02-11 03:00:24 +0000 UTC___________________________________________
Earl Paulte Heindarl Bulifinor Magnamtir if'Gofnar
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What had at first seemed like it was going to practically be a vacation is quickly spiraling into a challenge. He hasn’t even laid eyes on Fourdock in decades, and yet news of the town has him sailing in an emotional hurricane, his vessel riding waves high only to sink low and threaten to capsize, often in the course of a single update!
While he had been keeping half an ear to the doings of Fourdock, he admits to only himself that he could have paid more attention. He sent little Rezlar there precisely because it’s such a quiet, unimportant, out of the way place. The lad simply doesn’t have the stomach nor will for proper politics, despite his head for numbers. Sending him to a place like this, practically an exile, would be seen as a punishment by many, but Rezlar was more than happy to get away from the games of the nobility.
How was he supposed to know something like this dungeon Thedeim would hit the town? Some people insist the town is cursed when it comes to dungeons, and sometimes the Earl wonders. A strong belligerent shuts down the harbor, and a true murderous dungeon springs up in the cemetery. He sometimes wonders if the disaster in the harbor was done deliberately by a rival, but they would have to be exceptionally subtle and patient if that’s the case. None of his other trade ventures ever had a setback like that, and he would say they were far more fragile than the shipping through Fourdock.
All that is to say Fourdock has a tradition of dungeons that make a greater impact than average. When his sources told him the murderous dungeon was subsumed, it barely qualified as trivia in his mind. A young dungeon got lucky, perhaps the town will become even more quiet and boring.
Then the harbor was vassalized and reopened. Even more, the young dungeon protected the town. Others might be glad to see an altruistic dungeon, especially for Fourdock, but Paulte is no fool. He’s hardly an expert in dungeons, but a young upstart does not overcome an established power without someone pulling the strings. He refuses to believe a dungeon could get that lucky twice in such quick succession.
Combined with how its choices of nodes perfectly undermine his own efforts in herbalism and mining, he doesn’t like how these winds are blowing. Could someone have figured out a way to groom the dungeon to do exactly what they want, grow the nodes and the town, exactly in a way to undermine him? It seems outrageous, but there are simply too many coincidences for him to accept. Even the dungeon supposedly having the fate affinity feels just a little too convenient to him.
Someone is trying to cripple his ascension to Duke, but who? While his fellow Earls would of course love to slash his sails, he doubts any of them have the resources for something like this. He questions if even the Crown would have the resources for something like this! Or, to be more precise, the Crown would likely attack his more tenuous deals and topple them without needing to invest the kind of energy it would take to set up something like this dungeon Thedeim.
The only group he can think of who even might try something like this would be the Dungeoneers, but they don’t stand to gain much by snubbing him. Perhaps he personally insulted someone high up in the organization? While not impossible, he has very few dealings with them. He can’t recall anything that would have given them cause to personally attack his interests.
And even if they were attacking his interests, they’re doing a poor job of it. He might not have any shell companies to claim ownership of the goods extracted from that dungeon, but Fourdock is prospering because of it, and in turn, so is he. It doesn't hold a candle to his Port Gofnar right now, but the glory days of Fourdock were lucrative indeed. And if he wants to get even more money, he needs to get his fingers into the pie that is Thedeim.
Sponsoring an Adventurer’s Guild is a common thing for the nobility to do. Dungeons can be very lucrative, and some adventurers are more mercenary than actual mercenaries! Give them a bit of coin and point them at a dungeon, and they’ll bring you back ten percent, and thank you for the privilege! And though it may be a bit uncouth to muscle in on the territory of an established guild, competition is a vital part of adventuring. If a few rival parties vanish inside the dungeon, that’s just the cost of delving, sometimes.
He doesn’t doubt a tactic like that will work with Thedeim, either. The ridiculous claim that nobody has died inside is such blatant propaganda that he doesn’t know how they get away with spreading it. It just means those that die get quietly vanished, which suits his goals just fine. That party clearly didn’t die, they just left for greener pastures in some other dungeon. He wonders how many times he’ll have to give that excuse before the local guild gets the hint and agrees to merge.
He idly looks out the window to his carriage, spotting a few of the adventurers playing guardsmen for him as he travels. The Calm Seas Guild has a good ring to it, and though Jondar Helmsplitter is the official guild leader, that didn’t stop the stout elf from letting Earl Paulte pay for the charter. Still, it keeps the power balance between them clear: the Earl is in charge. Jondar is shrewd enough to understand who he gets his gold from, otherwise Paulte wouldn’t have chosen him for this.
It will take some time to overtake the dungeon, but Paulte doesn’t see that being much of an issue. Miners and herbalists don’t care who they sell to, though the smiths and alchemists that gather their own materials will certainly complain about having to sell instead of use what they’ve gathered. Such heavy-handed regulation would usually be frowned upon by the local mayor, but little Rezlar won’t dare to resist him.
Just a few words, maybe a disappointed glance or two, and he’ll cave, letting his father do what’s best. He probably won’t even put up a fight if he uses the lad as a target for the displeasure of the commoners. The lad’s butler is skilled enough to keep him out of any harm.
He frowns at that thought. He still doesn’t know how his late wife managed to secure a contract with someone like Miller. Even with all his contacts, he can’t find anything concrete indicating he’s anything more than a simple butler. But he’s not foolish enough to believe that for a moment. Even his own Head Maid refuses to meddle in his affairs, which is all the confirmation he needs. He doesn’t need to know Miller’s exact skill to know he doesn’t wish to upset the elf. Could he be the one behind the dungeon’s actions?
He could easily have the motivation. There is no love lost between the two of them, but would he dare to do something like this? The more he thinks, the more he suspects. If Miller somehow has the ear of the dungeon, he could prop up Rezlar while also thwarting the Earl’s own plans. Ridiculous as it sounds… if there’s anyone who could accomplish something like that, it’d be someone like Miller.
That will be a difficult obstacle to overcome. Removing someone as strong as he suspects Miller is… will cost more than money. The assassin’s guild will demand a favor if they even accept at all. He suppresses a shudder at the idea. Working with assassins is simple enough, but he’s abused the promise of a favor enough to not want to give anyone that kind of power over him.
Still, it’s hardly more than a guess on his part that Miller is behind the dungeon somehow. He can wait to get more information before deciding how to act. He looks out from his carriage once more, enjoying the view as he relaxes. Fourdock has plenty of room to expand into, both along and away from the coast. He idly imagines a sprawling city until Fourdock finally comes into view. He should commission a painting of this vista as a memento of Fourdock before it flourishes.
Such idle thoughts are brought to a halt along with his carriage, the sudden stop earning a frown before he speaks up. “Why have we stopped?” he demands before he feels it. He doesn’t have the raw power of an adventurer of his level, but he can still sense the eb and flow of mana. And right now, there is a swirling whirlpool over Fourdock!
He leans out of his carriage as he peers at the immense energy, his guards looking nervous. He can’t fathom what’s happening, wondering if the town is somehow under attack, before he finally understands why it feels familiar. When a dungeon expands its borders, mana is used to transform the area into whatever it is that lets dungeons exist. He’s seen a few expansions before… but nothing like this. Even at this distance, he feels he should be holding his hat so it doesn’t fly off, even though an expansion rarely has that sort of physical effect. Expansions are usually rather subtle in their changes.
Usually.
This one, it seems, is not going to be so. Beyond Fourdock, he can see a tree sprouting from the forest, the mana forcing it to grow far beyond what is natural or even possible! And yet it grows, thick twisting branches, long hanging leaves, and a distant rumble as roots force their way through the ground. He has the composure to keep his mouth shut, though many of his guards do not, as the tree grows and grows, until finally stopping at close to a mile in height!
His mind races to explain what he just saw, before a thump from atop his carriage draws his attention. A raven is sitting there, not exactly an auspicious omen, and sets down a small scroll. It caws at him before taking off, leaving the scroll behind. He takes it, forcing his hand to be steady, and examines it for any magic or potential traps.
“Resume moving,” he orders before he sits down, pondering the message. He could throw it out, but that would probably be a very bad idea. He’s pretty sure it’s not from The Raven, but it’s still a big risk to ignore something delivered by the deity’s lesser kin. The scroll has a small seal of orange wax on it, depicting a circle with intricate swirls, which makes him even more suspicious of who the owner could be. He’s never seen that seal before. What rabble is trying to claim to have a seal to make themselves feel more important.
Well, there’s a simple way to find out. A small dagger breaks the seal and he reads the message. Though short and friendly, it makes his blood run cold. There is much more going on than he could have suspected.
Welcome to Fourdock.
Thedeim
Comments
Ben Bass
TYFTC! Now that is a great way to get in the Earl’s head! Wait until he is at just the perfect spot, kick off the expansion and then send him a welcome note. First blood to Thedeim!
Wolf_Senpai
Ohh lordy that made me do a full belly chuckle *Giant tree pops up in the distance* ~Welcome to fourdock, Thedeim. That is such a delightfully earth shattering flex i cant stop giggling
Jerry A
Magic, or doing it real slow so they can acclimatise themselves, with the Magic around, I got no idea how tough the delvers are compared to regular humans, it is not a beginner location after all.
Jerry A
Wonderful chapter end, leaves s so much open, and says so much at the same time, I simply love it
AssumedPseudonym
The raven was almost certainly just a regular spawn. Kind of a backhanded way for Thedeim to tell Paulte, “Hi. I know you’re here. You’re worth my attention. You’re not worth sending a scion to greet you.”
Aaron Mcmaster
With the tree an entire mile high, altitude sickness is going to be an issue for delvers. It'll be interesting to see how they deal with such environmental challenges. Are there potions for that? Or do they still need to acclimate?
Ayyyy_Korn
I was thinking it be kool if Teemo had to explain TDMs name to the earl, and he got the title The Dungeon Master
Ayyyy_Korn
That is so cold.
Duncan Fang
Welcome to germania
Cristel GREEAN
Sitting alone in a dark room laughing evilly. This is fantastic and can only get better.
Jacob
Another thing to consider is that this tree would Very much likely be taller than any of the surrounding mountaintops. Costal mountain ranges rarely ever hit more than 2 or 3 thousand feet. Even in the extremely mountainous regions of southern Alaska the highest peaks rarely reach heights of more than 7000 feet(near the coast at least, Denali IS down there and it's an exception)
Jacob
Now a Titan like that is kinda absurd, but that's why magic rocks, and I am HERE for it.
Magnadra
Yeah, I often forget how big the dungeon is or how many denizenz he has
Elmithian
He's adaptive, that's for sure.
Markell
Earl: “Why is he staring at me like that? So menacingly?!” Thediem: : )
Jacob
Ok so let's do some math here. Imma use a normal tree at about 20 ft tall. A deciduous tree hits around 4000 lbs at that size. Now scale it up 250 times for a nice reasonable 5000 feet. A tree that size would weigh more than 62 BILLION pounds. (Square cube law is a bitch.) The diameter would Easily be in the realm of A FOOTBALL FIELD.
Lord-Siver
seems like il gofnar didn't get the memo that TheDM is a god now.
architectural engineer
i need more perspectives on the expansion! I really hope we get some more!
mly85lc
Staples01. have point, a big bird like Poe wouldn't have gone unnoticed by adventurers in highten tension. ....well unless foxs where playing trick.
mly85lc
Nah... he is scheming, and have flexiable morals for his goals but us not pridefull fool. At least that vibes I get.
mly85lc
Maybe they could wake on graveyard or theyry could form funeral wake and bring thous mean and woman's front of Earl
mly85lc
Oh that's be metal.. Wonder if Groundsreaper can... make people to do little deaht Journeys? Like recipiant is for all outer seeing death.. but wakes up after wards.. having eighter walk to beyond or great darkness or meet the Raven.
MattUDFells
Nah, not quite yet. After he sees how many scion he has, maybe. When he learns he's a God, most definitely
Roope
Besides, I'm fairly sure if his parties try to kill anyone, they'll have the honor to get an apointment with the groundsreaper ;)
LinaBoeckwurm
Oh my dear Earl, you have no idea what you're in for. This is going to be a joy (and a struggle, I will not underestimate the Earl despite how outplayed he was in this chapter). I am HOOKED for this new arc, really looking forward to this, especially since this arc will have loads of opportunities for daily life updates mixes with big events. I love those!
LinaBoeckwurm
Nah, if he's going to keep using the seal, it needs to be more than a single aspect of the dungeon. The tree is going to be awesome, but it's only one part of his area. I like the circle being a subtle nod to his core. This feels more all inclusive, and just one (admittedly really cool) part of his terrain.
Tsume Eiranis
Oh how the turns have tabled. Also the Earl is a real piece of work, judging by his scheeming
Aerowarrier
Dude he’s gonna try to stomp Teemo, and the board is gonna break as he steps down, then the entire floor will give out and he’ll land in the spider lair in the basement xD
Aerowarrier
The monsters and scions won’t let it ever get that close. We’ve had a party try something like that before, and TheDiem created a whole new attraction to punish them. Imagine how that’ll go with people who are actively trying to kill other Delvers. Plus, I’d be surprised if the other parties could even win honestly. It’s not worth it to kill the weaker parties, they’d be going after groups like Freddie and Rhonda, or the bird girls friends. And I’d be very surprised if anyone who would accept a contract like that would actually be able to beat them
Aerowarrier
Oh this’ll be a FUN new arc for Dungeon Life :3
ColdBlooded Network
Well. I foresee some Unique challenges ahead. For both. I also wish To see the dungeons play with this man's life In a game of hot potato. As him being a living grenade. And whichever dungeon wins gets the hand him over to the kingdom for crimes.
x4x0000
"Well," Aranya said to Earl Paulte Heindarl Bulifinor Magnamtir if'Gofnar. "I was lamenting the lack of shade to Lord Thedium, as my people are used to the depths and the sun dries out my scales. And so Lord Thedium turned to the nearby forest and said, 'Let there be tree!' And then there was tree, and shade was abundant. Then, Lord Thedium placed all four seasons around the tree, just so I could enjoy any time of year under the shade of the tree." Earl Paulte Heindarl Bulifinor Magnamtir if'Gofnar promptly leaves.
Altaan
I dont know what i want to read more now... the earl getting a smack down of the inspection report of the new MILE high tree?
Patrick Ferguson
And then he said "Let there be tree!!"
Jonathan
Any one else mad that the Duke's plan is threatening Thediem's streak?
Typhoonator
Hehehehe
Speedsaber
Welcome to my lair, says the spider to the fly.
Staples01
I think it was just one of his regular crow spawns.
Butternut
Teehee what a start to the action! Excited for the next arc 😁
Herakilla
Thanks for the chapter! I love having an antagonist that's so easy to hate. The feeling when you know they are about to get absolutely stunned makes it even sweeter!
Ethan Barrow
TFTC!! That is one HECK of a way to do an opening welcome for someone. I can't wait to see more!
Roope
I have a feeling that the duke will fail the "rat scion as a voice?" test quite badly...
whomp whomp
Idk if that would count as a title the same way the scions have titles
jeffh4
You know what would have been an even bigger power move? Theidem’s wax seal showing a now-recognizable large tree.
Juno Tubolino
Thediem does a little trolling :) But fr I love how cheecky the sealed letter is, sass them to oblivion Thediem
Zachary Hanson
I have to say, you are a MASTER at making a properly hateable antagonist. I can practically TASTE the satisfaction of him getting floored by thediem.
Austin Miller
To know not only that the Earl is coming, to know when he is coming, by which road at which time and which carriage is his. Before he ever reaches town. The town that is well outside the domain of the dungeon already. Just to say hello. Then to pick a fight with said dungeon by threatening to "remove" some of his favorite people? Homie, I know you only said it in your own head, but you better apologize.
druidofthewolf
He does have a title" the god of change" and if making a world tree is not considered a Devine miracle of change aka embracing that title. im not sure what would be considered that. does the change need to be bigger?
Elain C. Moria
@khenal Just a small note here... "but he can still sense the >> eb << and flow of mana." Ebb is spelled with two B's or in Thedeim's case.. two Bees...
Elain C. Moria
Insert MOAT joke here (MOAT = Mother Of All Trees). Kind of like a Moab... just w/o any destruction.
Elain C. Moria
Pretty sure a certain Earl needs a clean set of britches right about now.
jeffh4
First of all, I love the entirely new perspective provided by the Earl. This story keeps introducing fascinating characters. Was the delivery raven Poe? If so, I would have expected him to be described as large in size and recognizable as a titled scion. One correction: It will take some time to overtake the dungeon, “Overtake” means surpass “Take over” means gain control
chris Bell
Lol pistol thedeim made a mile tall tree that's wasn't a pistol that's was putting a nuke on the table and saying press the button I dare you
Stickboy172
Can't wait till he finds out Thedeim is a god.
Daniel
“Do you want to play a game?” Says Thedeim to Earl Paulte Heindarl Bulifinor Magnamtir if'Gofnar
King Jerkera
I do not think he has titles but a simple title of the dungeon of change would hit so hard right now.
Rick Delallata
Thus the World Tree has been born, and tho young it has the potential for greatness (whole spin off about the World Tree and its guardians)
Patrick McIntire
not that we know of
Stickboy172
The arrogant always belittle the intel as impossible.... they tend to lose badly...
Matthew Frasier
YYEEESSSSSS!!!!! get him on the back foot and keep him there!!
Durphymcbob
Thanks for the Chapter! Ohohohoho! Well well well, this arc is starting up
Anthony Felscher
LMFAO! THAT will definitely make him step lightly.
whomp whomp
Question for those who can remember lore better than I. Does Thedeim have Titles and is so has he ever embrassed them like how his scions have? I recall that being something that happened but can't quite recall
whomp whomp
Bro, what a power move.
Jacob
Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe. And so it begins. . .
Mommy Khaos
Thedeim just did the equivalent of slamming a loaded pistol down on the dining room table
Ben Riker
Let The Games Begin.
Patrick McIntire
oh my thediem
ColdBlooded Network
I HAVE BEEN SUMMONED!!!
