Interlude Powers in Motion (Patreon)

The figure slipped into the room. Several men were in the midst of a heated argument. Thrust into the middle of it, he found it hard to follow. Much less figure out what they were so alarmed over.

Sighing, he took his seat and waited for a bit. Oftentimes he wondered what kept the council working. None of the other high priests were what he would call remotely competent. He was especially irked by how the territories to the north were falling apart. The loss of trade with the elves was mostly responsible for that, and it was these idiot’s fault. Their little slave operations weren’t properly kept under the radar and the Elves closed their borders. Increasing patrols and interceptions were par for the course. It wasn’t uncommon for skirmishes to occur. Still he knew a few successful raids for slaves did occur each year in the Bluewood. It helped that the Bluewood had other concerns to deal with. Stormwind wasn’t so easy a target, it was rare for any success that far north. They had much more luck getting slaves from the south. The Retha wildlands were filled with inferior beastkin and it was quite profitable to hunt for slaves there. As long as you avoided certain areas that is. There was an area down that way that was protected by the evil Goddess Kyaria for example. Even the blessed had difficulty hunting there without her interfering.

Noticing a lull in the argument, he inquired, “So what is this all about?”

One of the priests leaned forward and sighed, “We received news of a new dungeon in the north.” he sighed, “Sadly the Elves moved before we could. A town is already forming there and they selected Phillip Greybeard as the Guildmaster for the local adventurer’s guild.”

He blinked, “A dungeon to the north? Where exactly?”

“Right smack in the middle of the Borderlands. If we had been able to move first...” the priest left the statement hanging, but he understood the implications. Among other things it would have both revitalized the northern trading towns and given them secure control over an important region. In addition it would also finally solve that age old dispute over the region.

Then there was the bit about Greybeard. The family was a known quantity. Phillip was fairly powerful and not easy to mess with. Not only that, but his reputation in the five kingdoms made it hard to make any direct moves against him. It was a shame, but the elves putting him in the role had blocked them. The other kingdoms would be quick to approve him and there was little they could do to stop that. Leaving them with fewer options to control the territory. Phillip certainly had no loyalties to them and they had little influence over him. Not only that but he was popular so he would be hard to dislodge.

He sighed, “Well if we can’t evict the guild, we will just have to increase our influence over the dungeon itself. Send a team to investigate the dungeon. Determine its value and see if they can’t take control of it. Presumably it’s still young, so it shouldn’t be able to put up too much of a fight.”

Their faces lit up and soon they were discussing the merits. It wasn’t the first time they had taken direct control of a dungeon. Enslaving a dungeon was no easy task, and older dungeons could resist quite fiercely. Of course, they could always destroy the dungeon. Given its location that would be a shame, but as long as it wasn’t too valuable it would not be a big loss.

Zemoria circled the area. She had been tracking the trail of her wayward priestess. One who had apparently found a new god. That irked her, but it would change little. Just make forcing her back into line more interesting.

So far she hadn’t found her... yet. It was only a matter of time. The trail was growing warmer, she knew it. Speaking of the trail, following it had brought her to the Borderlands. A place she normally wouldn’t have paid much attention to, but now she was noting a high number of female animals and monsters. More than she would have expected. Not only that, but the mana was growing stronger than usual. Likely meaning a dungeon was here. Lust oriented if the smell of the mana was anything to go by.

One thing she knew about dungeons was that they always attracted swarms of mortals. So she had started to look around. That was what brought her to this area. Now she was surveying a young settlement, so new that most of its residents lived in tents. There was a lack of developed farmland and only a handful of buildings. A few parties of adventurers were moving around, while elsewhere workers were clearing land. Building houses and shops.

She smiled to herself. This place might be interesting. She noted it down. Making a mental note to come back later for a proper investigation. Zemoria still had a priestess to find and that errant girl wasn’t here. With that in mind, she left to go resume her tracking. Not realizing how close she really was to the girl she was looking for.