Chrysalis

Commerce is the lifeblood of Pangera, so the Conglomerates would have us believe. Perhaps it’s even true, but arguing with those scaled merchants and their smug sense of certainty makes me refuse to entertain the idea in public. In the post-Rending world, it was indeed the establishment of trade routes, safe passages carved out between monster nests and Dungeon vents at terrible cost, that once again allowed civilisation to flourish.

Frequently, it was the Abyssal Legion who undertook the task of re-connecting the people of the world. Armoured columns of veteran soldiers, pushing across the surface of Pangera, carving out roads and safe paths, then doing the same within the Dungeon itself.

Some of those paths are used even today, thousands of years later.

In the modern world, trade in the essentials for survival has subsided, though is still prevalent, and luxury goods proliferate in markets across the Dungeon. Obviously, this is a good thing — civilisation must advance, after all — but sometimes I wonder what would happen if we were to be driven against the wall once more. How quickly could we adapt, if the ground beneath our feet were to shatter and erupt with monsters once again?

This world was broken once. It can happen again.

- Excerpt from the private notes of Altharion Greyhame.

Desert Basin is aptly named. Due to it being a desert. I mean… the basin part is probably incorrect? I don’t see a dip or depression, after all. The mountain rises high in the distance, towering up a dizzying distance, tens or hundreds of kilometres, to crash into the ceiling above, just like every other mountain.

I don’t know how they did it, but the lizards managed to take the lush green paradise of the fourth and turn it into this barren wasteland of stone and sand. I guess they like it this way, and perhaps it's the best defence of all. Nobody else would want to live here, so why would anyone try to take it from them?

Despite the lack of plantlife, there is plenty of activity along the shoreline. The port we arrive at is absolutely bustling with activity. It’s not even fair to call it a port, really; it's a straight up city all of its own. There are thousands of ships docked on huge jetties that extend far out into the water.

arguing,

we quickly run into our first

down the deck

the author's

and come to a stop, waiting for permission to dock, but are being held up for some

ever made a mistake on docking forms in my

no error, then why

which is slowly moving toward the docks, the ships crawling with soldiers preparing to

allies in the Legion dock first as a show of support, and to send a statement. The Abyssal Legion is more welcome in Desert Basin

want us to come, they could have rejected my request weeks ago,] Eran fumes. [If

my antennae in a calming

show of support to the Legion cause, it’s fine, that’s not a bad thing. Once those guys have unloaded their boats and we’ve been made to

twiddle our

it a try some time, it’s good for

soothing words turn out to be prophetic. The Legion unloads their ships without incident, then we sit around for a while doing nothing, and then the ka’armodo dock masters allow us to approach and start to

us. There’s a strong contingent of ka’armodo and their setsulah servants around, hundreds of them, making sure everything is on the up and up. Interestingly, they don’t seem to care if the