Danica Explains - Dungeons

Ok, so the headmaster says in order to keep my cushy research position, I have to teach a class every so often, so welcome to Dungeon School orientation. Let's keep this brief, as I really want to get back to work. Cursed weapons don't curse themselves after all.

I guess I'll introduce myself. My name is Danica. You don't need to know my last name. I am one of the Dungeon researchers for Dungeon School, and am considered the top of my field in the study of enchantment and analysis of dungeon traps and treasures. My credentials are unimpeachable, and no, you don't need to see them.

So, Dungeons. I would sure hope you all know what a dungeon is, if you're enrolled in dungeon school, but then I've seen adventurers have no idea that fire is hot, so I shouldn't expect too much.

Anyway! Dungeons!

A dungeon is, simply put, a warped space caused by a stagnation of ambient magical energy in an enclosed, typically subterranean, area. Basements, ruins, abandoned buildings, and so on make excellent locations for the formation of dungeons. They often are bigger than the space that holds them, which can make navigation tricky, as any previous maps of an area are now void. However, other than when they grow, they remain largely static.

Areas that have also seen a lot of death, be it from monsters, battlefields, and the like, are also more likely to form dungeons. Necrotizing bodies often accelerate the formation, though the reason for this is as yet unknown.

This stagnant mana will hit a critical mass and form into a core. As it absorbs mana, it grows, and as it grows, the space around it warps more and more, growing tunnels and rooms. It also begins producing a viscous fluid that can form monsters. A dungeon core can direct this fluid through channels under its floors and walls. It can then discharge it through as yet undetermined mechanisms to create traps, monsters, and treasures.

As for monsters inside dungeons, it isn't terribly well understood how a dungeon decides what monsters to use. There are theories that its based on what creatures had died near the dungeon's formation point, but that is not 100% true in all cases. Some monsters are intelligent and have the ability to speak, though this is another mystery. What is known is that all monsters, when slain, will revert to dungeon fluids and return through the same channels they were extruded from. In some rare cases, a monster will drop what is called a Crypt Stone, which is crystallized Dungeon mana.

What's Dungeon mana? I'll get to that, hold your Ptarms, you little so and so!

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Now! Traps! The biggest concern for a dungeoneer! Traps are vastly varied, and unlike monsters, leave mechanism parts behind which can be harvested. I could list all the kinds of traps, but we'd be here all day, and I don't have the time nor inclination to be here longer than necessary.

Treasures also stick around, but again, that's a subject for another day.

Getting to the good stuff! Dungeon Cores! A dungeon core usually looks like a shimmering ball of green stuff in the central point of a dungeon. All the traps, monsters, and such like are there to keep people from reaching it. It looks like its made out a fluid, almost like a rippling pond floating in air, but it is very solid.

As it grows, small tendrils will grow off it, and usually this means the corridors likewise will be expanding. After the tendrils stabilize, the core likewise grows, until its a sphere again. Part of your job as dungeoneers is to go into dungeons and prune the tendrils before the space warps, causing the dungeon to grow.

Now, you're probably wondering, why bother? If a dungeon is within a warped space that doesn't adhere to normal dimensions, why prune it? That, my dear wet behind the ears dungeoneers, is because sometimes, they don't stay contained within their original space. Why does this happen, you ask? One of the myriad mysteries researchers like myself are looking into.

Sometimes, if a dungeon is young enough, you have to destroy the core. This really only works when they're small, and even then its a tricky process as it floods the nearby area with dungeon mana, which I swear I'm getting to. The larger the core, the larger the risk of a Chaos Dragon event occurring when it breaks. Chaos Dragons are something we'll get into later.

Now. Dungeon Mana. You've all no doubt heard that dungeon mana is some weird stuff. The fluid the dungeon produces to make stuff with is almost pure dungeon mana. The stuff is in the very air there, and it soaks into everything. When a spell caster draws in outside mana to power their magic, the dungeon mana replaces it. These lead to all kinds of negative effects, and if left too long, can kill a person. We're working on countermeasures, but the technology is very new. That said, we've developed a wonderful alchemical bath mixture that leeches the stuff right out of you and neutralizes it. But this stuff only works away from dungeons.

Now I'm sure you've noticed how many of my explanations are vague or incomplete. There is a reason for that. Dungeons have existed for centuries, but no matter what we do, there are things we can't seem to figure out. What causes mana stagnation? What is the point at which is turns into a core? How does a core make liquid dungeon mana? How does it decide what monsters, traps, and treasure to make? Why does it even bother making treasure? How does it guide monsters? Why do some dungeons stay within a contained space and expand seemingly into their own personal reality, while others grow in the regular world? Why does dungeon fluid become utterly inert when you remove it?

For everything we learn about Dungeons, there are more things we don't know. Which is why people like me research them so much, so little dungeon crawlers like you lot have a better chance of surviving, so you can keep the things from going absolutely mad.

Now I'm sure all of you have a million questions, but I'm paid to lecture and my mandatory time is up for the day, so I'm out of here. Next week we'll talk about monsters, I guess, or whatever strikes my fancy. Now get out of here. Shoo! Shoo!

I got a hot coffee and a pastry with my name on it.