“We’re recruiting,” Ed said, handing Bernt a stack of fliers. “I had a meeting with Magistrate Gerold this morning and we’re expanding. If what I’m hearing from Iriala about the duergar is true, we need to move quickly.”
“Expanding?” Bernt blinked and looked down at the fliers. “I assume it’s not about improving sewer maintenance…”
Ed gave him what almost looked like an actual smile. “No. We’re being permanently classified as a second city guard force...
2024-07-08 16:59:13 +0000 UTC
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Hi all, I'm still waiting on edits for the next chapter, so I'm gonna drop a lore dump to give you guys something to look at. We're going to be seeing a lot more demons in book 2.
Additionally, I want to drop the discord link here for anyone who isn't looking at RR anymore: https://discord.gg/6b3hKGgC
See you there!
Souls in the Underkeeper universe run on a reincarnation cy...
2024-07-07 12:06:06 +0000 UTC
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Alright, here we go! My editor still hasn't gotten back to me, so there might still be some tweaks, but I didn't want to wait any longer. Enjoy!
“I’m afraid I can’t offer you a lease at this time.” The sweaty, balding dwarf said with a professionally pained expression on his face. It was warm and muggy in the property manager’s little office and it smelled like he hadn’t cracked the room’s tiny window in weeks.
“That’s… too bad," Bernt sig...
2024-07-03 20:37:52 +0000 UTC
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Hi all, chapter 1 isn't quite ready yet, so it's going up tomorrow. Thanks for your patience.
2024-07-02 21:14:09 +0000 UTC
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Hi all, my editor hasn't had time to go over this, but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging so long, so I'm putting this up now. I'll paste in the fresh text once the edits are in.
“Jori, hi!” Elyn gushed “Look guys, it’s Jori!”
Furin offered a neutral grunt, while Therion gave her a friendly nod.
“Where’s Bernt?” The mage asked.
“He is practicing his spells.” Jori explained. “Great One Ed said that he has to adjust to his...
2024-06-16 16:45:45 +0000 UTC
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Alright guys, here we go, sorry about the delay! This is our first close look at spell mechanics -- let me know if anything in there is too unclear, my editor already had me clean some stuff up.
Bernt gripped at the wand in his sleeve, struggling to contain himself from casting any spells as he made his way toward the gate. It would be irresponsible – not to mention rude – to start casting fire magic on a crowded public street. He had the perfect spot to practice dow...
2024-06-14 18:27:50 +0000 UTC
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Bernt held the vial up to his face as he walked, admiring the drop of burning rain inside. It wasn’t just a bit of burning liquid, as he’d expected. No, it formed a sort of smoky mist that swirled lazily inside the container for a few seconds before condensing into a single, gravity-defying golden droplet that hung there for a moment before bursting into brilliant flame. When the light dimmed, it left nothing but swirling smoky mist behind, ready to begin the cycle again.
At that mo...
2024-06-11 17:24:00 +0000 UTC
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It's a long one today! This one has a lot of important plot info so it has to go down pretty smoothly. Please throw it in the comments if any part of the talks feel off in terms of tone or substance, cause I need this chapter to hit. Cheers!
“Your failure yesterday cost us nearly forty guards and over two hundred civilians – never mind the property damage!” General Arice accused. Ed stood in front of a large table, where the general sat alongside Count Narald and M...
2024-06-08 18:55:03 +0000 UTC
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The crafter’s quarter was in shambles. As he made his way through, he saw broken windows and beaten-down doors everywhere. Ìt looked like the kobolds had looted everything they could – or perhaps a few of the local residents had helped themselves in the aftermath. Bernt hadn’t actually experienced life on the street, but he’d been close enough to see what people would do if they thought they could get away with it.
Of course, many of the shops came through with only minimal dam...
2024-06-07 07:39:40 +0000 UTC
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Two hours later, Bernt was sitting back at the Underkeepers’ headquarters in the main room, alongside his colleagues. Nearly everyone looked as beat up as he did. Covered in sweat, grime, and minor injuries that weren’t worth wasting a healing potion on. Someone had brought in a few bottles of wine, and they passed one around as they swapped stories of the day’s happenings.
Fiora was tiredly recounting her version of events. She had apparently spent the entire time defending...
2024-06-05 16:49:09 +0000 UTC
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Kustov, as it turned out, was going to be just fine – though not necessarily very soon. He’d taken a deep puncture wound to the leg, and that tourniquet had probably saved his life. That healing potion probably helped a little, too, but Bernt doubted that it would have been enough.
By the time they reached the main guard station, Kustov was mostly back to his senses and cursing up a storm. The wound wasn’t closed, but Bernt supposed that the nicked artery that had almost killed th...
2024-05-31 20:01:23 +0000 UTC
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Hi all! Two points to update you guys on. 1. My editor's out of town until Monday. I'm going to post my content anyway, but this means you're actually seeing another entire stage earlier in the content process. What that means is there might be a greater discrepancy between what you see here, and what goes up on RR until next week. If that bothers you, just wait to read a couple of days -- I'm going to update the text here after its first round of revision.
2. What with t...
2024-05-31 19:34:00 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 40 was supposed to go up here today, but my editor and I are still playing catch-up a bit. I have tomorrow off, so ideally I'll get 40 and 41 up for you guys on Friday.
cheers
Moose
2024-05-30 19:15:12 +0000 UTC
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This might still get few tweaks in the final RR version, but I wanted to get it out for you guys. Enjoy!
Master Alchemist Theresa stared at the letter, reading it for the third time as she ignored the alarms sounding from the breach near the western walls. The guards would be fighting kobolds there – nothing serious in her estimation. If an actual elder dragon was going to come for the city, it would have done so already. Besides, what could a deep dragon possibly want...
2024-05-27 15:46:56 +0000 UTC
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Hi all, I've gone and revised chapter 38 to move something up that was going to happen later in the story. I had a lot of grumbling and impatience on this issue on RR, so I decided to do a bit of rearranging to change the pacing of this particular story thread. The new content is effectively the first half of the chapter, after the first Jori POV.
Jori flipped through the papers as they left the warlocks’ lair. They were covered in human writing. She could understand i...
2024-05-25 19:05:05 +0000 UTC
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Bernt cut his lunch break short that day to make a stop at a tailor’s shop. If he was going to see the Solicitors, he needed to do everything he could to make the best possible impression. He guessed this was going to cost quite a bit of silver, but it would be worth it.
Besides, he had a debt to pay.
“You want a ‘toddler-sized gray robe’,” the elderly tailor repeated back to him, peering at him over the rim of his glasses and tapping on the counter. A folded paper sign ...
2024-05-22 18:23:19 +0000 UTC
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I'm posting this before the 2nd round of edits, so there might be some tweaks to this later, but I wanted to get this up for you guys. Cheers!
When Bernt left for work that morning, Jori didn’t follow. Instead, she took a left turn after getting into the sewer system and darted toward the crafter’s district.
She knew that he wouldn’t actually start working for at least an hour or so – he still had to go to the office and collect his assignments for the day....
2024-05-20 08:39:52 +0000 UTC
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Bernt’s stomach began to tie itself into knots as he entered the Crafter’s District and approached Master Theresa’s Alchemy lab. If Jori had gotten herself caught by the alchemists, he didn’t know what he was going to do. What could they do with a demon?
Her blood alone was probably some kind of alchemical treasure trove. It had fairly unique properties, combining fire and the more sinister aspects of soul and blood magic. He was sure there were some fairly exotic ...
2024-05-18 08:00:48 +0000 UTC
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Hi all, so I didn't get an entire additional advance chapter up, but I did get ahead a bit more, so you, my lovely patrons, are getting your update a day early. Cheers!
“I’m sorry, but our supply or burning rain is extremely limited right now,” the merchant said, eying Therion in a manner that seemed less than friendly to Bernt. “The guild is buying up everything to produce alchemical fire grenades in anticipation of the army’s arrival. You w...
2024-05-15 19:32:50 +0000 UTC
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“I’ve suspended assignments for the Alchemists’ Guild entirely.” Ed said, sighing as he picked up his cup of tea for a sip. It was made of delicate porcelain, decorated with flowers around the rim. The tea matched the cup in quality. He inhaled the fragrant steam, enjoying the scent. “We’ve been ordered to review all safety procedures regarding hazardous waste disposal, so we couldn’t possibly put our employees at risk until they’ve been properly certified. I preemptively sent...
2024-05-14 15:47:23 +0000 UTC
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Bernt wasn’t expected to show up to work the next day, so he resolved to spend it studying. Jori had come in some time during the night, climbing in through the window without waking him. He still didn’t know exactly how she got it open, but he supposed it didn’t matter. She lived here, too.
It was already noon, but she was still asleep – curled up on top of the stove. He hadn’t wanted to wake her, but he was starting to get hungry now. He needed her to move, so he could make ...
2024-05-11 19:10:38 +0000 UTC
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Jori jumped from the rooftop in the fading light and flared out her wings, catching herself on a balcony railing as she descended. She didn’t make a sound as she landed – which was good. She couldn’t afford to be seen stalking people in the night.
In the street below, the bad-smelling alchemist woman walked, chatting amiably with her apprentice. She’d bought him something to eat after they left the alchemist’s shop, and the younger man was cheerfully chomping some kind o...
2024-05-09 16:56:49 +0000 UTC
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Bernt shook his still disturbingly gray hand, trying to banish the uncomfortable sensation of pins and needles creeping deeper into it. He’d drunk the lesser restoration potion on the way home and felt an immediate effect. That wasn’t to say that his hand was fine – it was still healing, and the healing process was more than a little uncomfortable. It also looked… horrible. By the time he’d made it to the magistrate’s office to pick up the potion, the hand had started to dessicate...
2024-05-08 20:23:15 +0000 UTC
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Bernt knew long before he reached his first job site of the day that this wasn’t going to be an ordinary plumbing issue. Dayle had mentioned all the “accidents” that the city’s alchemists were having lately, and this looked like it was another one of those.
The demeanor of the lab’s master alchemist, an iron-haired woman named Theresa, was downright giddy, in stark contrast to the words coming out of her mouth.
“We had an unanticipated alchemical spill in the lab, invo...
2024-05-06 15:44:39 +0000 UTC
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Iriala stalked into the Count’s manor and sat down across from Guard Commander Righmond in the lobby. This was not a great day for court rituals – such as unnecessary waiting times – but nobles needed to feel important the most when faced with calamities like this one. She positioned herself to give the impression that she was making direct eye contact with Righmond before she subtly activated the enchantment on her glasses to access her network of divination spells along the main dunge...
2024-05-06 15:40:50 +0000 UTC
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Bernt approached the kobold’s breach an hour after dawn, growing more nervous by the second. It was clear that word had spread overnight about what was going on down below. The city buzzed with activity like a kicked anthill. Guards were posted on every street, observing as throngs of people swarmed vendors and merchants, buying up food and supplies. They were also, Bernt noted, each standing with a clear view of their nearest sewer access shaft.
That was probably wise. Wiser than Ber...
2024-05-05 07:32:39 +0000 UTC
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Bernt talked for nearly an hour, explaining how he’d first found Jori in the sewers, and how she’d helped him with his work in the sewers. Some eyebrows rose at that, but no one commented. Then he told them about the dungeon – how he got in, being separated from the group, and how things had grown progressively more desperate after that, until he’d finally managed to break out his party and escape.
Throughout the telling, he made sure to emphasize Jori’s invaluable support. He...
2024-05-02 19:23:55 +0000 UTC
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Bernt limped out of the tunnel and into the sewers as guards streamed past to secure it against the pursuing kobolds. While the traps that riddled the tunnels had mostly been disabled, they’d been harried by pursuers almost the entire way back and lost several adventurers along the way.
There were a lot of injuries, and while they had healers, they couldn’t afford to stop for risk of getting bogged down by hundreds of kobolds. Once they had some time to organize a response, kobolds ...
2024-05-01 18:31:32 +0000 UTC
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“You mean to tell me that my rider got here yesterday bringing news of an imminent invasion, and you didn’t make sure that his message reached the City Council and the Captain of the Guard?” Frederik asked the guard as he rode down the city street. Frederik had been interrogating the poor man ever since they reached the gate, who was clearly sweating. Agatha walked alongside, with the rest of Frederik’s men trailing behind in a short column.
“Not me, prince. I wasn’...
2023-04-22 18:05:36 +0000 UTC
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Reshid didn’t realize that the attack had started until shouting rang out from up ahead, followed by thumps of impact and the clatter of falling rock. Then, someone started singing as the battle broke out in earnest. They were still on the stairs, but the rearguard pushed at them from behind urging them up more quickly. In seconds, they made the last turn and found themselves at the top in a level stone corridor.
In front of them, a nightmarish scene unfolded. Wights and werecreatures...
2023-04-15 21:02:47 +0000 UTC
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