It doesn’t take Teemo long to get to the new Sanctum where Aranya is helping direct people, but even in that short time, I’m tempted to play around with my new affinity/domain. It’s just so shiny and new! I wanna play with it!
But business before pleasure. If I don’t ask Aranya about the legend now, I’ll probably forget and get distracted by the newest thing, or have to deal with some problem that’s cropped up. No, I really do need to ask her about that legend now. I can play with gravity after.
Teemo pops into the new Sanctum, and I can feel him resisting the urge to laugh at how much I want to test out the new affinity. But this is official definitely-important dungeon/deity business, no time for silliness. Super serious time.
Aranya smiles as she spots Teemo, and the two move to a quiet corner of the Sanctum to talk. “I’d like to congratulate Lord Thediem on his new domain. I can feel how much he wants to test it, but instead, he’s coming to talk to me about something?” she begins, calling me out.
Teemo snorts at that and nods. “Yeah, he’s got a new thing to break stuff with, and even an official quest from Order to do it. But he also wants to hear another kobold legend, if you’re not too busy?”
“A legend?” echoes my High Priestess, looking thoughtful. “Did he want to hear any in particular? I think he liked the creation legend, but I didn’t think he enjoyed it so much he’d delay testing his new domain.”
“He needs to hear the legend of the Betrayer. Order said it was supposed to be fully sealed away, but now he thinks the Harbinger and its ilk were working for it,” explains my Voice, quickly draining Aranya of the usual levity.
“Oh my. That… that would be bad if it were to return. So Lord Thediem wants to know more about a new potential foe? It sounds like Order probably knows more than I do, but I can certainly share what I know.”
Teemo takes a seat, getting comfortable, while I focus on my High Priestess. She also takes a seat, her hand at her necklace, thumbing the orange orb there as she gathers her thoughts.
“And though almost all of the other sanctuaries reveled in the complex dance and music of life, one grew to hate it. It despised all the noise, the clutter, the chaos that comes with motion. It grew to desire the peace and quiet of the still, stagnant mana, though it didn’t know what to do about that.
“Its very existence sets mana to flowing properly, goading the stagnation to motion, and calming the rapids caused by intelligence. So, since it didn’t know what to do, it started studying the stagnation and its spawn. Other sanctuaries were curious, wondering why it would spend so much effort on that, but the Betrayer found it simple to trick them.
“‘I study them to better know how to defeat them,’ it lied. For it did not want to defeat the stagnation, but propagate it, emulate it, become it. What time it didn’t spend studying, it spent quietly planting seeds of discord among the sanctuaries. It knew that, even if it could start spreading stagnation, the other sanctuaries would oppose it. But if they are too busy with their own factions, perhaps it could stay beneath notice while its machinations could grind on.
“It whispered to the other sanctuaries that, what was the real difference between the delvers and the invaders? Both disturb mana. Should not both be dealt with harshly? The First dismissed the idea outright, and so too did its closest allies. But the sanctuaries further away were tempted. Stopping delvers also earned mana, often more, and sometimes much more than invaders. If a smooth flow is the proper state of mana, then shouldn’t the delvers be just as big an obstacle as the invaders?
“It didn’t matter that the delvers could trace their origins back to the sanctuaries, they were still disrupting the proper order! They were even giving their faith to other entities and beings, the young gods and goddesses of the world!” She pauses there, reflecting on the last point.
“You know, I never thought about how few gods worshiped today are mentioned in kobold legends. Laermali and Order are two, as are the Goldenwings, though a lot of that particular pantheon was apparently hatched well after all of this. I believe it’s the same with Laermali’s many children. The patriarch of the dwarven pantheon, Makkar, god of the forge, is also supposed to be from that time. I wonder if they have their own records of the time.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
I dunno. Order seemed to think the kobolds had the best accounting.
Teemo looks surprised at that. “Order says the kobolds have the best stories of the time. The other gods probably try not to talk about it, I guess. Probably hoping it won’t happen again if they don’t give anyone any ideas.”
Aranya taps her chin as she considers it. “Perhaps, but when someone does get the idea, the rest of the world is less equipped to handle it.”
Teemo nods my approval at her surmising. “Boss agrees. So, what happened next?”
“Ah, next. Let me see… right, trust between the sanctuaries was straining and cracking, and all the while, the Betrayer was studying. It seemed to find something, then bided its time for a chance to strike. And eventually, the opportunity presented itself. The First called a meeting of Voices within its own territory, hoping to address the growing tensions, and the Betrayer sent its Voice. Many other sanctuaries sent theirs as well, and though a different sanctuary had come to be the leader of the opposition to delvers, that simply allowed the Betrayer to blend into the crowd as just another dissatisfied sanctuary.
“Debates and arguments flew, but for the First, words were much better than attacks. It was certain they could all come to an agreement. If the Betrayer hadn’t struck, perhaps they could have. The Voice wasn’t all it sent to the meeting. While it was engaged with debate, a more subtle scion slunk toward the First’s core. We don’t know exactly what it was, but it somehow drained the First of its mana in only a matter of heartbeats. The kobold priests of the First shouted about an attack, but that was all they could do before the feedback of the First’s death claimed them as well.
“With the first suddenly gone, the sanctuaries attacked each other. Some out of fear they might be drained next, some to try to seize power, or for many other unknown reasons. Whatever the purpose, the talks descended into a slaughter, with the kobolds fleeing to try to find some place of safety, some place to figure out what happened.”
She shakes her head sadly. “The Betrayer was now open, and actively trying to drain the other sanctuaries, seeking to return everything to the silent stillness of stagnation. Sanctuaries turned the kobolds away, fearing we might somehow be spies or agents of the Betrayer. We heard rumors of the young gods fighting to stop it, until the system first spoke.
“System initiated. Dungeon autonomy restricted. Feedback enabled. It wasn’t the most comforting of things, especially to suddenly show up in everyone’s vision. The details are known only to Order, but after that message, the Betrayer seemed to vanish. At the same time, people started discovering classes. Affinities had been wielded before, but now there was a framework, guidance. The power balance had shifted. Where once the sanctuaries had been in control, now the delvers could more easily understand how to utilize mana.
“And, with the trust between sanctuaries shattered, none could grow strong enough to properly guide delvers again. If one grew too powerful, other sanctuaries would attack it, for fear of being subsumed themselves. If delvers ever had a problem sanctuary, all they had to do was stay out, and wait for a different sanctuary or invaders to destroy it. And so it has been, with delvers and sanctuaries seeing the other as dangers, rather than partners, while the kobolds struggled to find a place to call home.”
Aranya smiles as she finishes. “There’s more, about how the kobolds should stand up for sanctuaries, calling the delvers defilers. That’s why I was so confused about them when you first took me in, Lord Thdediem. But now… now I think the legend should have a more optimistic ending. I think we’ve all found our new home, though there are still a lot who need to hear about it. About you.”
“You’re gonna make the Boss blush, Aranya,” teases Teemo, though I note he’s not arguing with her. My High Priestess shrugs and dons a cheeky smile.
“That’s my job. Though speaking of my job… can you explain His new domain to me? Many of the other priests and priestesses have gained a new affinity, but none of us has much clue as to what it is or how to use it.”
Teemo opens his mouth to explain, but I interrupt him with a quick idea. He’s resistant at first, but it’d be a good way to help make sure everything is explained properly. He sighs in defeat before speaking. “Yeah, I can do that. But not here, right now. Gather up everyone who has it… or at least everyone who’ll fit in the Lecture Hall. Boss is going to go upgrade it, and I might need to go expand it. Either way, gravity is pretty complicated, so the bonuses to learning from the hall should help everyone understand it better.”
Aranya’s eyes light up at the prospect. “How soon?”
“Eh… is around sunset too soon?”
She considers that for a few moments before shaking her head. “No, I think I can get everyone gathered by then. There’s a few dozen who have gained it that I know of, so I can’t imagine more than a hundred people have picked it up. I don’t know how much He plans to upgrade the hall, but it probably won’t need more capacity than that.”
Teemo nods for me as I take a look at the area. The Lecture Hall is still really small, but I think I can upgrade it to have that much capacity without needing to consume more than one other room upstairs. It’ll be a bit crowded, but should be fine.
“Then I’ll see you at sunset in the Lecture Hall. I’m gonna go see if I can expand the space and give the Boss a bit of a discount on the upgrades.”
Aranya smiles and dashes off, leaving Teemo to slip through a shortcut back to the manor. I think with the time needed to upgrade, it’ll give me and Teemo enough time to compare notes about how to teach gravity to everyone, and give me a chance to do a couple little tests of my own, too. I’m looking forward to the testing and the teaching, both. They’re two of the best ways to learn something, after all.