Prologue: A Seed in the Night

Dzautch Nelmem sat on a balcony railing, overlooking the Forest of Ezrier. The youth was dressed in his favorite coat, made of Silvershade Silk and a pair matching pants. The coat was predominantly burgundy, with a cream-colored interior and the Nelmem sigil on the back; a one-winged dragon trapped in a massive spider web. Dzautch wore no shirt beneath the coat, exposing his muscular, pale chest and some of his abdomen, what of it was visible beneath the bandages. A light breeze blew against the youth, sending his empty left sleeve flapping, which revealed more wrappings covering what remained of his left arm.

The young man's hair was long, wavy, and dark green. He had a thick beard and broad eyebrows, which stood out against his light skin. In comparison, his brown eyes weren't visually striking, except perhaps in relation to his brother's uncommon purple gaze.

Dzautch wasn't alone on the balcony; his retinue waited behind him. Well, most of them waited behind him. Criver Strinc of the Woodback Tribe sat beside him on the railing. Though he'd had to jump and climb to reach his current position, the floppy-eared, green goblin was currently dangling his short legs, no doubt pleased to be shoeless. Aside from a cotton tunic and leggings, the goblin wore nothing, none of the finery his position often required.

Davrenick Noostdro, armored in his familiar black plate armor with its beautiful gold enamel, stood directly behind him as always. Dzautch's bodyguard held his battle axe and shield, made custom for him like the armor, with ready hands. The orc was a giant among his own kin, let alone in comparison to Dzautch, who was fairly tall for a human. Standing side by side, Dzautch's head would only come up to the orc's chest. The armor only enhanced the effect, making him seem even larger than he truly was. Davrenick's presence contrasted greatly with the other members of Dzautch's retinue, as the rest were all shorter than Dzautch, let alone the orc.

Farther back, the youth's pair of advisors Enphallenon Monsieg and Loumia Kaldropp waited alongside some servants. Though they wore far finer clothing than the servants, all were dressed in Nelmem emerald and gold. Enphallenon, his old tutor, was cloaked in many layers of cloth, totally hidden from the sun's declining light. His gloved hands rested firmly on a plain, wooden cane, which ever so slightly trembled occasionally.

As for Loumia, the dwarf wore her normal, white robes with a green and gold sash hung from her right shoulder to her waist. The blonde dwarf's hair was hidden by a hood but her earnest, freckled face was assuredly quite visible; Dzautch could feel the priestess's blue eyes hovering on his missing arm. He considered telling her she made his missing limb itch but then reconsidered. He knew she still blamed herself.

Although the Nelmem Chateau had a number of balconies, the one Dzautch was currently resting on was both the largest and also the one with the best view of the forest. Looking straight down towards the ground several stories below, Dzautch could see the grounds, with their carefully managed gardens and valuable orchards. As it was swiftly approaching twilight, the gardeners, servants, and other commoners who managed the property had already finished their day's work.

Of course, as he extended his gaze outwards, Dzautch saw that the stone walls surrounding the estate were still manned; those walls were always manned though. The shift change would start soon, with new guards coming up to replace those who'd spent their day looking for potential threats. Thankfully the only enemy those veterans had fought today was boredom. That idle thought put a smile on the young lord's face.

Beyond the estate's fortifications lay the forest, with its towering Hadra trees. All Dzautch could see from where he sat was a sea of leaves and the setting sun; the image was quite exquisite though. One of his earliest paintings had depicted this very scene, though that painting had been 'lost' since.

As night began to descend, Enphallenon spoke "I hope you don't intend to watch the stars; there's a great deal of business to see to on the morrow. You must know you need your sleep."

Dzautch sighed and agreed "You're right of course. I can't simply put off tomorrow's business and I should at least try to sleep."

It was as Dzautch began turning, planning to jump down from the railing, that he saw it. Even as he swiveled his head back towards the sky, the others also saw it. From the sky, a faint flash of something appeared, as if something had caused the sky to ripple like a formerly straight, crisp piece of parchment being wrinkled.

"Was that—"

"A Dungeon Seed, yes" Enphallenon exclaimed!

Loumia whispered a prayer, after which she stated with firm conviction "The God of Adventures must favor you greatly my lord! An opportunity like this is rare indeed!"

"Yes but there's no small risk in this endeavor either; we all saw where the seed landed" Enphallenon mentioned.

"Ezrier's dangers are not unfamiliar to any of us though" Dzautch stated. "Even if it is spring, the most dangerous season for an excursion into the forest, it would hardly be the first time I've gone hunting in the spring. We'll have the perfect excuse to cover our activity."

"What about the matter of your brother" Enphallenon asked? "The peasantry will not take kindly to any delay in your brother's execution; they're out for blood and rightly so too. I don't recommend delaying that matter any further for fear of sowing future troubles."

"We don't dare delay the search for the seed long either though" Loumia remarked. "The peasantry may not know what they've seen even if they witnessed the seed's fall but if any members of the local Adventurer Guilds spotted it, the race for the seed will've already begun. We may be closer to the forest than most but they could send word to anyone currently in the forest."

"Do bear in mind" Enphallenon said, "that you own the Forest of Ezrier. When you authorized Platinum Blade and Fool's Hope to operate in your lands, you never gave them permission to collect any seeds that may fall here. It's a commonly accepted rule virtually every land-owning lord enforces in their agreements with the guilds."

"I do remember that" Dzautch replied "but that won't stop the guilds. A Dungeon Seed is too valuable for them not to risk breaking the law and besides, I don't want anyone knowing about the seed. I can't simply kill them either, at least not everyone in the guilds locally. If I can get the seed first, then we could consider negotiating but right now, acquiring the seed has to be the greatest priority. Yes, that's it. We'll head out tonight, right now, just the five of us."

"Shall I send word to the tribe my lord" Criver questioned. "They're the ones most likely to find the seed after all."

"No, they almost certainly wouldn't have seen the seed's fall. If a Woodback does find the seed though, I'll be relying on your advice Criver."

"Of course sir" the goblin said even as he hopped off the railing. Enphallenon and Loumia bowed in acknowledgement before ordering the servants beside them, beginning their preparations. They'd need a great deal of supplies and fast. Food, drink, torches, rope, Mechin Powder, weapons, and other things Dzautch didn't bother listing. Despite the effect his brother had had on the estate, Dzautch didn't doubt his servants' ability to prepare everything he'd need.

Even as he pondered the coming trip, a servant came not-quite running up to him, with his own armaments held between the man's arms. There they were: Ash and Weight, his inanimate companions.

Weight was his standard issue cavalry saber, a once simple blade of common steel. It had since been heavily modified, making it more suitable for someone of Dzautch's noble birth. Though the heavily ornamented sheath of gold and green hid the blade from his sight, Dzautch knew it well. The current blade was forged of Ogrim, the same black metal used in Davrenick's armor.

Ash was also a welcome sight. The bluish gray revolver, with its perfectly sized grip, designed for his hand, was undoubtedly his primary weapon. Dzautch nodded at the servant in thanks and said "These will do quite well."

In response, a second servant materialized behind the first. The two then helped their lord strap Weight's sheath and Ash's holster to his belt. Weight soon hung from his left hip, whereas Ash was holstered on his right.

Another servant popped up with a shirt but Dzautch waved her off. He'd hidden a slim little dagger inside the wrapping around his torso and wanted easy access to it, just in case. The young lord instead ordered the servant "Go fetch Captain Polt and ask him to meet me at the North gate. Inform him there's no emergency as of yet but I do have a matter of some import to deal with, a time-sensitive one."

"Of course my lord" the servant, a young woman, responded. She hurried away as soon as she could finish curtsying.

Dzautch then left the balcony, with Davrenick tailing him closely. They headed down the northern wing's stairwell, out through the garden entrance, passed the grounds, and stopped outside the North gate.

Shortly after arriving, Captain Polt of the Nelmem Guard approached, a lit torch held in his left hand. The captain was armored in a mixture of plate and mail, as expected. Beneath his helm, the man's brown eyes watched Dzautch warily. As he neared, the captain asked "May I enquire what you need of me, my lord?"

Dzautch considered the man for a moment. The previous guard captain was sitting in the cell across from Ohjun Nelmem, his brother, right now. When he'd returned home and found just how poorly his brother had ruled in his absence, Dzautch had necessarily made changes, quickly. Polt was an example of that, a change that while perhaps needed at the time, was questionable.

Rornell Polt wasn't a member of the old guard, who'd served with Dzautch or his father Faulckez. Though he'd seemed perfectly reasonable so far, Dzautch still didn't know the new captain that well. While they'd worked well together in these past couple months, how much could he really be trusted?

"I will be venturing into the forest tonight, alongside my retinue, due to an unexpected event. This excursion shouldn't take too long but it is possible I won't return before midday. If I'm not back in time, proceed with the executions without me."

Polt still looked worried as Dzautch finished speaking but he also visibly relaxed some. "Of course my lord. Would you like me to assign some guards for your jounery?"

"There's no need however, should we not return in three days, you have my permission to send out a search party. While I'm gone, I'll trust you to manage things here in conjunction with Leikos."

"Of course my lord." Polt bowed, low, then turned and left.

Within minutes, the rest of Dzautch's retinue met at the gate. Criver showed up in his leather armor, with a pair of knives strapped to his belt. Enphallenon appeared to not have brought anything with him but Dzautch knew he'd have all their baggage stored with his [Inventory] spell. As for Loumia, aside from a walking staff she also didn't appear to have grabbed anything else. Dzautch had little doubt that his two advisors had spent most of the time they were there ordering their subordinates in a manner akin to how he'd commanded Polt.

"Are we all ready" the young lord asked? Seeing everyone nod their heads, Dzautch continued speaking. "In that case, let's be on our way. We have a Dungeon Seed to find."