I had expected a journey through a wasteland to offer boring scenery. Indeed, there was little in the way of vegetation or life, with only stubborn holdouts of rugged plants or roaming monsters being the exceptions. While somewhat subtle, from such a height, I can see patterns in the terrain that suggest a civilization once flourished here. I don't see any ruins, but rather patterns in the earth itself that hint at where roads and buildings used to be. Something dire had happened here, something that wiped out an entire empire so utterly that not even history remembers it.

While I am not superstitious, I can feel some sort of lingering something that feels like a mix between a strange energy and lamentations of those who perished here. Only the ghosts of ghosts would remain here though, and I lack the Abilities that would allow me to commune with whatever is going on down there. However, I remain endlessly confident that nothing down there could pose a threat to me, and so I continue to merrily follow Nanu.

Eventually, we come across a rather large chasm in the earth, as if a giant had placed hands into the ground and pulled it apart, cracking open the stone below and exposing what lay beneath, rendering it raw and naked to the ravages of time. While it was a tight squeeze, we made our way down into the darkness below, with flight soon becoming impossible for me. At that point, I favored taking on a mortal form and riding on Nanu's back as we continued the rest of the way.

Darkness posed little in the way of contesting my senses, and in the wall of rock, I could see buildings, each barren and twisted as strange growths of vines made of stone wove its way through and around them. Their foundations were all askew, as if the earth had dropped beneath them and they landed every which way, with many sporting broken walls and roofs. We made our way deeper into a cave of sorts, one massive in scale that held the remnants of a city that boasted dwarven architecture. You can tell it is dwarven because everything is made out of straight lines and over-engineered to be exceptionally rugged.

[Now Entering "Misbegotten Nursery". Current difficulty set to "5-Man Raid"]

Oh, so this was a dungeon. Nothing about it feels dungeony, and I don't detect any monsters as I used my senses and Abilities to scout ahead. In short order, Nanu alights on the ground and fluidly transforms back into mortal form. I gracefully stick the landing as I drop beside her, and without further ado, we head into one broken structure out of hundreds.

"This dungeon is empty and has been as such for as long as anyone knows," Nanu explained as we made our way deeper. "It is rather large, and while my former flight did map it out, we never found anything of interest save one thing that we shall soon see. I do not know how or why such a dungeon exists when it is so bereft of monsters or mana. No core has ever been found, but it has a particular use that merits its preservation."

We passed through a room that held cradles of stone, with the same stony vines growing through and over everything. I peered inside one, only to observe what appeared to be the skeleton of a baby dwarf riddled with vines, if dwarves had skeletons made of stone (which they generally do not have).

"Most rooms are nurseries like this one, although some have nurseries for trees made of stone," Nana explained as we continued. "It seems like the dungeon isn't exactly clear of what a 'nursery' is, so it just uses every concept of the word as a template for creating the rooms here. If you explore it enough, the dungeon provides a rough impression that there used to be a city here in the wastelands. Something dark and terrible happened, one seemingly involving a spreading corruption that could not be contained. The story suggests that the city made the ultimate sacrifice to destroy itself in a literal sense to kill off the corruption and spare the rest of the world. It does not give a backstory of how or why the corruption came about in the first place.

"This place is an echo of that city, at least in part, as something akin to a ghost, if a physical place could manifest as one. Specifically, it seems to reflect the royal nursery, which housed all the newborns of the imperial palace. I do not know why it picked such a location, but speculation and theories from the members of my flight point to the corruption starting there somehow."

As we moved deeper, the vines of stone only grew thicker and more pervasive. Nanu led us on a winding path, one with so many twists and turns that even skilled Adventurers with fancy magical maps would get lost within. An hour passed without much change of note, until suddenly.

[Now Exiting "Misbegotten Nursery".]

We left the dungeon, and as we walked in a tunnel, the roots of stone quickly faded away as precisely worked stone replaced it. After a few more minutes, light appeared in the tunnel ahead. A right turn brought us to a large room, one with magical braziers that housed flames that burned eternal. Well, fake flames, as they were not consuming the oxygen in the air or any source of fuel, but they did give off light, if not heat.

The flames aside, the pair of giant doors in the wall ahead gave off an aura of secrecy. As in, a literal aura that I deemed would hinder a mortal from talking to others about such a sight, even if they wanted to. Upon the golden metal of the door, I beheld the image of a dragon curled up, with its head twisting back to an arm raised with a clawed finger in front of its mouth, as if to shush us. Its lips were puckered to that effect with great exaggeration, its eyes wide as if to sternly emphasise the need for silence and secrecy.

Nanu approached the doors and simply pushed them open wide enough for us to enter. I had expected some sort of ritual or perhaps answering a riddle, but none of that happened. Once inside, she closed the door and let out a sigh of relief.

"By the gods, I have so much I have wanted to tell you, but I could not, for oaths bound me. However, in this place, all such restrictions are removed, and the secrets of my old flight are now yours. Here," she continued as she gestured at the mixture of library and warehouse that we found ourselves inside, "is a vault of my former flight, The Secret Stalkers. As you know, I am an [Archivist of Secrets], and this vault in particular was entrusted to me in order to preserve the secrets of my flight. It is also where my former hoard is located."

That last fact intrigued me, seeing as how a secret hoard would be all but devoid of power under normal circumstances. Nanu continued her exposition as we passed by shelves of books, scrolls, and priceless artifacts that were all neatly arranged on tables or racks.

"My old flight had somehow attained a different means of how [Hoard] manifested. Ours was based on absolute secrecy, where even one untrusted mortal knowing of where our hoard was located could poison its value. As such, we mercilessly hunted down such interlopers and killed them so as to restore the value of our [Hoard].

"This vault is only accessible on certain days, following a strange pattern that roughly allows access once every one to five years. It is contained within a pocket of the real world that is completely surrounded by the dungeon we just passed through. As such, all forms of teleportation and divination related to this location would be impossible from the real world at large. Several such vaults like this exist across the world, but my former Emperor deliberately ensured that only he and a chosen keeper of each vault knew the locations of them. All that to say that I do not know where the other vaults are, but there are fail-safes here to reveal their locations eventually if they are not accessed regularly.

"It is my intent that we recover everything here for The Crossroad Wayfinders. The Secret Stalkers no longer exist, and I was instantly cut off from my [Hoard] when my former Emperor died. I will need to reconnect with it, with your blessing of course that I may reclaim it."

Her eyes turned to me with a look that almost appeared to plead her case, and I am not so heartless as to take what is hers for my own. A simple nod from me was all she needed, and I silently commended her restraint to not run off and immediately reconnect. The mere thought of losing my [Hoard] almost made me feel sick to my stomach, so I can only imagine the anguish she felt during her years of captivity. In truth, it had been difficult to find ways to grow her [Hoard], as the rules that govern it are a blend between her former and current flights.

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"There are a great number of documents here that cover all manner of topics about the world. Histories, experiments and their results, data covering harvests and battles, dossiers on powerful beings, contracts, spell manuals, and so forth. There are also powerful artifacts, some of which are of niche uses. You will also find art, trinkets, and objects of cultural significance to civilizations lost to time."

She led me to a side room, and in it I surmised was the physical contents of her [Hoard]. I observed a lot of art, both statues and paintings, as well as organized boxes of gold and precious jewels, as if each transaction had been kept separate, all of which was arranged neatly on display.

Her mood turned more somber, her concentration absorbed by memories of the past as she grew still, her mind surely reminiscing of what was and will never be again. Minutes passed, and then suddenly, she began telling a story and she levitated objects around the room to arrange themselves in front of her.

"Long ago when I was young and dumb, I fell in love with a certain elf," Nanu began as her finders idly traced the edges of a frame on one of the paintings. "He was handsome, suave, and skilled at most everything he did. He had mastered the brush, and through a careful cultivation of his reputation, he attracted rich and powerful patrons that were eager to commission works from him. He was, however, lacking in drive, favoring indulgences in pleasure over actually working, and so he maintained a favorable ratio of supply and demand for his work.

"And I, a fool, thought he loved me too, for his words painted a picture of his desire for me that left his masterpieces wanting. However, a modicum of wisdom prevented me from truly erring. I trusted him with a juicy secret, one that would be sought after by certain parties with generous coin purses. It was, in reality, a carefully crafted fabrication, but the details were so precise and calibrated to align with reality that those who wanted to hear it would ignore the inconsistencies that didn't align with what they wanted to believe."

A sad and bitter smirk anointed her countenance as a single chuckle escaped her control. She flipped her fingers through a collection of rolled up paintings, selecting some out of a bin and setting them aside.

"He betrayed me, sold out my secret for easy coin, and so I found the truth within the lies. I was convenient and fun, but ultimately, not someone that he valued more than wealth. He had made a grave mistake in scorning a woman of conviction, much more so for daring to cross a dragon. I withdrew from society, changed my identity, and plotted my revenge."

With a grimace, her concentration honed itself upon her selected paintings, and through telekinesis, they levitated into the air and unfurled themselves, the sum of them showing a story that complimented her narrative.

"For years I committed myself to training, to mastering the brush, so that I could create masterpieces without comparison. I studied under masters of the art, and every waking moment of my life not spent in performance of my duties to my flight were devoted to this singular ambition. In truth, I didn't even have much interest in painting in and of itself, but it became a means to an end that grew on me.

"I even invested in Skills and Abilities to help hone my craft, to steady my hand and make it the embodiment of precision, to enable it to capture the most minute of detail. For my aim was singular, my purpose purely devoted to my vengeance, that I would destroy him utterly and erase everything he had ever created."

Nanu's words became heated, her movements firm and harsh as she directed paintings to move into position in the air. One, at least twice as tall as myself and four times as wide, showcased the peak of her skill, and it was truly breathtaking. It captured a moment in time of a grand battle, each and every soldier having immaculate levels of detail, down to the sheen of their armor, the dirt and blood upon their faces, and the expressions of each person in their struggle to prevail. Centered in the painting, a strong and capable woman, bathed in sunbeams that pierced the storm clouds above, stabbed a spear through the presumed enemy commander, his face shrouded in darkness and shadow, but clearly an elf. Thousands of figures were showcased in the painting, each and every one of them worthy of an individual painting in their own right, for not one of them was blurred or lacking in personality and individuality.

"And then, when I had mastered my craft, I created a new identity and introduced myself into high society. It took years to develop a reputation, with many indignities suffered along the way, but I eventually found myself as a contender for being seen as the best painter around. My erstwhile lover had rested on his laurels, and his skills and work ethic had stagnated. At every turn, I undercut his price on a commission, and with tireless devotion, I crafted works that eclipsed his. With a rumor here and a few choice words whispered into select ears there, I cast doubt upon his skill and his commitment to his contracts.

"Finally, after a few decades since it all began, his world started to unravel. Debt mounted as he struggled to maintain his extravagant lifestyle. He rushed through his work, desperate to make ends meet, and the lack of quality showed. Longtime clients closed their doors to him, patrons bid him to leave, and friends turned their back on him. After a time, I found him living on the street, dirty and forgotten, his once-handsome face now marred by the harshness of an uncaring world and the struggle to find enough food to fill his belly."

The last painting in the series showed a gaunt elven male, unkempt, dirty, haggard, the point of view towering over him as he huddled on his knees and reached a hand up for mercy from a beating perhaps or in petition for charity. He lay in filth, the rats of the street crawling over his form, the wall behind him covered in mere doodles drawn in mud serving as the only reminder that he once reigned supreme in the world of artistry.

"It was then that I revealed myself to him, both my new form as the one that had surpassed him, and in my old form as a lover he once cast aside in favor of a few more coins to rub together. One by one, I took each painting he had ever made out of my dimensional storage and burned them in front of him until nothing remained of his legacy but ashes upon the wind. I had destroyed his reputation, his name, his life's work, leaving him an empty and rejected husk that would only utter the ravings of a madman to any who would deign to listen to him. His cries of anguish at what I had wrought were a balm for my soul, for in that moment as I left him behind, I felt true vindication."

Nanu finished her tale with steely resolve in her expression, her body turned to me as she remained resolute in delivering the moral of the story.

"I could have simply killed him, but no, I wanted to destroy him utterly, to see the light go out of his eyes when he realized I was the one who brought him to ruin. In truth, nothing I did was truly exceptional or remarkable. It was petty and vindictive, convoluted and more complex than it ever needed to be. Countless dragons have come before me, and most that have lived for at least several centuries have extracted their vengeance with at least that level of commitment.

"And so I caution you, my Emperor, to be careful in whom you offend. What you may see as a mere slight will be seen as the most egregious of insults by another, and they will stoop to any level, commit themselves fully to any plan, if all their efforts will see you brought low. Their plans could be years or decades in the making, and during that time, you could have earned the ire of countless unknown foes. You may find yourself mired in a cascade of failures as individual and uncoordinated agents channel their spite to bring about your doom. Take care, lest an early advantage secured at the expense of another sows poison in your future. Long are the memories of dragons and other immortals, longer still will you find their reach if you transgress against them."

Humbled by her conviction and dedication, I reflected on her story. By her own words, such was a textbook example of vengeance by a dragon of her age, and I found the appeal of such poetic justice most enticing. My instinct called to me, promising great [Deeds] would be mine if I too delivered retribution so justly and thoroughly. And, if I think like that, and Nanu thinks like that, then surely other dragons will have the same mindset. It is not a matter of if, but when will I be on the receiving end of such misfortune. I would need to take greater consideration of the fallout of my plans going forward and develop countermeasures to withstand the setbacks that would undoubtedly come.

After reflection and introspection ended, we proceeded to scarf up everything in sight and deposit it within our pocket dimensions. As we did so, it dawned on me that Nanu would wait until after she returned it to our abode before making it part of her [Hoard], for she would feel sick if she did that first seeing as how it would be in a pocket dimension, which I know from experience is a Very Bad Idea. I could certainly see an eager dragon of younger age making such a blunder, for items cannot be added and removed from a [Hoard] willy-nilly.

When not even a spec of loot remained, I gave the vault a once over, looking for a secret hidden vault within the main vault, but I could only confirm that I could not find one, which doesn't mean there isn't one. Skull found no clues to one existing on the Shadow Path, and so I found it reasonable that one probably didn't exist, at least on this plane. I gave the enchantments of the room a once-over, but nothing about them was groundbreaking for my understanding of the subject.

Slightly disappointed but unsurprised by no extra-secret hidden bonus area, we departed back to World's End to drop off our loot and sort through it.

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