Reports are interesting things. They can contain good news, relay information about a spectacular event, and even let someone know how much food they have and how long it will last. They can also relay a great number of terrible things, or the bad news.

In this case, the news was most certainly bad, but Chancellor Raeno Noxath saw the opportunity that this particular news would provide. The Chancellor had been an esteemed advisor to the High King Mathew Seimens since His Majesty had ascended to the throne. It wasn’t that he was unhappy with his position. No, far from it. Raeno felt very comfortable in his current position. It was that the King had recently confided with Raeno that his daughter, the Princess Kiria, did not want to ascend to the throne to rule. She thought that the power to rule would be better suited in the hands of the people. So, having given in to the desires of his “precious daughter”, he would abolish the monarchy and turn it over to a democracy. One ruled by a council of judges with a high-judge to watch over the proceedings and attempt to keep things fair.

Raeno had thought that it would offer him a chance to be in the council, or maybe in the High-Judge’s seat, since the Princess had no desire to be a part of the new ruling, and the King would only remain as an advisor for a year or so before he would turn it over completely to the council. However, his hopes and dreams were dashed when the King told him that it would be completely up to the people, and the Praetorians knew that there were other individuals, more moral individuals, that would be voted in first.

Do-gooders and other officials that had better reputations would be voted in first. After all, Raeno, as Chancellor, was not a very popular candidate. Oh, sure, he had done a well enough job at advising the King, bringing forth important decisions that maybe had the consequence of raising taxes. Or maybe it was the delayed response at helping a border village from attacks, when he had felt that the soldiers were of better use elsewhere, and advised the King as such. It wasn’t the Chancellor’s fault that the King listened to him. Well, maybe that last part was a lie. The Chancellor had altered the mood of the King to make him more amicable to his suggestions once or twice. Too bad his magic, while influential, wouldn’t alter a mind that had already decided on a course of action. It would help in debates, but not in changing one’s mind. This is what had helped Raeno become the Chancellor to King Yemick to begin with.

The man looked back down at his desk, where a peculiar report sat. He decided to read it over one more time before it made any brash decisions.

Re: Collapse of the Low-leveled Dungeon near the City of Jethro.

Having been set out by the Order of his Majesty’s Chancellor, Raeno Noxath, to investigate the odd claims of a dungeon collapse in the Southern area of the Kingdom of Philores, in the territory of Marshall Aroim, near the City of Jethro, we began to inquire among the locals as to what they had seen. It appears that on the Fifth day of Androth of this year, at around mid-day, the registered Adventuring Party that were set to raid the Dungeon. For almost a month prior, there were reports of a rare monster appearing that granted a higher quantity of EXP and Skill Points than other monsters appearing in the area.

At the time that this particular Party entered into the Dungeon, the path that led to said monster was vacant, with nary a sign of what would have happened. They reported that not only was that monster missing, but the next branch also held no sign of a monster, but the Treasure Chest had remained. This Party reported no other oddities. The next Party reported a similar story, saying that the third and forth paths were vacant as well, but the fifth path held a monster.

The following Party after that, however, told a much different story. This group, consisting of a Healer, an Archer, and a Warrior, said that the first, second, and third paths were all vacant, leaving only a couple Chests. They thought it odd, and were going to continue investigating until a wave of energy knocked them down. They reported that the cave then began to collapse in on itself, and retreated with no casualties. All following expeditions to this notoriously simple dungeon were cancelled.

We took our investigation to the dungeon proper, finding that the Dungeon did not respawn as it should have. Whatever had caused that quake, most likely a spell from its description, had left the Dungeon itself beyond repair. An attempt was made to locate the Heart of the Dungeon, but without the excavation of the cave, we were unable to access it.

Our intelligence asset, Emyd, believes that this was the cause of some new monster. The rare monster was reported to be a small grey slime, just over a quarter meter tall. It had no luster to it, seemed to absorb the light around it, and was opaque. He does not believe that this was caused by that slime monster, but rather another rare kind of monster that is more vicious than the others. If that is the case, and this monster is able to use magic, we could be in trouble.

My recommendation, sir, is that you send out a subjugation squad immediately. If this monster attacks the surrounding area, the casualties could be massive. Most of the Adventurers in this area have moved on, while the ones remaining are but low-level newbies. My team has returned to the Capital and are awaiting further orders.

Signed,

Farix Broug

Head of Investigations

Raeno leaned back in his chair, thinking over the best course of action. Ideally, he would like a solution that would remove both issues that he had in one swift strike. Princess Kiria, who was overly fond of the stories of great heroes, was currently preparing for the day that she could be an adventurer. That was the ultimate insult to the Chancellor. She would give up her life of comfort for heroics. The man sighed, stroking his short cut goatee for a few moments. Then an idea began to form. Raeno began to chuckle to himself, revelling in the plan that would hopefully both sway the King away from a blasted democracy, and free his people from a grave threat. It would almost be too easy to convince His Majesty to allow the plan to be enacted. He then reached out to a small bell on his desk and rang it...

Axis Ghiet entered his superior’s office a few moments later. The Chancellor had since stood from his desk and was standing near the fire on the left of the door. The room was rather large, being about ten meters in depth and five meters across. Opposite of the entry was a fine oak desk, piles of papers sat in perfect stacks in their assigned places, and there was a single pen and inkwell sitting off to one side, within easy reach from the high-backed, padded chair, which looked more like it would belong in the King’s throne room rather the Chancellor’s office. Near the fireplace on the left sat two comfy looking chairs. The floor had several lavish looking carpets to cover the fine, white-grey marble floor. On the right sat a large bookcase from wall to wall. There was also another door in the back corner past the fireplace that would lead to the Chancellor’s quarters. The whole room was embellished by a large, several paned window, the curtains currently drawn closed, given the time of day. The colors in the room were done in shades of red.

Raeno invited the Captain to have a seat. Axis led a team of hunters that were commonly called the “Subjugators”. The tall, black-haired man sat while his superior sat in the other chair. Raeno was an aging man, maybe in his seventh decade, sported a clean shaven head and a grey beard. While he may once have been about a quarter of a meter shy of two, he was now stooped to almost a meter in height from his advanced age. The man could have been considered kind in a fatherly or grandfatherly manner, but the Captain knew better. Even King Siemens had no idea as to the true nature of the Chancellor. In contrast, Captain Ghiet was about two meters in height, with a strong stature. His deep blue hair was long, falling about his shoulders, almost like a mane atop his head. His clear blue eyes fell to the older man as he awaited his orders. Raeno liked the Captain: quiet, but fierce when he needed to be. Almost like a calm before a storm.

“I have a mission for you,” the Chancellor began, “one that would put your particular talents to full use. There is a monster that has shown potential to be dangerous to the Kingdom. It is a kind of slime monster and was last seen in the Southern Territory, close to Jethro.”

The other man merely grunted in slight confusion as to why he was being sent after a slime monster of all things. From his experience, slimes were pathetic prey, but he remained silent.

Raeno continued, “I want you to take the Princess with you when you hunt it down. She will almost certainly be excited to have the opportunity to see the world she so desperately craves to explore. However-” The old man paused for just a moment, making sure that Axis was paying close attention. “It would certainly be a tragedy if something were to happen to her. But, hunting down a monster that might harm the Kingdom could be quite the dangerous task. Do you understand?”

Raeno saw the Captain nod in response. “I understand.” And Axis did. He had been the Chancellor’s Captain to his personal hunters for almost three years. In that amount of time, there were a few… troublemakers that had to be silenced. And this would only differ in that a monster was to be the culprit for this tragedy that would befall the young, starry eyed maiden he would be escorting on her first, and only, adventure...