Chrysalis

I'm a little nervous. What's the story going to be? No matter what I don't think it's going to be something I like. Don't keep me in suspense, let me hear the damage. Just how bad are things going to be. The three guards remain perfectly still during this time, watchful and poised they don’t miss a single movement I make. The three older shapers are a little more mobile, but not much. I get the feeling that these Golgari are a little more attached to stone than just having different varieties of it for skin. They are unusually still when they don't have to be moving, as if becoming a rock themselves.

[You know the purpose of our Cult?]

[Absolutely. You desire for a twentieth ancient to take its place amongst the other nineteen. Something about 'closing the circle' or some such.]

She nods her head in agreement.

[That is correct. We seek to empower a monster in order than it may come to dominate the lower Strata and achieve a tier of evolution on par with the existing ancients.]

I'm a little surprised to hear that.

[Do you actually know what tier the ancients are?] The theoretical maximum tier? I wonder how high it is! Ten? TWENTY?!

[No, we don't.]

Dang.

[To our knowledge there have been only two conversations between the sapient races of the surface and the ancients. During the Cataclysm we now refer to as the 'Time of Rending', the mana level in the Dungeon rose to unprecedented heights. When the tunnels connected to the surface, mana from the centre of Pangera flooded the skies, followed a tidal wave of monsters that nearly washed away any remnant of civilisation on this world.]

Yikes.

pretty bad. How long

the mana reached its peak, the ancients themselves were able to come to the surface for a time, devastating all that they found. Tales of the destruction they wrought are legend to this day. Scholars debate the history of these events, for not much that was written during that time survives today, but we do not believe the ancients sought to particularly destroy the surface world. In our Cult we are told that they devoured monsters

how

ancients cannot evolve, nor can they level up. This we believe to be true. So why

monsters turn up and eat everything and these people think they were trying to be helpful?! Crazy

[Sure…] I lamely agree.

one you spoke to before spoke of the 'Red Truth'. This is the name given to the knowledge that was passed on from a dialogue between a powerful Kaarmodo Wizard and Arconidem, who rose under their lands. For us, it was Yarrum, the Eternal Worm. A Shaper by

what did they say? The

snap their

will not share,]

sure. No need

relax about half

goals are not able to receive the words

love them ancients. Worms.

works? There was a brief pause in the dialogue. I presume the three of them were discussing my incredible, sincere and fervent love of the ancients and worms. For my part, I continue to remain perfectly still whilst I watch them. No need to

about the last wave?] A new voice breaks into

I? It was the first wave I'd

for that. The wave was immensely dangerous to us at first, but eventually turned into a boon for the colony, enabling us to harvest experience and Biomass at an unprecedented speed. By the end of it, I'd started hoping it might

more intense. The mana levels in the upper strata rose beyond what we would expect, by far, and the duration of the wave was much

help but muse, [it started to rise not along after I was born in the Dungeon and its never gone back to the level I experienced then. I can't say I never wondered why that

brief pause as