Dungeon of Doors

~ Mother, Maple Weald ~

The scent of the forest is thick in my nostrils as I step foot in Maple Weald. Since my last visit things have changed, and the wildkin have fully moved in. I walk up and around the bend of the tree, grateful for the protective railing the wildkin have installed. The little burrow-like homes I carved for them have been expanded. Small windows allow light to leak from within. Adorably sized furniture fills the homes from what I can see outside. Wildkin glance at me furtively as I pass. Once I reach the first wider landing I'm greeted by a familiar wildkin.

"Grandma! I didn't know you were coming!"

"Hello Maple. It's no big deal, I just had some things to discuss with you all."

"Come in, come in, you can sit down and we can talk inside!"

Maple is trying to be polite and composed, but it is clear the little squirrel woman is very excited to show me her home. I oblige, following her inside. I do have to duck quite low to fit into the burrow. Once inside I am led to a comically small chair. I sit in it, finding it passable for a seat despite its small size. I finally get a good look at the light source the wildkin are using. It is an unfamiliar gourd tied to a hook in the ceiling by twine. I gesture to it.

"Maple, before we begin, I'd like to know what that is."

"Oh! That is a glourd. We didn't want to risk using fire in the tree, so we asked Father and he created glourds for us to use. They're really nice, aren't they?"

I have to admit it is a very thematic and pleasant light source. The yellow-orange tinged glow it gives off is enough to comfortably illuminate the whole burrow. Maple busies herself with a little cabinet by the window. I glance her way, seeing she is carrying over a bowl full of roasted fungus and roots. She sets it down on the table before sitting across from me.

"So, Grandmother, what did you want to discuss?"

"Frankly I want to open this level to the adventurers, but I need your people's consent and input on the ordeal. I don't want adventurers coming and trampling things willy-nilly."

"Oh! Adventurers... Father taught us about those."

As Maple contemplates what to say about my request to give adventurers access to the level, try one of the pieces of fungus. It's surprisingly good. Chewy, and with a flavor adjacent to meat and plants alike. Out of the corner of my eye I notice something through the window. Several small furred faces are watching our meeting--the other wildkin. How cute.

"I suppose we could open the level to them, but I need some conditions met, Grandmother. If that is alright?"

I nod softly "Of course that is alright. What conditions?"

Maple thus began listing out several desires for how the adventurers and the wildkin should be able to cross paths. Things I find surprisingly wise, coming from a bipedal squirrel born only recently. I discuss ideas for the level with her for some time before departing to get to work.

~

With the guidance of Maple I've got a good idea of how to change the level to accommodate adventurers. The first step is moving where I was going to put the door. Originally, I had a space cleared out and prepared in the lower section of the tree the wildkin call home. Instead it is smartest to send the adventurers exploring the other trees, only really capable of meeting wildkin who venture out across connecting paths I have yet to make.

The new door--which I have yet to connect to the antechamber--is situated in an unremarkable tree neighboring the wildkin tree. I carve out rooms inspired by the wildkin homes. Glourds illuminate round passages that wind up the tree, connecting spacious rooms. This first area limits the adventurers to the inside of the tree--they are given views of the outside through various windows loosely barred by wood.

As for the actual floor plan of the passages and rooms, it is quite simple. The starting chamber is a large one, complete with various benches and pieces of mundane furniture modeled after the wildkin creations. Unlike the rooms and halls these pieces of furniture are sized for wildkin, hinting at the presence of beings smaller than humans.

The first room is then connected to a round passage. This tunnel winds up the tree a fair distance, the floor curving up like a ramp rather than a staircase. The second chamber is smaller than the first. Instead of housing a challenge it holds a special request from Maple. The majority of the floor space is occupied by tables and chairs, suited to wildkin, but not uncomfortable for a person. Against the far wall is a bar made of wood in the wildkin style. I add shelves along the wall behind the bar to hold any number of items. Finally I add a wildkin sized burrow behind the counter. It will connect to wildkin exclusive spaces, and is not meant for adventurers.

With the basic setup for this room complete I move onto the next passage. It winds round and round the tree, going up a large distance. I don't lead it bare. One side of the passage bears windows revealing the outside while the other side is lined with doors. What the wildkin intend to use these spare rooms for, I am unsure. Maple said the locked rooms could be used for storage, kitchens, or even guest rooms for adventurers in some cases. I leave that up to them.

Finally the passage connects to the final chamber of this tree. It is fairly small, and it connects to the outside via a balcony. That balcony is where the first inter tree connection will be.

I could make branches to connect the trees, but I feel a rope bridge would be more appropriate for the scale of the space. I start, creating two very sturdy fibrous ropes connecting the trees. Wooden planks, additional ropes, and an assortment of knots make up the bridge. While it is sturdy the length of the bridge means it sways and wobbles a frightening amount. Wildkin will likely have no issues, considering they have claws for climbing things. Humans on the other hand... they may fall once or twice.

The second tree of the level is much more hostile. This one is host to a large colony of swarmers, their webbing spread throughout the natural hollows of the tree and across its exterior in several places. I don't need to do too much work to make this area a challenge to navigate.

For my modifications I start by adding some ledges for the adventurers to traverse. They have to walk along these narrow paths to get to the first natural hollow in the tree. The whole thing is covered in webs and crowded with swarmers that come and go. There is enough space for a human to climb through, so I leave the opening unmodified. The interior of the tree is a nice damp hollow wherein water trickles down. It resembles a cave in a way. I add a few changes, ensuring there is a navigable path for adventurers to walk to go further up the tree.

It is at the highest natural hollow that I make the exit. Adventurers will have to fight their way through the tree while hacking away at clinging webbing, making it quite the unpleasant gauntlet. Once they reach the exit they will be presented a comfortable amount of space to stand before the next bridge.

But before I can continue the dungeon with another bridge I must add a reward. Adventurers need some compensation for exploring the spider infested hollow, so I add a chest on an exterior ledge. About midway up the cave-like interior of the tree there is a natural opening used by the swarmers. Outside that opening is the ledge, spacious and occupied by a single chest bound in emertal. I fill the chest with coins and a healing potion. Not the most memorable reward, but a fitting one for the challenge.

I move onto the next part of the level. Another rope bridge connects the swarmer infested tree to another neighboring tree. This particular tree is largely uninhabited. Some songbirds and mundane creatures call it home, but no monsters nor wildkin. With this in mind I decide to make it a test of physical prowess. There aren't any monsters here, but instead obstacles to climb across. I add handholds, narrow ledges, and precarious ropes. The climbable obstacles swirl around the tree in an upward spiral. At the peak is a room with benches and glourd lighting--a rest spot for those who make it this far. I add a natural looking fountain as well to offer clean drinking water.

Finally, I place a modest reward in a chest. Copper coins and a dungeon lantern occupy the chest. I'll likely rotate the item I place in the chest with time, since anything from a spark stone to a healing potion would be suitable.

Another rope bridge connects this tree to the fourth in the sequence. This one is home to a decent population of great hawks. They will serve as a good obstacle for adventurers, and so I boost their numbers until there are enough to give even the most experienced adventurers pause. As for the path the adventurers must take? Ledges. Small exposed paths carved into the tree that are fully accessible by any passing great hawk. It will make the climb especially difficult and a constant battle. I don't bother adding any kind of hidden treasure, since this will be a harrowing dash to the end.

At the end of the arduous climb is the next bridge. No rest stop, nor reward. Across this bridge is the final leg of the level--the dropper. Adventurers will find a room with some inscribed text. Warnings of what is to come, and the potential lethality of it. Through the door at the back of the chamber is a diving board.

I hollow the tree out, making it a vast cylindrical space on the inside that goes down a gut wrenching distance. At the bottom I add a new material--a fungus--made to be as springy, cushioning, and comfortable as possible. A few tests with objects ensures it can break the fall of any person safely. The final reward and end of the level is at the bottom of this vast drop.

Now, the real challenge. The drop itself is terrifying, albeit safe. To remedy this I add sections of wood that criss cross the vertical shaft. Dangerous sturdy obstacles that will most certainly break a person's bones if they land on it during their descent. I add spikes to some, others are curved in unpredictable ways. Overall the pitfall is dangerous enough I doubt many adventurers will have the guts to make the jump. I do double check that there are fair and manageable paths to the bottom. Jumping and maintaining a tight posture in certain spots will ensure a safe fall to the bottom of the dropper.

Finally I add glourds to illuminate the space appropriately. With the lighting comes the reward, a treasure chest of exceptionally large size in an alcove off to the side of the bottom of the dropper. Within I place a bounty of gold and gems. Buried in that pile of goodies is a pair of special gloves. Made with the hide of a swarmer and bound in emertal, the gloves bear a set of claws. Each glove has claws affixed to it--made of emertal--that are suited to help a person climb wood surfaces with ease. I don't stop at physical design. Runes etched subtly into the interior of the gloves ensures their purpose is fully realized to the wearer. Those who wear the gloves gain a portion of a wildkin's reflexes, instincts, and agility. Wildkin climbing claws should be quite the exciting reward for the first adventurer to reach this point.

Anyway, with these aspects done it is time to go notify Maple and the other wildkin of the changes. They've probably already seen the bridges and changes in the trees around their home tree, but it is important they know about the new burrows and that I've made good on the conditions presented by Maple.