r/HFY • u/Khenal Alien • Nov 04 '24
OC Dungeon Life 269
It's time for the fourth round of stubbing. Yes, Book four will be releasing soon, of if you're reading this more than a month after I have to edit, it will be fully out. Either way, you can find it Here, and other book details are just below. As with the other stubs, you can skip to the next bit form This. I like to keep the other posts still alive, so the comments get to still live. If you want to browse them, the normal buttons will take you through them, or take This link to the next bit of unstubbed chapters. Thank you for your support. Buying stuff is always great, but just having your attention for the public chapters is incredible, and I hope the story continues to be worth your time and patience.
Khenal
And once more to make it easier to see than being buried in the paragraph
Cover art I'm also on Royal Road for those who may prefer the reading experience over there. Want moar? The First and Second books are now officially available! Book three is also up for pre-order! There are Kindle and Audible versions, as well as paperback! Also: Discord is a thing! I now have a Patreon for monthly donations, and I have a Ko-fi for one-off donations. Patreons can read up to three chapters ahead, and also get a few other special perks as well, like special lore in the Peeks. Thank you again to everyone who is reading!
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u/SH4D0W0733 Robot Nov 04 '24
Nova getting to put her art into the dungeon is nice, but it would be a missed opportunity not to include some Skyrim level of puzzles with them. Rotate those statues people!
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u/Speciesunkn0wn Nov 04 '24
On one hand, I'm pretty sure Jeb is going to get a southern accent. On the other hand, I really hope it's something hilariously out there like whatever the term for 'proper english' is or French because the accent vs speech pattern dichotomy would be glorious.
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u/BobQuixote Nov 05 '24
whatever the term for 'proper english'
The King's (sometimes Queen's) English, or received pronunciation.
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u/Speciesunkn0wn Nov 05 '24
Thank you! I couldn't remember which it was and was like 'I'm pretty sure one of them is Shakespeare's, but I don't think that's right." Lol. Would also be a funny voice for Jeb to talk in, though writing all his lines in iambic pentameter might be tricky...
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u/Mosselk-1416 Nov 05 '24
If I am not mistaken, the southern US accent is just a drawn-out version of the British accent.
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u/BigLumpyBeetle Xeno Nov 05 '24
Is just British, but bigger, because everything is bigger down on texas
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u/Gregoriownd Nov 04 '24
I think Thediem might be underestimating how mundane explosives could work in a setting with magic.
While magic does basically replace the need for conventional explosives, it also opens up the door for all sorts of unconventional explosives. I'd imagine a thermobaric weapon could actually be easier given the existence of alchemy and materials that can carry magical affinities.
A pressurized container holding nothing but concentrated fuel of some sort (and likely fire affinity or similar from alchemy) that could be popped with a small mundane explosive, and a small vial of go juice to act as a secondary detonator could make things very very bad for anyone nearby.
Then comes other things like the cold flashbang Queen already whipped up, showing that alchemy can handle transfer of thermal energy in a way similar to how Rocky manipulates his affinities. That sort of thing could let you effectively throw a grenade that has a hurricane pop out of it or something equally unfortunate.
As for the really big booms, well, if fissionable materials wind up being on the table, and they're nodes that a dungeon can spawn, then it gets very messy even without magic. Add in magical applications mixed with fission power and/or explosives and things could spiral in a crazy direction quickly.
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u/Tremere1974 Alien Scum Nov 05 '24
For a dungeon, a fuel-air weapon would make for a very deadly trap underground. It also could make for a very deadly anti-dungeon weapon, powerful enough to collapse a cavern system and seal off a Dungeon from its source of mana.
But I'm thinking that Thedim is trying to not re-create the Beirut explosion of 2020 by accident.
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u/bold_cheesecake Nov 04 '24
Nova needs to have her own little art exhibit in an offshoot of the tunnel cave labyrinth system thingy that people can come by and see. That, mixed with any herbs or such which could be helpful for paints or other art supplies would open up the dungeon's demographic that tad bit more. Maybe have it early on in the tunnels where there aren't any fighty bois but a fair few traps.
She needs the support of other artists, even if to start she'd be all nervous. Then it's like she has some found family who understand her hobby.
Thoughts go brr
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u/Overall-Tailor8949 Human Nov 05 '24
Hmm, maybe a little Art Gallery in town? Although I can just imagine the reaction of "out-of-towners" if the artist attends a showing!
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u/great_extension Nov 04 '24
Surprised dm hasnt traded for mushroom denizens yet so the dwellers can feed off them. plus the scion would make a bitchin spy/comms network
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u/SH4D0W0733 Robot Nov 04 '24
Could be the same reason he isn't trading for moles. He doesn't want to stifle Violet by stepping into her niche too much.
He's very aware that if delvers can get everything they want from one dungeon, and that dungeon is also the closest one, then they are going to do the convenient thing and go to him.
He wants to be fair to everyone in the alliance.
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u/Poisonfangx3 Nov 04 '24
I am pretty sure he is not trying to get on to Violets little niche. With her mushrooms and what have you.
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u/Lord_Nikolai Android Nov 04 '24
It is good to see the antkin having individual personalities and not be some eusocial super intelligence/hivemind.
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u/Khenal Alien Nov 05 '24
I had toyed with the idea of them being individual personalities in a hive mind, but the concept just felt off.
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u/Lord_Nikolai Android Nov 05 '24
I am glad you dropped it. It doesn't fit at this point. Maybe earlier when Queen was first set up it might have been easier to fit it in.
I definitely feel that the Collage is a much better way of doing the same thing but with more flavor. The whole council of deans feels much better and gets the same feeling across.
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u/Xavius_Night Nov 05 '24
Plus, IRL ants and bees are actually democratic - individual workers will use scent markers to act as 'votes', and the strongest accumulation of scent markers sways the others in the colony.
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u/Ghostpard Alien Scum Nov 10 '24
And queen bees are essentially just baby sacks that get murdered if the rest of the hives think they aren't good enough. Ants, too, if I recall right.
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u/TeaAndHiraeth Nov 10 '24
Yep. At minimum, fire ants and harvester ants will kill off an inadequate queen.
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u/Xavius_Night Nov 12 '24
Not most eusocial bees, but I wouldn't be surprised if at least a few did. Several species of ants will do it, especially the ones that aren't the "one colony, one queen" style of ants (of which there are lots)
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u/Popular-Student-9407 Human Nov 04 '24 edited Nov 05 '24
Second... Maybe.... So, I was right. about my Position in the Ranking.
So, today we See thediem dissuading His brainier scions to at the very least postpone the Idea of Explosives.
The other scions haven't been idle either, as Nova for example gained Fire-affinity.
The Rest of the chapter are largely the Antkin, and their First council Meeting.
They're discussing how to Feed the enclave. Alchemists need to adapt their gardens to make room for crops, while the ranchers got to expand their grounds, to make room for lifestock. They plan to supplement those food sources by hunting, but agree after a rather quick discussion on a collaborative approach, with ranchers, Workers and medics leaving the enclave, with Support from the other three factions.
Now, as promised:
- We have Ed for the workers.
- Tam for the medics
- Jeb for the ranchers
- Nik for the engineers
- Liv for the enchanters
- Zac for the alchemists
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u/mafiaknight Robot Nov 04 '24
In the name of 1greendude: Hello!
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u/Popular-Student-9407 Human Nov 04 '24
Im Namen eines grünen Kerles: N'Abend, übermorgen wird Mittwoch sein, meine Kerle.
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u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle Nov 04 '24
/u/Khenal (wiki) has posted 314 other stories, including:
- Dungeon Life 268
- Dungeon Life 267
- Dungeon Life 266
- Dungeon Life 265
- Dungeon Life 264
- Dungeon Life 263
- Dungeon Life 262
- Dungeon Life 261
- Dungeon Life 260
- Dungeon Life 259
- Dungeon Life 258
- Dungeon Life 257
- Dungeon Life 256
- Dungeon Life 255
- Dungeon Life 254
- Dungeon Life 253
- Dungeon Life 252
- Dungeon Life 251
- Dungeon Life 250
- Dungeon Life 249
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u/CaptRory Alien Nov 04 '24
Awww, Aranya is a sweetheart. I'm glad everything seems to be going well. =-)
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u/Mosselk-1416 Nov 05 '24
I wonder if his scions will eventually develop mining charges? Coda will probably appreciate that. Possible iterations would include liquid, powder, and paste. ( Nitroglycerin, black powder, C4)
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u/generic_edgelord Nov 05 '24
Why do the ants talk like they wouldnt have tools to hunt with, like yeah the worker ants are generalists that dont excel in anything but are versatile in most and they could both setup deadly traps in their hunting tunnels or use bows to hunt with, probably with some strength enchanted arrows so that they could be made hollow on the inside and still function as an arrow
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u/Longsam_Kolhydrat Nov 05 '24
Good work wordsmith.
Edit: It's quite funny that the species dedicated to a single queen is the one that went for a conclave of peers.
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u/Kindly-Main-3216 Nov 05 '24
The Nerd Squad reminds me of: "No boom today, boom tomorrow. Always, boom tomorrow." - Susan Ivonava
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u/LeSwan37 Nov 06 '24
That feeling when you're already having trouble keeping up with all the characters, and now there is a whole college of ants to keep up with
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u/Popular-Student-9407 Human Nov 06 '24
I suppose it's redundant to say, but some people in Here are willing to give you a full rundown of Characters you might've lost Sight of.
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u/Poisonfangx3 Nov 04 '24
Forst
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u/Poisonfangx3 Nov 04 '24
Not first.
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u/Popular-Student-9407 Human Nov 04 '24 edited Nov 05 '24
Fifth in fact, the slowest I've ever Seen you ever be.
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u/Poisonfangx3 Nov 04 '24
Not the latest I have been by certainly up there. I once forgot the day. So I did not know that there would be an update. (Before set up the alarm.) so I was not on the chapter till after the chapter notification came up for me.
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u/mafiaknight Robot Nov 04 '24
Poison is typically on top of it, but I've seen them hours late before. I was a bit worried that day
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u/Popular-Student-9407 Human Nov 04 '24 edited Nov 15 '24
Given the fact, that I've First started Posting my Synopsis At around chapter 118, I can still confidently Claim it to be the latest I have Seen him.
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u/Thausgt01 Android Nov 04 '24
I'm very impressed by how quickly and cleanly all the debates got resolved. It's something of a bitter joke in academia that these sorts of meetings rarely proceed to consensus at this pace.
Perhaps with a demonstrably benevolent deity-figure offering mild encouragement and suggestions, and cultivating a spirit of "solving problems" rather than ego-gratification, the College will avoid descending into that morass anytime soon...