Dungeon of Niflheim

Sam guided Frost towards the resting area, a large building made of ice and pykrete. Simple in design yet efficient, inside was warm and quiet. There was a reception area as soon as they walked in and cots to the left and right. The building was only a single story and provide no private rooms or anything bar the basics, not even food. Just a cot to sleep on while sheltered from the cold and noise.

Frost had passed through the encampment as he entered the monster lair but didn’t take the time to observe the area, focusing fully on the monster lair. Now that he was being led by Sam he had the time to take in the sights.

‘Very basic indeed but provides everything one could hope for in a quick rest stop.’ Frost found that quite a few people were resting within this rather simply building. Whereas he saw another place that was also fairly popular, Sam said that it was a pub. Where there’s adventurers frequenting there needs to be 3 things, shelter, food, and alcohol, with alcohol being quite high up on the list. Booze provided a source of relaxation that resting just didn’t satisfy and helped give people courage when in need as well as providing warmth against the frigid cold.

Other than these main establishments, simple shops made out of tents and ice were dotted around haphazardly providing a large range of stuff and or repair work. Lower quality than you may find in the official camps but there was also people having to restock after adventures, also better to have and not need than to need and not have. A refined iron dagger may be a poor choice of weapon barely reaching 2 star quality but having one was always better than being unarmed in battle -unless one was a pugilist.

There was also a medical bay, that helped provide medical care. Herbs were for sale as well as balms and ointments and on a very rare occasion someone who could cast low level healing magic, though price was quite high in that case. It too seemed to always have several people within. A sexy cat beastwoman being in charge certainly helped draw in the male adventurers even if they weren’t sick or injured. Frost’s eyes sparkled at this sight, not just because he too found the cat lady quite appealing no the fact that eye candy could be used to draw in vast amounts of customers.

Over the next few weeks or even months Frost planned to grow his long term tenants plan and to do that he needed to establish and control a camp outside his Dungeon. Creating towns or cities within the Dungeon was something to keep in mind far in the future but for now a camp in the external room was necessary. Building it wouldn’t be much of an issue given his workforce and the abundance of materials i.e. ice and snow. Running it and making sure that it was as efficient as possible was the key.

The rooms within the resting areas must have locks so he could benefit from the triple DP rate, and he needed methods to promote long term stay as well as high potential for expansion. The more likely the camp could become a village or town or even greater, the more people would flock to it. Seeing the sexy cat lady able to draw so many people to her store just on looks alone set off a lightbulb in Frost’s mind.

‘I need some eye candy to draw people in.’ Of course, he himself could be considered eye candy for the female adventurers but he would never abuse himself in such a way. But like most rough and dangerous professions men made up the majority therefore they needed to be particularly targeted.

.....

A cute or sexy receptionist, workers, merchants etc... would certainly attract them to his camp. The issue was getting these so called eye candy employees. The monsters available to him at the moment were a far cry from being able to run such a camp. None of them were woman and would only be seen as monsters, he didn’t have access to ice dwarves or intelligent ice spirits yet therefore that was currently a no go. Given that his location was technically within the Glacial mountains intelligent monster races could be accepted but it may still be rather awkward. Northrend was a sapient empire after all.

As Frost’s mind filled with ideas for his future, Sam had already brought him into the resting area. A rough looking grandma was seated behind the desk, a cold, neutral look was on her face. She barely lifted her head in recognition when Frost and Sam walked in.

“One cot for 3 hours please Darla.” Sam spoke with a smile towards the cold grandma or rather Darla.

“15 coppers, take any that’s free.” Darla replied with disinterest, merely tapping the desk for the money, not even pulling away her eyes from her book. Sam let out a slight sigh, he was used to this old lady’s attitude. He removed fifteen coppers before uttering his thanks and dragged Frost over to one of the free beds.

“Rest up Frost, Lola and I will come pick you up in 3 hours or so. After that we’ll head home to Kranor where you can get a proper rest.” Sam patted his young protégé’s shoulders with a smile.

“Got it, see you later Sam....by the way what’s with the old grandma, she’s so cold?” Sam’s eyes twitched as they showed an expression of deep sadness and pain, before shaking his head and sighing, all while keeping his voice down.

“Darla, she’s....she’s lost a lot and its affected her personality, resulting in the cold unfriendly exterior which you saw. Years ago, she used to be a very warm and bubbly person but after going through what she did it’s understandable. People like me who know about her past struggle with her change, but I don’t hold it against her and will always greet her with a gentle smile as I always have.” Sam’s expression showed a deeply pained look. Frost felt that he asked something he shouldn’t have. His gaze drifted passed Sam to the cold grandma sitting quietly behind her desk as he wondered what could have happened to her.

“Sorry I didn’t mean anything by it.” Frost felt guilty for some reason and immediately apologised.

“No need to apologise, nothing wrong with being curious...just that you may not like the answers.” Sam turned to look at the old grandma, biting his lips slightly in frustration. He and several others had tried to lighten her mood over the years but there was nothing they could do; how do you help someone who’s lost everything they ever held dear.

Sam patted Frost’s shoulder before turning around and heading out, he needed to help Lola with a few things before they headed off, plus he really wanted to have a drink or two.

Frost was left within the large resting dorm by his open cot, still emotionally affected by what Sam said, his gaze occasionally drifting over to the old grandma. He shook his head to get rid of such unpleasant thoughts, turning to look at his bedding for the next few hours.

‘Well, it’s better than nothing I suppose.’ His face grimaced as he looked at the simple cot, outfitted with a couple animal pelts as quilts. It certainly wouldn’t be the most pleasant surface he’d slept on but not the worst either. He removed his more uncomfortable armour as well as his leather boots (his spare pair since his other burst in the fight with the ice revenant), placing them within his spatial ring, before laying down to rest. The last 48 hours were really taxing on his mind and body, he fell right asleep within a couple minutes of his head touching the pillow. As he slept soundly, the old grandma silently turned her head to glimpse at him on the cot. Her dull and lifeless eyes seemed to glint with something as though she was remembering but it passed in a flash and once again she regained her lifeless and apathetic look, returning to her book.

As Frost rested Lola went to meet the person called Ellen, the manager of this camp, and also a member of the order of the ice shield.

The order of the ice shield had their hands in lots of areas, including camps situated near monster lairs. It was a great place for materials, money, as well as finding and monitoring potential new members. It also helped to expand their influence among adventurers. Young managers may be put in charge of such unofficial camps as tests before being offered positions in the official camps. Ellen was one of these managers in training and had been taking care of the place for the past two years, set to become an official manager after one more year.