This Used To Be About Dungeons полностью

“Travel is the big one,” said Alfric. “With it, we won’t have to make a production of going to the dungeons, or at least less of one. There are lots of different possibilities as far as travel entads go—”

“And you’ve got them separated into categories and tiers,” said Mizuki. “Yes, yes.”

“You’re not interested?” asked Alfric. “Because I was just going to share because I find it interesting.”

“Ay, go ahead,” said Hannah. “The little one is just a bit flushed with the ale.”

“The little one?” asked Mizuki. She looked at the others, then down at herself. “Am I the little one? I am.” She nodded. “But I’m also the old one. Respect your elders, Hannah.”

“Two years does not make you my elder,” said Hannah.

“There are three categories,” said Alfric, plowing on in a way that Isra found somewhat admirable.

“None of this matters though, right?” asked Mizuki. “Because it’s just a roll of the dice what we find.”

“Are you drunk off a single glass of ale?” asked Hannah.

“Nah,” said Mizuki. “I’m loose and leaning into the looseness.”

“What’s the first category?” asked Isra.

“Conveyance,” said Alfric, happy to have a listener. “My boots are an example. They help move you along faster than you could otherwise go, or with less effort. The flying rug is a prototypical example, but technically mounts also belong in that category. The second category is point transfer, which includes both portals and teleportation, along with some others that are close enough. Those are usually the best, though entads often come with limits or restrictions. There’s a rod that allows whoever holds it to teleport anywhere they can think of as often as they please, and if we found something like that, well, we’d be rich beyond our wildest dreams. And then the third category is point travel, those things that let you go to a specific place or type of place. My mother has a statue that she can teleport to from anywhere in the world, but another example would be something that lets you hop from one fountain to another. The distinction between the second and third is the restriction on where you can go with it.” He seemed satisfied with having gotten that out, and Isra was pleased that she had prompted him.

“And leylines,” said Hannah. “That would make four.”

“Leylines are for leycraft and cartiers,” said Alfric. “It’s pretty rare for an entad to interact with them. And the natural portals are the fifth, if we’re counting extras, but then we should also include ships and things.”

“But entads can interact with leylines, ay?” asked Hannah.

“It would be a combination of the first and third categories,” said Alfric, seeming to think about it. “And if we got something like that, something that could simulate a leycraft… it would change our entire approach, I think. The map would look different for us.”

“There’s a cartier who’s based out of Pucklechurch,” said Hannah. “Though I think that’s because she’s got a family here. There’s actually an interestin’ history of leylines in Pucklechurch.”

“There is?” asked Alfric.

“Ay,” said Hannah. “You didn’t know? I was sayin’ for Isra’s benefit. You never wondered why the great big church was here?”

“I did,” said Alfric. “It has to do with a leyline? But there’s no leyline that runs through here, not for a dozen hexes. I know, because I had to plot a route.”

“Ay, there not being a leyline is somewhat the point,” said Hannah. “Some five hundred years ago, there was a nice thick leyline goin’ right through the mid-point of the hex, and this was durin’ expansion and all that. So they saw this place, and they thought to themselves that it would be a good place for a city, so they put some money toward it, includin’ a great big church, though it’s a pittance compared with the temples of Dondrian, I’m sure.”

“But then what happened?” asked Alfric.

“The church was almost done, the roads finished, a few people moved in, and then the leyline shifted,” said Hannah. “And all those plans went right down the drain.”

“Ouch,” said Alfric, wincing.

“It was a big deal, because there was so much money in developin’ the line for use,” said Hannah. “And there was some hope that it would shift back, but alas, as rare as a leyline shift is, it’s even more rare for it to unshift.” She clucked her tongue. “But we’ve a nice big church here, and though there’s some grumblin’ about maintenance, it’s what the town’s known for. There was a terminal too, hundreds of years back, but they took that down and recovered what they could.”

“I never knew that until Verity told me,” said Mizuki.

“Really?” asked Hannah. “I suppose if you grew up here, maybe you’d never question it.”

“Kind of makes sense though,” said Mizuki. “Why they’d build such a thing in the middle of nowhere. Because it wasn’t the middle of nowhere.” She turned to Alfric. “Do you think this has something to do with the big ol’ stone in my backyard? Like it was there for a reason?”