Core of Knowledge

Name of Dungeon: Tomb of Ten Thousand Techniques

Kingdom: The Bright Kingdom

Location: Province of Tomo, half a day walk from the Town of Viaggia

Number of Floors: 3

Threat Level: High

Type: Trick Dungeon

Second Floor Description- Bamboo Forest Room

The second floor consist of three rooms, which are all considered to be dangerous and deadly. You will first appear in a big cavern with three openings along one side of the walls. Each opening has a number above it. The opening with the number '4' above it is called the 'Bamboo Forest Room'.

If you choose to go through this opening, you will enter a long tunnel. No traps or monsters had been reported in the tunnel, but caution is advised. After some time, the tunnel will open to another cavern. A big one with a bamboo forest inside. There is a path you will need to walk along. It is unknown at this time what will happen if you do not follow the path, but danger is almost a certainty.

After a distance, the path will spilt into two. There will be two wooden signs, 'Toward the river' and 'Toward the camp', showing where they lead to.

At this time, what will happen if you choose 'Toward the river' is unknown.

At this time, it is unknown if more than four adventurers can step on each path.

The path 'Toward the camp' will lead you to a big clearing. A table and four wooden chairs will be in the centre of it. Once all adventurers had taken a seat, the jig-saw puzzle will appear.

A box will appear above the table and dropped onto the table. Smoke from the box will rise and form an image. At this time, it is unknown if the image changes, but that is considered to be highly likely. A countdown will appear, and adventurers need to complete a puzzle.

One puzzle, two hours, three thousand pieces.

The Boss of the room will appear if you fail.

There are two locations where adventurers may choose to meet the Boss. In the clearing or walked along a second path that would lead to the end of the room where they will find a stone door.

The Boss is a bear that walks on two legs. It is around two meters tall with black and white fur and green eyes. It has a big stomach, and wear clothes. A pair of pants with a conical straw hat in it's head.

At this time, it is unknown if the fight will be different if adventurers stay in the clearing.

At this time, it is unknown when the dungeon core made the Boss this way.

Rewards will be given for:

- Information on the path- 'Toward the river'. (High reward)

- Information on Boss fight if adventurers stay in the clearing. (Low reward)

- Information on puzzle faced and what happen if puzzle is completed. (Low reward)

- Information on what happens if adventurers stray from the forest path. (High reward)

- Information on if more than four adventurers can step on a path. (Low reward)

- Additional rewards to be given for unknown information about the room. (Varied)

His food arrived, and Pos took the chance to look up at the two dwarvens before him. He waited for the barmaid to leave before handling the piece of paper back to Bran.

"This is the official Adventurer Guild report on the Bamboo Forest Room?"

"Yea, cost some gold too. Don't look at me, it's not my money." Bran said, indicating that Maglor was the one who paid for the information.

Pos looked at the royal agent, wondering what this was about. Usually, the agent would meet with him in the morning and try to convince him to work for the king again, and Pos would reject the agent. Buying the official report from the Adventurer Guild was different. It looked like the agent has decided to change tactics. Pos sighed.

"What is this about?"

"A quest." Maglor replied. "A quest that cannot be undertaken on your own. I shall be putting a team together, all dwarves, and will pay you to be the first to complete the room."

"Good luck with that." Pos scoffed. "Every adventurer knows only one person survived that room thus far. You are not going to find many takers for that."

"Which is why I am willing to pay double the going rate for adventurers willing to be in the party. If you agree to be in it, I shall pay you triple. You know I am good for the gold." Maglor answered with a smile.

Pos was a dwarf. He heard the word 'triple', and almost agreed on the spot. However, his hatred for Maglor's employer was enough to give him some self-control. That and the fact that something about this did not smell right. Maglor's offer told Pos someone high up knows and approved the quest, but that made no sense as the dwarven king was a rock-eating spendthrift who would sell his own mother if it would save him some gold. Pos was willingly to bet that the dwarves who served the king were no better.

"What's in it for Your Majesty?" Pos asked, almost choking on the title.

"We want the treasure given out by the dungeon for the first clear. The party can keep whatever else they find during the delve, but that treasure comes to me. The party is not allowed to show or pass the treasure to the Adventurer Guild or anyone else. The party must pass it straight to me. All members of the party must sign a magical contract on that."

Pos had to raise a brow. Maglor obviously did not know how the last magical contract Pos signed with the king went. Still, Pos did not reject the offer out of hand.

"That's a lot of gold just for an unknown treasure." Pos said. "I know dungeons give out good treasure when you are the first to clear a floor, but I got a first clear on the first floor and all I got is a Skill that I can only use near the dungeon."

"Don't bother lad, I already told him that." Bran said while eating.

"Not to mention someone already cleared the second floor." Pos ignored the Greybeard and continued. "Bran's party, The Forevers, had already cleared the second floor."

"The Forevers cleared a different room, and considering the treasure they received, we think it is a good bet that the treasure for the first clearance of a different room would be just as good." Maglor smiled and Pos immediately understood where he was coming from.

The Forevers got a book for their first clearance. The [Storyteller] book had caused quite a stir as the class was relatively unknown, but the book showed just powerful the class could be. Last Pos heard, the book was going up for auction, and Bran and his party were going to get very rich from it.

Pos instantly disliked the agent's thinking, but he had to admit it made a certain amount of sense. Bran's party were the first to clear the Lake Room, so the first party to clear the Bamboo Forest Room should get a treasure similar in value or power to what The Forevers received. Maglor was even offering him a good deal.

Pos was looking for an adventurer party to challenge the second floor with, and Maglor was now offering Pos a ready-made party and gold on top of it. Pos would be foolish to ignore the offer, which made him question it. Any offer that looked too good usually was too good to be true.

"Why me?" he asked. "There's not a lot of dwarven adventurers in Viaggia, but if you are offering double, there should not be a shortage of applicants. Why come to me?"

"Why not? You were the first to discover the dungeon, the first to clear a floor, and survived it twice! Pos, you have a name now. You are a dwarf who is somebody." Maglor laughed. "Now, you are right. I can put a party together without you, you are not a necessity but having you on the party will make recruiting easier. So, why not? Now, do you agree, or do I need to go somewhere else?"

That made sense, but it did not answer all of Pos' questions. He looked at Bran. "Why are you here then?"

"He came to me first, but I told him I already got a party. He's not willing to offer the deal to elves and humans, think they're not trustworthy, so I told him to look for you first. Who do you think told him all of that? Do you think an agent of the king managed to think of all that on his own?"

Bran laughed, and Maglor looked a little embarrassed. However, being embarrassed by Greybears was almost a dwarven tradition so neither Pos nor Maglor thought much of it.

"What is your answer?" Once the Greybeard's laughter died, the agent asked.

There was one thing Pos could say.

"Where do I sign?"