Dungeon Keepers: the Stranger World

As Khazid'hea approached the island, he felt a pulse of magic. Faint and far away, true, but steady, and from a single clear location. As he pulled his small boat ashore, he paused to discern the direction of the magic, which was calling to him like a siren. As his feet left the water, though, he lost it. Well then, I suppose he must be naval based, he thought to himself though I suppose that's no surprise, on an island made up almost entirely of ports.

Despite the limited amount of time he had spent 'listening' to the keepers magic, he had learned enough to lead himself to the right city, at least. From there, he'd have to find a way to attract attention, assuming the keeper was not yet ready for his invasion to begin. His course decided, he started walking.

The energy that was released from the Heart upon completing the construct was almost tangible. The pressure had built up inside the structure as she worked, but now in a single, intense beam of light all was stable again. Ordine stepped out of the Heart and before she took notice of her new construct she noticed the splash her feet. Looking down the entire room appeared to be covered with a layer of sea water up to her ankles. Her imps moved about filling wooded buckets they had made with the water and emptying back out on the other side of the barrier. She immediately called out to an imp to find an explanation. The ethereal stated that the barrier had lost power and leaked in some spots while she was working. Thankfully, the leaks had not happened directly in the Heart room. The distruption could of been very bad, and explosive. She released it to continue the cleanup while she turned to her new creation.

The construct stood proudly in front of her. Compared to the other imps, this one towered over them, coming to about her waist instead of her knees. It glowed a pale golden color instead of white and she could taste stronger magic in its essence. "Shavi, that is your station. When the time comes you'll pull my army from the ethereal plane and bind them to this planet. Until then you'll assist your fellow brethren when you are not aiding me. This would normally set us back but with your help it won't too much." Shavi, whose name was really a title that translated to 'Summoner,' nodded once in understanding. Having no individual identity, the ethereals went by titles or job descriptions rather than names. The construct turned and left to follow orders.

Turning, she pulled up the dungeon map from the Heart to see what was completed while she worked. The Renergizing Spire was now fully complete and ready to both house and summon forces. What she needed most now was the material to bind them with. Luckily she had already thought out this part of the plan. The dungeon already had portals to the ethereal plane, which was a place of pure energy. Harvesting it would provide all the power she would ever need. Plus relaying all the portals and the barrier to be powered off of the plane instead of the Heart would free up magic for Ordine. All she needed to do was simply open up a channel. Between Shavi, the Heart, and herself a ritual could be performed with a high rate of success. She desired a new room for it and set it as the highest priority after the imps finished clearing the sea water.

Location: Greek Islands
Resources: A sword, a helmet, a shield, a pair of man's slacks, a shirt, and a vest, a map of the country and surrounding areas, some food and water, and some spare coins
Forces: Seven ethereal imps, Shavi
Project: Building renergizing levels 10/10, Scavenging 15/25, Imp construct 2/2, Channel Room 0/12


Compendium:

Imp - A white glowing essence takes the shape of the little demon while small silver plates on its head, chest, claws, wings, and tail bind it to Earth. Their form allows them very minor magical abilities of telekinesis and small rays of power that they can use to cut material or defend with.

Shavi - Imp Construct - His name translates to "Summoner" as it is his job to summon Ordine's forces while she is busy. Shavi is much larger than a normal imp. His glow is golden verses white and he possesses a number of small magical abilities like teleportation, telekinesis, and can shoot stronger rays of power from his claws.

Cruel delight at having killed something moments ago coruscated brighter in the Construct's body than the roaring fireplace visible through the house's window. Power was slowly creeping back into his body not unlike how filth and maggots creep into a decaying corpse. While his current power warranted little fear in the hearts of mortals, the unholy theurgist was heartened with how his magic still worked in this world which felt oddly devoid of any other wizardry.

The robed figure outside the window gazed in at those gathered around the hearth, seeing with magic rather than with the decrepit husks of his eyes. There were two older humans, most likely the patriarch and matriarch of this farming family, and half a dozen children, probably the siblings of the boy out in the stable that had just been killed. The Construct genuinely did not know what was more disgusting - the sight of so many pitiful, lesser beings huddled in that tiny room, or that he doubted his own ability to kill them all considering his current state.

But that was no matter; Entilon, as the Construct's name was, did not need to harm any of the humans. He would break their wills easily enough and have them slay each other. Charging in and seizing their minds like he had done to the boy did not seem a good idea, however. At the same time, Entilon didn't have the strength to simply possess one or more of them from afar, but he could lure one of them away.

The theurgist meditated hard, separating a shard of his mind from his soul and body, driving it out through the shield that was his mask. Free from the confines of a mortal body, the fragment of pure thought and willpower phased right through the house's brick wall and began to grope at the oldest man's mind. After a few seconds of Entilon's tugging, the patriarch suddenly found an inexplicable urge to go outside. Saying some gibberish in a language the Construct had not yet learned how to interpret, the man walked out to his doom.

The ship was sitting in the sea with its sails down. An ominous fog had rolled in. It wasn't very thick, but it was still unexpected. The only light on the ship was the lantern of the man on night duty, who was sitting on a crate on the deck. Everyone else was asleep below decks. Night duty was always dull. No war was about, so what was there to look out for?

Then, out of the mist, came a small boat with three people on it. It was dark, yet there was no source of light on the boat. It was a peculiar sight.

"Who goes there?" the watchman called out. There was no response.

Slightly louder, "I said, who goes there?" Again, no response.

"In the name of the Royal Navy, state who you are!"

Unbeknown to him, a large bird had landed inside the ship and was walking down the hallway. Its feet clicked their way over the wooden floorboards as it passed the sleeping sailors. Eventually it stopped in front of a collection of barrels, which sat beside a pile of cannonballs.

I have found the black powder.

Excellent! We need to move it for maximum effect.

The bird tipped over the barrels and rolled them down a level as quietly as possible, so it was below the water-line. It also rolled the cannonballs down next to them.

Back outside the ship, with the set-up almost done, one of the men on the boat stood up and faced the watchman. "We are harbingers of your demise. You, along with the rest of your ship, will soon be resting in Davy Jones' locker."

The watchman was clearly disturbed by this. "You're drunk, aren't you?"

"Only with power."

Someone's woken up! They're going to inspect the barrels.

Then we had better get things done now.

The bird dropped the last of the barrels and cannonballs in front of the stairs. The woken sailor looked at the stack of gunpowder barrels and cannonballs, which were not in their normal locations, and then looked up the stairs to see another stack of cannonballs and gunpowder barrels, accompanied by a large bird. He hardly had a second to contemplate all this when the bird's eyes flashed red and it opened its beak. A wave of solidified air was released, hurling the barrels and cannonballs noisily onto the other pile. Barrels shattered, dumping gunpowder over the floor, and a few cannonballs began rolling away. The sailor had leapt backwards when the objects had been thrown in his direction.

The bird stretched its wings and its eyes flashed red once more. This time, a very narrow jet of fire was released from his beak, aimed directly at the gunpowder.

What followed was chaos.

The explosion tore a hole in the floor. The cannonballs flew off in numerous directions. None were powerful enough to tear a hole clean through the hull, but they could damage it. The explosion was deafening, and every sailor inside who wasn't injured had been woken up very abruptly.

The watchman on the deck of the ship almost fell over as the boat was shaken. He looked at the man on the boat, who was now grimacing back at him. He was very afraid. He turned around and was about to flee into the deck to help when a bird flew up from below deck, slashed at his throat and pushed his dying corpse into the water. Gaoithavis then flew over to Davy Jones' outstretched hand. He then picked up the soul lantern and looked inside. At the moment it was almost completely dark. But soon it would hold a bright light.

The ship was sinking. The explosion had broken the hull enough for water to start pouring in. Nothing could be done about it. The men were starting to abandon ship. Davy Jones gave a nod and his own Sailors dived into the water with their knives. The men had started scrambling out onto the deck and were lowering their own boat into the water. This would not do. As soon as the boat had been untied from the ship a wave spontaneously erupted from the sea and engulfed the boat, filling it with water and it began to sink.

The ship was starting to sink faster now. There was no wind to take them to shore. They grabbed what floating objects they could and jumped into the water. However, once they were into the water, they were attacked from below. Some creatures, which could not be seen because it was too dark, were dragging men underwater. Then a hand erupted from the sea and stabbed one of the men in the chest with a knife. These were not mere sea-creatures. They were actual monsters! The crew were panicking. They began swimming. They tried fighting back. They tried climbing back on board. However much they tried, it was never enough. It had not been long before every crew member of that ship had been killed.

The two Sailors re-emerged from the ocean and climbed onto Davy Jones' dingy. His soul lantern now harboured around two dozen specks of light. "We will salvage this wreck tomorrow. For now, you have earned yourselves a good rest. Let's get back to the Dungeon."

And the little fishing boat rowed away from the sinking bulk of the naval ship, surrounded by floating corpses and debris.


Davy Jones (alias Dave Johnson)
Location: Bay Bulls, Newfoundland, Canada
Resources: 2 sets of dirty clothes, 2 sets of clean clothes, a makeshift Heart in an abandoned cellar connected to a sewer, 2 knives, a soul lantern with two dozen souls, a hammer, a saw, a fishing net, two shovels, a pickaxe, some money, some wood
Forces: 4 imps, 2 Sailors, Gaoithavis

The kiln was at last in working condition. The first batches of bricks were already being mixed, poured into molds, left to dry in the sun, and then fired. The quality and volume of the bricks being produced still left much to desire, however. The kiln could currently produce hundreds of bricks per day that were all roughly a yard long and a third as tall and as wide, but there were numerous problems in the manufacturing process.

As lumber was the only fuel available, the kiln was not burning hot enough to fully bake the bricks. Also, the exact composition of the bricks was not perfect, and more experimentation would be needed to get a better formula. In addition to all that, the whole process was very labor intensive, there was no efficient method of digging up and transporting all the needed materials, and more kilns, more mixers, more pumps, and an even larger pavilion for sun drying the bricks would eventually be needed to produce larger volumes of the bricks.

The first and foremost issue was creating bricks strong enough to be used for expanding Jin'zul's dungeon, as the current rooms would eventually become but the foundations of a huge temple complex. To do this, the imps set about using the first few batches of brick to create large furnaces to create charcoal, as well as nearby grinders and mixers so that cement could be produced for use as mortar. The charcoal would burn hotter than any wood in the kiln and better harden the clay. Jin'zul's first imp, who had declared himself overseer of the operation, was also keeping meticulous records of the formulas and strength of each batch of bricks in an attempt to discover the perfect mixture.

The next priorities would be to work on getting slave labor to run the kiln. The imps were all weak and small of stature, almost always under five feet of height. They made fine taskmasters, builders, and architects, but poor laborers. In stark contrast to the imps, who were hard to summon, humans were no doubt in as much abundance on this world as they had been on Outremar. As renewable and almost inexhaustible resources, human slaves could be worked far harder than imps, hard enough for them to die, after which their corpses could be converted into Savages.

While the imps sorted out the brick kiln and its issues, Jin'zul attempted to communicate with the Loa spirits through his totem. He had his Savages go into the sparse, tame part of the jungle that bordered the village. Incense created from any scented plants or oils the Savages found could be burned to appease the spirits. With any luck, the poorly equipped Savages would not be attacked by wild animals so near to the outskirts of the jungle.



Keeper: Jin'zul, a long forgotten keeper from Outremar who once possessed great magical power, including the ability to use forbidden Black Magick to manipulate the aspects of Soul, Shadow, Smoke, and Blood
Forces: 24 imps (+1 every post); 6 Savages; Khoukr
Resources: Some stone tools, a large amount of food stored in the village, and 70 corpses (All are decomposed, and 20 have already had their souls bound to Jin'zul)
Progress: 0/3 in communing with spirits; 0/5 in building furnaces for charcoal and mixers for cement
Dungeon: Currently one small, squat, above ground room crudely built of stone, surrounded by a dark maze of other such structures. Inside the central room is the dungeon heart in plain sight. Imps and Savages have taken up residence in the nearby village. A brick kiln and a small water cistern are located nearby. Multiple charcoal furnaces and cement mixers are under construction near the cistern as well.

As Davy Jones swam back into his Dungeon exhaustion was creeping in. They had to leave the boat back outside the bay, so they had to swim in. Sunset had already come and gone and he hadn't had any proper sleep since early yesterday. The use of magic had caused additional wear. His Dungeon was still too small to draw enough power to sustain this body unconventionally.

And if he was tired, his Sailors were more-so. They had been doing all the physical labour in the skirmish, rowing to and from the ship and manually attacking all the sailors. Sure, magic is draining, but it doesn't have the same effect on the body as simply working hard.

He dismissed his Sailors, but he could not sleep yet. He still had work to do. He had to summon more Sailors and get them to salvage the wreck before anyone else does. But because of the distance he would have to make a lot. Overseeing the operation would be required. And, and...

You need some sleep. You need to care for this body until you can get a better one.

It was Gaoithavis. Davy Jones had noticed that the bird did not ever sleep. He figured that it must be something to do with his regenerative powers. The bird only had to eat, which was not hard when you out-competed every other bird on the island both by strength and by intelligence.

He was about to argue when he realised that his Construct was right. He grabbed some of the food the imps had collected and then retired to his padded corner of the Heart. There he drifted off to sleep.


Davy Jones (alias Dave Johnson)
Location: Bay Bulls, Newfoundland, Canada
Resources: 2 sets of dirty clothes, 2 sets of clean clothes, a makeshift Heart in an abandoned cellar connected to a sewer, 2 knives, a soul lantern with two dozen souls, a hammer, a saw, a fishing net, two shovels, a pickaxe, some money, some wood
Forces: 4 imps, 2 Sailors, Gaoithavis

Davy Jones awoke. Sleep felt good. Sleep felt refreshing. He considered that sleep was an underrated pleasure among the Keepers. Yes, they had to manage their domain, but there would always be some time for a little shut-eye.

Now that he was up there was work to be done. His imps had done an outstanding job in clearing out that second room, considering the circumstances. It was askew, and dirt was clearly visible through the sparingly used wood, but it was a functional room. Already his crystal was spreading into that room along the floor. He ordered his imps to make another room. This one would be attached directly to the sewer. He didn't want anything in the rooms. He just wanted them built.

He woke up his dozing Sailors and ordered them off to go salvage last night's wreck. Get anything that can be used. Wood. Weapons. Food, if it hasn't spoilt. The gunpowder would not be recoverable, as it would be wet. He sent a three of his imps off with them. The other was on sleep shift. He sent Gaoithavis to supervise the operation. That just left him in the Heart, with a resting imp and two dozen human souls. Not for long.

Summoning sea-life and organic gunk, Davy Jones began moulding more workers for his Dungeon. By the end of it he had created 3 more imps and 3 more Sailors. He would have made more, but the effort had exhausted him and his Dungeon was already unsustainable with this population. After giving a quick briefing, he sent the new Sailors to help salvage the wreck and the new imps to build that new room.

Gaoithavis, in his intelligence, had decided to turn the salvageable wood into a raft, using salvaged rope, and put the rest of the loot on it. Then, instead of having to make multiple long trips, they would only have to make one. Davy Jones was pleased that his Construct was putting the mind he gave him to good use.


Davy Jones (alias Dave Johnson)
Location: Bay Bulls, Newfoundland, Canada
Resources: 2 sets of dirty clothes, 2 sets of clean clothes, a makeshift Heart in an abandoned cellar connected to a sewer, 2 knives, a soul lantern with 21 souls, a hammer, a saw, a fishing net, two shovels, a pickaxe, some money, some wood, a fishing boat, a navy wreck
Forces: 7 imps, 5 Sailors, Gaoithavis

The last of the sea water was being mopped up by one imp. With the mess out of the way, the place was more transversable. An hour of sloshing about her own dungeon was quite annoying. During the cleanup, Ordine was eagerly shifting through the storage room eyeing everything her imps had stolen. The loot thus far presented more than enough tools to work the smithy and construction. They had brought more than just tools also. A pile of books lay in the corner. A look at the titles showed that they were all informative novels, containing knowledge on the country, planet, different arts and sciences, anything that could provide useful information on their new home. In another corner, two small piles of treasure nested. One was larger and made up of completely silver. The other was jewerly, coins, gems, and other finery of the other precious metals. All of which would come in handy at a late date. Ordine added her map and coins to the correct piles and then eyed the silver.

She called over the imp who had just finished mopping. "You are to be the first silversmith. Work from this pile for now. More material will become available in due time. The first thing I require is barding of sorts so that we my finally summon a Katar. I'll require one for a trip I have planned. I'll also require better atire," she stated glancing at her cloth clothing,"This doesn't do for battle at all. There should just be enough silver there to work with. Now get to work."

She left the smithy and walked on to the site of the channel room. It was half-way built thus far. Shavi had clear control over the other imps and was keeping everything running smooth and efficient. Unlike the other rooms, whose structure was elegant and simple with some decorative greek-style columns or Ordine's insignia here and there, this room was being etched intently with detail. The walls were covered with the beginings of swirling runes and glyphs. The floor itself was one giant insignia, which was a celtic circle of sorts made from intertwining lines. Behind the left side of these lines was a waning cresent moon. All of it was being painted a bright red, something that the scavengers had picked up especially for this room. Pleased, the Keeper left and sat in her Heart, resting while her servants went about their work.

Location: Greek Islands
Resources: A sword, a helmet, a shield, a pair of man's slacks, a shirt, and a vest, some food and water.
Forces: Seven ethereal imps, Shavi
Project: Scavenging 21/25, Channel Room 6/12

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At first all that she noticed was the pitch blackness. Then it was the chilly, stale, dusty air that rested on her skin. Afterwards the ach in her lungs started. She gasped, remembering to breathe. The scent of pine wood and something a bit foul entered her nose. She waited a few seconds but everything remained black. Feeling for her limbs, her fingers and arms twitched and spasmed back to life as blood raced through them. She felt around her and found that she was in some sort of wooden box on her back. She was not alone, something stiff and covered in cloth lay next to her. She took no mind of it for she was most focused on getting out of her wooden prision.

Placing both hands on the wall infront of her, she gave one good shove. To her delight the wall creaked and one side gave, letting in a crack of blue light. The lid wasn't sealed tight. With another sustained shove she forced off the rest of the lid. Moonlight and fresh night air touched her face. She turned to see what had occupied the box with her only to find a dead man's corpse laying next to her. She jumped and on impulse threw the body out of the box and right into the ditch it rested in. "No! My box!" she yelled sitting up. It was then she realized where she was as six feet of dirt wall surrounded her. "Oh,.. on second thought you can keep it. I'll leave." Not bothering to replace the deceased in his final resting place she climbed out of the gave. Upon seeing her white human hands memories flooded back to her. A great battle between powerful beings,.. Keepers they were called... the planet... dying and she... escaping! Yes, her whole being condensed into a single speck of ice... and into a vortex! Yes, Amorie remembered everything now. So where was she? What was this new world? And why was she in her human form? It was not an unusual body for her but strange that she would rematerialize as it. Oh, and why in a grave of all places?

Questions ablaze, she rested under a tree next to the grave. It was a clear night and she appeared to be the only one around. She needed to rest her thoughts, then find the way out of the graveyard to start.

The salvaging was going well. The Sailors and imps had lashed together a raft made from parts of the ship piled with food, guns, swords, cloth, clothes and more. It would set up Davy Jones' crew with all the necessary equipment.

Gaoithavis was patrolling from above, keeping an eye out for any ships which might cross paths with their strange raft. He contacted Jones.

We have weapons to spare. Bay Bulls lacks an army. With a few more Sailors we could easily overthrow the town from the inside out.

That won't work to my needs, Gaoithavis. Yes, we could slaughter and enslave the populace of Bay Bulls and take over the town, but I'd be no stronger for it. I am, well, I'm pretty sure I am a sea deity. Or legend. Or something. It doesn't matter. I deal with the souls of those who die at sea. Not in battle. Their lives, and the town, must be taken by the ocean itself. Then, not only will I have control over Bay Bulls, it will integrate with my own strength and Dungeon. The use of force has another nasty side-effect. It draws unwanted attention. People will flee, and we'll attract the army and navy of St Johns. I have a plan which would not cry alarm bells of 'invasion'.

How do you intend to do this?

You'll see, Gaoithavis, in due time. Until then, we need more souls.


Davy Jones (alias Dave Johnson)
Location: Bay Bulls, Newfoundland, Canada
Resources: 2 sets of dirty clothes, 2 sets of clean clothes, a makeshift Heart in an abandoned cellar connected to a sewer, 2 knives, a soul lantern with 21 souls, a hammer, a saw, a fishing net, two shovels, a pickaxe, some money, some wood, a fishing boat, a navy wreck
Forces: 7 imps, 5 Sailors, Gaoithavis

As quickly as the imps finished their newest projects, more were assigned. Some of them were already becoming weary and rebellious, but the fresher ones and those who remained enthusiastic and loyal kept the worst of the lot from doing anything more than grumbling. Of course, having Khoukr and the savages periodically coming to oversee things helped to keep the impressionable little demons in line.

While the summoning circle had provided a constant stream of imps and supplied much needed labor, it was becoming too much of a drain on Jin'zul. The dungeon heart had started to beat harder and faster, struggling to supply the magic to hold a portal open in this world. As such, the warlock had grown tired of the summoning circle's incessant cravings for energy and deactivated the summoning circle. In a matter of but a few days he had acquired thirty additional imps, and they would be sufficient for now.

Ten imps would continue to work the brick kiln, as well as the new cement mixer and charcoal ovens. The original one would stay as well, to oversee the operations, continue testing new formulas for bricks, and attempt to find the ideal temperature to run the charcoal furnace.

Another ten imps scavenged some stone machetes and axes crafted by the slain villagers, and got to work ravaging the surrounding lands for resources. Trees were chopped down, berry, fruit, and herb plants were stripped barren and then cleared as well, and smaller pieces of vegetation were hacked to pieces and then scattered about to decompose.

The remaining third of the imps were sent to search every crevice of the surrounding areas for valuable minerals, keeping an eye out especially for coal veins or bauxite. Coal would be useful until more charcoal furnaces could be built and could eventually be used in the production of steel, while kaolinite and iron might be found within bauxite deposits.

While they worked, Jin'zul had established communication with the Loa through his totems, and was praying for knowledge concerning the infidel natives of this jungle and the locations of their settlements. After much praise and offerings, the spirits finally informed the keeper that he had conquered but a mere hunters' camp, and that many more similar places were in the surrounding jungle.

Much larger settlements were located down the river, and they would eventually grow worried and possibly investigate if the hunters never returned. Needless to say, they would not be pleased to find the remains of their friends and relatives used as vessels by the followers of some crazed warlock.

Jin'zul would either be forced to both fortify his position and actively prevent his discovery by raiding the other nearby camps and ensuring that anybody coming from the larger villagers found either a quick death or that all the hunters had vanished without a trace. After the natives were all slaughtered and enslaved, the Keeper would turn his eyes to other tribes, and to the coastal colonies of the white men. Afterwards, he would conquer the white peoples' homeland, a place across the ocean known as Portugal.

In the meantime, however, Jin'zul needed to make preparations. He could do none of those things without an army, and so he devoured the souls of thirty more dead villagers, then got to work raising more Savages. Rejuvenated, the keeper could perhaps create another fourteen Savages for now, bringing their count up to twenty; however, this would take time.



Keeper: Jin'zul, a long forgotten keeper from Outremar who once possessed great magical power, including the ability to use forbidden Black Magick to manipulate the aspects of Soul, Shadow, Smoke, and Blood
Forces: 31 imps (further summoning is currently halted); 6 Savages (+1 every post for 14 posts); Khoukr
Resources: Some stone tools, a large amount of food stored in the village, a large amount of timber, a small amount of poor quality bricks, and 56 corpses (All are decomposing, and 50 have already been deprived of the souls trapped within)
Progress: 0/14 in reanimating more Savages; 0/5 in searching for minerals; 0/20 in clearing more land around the village and the nearby hill will Jin'zul's dungeon
Dungeon: Currently one small, squat, above ground room crudely built of stone, surrounded by a dark maze of other such structures. Inside the central room is the dungeon heart in plain sight. Imps and Savages have taken up residence in the nearby village. A brick kiln and a small water cistern are located nearby, surrounded by multiple charcoal furnaces and cement mixers.

Lei Shan had travelled with his mad helper of which he still didin't know the name.

Came at an hill overseeing grassy plains near an river.
Lei Shen wanted to heal and rest but had an idea. He was mayby not a god anymore now a mortal-ish. But he still knew ways toi make lighting strike at one point and mmayby use his powers to draw storms.
He used his remaing energies to make a sharp stone into an dark blue crystal.

Meanwhile batshit crazy made a kind of ramp of which the top could be rotated.
When the crystal was ready. Some Small clouds began to gather. So Lei shen had his helper spin the platform whiwh as Lei Shen anticipaited increased

Eventualy thunder boomed in the air and soon lightiong struck the crystal. The wooden platform was burned up but the crystal held energies needed for le ishen. He Absorbed them and saw how his heart grew a little and beat healthily.

He orderd his helper to bring him a large rock or atleast find one meter height and half am eter broad.

He began using lighting from his hands to begi nto form an helper. A Xia a stone brought to lfie to work for Lei shen and build buildings. He didin't know why he was doing this but something in him told he had to do that.


Xia Worker: 1/2
An Stone creature about 1 .2 meters tall. It has the face of a sloth and the same kidn of feet. But it has hands and various facial hairs. It carries some lonng robes and wears an mongol styled hat.

Keeper: Lei Shen , The Thunder King.
Origin: Original the God of storms he was Lei Bong. But slowly corrupted by Keeper energies and being mistreated by mortals. This loving god is becoming an Monster of Destruction. Soon his thunder will boom throughtout the land and all that would stand and fight. Fall to the Tyrants Iron Hand.

The salvaged wreck was going to be hard to hide. A small fishing boat could easily be hidden. The wreck of an entire ship would be another story. But it had taken a while for it to get near the bay, so Davy Jones had plenty of time to plan.

They brought it near the hiding place for the fishing boat soon after nightfall. Davy Jones himself arrived to help. He needed this to go quickly and smoothly, to see the loot with his own eyes, and also to stretch his legs. Exercise would do him some good. Being among his crew sharing some of the work would also be a big boost for morale, which at this stage was one of Davy Jones' most valued resources.

The first part was to unload the raft. There was food (mostly soggy), extra rope, clothes and weapons. A few little amenities had also been salvaged, such as soap (what of it that hadn't dissolved, at least), money, candles and shaving razors. All this was hauled inland so it wasn't visible from sea. Then the raft had to be disassembled and similarly hidden. This took more effort, but soon it was done.

Now that the loot was safely stowed away, the parts of it that Davy Jones wanted to be used now was taken back to the Dungeon. This was some wood, the swords, the soap, the clothes, the food and the light sources. A few of the sets of clothes were to be cleaned and dried so that Dave would have something to wear in public if necessary. The food would have to be dried or eaten soon. The wood would go towards construction. And Jones thought it might be a good idea to have a few weapons around the place just in case. The rest of the loot would stay where it was until needed.


Davy Jones (alias Dave Johnson)
Location: Bay Bulls, Newfoundland, Canada
Resources: Numerous sets of clothes, a makeshift Heart in an abandoned cellar connected to a sewer, numerous knives, a soul lantern with 21 souls, a hammer, a saw, a fishing net, two shovels, a pickaxe, some money, a lot of wood, a fishing boat, swords, rifles, lead shot, plenty of rope, soggy food
Forces: 7 imps, 5 Sailors, Gaoithavis

As room number three was completed, with the sudden influx of a large amount of free wood, Davy Jones was having Gaoithavis scout out for another ship. To strike another navy ship so soon might be too ambitious. If two ships went missing so close to each other then the entire navy might be put on alert. Davy Jones decided that a merchant vessel might be more suitable. Fortunately, one happened to be docked in St Johns (not that there was a shortage of them) carrying a cargo of textiles and was planning to embark soon taking the southwards route around Newfoundland. That takes it right past Bay Bulls.

Davy Jones sat down to plan. It was a merchant ship so it would have guards so a direct attack would not be very successful. He decided it might be best to surgically sink the vessel. He, the Sailors and the imps would swim in with tools. They would hack holes out of the bottom of the ship. It would fill with water and sink. The people on board would be at their mercy. The cloth and money could be looted afterwards.


Davy Jones (alias Dave Johnson)
Location: Bay Bulls, Newfoundland, Canada
Resources: Numerous sets of clothes, a makeshift Heart in an abandoned cellar connected to a sewer, numerous knives, a soul lantern with 21 souls, a hammer, a saw, a fishing net, two shovels, a pickaxe, some money, a lot of wood, a fishing boat, swords, rifles, lead shot, plenty of rope, soggy food
Forces: 7 imps, 5 Sailors, Gaoithavis

With the resources gained from the mining ventures along with the greater amount of more efficient Tengu workers, the framework had been quickly laid for a variety of new chambers. Once the foundations were solid, work began in earnest, seldom slowing and never stopping under Uekaru's watchful eye. The work was not perfect; there were loose bricks and unrefined edges aplenty that made the dungeon appear more a series of inhabited caves than a proper dominion of evil. The work had been fast, however, and it fulfilled Uekaru's logistic goals if not his aesthetic ones. Under his oversight, a cavernous vault of a storeroom was excavated, the barracks were hewn from the stone and lined with rushes for the minions to rest upon, and a laboratory built and equipped with the most basic of implements. It was here Uekaru found himself now, examining the meager supplies and compiling a mental list of what he might need to experiment, prototype, and harness new forms of biology and technology to serve him.

Once the list was complete, he returned to his Heart and stood upon the surface of the pit. The Keeper tried to disguise how eager he was, though nothing was around to see it. He could feel the veins of his power creeping through the new rooms like the tentacles of some leviathan groping and ensnaring its prey. Energy pulsed through him in tune to the metal Heart beneath the amber surface. His domain had been sufficiently enlarged to permit him the creation of a new avatar; it would be nothing mindblowing, but simple transcendence of humanity would be sweet enough.

His imagination searched for a suitable replacement. Something humanoid would likely be his best bet, so as to allow some form of disguise when moving among humans. How to remain somewhat inconspicuous to men while at the same time leaving behind contemptible human characteristics and acquiring more power eluded him for a while. At last, though, he settled upon a seven-foot-tall body of angular reddish flesh tempered to steel at certain points, such as claws and hair and the sinew in impressive muscles. His eyes burned amber in the same shade as his Heart, but the fire could be forcibly extinguished to gain the dark eyes of this region's people. His body, while rather large to humans, was not overly so and shouldn't warrant immediate lynching. It disgusted Uekaru that he still must limit himself because of humans, but this avatar was better than the old at least. It was also held back by the size of his dungeon...again. Satisfied that he had done what he could, Uekaru stepped from the Heart proudly and left to find some minions.

"You five," he bellowed in a metallic voice, pointing out three imps and two Tengu who had been resting and eating in the barracks before their master had arrived to dumbfound them with his new avatar, "Take what provisions and arms you need and we'll scout out the countryside. Additionally, take whatever garb the humans left in their camp in the quarry. Avoid people if you can, but kill any that discover you. I want to know what's out there." Remembering something, he turned to the rest of his minions. "As for the lot of you, you will excavate a tunnel to the surface so that the reconnaissance party may leave, now that the main entrance has caved in. Make sure that the opening is hidden. Now go!"

-=-=-
Location: His dungeon, in Metal Town Quarry, Western China
Forces: 11 slightly-empowered imps, 7 Tengu
Resources: An enchanted Yanmaodao sword, a half-full canteen, a few tons of stone, some metal and wood from the quarry along with tools, some cloth and vittles from supply tents.
Progress: 10/10 construction of new rooms. 0/8 Scouting party

Davy Jones could see the underside of the merchant ship from under the waves. His Sailors and three of his imps were with him. With a gesture of his arm he signalled them onwards until they were directly under the ship. A nod was enough to tell the imps to start making holes in the bottom of the ship. They had brought along the saw and pickaxe. The third imp was their spotter, making sure they didn't drop their tools or hit anyone by accident.

Jones swam up to the ship as well. He had brought a sword along, and he intended to use magic to also make holes. However, he wasn't entirely sure on how he would do that. He had not yet channelled magic through an item, so he wasn't sure what to expect. However, he did not let his crew see his uncertainty. He drew the sword, prepared to swing, applied telekinetic magic to it and delivered an upwards swing to the hull of the ship.

There was a crack as a gash was made in the wood. What really gained the attention of his crew, however, was that he was pushed back 4 metres by the force of the sword. Dave was also unprepared for the shock which the blow would send up his arm and hand, so he had dropped the sword. The spotter imp began to swim after it, but Jones beat him to it, grabbing the sword telekinetically and returning it to his hand. He examined the blade. The blow had caused a hairline fracture in the steel. It would probably fail after a few more uses. He would need a better sword for applying magic.

He looked at the ship and realised that the damage to the sword was much less than the damage to the ship. The gash was wide and splintered. Water was gushing into the ship, and it was very slowly starting to keel over. That one scratch was less than the work of the imps so far. The fact that the pickaxe was very slow in water and the saw was not much good on the hull of the ship did little to suppress how it impressed his crew.

It would do no good to leave it there. Davy Jones realised that he could use this to easily boost the morale of his crew. And now he had a sense of what he was doing.

Going to the other end of the ship, and using a more controlled amount of magic, he stabbed the sword between two boards on the hull. He then swam along the ship, using its own movement (and magic) to help, wedging apart the two boards with his sword. He then pulled out the sword and telekinetically shoved the gap. This forced it wider and water flooded through.

He then went over to one of the holes the imps had made. He grabbed hold with his left and and poised his right hand so that the sword was ready to stab the ship. Giving a moment to ensure he did not make the same mistake as the first time, he impaled the hull, explosively creating a hole much bigger than the width of the blade.

Now that the ship was starting to fill up, Davy Jones moved back to observe. The sword had fractures all over it and was blunted in places, so it would be useless, but that did not matter. The ship was sinking, and soon they would have more souls and money.


Things went much the same as last time. The crew tried to futilely repair the damage and stop the ship from sinking. Failing that, they were forced to abandon ship. Once in the water, they were at the mercy of the knife- and sword-wielding Sailors, which had the distinct advantage of being amphibious. As the killing went on, Davy Jones collected the souls into his soul lantern. About an hour later all the people were dead and the ship was on the bottom of the ocean. They grabbed some of the fabric and money and headed back to the Dungeon.


Davy Jones (alias Dave Johnson)
Location: Bay Bulls, Newfoundland, Canada
Resources: Numerous sets of clothes, a makeshift Heart in an abandoned cellar connected to a sewer, numerous knives, a soul lantern with 27 souls, a hammer, a saw, a fishing net, two shovels, a pickaxe, some money, a lot of wood, a fishing boat, swords, rifles, lead shot, plenty of rope, soggy food, fabric
Forces: 7 imps, 5 Sailors, Gaoithavis

Lei Shen had finioshed the lighting crystals. They Placed it upon the Stone lighting collector.
As it was placed it drew a small covering of the lands in eternal shadow of clouds and thunder.

It was small but it sufficed as lighting hit the crystals now and than. Yet these were artificial lighting strikes and not the ones bruising with keeper magic. So it only gave minor nourishment.

Yet it was slowly feeding. Yet it constantly took time to grab each crystal and draw the energies.

He yelled "Xia Come here!". The Xia and the mad man came. "Xia, I am planning To get my basic plans on and I'll need some shelter. I don't want to get weat.

So Build a New Xia while I''ll go around to find something usefull.

I think I'll visit a nearby town in search of a gold smith.

The Mad man asked "Can I come along?" Lei shen nodded No and lefto to search an gold smith.


Xia 1/3



Creatures:
Xia (workers) : 1

Keeper: Lei Shen , The Thunder King.
Origin: Original the God of storms he was Lei Bong. But slowly corrupted by Keeper energies and being mistreated by mortals. This loving god is becoming an Monster of Destruction. Soon his thunder will boom throughtout the land and all that would stand and fight. Fall to the Tyrants Iron Hand.[/font][/quote]

Two bony hands wearing gauntlets of pure silver seized the man as soon as he set foot outside his door. He only caught a glimpse of his assailant, a strange being garbed in silk robes of the same color wearing a sinister silver mask, before demonic energies poured out from the hands and into his mind and began to rapidly dissolve every trace of his conscience and soul. For a few moments that seemed like hours, the man shrieked and clawed at his own face, trying in vain to force the construct out of his mind.

Entilon struggled as well, with the horrible, primordial fear of death consuming his own mind. The man's family were just a few feet away inside the house, and the construct was unsure is he had the strength to overcome this man fast enough to move on to the others. Fortunately, he did.

Separating his entire soul from his body, a very difficult and risky maneuver, Entilon jumped into the now mindless body of the man he had grabbed and completely possessed him. Charging back into the house with this body that wasn't his own, Entilon stumbled into two young men, probably this man's sons, who had been heading outside. Upon merely coming into physical contact with them, a bridge was made between their weak minds, and the infinitely wiser and stronger one that the construct possessed.

Once again, the demonic energies within Entilon welled up and surged into the bodies of two more humans. Caught up in the fight as he was and driven by the desperation that came with fear, he was able to take over these humans' minds much easier, split his soul, and possess all three of them at once. There were still two women in the room, looking on it utter terror.

With lightning speed, the two younger men went for the younger of the females, their sister, and began mercilessly strangling her. The older man turned grabbed a sickle that had been hanging from a tool rack on the wall. The older woman reached for her husband, perhaps hoping that her touch would cleanse him of this sudden madness. The man turned around, a red glow emanating from deep within his eyes, and swung the sickle. The curved blade hacked off the arm that had gripped his shoulder. Then he swung the sickle again and again, hacking at his victim in the same, gory way that a butcher cuts apart a dead animal with his cleaver.

Entilon withdrew his soul from the three men once their handiwork was done, leaving only an imprint of his will. The enslaved humans would not be under his direct control unless he possessed them once again, but they would obey him to the word with unwavering zeal, and always fight with the fervor of a corned animal. While the three looted their own home in search of any weapons and supplies they could take, the construct found his stare drawn towards the fireplace. A small fire still roared within the hearth, like a miniature hell.

Perhaps it was only a figment of his imagination, but the construct thought he saw the flames warp for a mere moment to reveal a demon's visage. Entilon mused to himself, Even here, my fate follows closer than my own shadow. Begone!

A very real voice answered back, "These infernal depths will claim you, no matter how long you struggle in vain, no matter how many other worlds you flee to." And then there was only silence. Entilon stood still for a long while, protected by his three new thralls. He should have known better than to think that fleeing through the portal on Outremar would let him escape the inevitable.

Then, he banished those thoughts as suddenly as they had come. At his command, the three men set ablaze their own barn and home. The clouds above still wept, but the wooden interiors of the two buildings still burned until the structures caved in. By then, Entilon and his three minions were already moving down the road in search of another farmstead to attack.

As the Sailors rested in the Dungeon, Davy Jones pondered his next target. Gaoithavis was out diligently scouting. He needed to hurry up and get more souls, for every day he delayed was a day his scheme could collapse. He needed desperately to busy himself. Gaoithavis could sense this anxiousness, so was out trying to fulfil this need.

Until something could be found, Davy Jones was sitting in his Heart. The rhythmical thumping of the digging imps could be faintly heard. The crashing of waves was ambient. The scents of salt and sewerage filled his nose, although he had become desensitised to the stink by now. The glow of the crystal covering the floor lit the room. The Sailors milled around. They had managed to find a couple of games from the salvaging, so a few of them were preoccupying themselves with a set of wrinkled playing cards. Dave's clothes stuck to his skin and smelled. He didn't have anywhere to wash them, and he had to save his clean clothes for going out in public.

Eventually Gaoithavis' voice rang out inside his head. I have found a small, isolated fleet of fishing vessels. One ship and 4 boats.

Davy Jones took a moment to think about this. I'll take it. I'll head right over.

What's the strategy this time?

As Jones got up and began leaving, he told him.

No support from your crew? Are you sure?

Positive.


Davy Jones (alias Dave Johnson)
Location: Bay Bulls, Newfoundland, Canada
Resources: Numerous sets of clothes, a makeshift Heart in an abandoned cellar connected to a sewer, numerous knives, a soul lantern with 29 souls, a hammer, a saw, a fishing net, two shovels, a pickaxe, some money, a lot of wood, a fishing boat, swords, rifles, lead shot, plenty of rope, soggy food, fabric
Forces: 7 imps, 5 Sailors, Gaoithavis

Lei shen was walking to a nearby village to find a smith. Farmers were hiding and people locking their doors.

Lei Shen tries to find a blacksmith. Eventually he finds the smithy. AS he burns down the doors he finds a man hiding in a corner.

Lei shen uses his 'elegant' skills to show the man he wants a crown in which an gem can be placed. Yet the man lacks the gold for it. So lei shenstomps in door after door to 'collect taxes'. He does find a mason making statues. Seems interesting and handy.

Quickly as the rest of the village slowly dissapears by wind , storml and thunder. The smith finishes the golden as he worked on it Lei shen empowered the metal with power.

After he was ready he orderd the mason to transport the anvil and other tools or be struck by lighting and go back to his small stormy encampment.

As Lei shen returns the Xia had finished an Xia.

When lei shen returned he demanded a workshop be build. A mason's workshop.
If Lei shen could build his palace he would need workers and troops.

The Xias would work o, Xia's but the mason would go to him to create a master piece.

But first he demonstrated his new crown. Incrusted in it where lighting crystals. From a distant the energies from his collector where gathered as the power flew in the sky to his helm as he took it up.

He recharged for now. Yet something was differetn as he looked at the bag he hadin which his heart he had been carrying has grown.

He put it back in the bag. He didin't want his first fighters be made of stone but of jade. He used a lot of his power to transmogh a bit of stone into jade.
Being quite tired of this. He ordered the Mason under the watch of the mad guy. Who he long stopped caring for a name. To make from the Jade a lion in chinese style.


Xia 3/3 *completed
2 Xia's 1/3

1/3 Jaden Quillien


Creatures:
Xia (workers) : 2
enslaved human craftsmen : 1

Keeper: Lei Shen , The Thunder King.
Origin: Original the God of storms he was Lei Bong. But slowly corrupted by Keeper energies and being mistreated by mortals. This loving god is becoming an Monster of Destruction. Soon his thunder will boom throughtout the land and all that would stand and fight. Fall to the Tyrants Iron Hand.

Davy Jones gracefully swam through the ocean towards the area the fishing boats were in. The soul lantern was tied firmly to his waist. His plan was cunning, and promised some irony. He did not yet have the power to directly take out the entire fleet, but he knew that he had the power to influence and manipulate the creatures of the sea. How easily that scales up, he did not know. But he had to give it a shot.

Jones stopped swimming and searched. He found numerous small fish nearby. Surely it shouldn't be too hard to find something bigger. Probing further, he sensed what he was looking for. Swimming closer, he enticed the creature to slow down. Before long the creature's shadow loomed out from the haze of the water. It was a humpback whale. Barnacles and the occasional scar encrusted its colossal side. The behemoth was a sight to behold. Davy Jones clutched onto the dorsal fin and mentally guided it to their destination.

Along the way, he kept probing with his mind. He was getting stretched thin, but he needed to find a few more creatures. Something to clean up when the whale was done. It was not too long before he found two sharks, and called them along.

Soon the boats were in view. This was the part which he wasn't sure would work. Influencing an animal to move in the direction you want them to when there is no reason for them to not want to is a piece of cake. Getting them to risk their life in doing something normally against their nature is another thing all together. But it might work, and that was what counted.

Davy Jones dismounted the whale and gave it a new command. He could feel a small drain in energy as he battled to bend the will of the mighty whale. Then, suddenly, it headed towards the surface where one of the boats were. It breached the surface and hovered, half out of the water, next to the boat with its belly facing it. The fishermen were stunned by the event. Then they were stunned in a much less likeable manner when the whale rolled over and fell on top of their boat, grabbing it with its fin and dragging it under. At Jones' command, the sharks went and attacked the stranded fishermen. This spectacle shocked the rest of the fishing crew. And when the second boat was tipped over by the whale's snout they were sent into a panic and began to flee. However, the whale swiftly intercepted the other two row-boats. All that remained now was the ship.

Unlike the puny boats, which were dwarfed by the mass of the whale, this ship was slightly longer than the whale, and many times more stable than the little boats. It would be a lot harder to tip.

The waters were calm for a few seconds, save for the wake of the ship as it began to move. The crew members on deck who weren't busy getting the vessel moving were looking overboard, trying to spy where the whale would emerge. A few of them had spears and hooks, but this wasn't a whaling ship so they weren't in great supply.

Without warning, the humpback leapt skywards on the starboard side and threw itself down, scattering the sailors who were there. The ship began to lean as the whale dropped its weight onto the hull. Equipment, fish and even a sailor who lost his footing tumbled into the sea below. However, the displacement of the boat was too great to be offset by the whale, so it slid back into the ocean.

Jones needed to think fast, as his grip on the whale's will slid ever time it suffered pain. Ramming into solidly build wooden vessels was quite painful. However, there was little else that could be done, so he had the whale throw itself onto the port side. Then the starboard side again. Davy Jones was struggling to hold onto the whale's will. Its underside was grazed and bleeding lightly. However, he could see that the starboard hull was failing. If he could just weaken it some more then plunge it underwater, the ship might sink. Davy Jones forced the whale to throw itself to the starboard side again, then went for the final push to have the whale bear down on the port side. This time there was an especially loud creak, and when the whale slid off, the ship did not return to its normal position but stayed partially tipped. Dave let out a cheer as the whale swam away. He kept the sharks circling and, as the ship sank completely, collected the souls of the fishermen who were killed one by one into his soul jar. By the end of it he had twenty new souls. He let one of the sharks go and had the other one give him a ride home.


Davy Jones (alias Dave Johnson)
Location: Bay Bulls, Newfoundland, Canada
Resources: Numerous sets of clothes, a makeshift Heart in an abandoned cellar connected to a sewer, numerous knives, a soul lantern with 49 souls, a hammer, a saw, a fishing net, two shovels, a pickaxe, some money, a lot of wood, a fishing boat, swords, rifles, lead shot, plenty of rope, soggy food, fabric
Forces: 7 imps, 5 Sailors, Gaoithavis

Using the sea water as a reflective surface, Ordine examined her new suit of glistening silver armor. It had been completed in the past few hours. Minor enchantments of protection and hardening had been laid on it by the Keeper herself. It was elegant with small decorative engravings all throughout it. The piece would grow in power as she did, same with her weapons. Pleased that it had been made to perfection, she tossed the rest of the human clothing into the cloth pile.

Shavi found her in the storage room. "Ser, it is finished." She spun around and smiled. The two left hastily to the new channel room. It too had been built delicately to perfection. The runes covered every inch of the wall and ceiling. Two swirling silver spires spouted from the center of the floor and ceiling.

"Well, let's not waste a single minute. Shavi I'll require your aid. The rest of you are to leave," she stated. Ordine and Shavi stood on opposite ends of the room. Placing one foot infront of the other and reaching out a hand, a beam of golden light left both of them and met in the middle of the room. Energy drifted upwards and downwards into the spires. At the epicenter of the event, a small oval of light began to form. In unison, the Keeper and Construct chanted old ethereal words. The runes etched into the walls of the room glowed white. The oval grew slightly as the chant progressed. As the last words were uttered, energy surged from the oval and filled the whole room, touching and entering every rune. The oval was a portal to the ethereal plane, the runes held it open while the spires drew power from it. Ordine could feel the Heart feed on the new raw energy. It animated her to the bones. "What a feeling! Oh, how I've missed this!"

She let Shavi return to normal work while she headed to the smithy grabbing an imp along the way. It stood with the silversmith as the Keeper approached the silver fountain. "Time to put this in working order." She surged energy into the fountain linking it to the channel. A white light formed in the statue's mouth before a trickle of liquid silver started to pour from it into the basin below. It wasn't much at the moment but then her dungeon didn't need a large supply yet. "Beautiful! Both of you are to work this into armor for new imps and future creations. I'll send more to aid you as time progresses."

Ordine lingered in the smithy to watch over the completion of the first Katar barding while the rest of the imps went onto their next project; the training room.

Location: Greek Islands
Resources: A sword, a suit of silver armor, a shield, some food and water.
Forces: Seven ethereal imps, Shavi
Project: Scavenging 25/25, Channel Room 12/12, Training Room 0/15