<25 September 2024, KARZUN FAMILY ESTATES, D+> [Theo and Julia] Patriarch Karzun continued explaining, "Let's start with who is asking before we get to what they are asking."

Theo and Julia nodded. Patriarch Karzun spoke. "The Grove of Ark'Endurt is the oldest known druid grove in the System space. There are rumors of others that are secretive or highly specialized, that are older, but Ark'Endurt is the oldest public one. They recently had the last of the founding family elect to withdraw from the grove. So the druids of the grove started the process of choosing a new Arch Druid for the grove."

Patriarch waited a moment to see if they would ask any questions. When they didn't, he continued. "The appointment of the Arch Druid is trivial in terms of the grove, but the dungeons in the grove are another story. Each of the cores must be accessed and presented with a new contract to the Arch Druid. And normally this would not be an issue, except for the number of dungeons and the time limit. Within seventy-two hours of the appointment of the Arch Druid, nearly one thousand carefully cultivated and controlled dungeons must be fully accessed, defeated, and presented with a contract. Luckily, due to the nature of the relation of the dungeons to the grove, they will readily accept the contract."

"Wait," Julia said, "if the dungeons are carefully cultivated as you say, why is this difficult?"

"Ah, and there we get to the crux of the issue," Patriarch Karzun said with a grin, "for almost all of the dungeons it is not. It is a simple matter of someone walking in and speaking with the core. But with seven of them, it is an issue of level. They are leveling dungeons designed specifically for a set of levels, and on top of that, the grove has pushed these dungeons to the peak of their nature. For example, I will be clearing a dungeon called The Forest of Gor'Na Torl. It is designed for between levels six hundred and seven hundred."

Theo and Julia paled a little at that. Patriarch Karzun chuckled and kept talking. "Because of the cultivation of the dungeon, it is more accurate for the level range to be something like six hundred and ninety to seven hundred and ten. Since I am at the upper end of the level range, I have agreed to help."

Theo nodded, taking in the fact that Patriarch Karzun had just confirmed that his level was around six ninety-five. "So they have some lower-level dungeons that they can not enter. And you think we would do well in them."

"That is a large part of it; the other part is that you are trustworthy." Patriarch Karzun said, "The druids reached out to me and several others, wondering if we knew of any who were between level ten and twenty who could be trusted not to usurp the dungeon cores. There is also one more thing. Of the three dungeons that you would be asked to clear, two of them are swarm dungeons."

"Ah, that is the reason you thought of us," Julia said.

Patriarch Karzun nodded. "From everything that I have seen, and from what Crypt Keeper has said, you are incredibly uniquely suited for dealing with large groups. So, while I am sure that if I reached out to several other families, I might be able to get together the team of fifteen that would probably be required for the swarm dungeons, I thought that I may as well offer the job to you."

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"So we get to run three dungeons within three days. So we have twenty-four hours to get to the dungeon, conquer it, present the contract, get out of the dungeon, and directly move to the next one?" Theo asked, "I don't know if that is something we can do."

"I would normally agree with you, but both of the swarm dungeons have rather high time compression rates." Patriarch Karzun said, "The first is the most intense, one day in the dungeon, is one hour outside, and the second has a day being about three hours outside the dungeon. The Last dungeon has a little bit of compression, but it's closer to two to one."

"Hmm," Theo said, pondering over the feasibility of what he was asking for.

"Of course, you will not go unrewarded." Patriarch Karzun said.

Theo had to smile as Julia's eyes lit up at that statement. Julia spoke, "What would the reward be?"

"Well, first and foremost, you would be able to make connections with people," Patriarch Karzun said, "but I know that you are asking about the loot, as you seem to call it. Firstly, for each dungeon you clear, you keep whatever loot you acquired. For every dungeon that you acquire the contract for, you will be given twenty-five gold. And on top of that, the druids have offered their help to you in cultivating your Overlook if you get all three dungeons completed."

Theo and Julia both looked surprised at that. "What does that mean exactly?"

Patriarch Karzun smiled. "Druids are beyond exceptional at growing things and at bending nature to their whims, so long as it does not change the basic origins of a plant. This reward is immense for you. It is possible to pay for their services, but they are not cheap. If I were you, I would request their help at a future date when you have something that you want to ensure the proper growth of."

"So the question that I have, I guess, is what are the swarms, and what is the last dungeon?" Theo said, resigning himself to doing this task.

"Let's start with the third and final dungeon that you should tackle. It is called Burrow of the Root-tusk, and is for levels fifteen to twenty. It is a single room with an alcove closed off with a door. This dungeon is designed to help young parties learn to fight large, powerful monsters. So all that is in the massive main room is a boar-like creature that is nearly forty feet tall. It is slow, but it can and will take all the abuse you give it."

Theo and Julia looked less worried than he thought they would about that, so Patriarch Karzun continued. "The first dungeon that you should start with is called The Shimmering Arboretum, and for levels thirteen through seventeen. It has several monster types and three floors. The monster types are avian in nature, and many of them possess a crystalline element to them. The second swarm dungeon that you will encounter is called the Burrowclaw Warren and is for levels ten through sixteen. It is five floors, and has many different types of monsters."

Theo and Julia were looking more and more excited as he spoke. Patriarch Karzun decided to tell them one more thing. "I must warn you once more that each of these dungeons is at the peak of what might be considered in the level range, so even though you are powerful for your level, you should be on guard. It would not do well for the first act of the grove under a new Arch Druid to cause the death of a newly integrated Family."

Theo and Julia looked at each other with smiles. Julia turned to Patriarch Karzun, "So when do we start?"

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