Marko Laskarelis grew up as the prince of parties on a beach paradise planet, but his good times ended when a good bender went bad. At Shadowcroft, he became a satyr, the dark muse of dungeons, where he will beguile you with his art, then take your life with a chandelier mimic. Trust nothing beautiful. He has leveled up to be an Iron Trunk, Rank 5, and he’s Logan’s best friend.
Treacle Glimmerhappy was a somber gnome with a wife and a workshop on his sweet, sweet world. He wasn’t happy then, he’s not happy now, but at least he has cud to chew. At Shadowcroft, Treacle chose to be a minotaur, with a focus on alchemy and electricity. He’s a super-charged engineer, an Iron Trunk, Rank 3, and he’s Logan’s most bovine friend.
The First Cohort Delta Bravos
Prince Chadrigoth – He grew up rich and powerful on Eritreus, but that wasn’t enough. Now he’s the baddest Abyss Lord at Shadowcroft, an Azure Branch Cultivator who’s immune to non-magical weapons, able to summon hordes of demons, and nearly undefeatable. Nearly. Imagine a bully with horns, wings, and talons sharp enough to shred a Buick.
The Archduke Jimi Magmarty – This Earth Elemental is Chadrigoth’s bad buddy, a big rock-covered bruiser dripping mud. He’s as dumb as a runaway cement truck and as unstoppable as one.
Her Lady Elesiel of Everstar – This lich queen is as thin as a desiccated corpse and as beautiful as a moonless night. She’s Chadrigoth’s girlfriend, but when it comes to dungeoneers, she harnesses the power of death itself to destroy them all.
Tet-Akhat of the Coptic Champions – This powerful cat-headed Egyptian goddess grew up in the desert wastelands of the most powerful world in the multiverse. There, she joined a death cult to become the best of the best. She’s not thrilled to be a part of the First Cohort, but she is happy that she’ll one day get to rip apart raiders with her razor-sharp claws and even sharper mind.
Featured Faculty at Shadowcroft’s Academy for Dungeons
Headmaster S. Shadowcroft – An ancient Treowen entity who started the Shadowcroft Academy ten thousand years ago and has ruled its ancient halls with a steady wooden hand ever since. His cultivation level is unknown, but some think he might be a Crown or SS Class Cultivator.
Professor Yullis Rockheart – The rector prime of Shadowcroft, Rockheart is a griffin-shaped gargoyle, a high-ranked Jade Leaf cultivator. He’s a hard-nosed professor, literal stone, which makes him a perfect teacher at a school where murder is on the curriculum. In his free time, he’s the master of the Azure Dragon Clan.
Professor Arketa the Hellgazer – Master of the Vermillion Phoenix Clan, she wears a headscarf and dark glasses because she’s an A-Class Gorgonic Enchantress. Simply put, she’s a gorgon with both fashion sense and an eye for home décor.
Professor Ronnalg Crucible – This crafting ogre is an A-Class genius with a luxurious moustache and a permanent frown. And you don’t even have to ask. You did it wrong. Always says “Good day” but rarely means it.
Professor John Toothbyte – He’s a massive shark man with a hook for a hand, wielding a spiked anchor. When he’s not running Shadowcroft’s underwater dungeon classes, he leads the Onyx Turtle Clan. He’s a high-ranked Azure Branch cultivator.
Professor Suresh the Merciless, the Cunning, and the Bloodthirsty – This is the tiger-headed rakshasa and clan master of the Crystal Tiger. He’d like nothing more than to become the rector prime, and he has the arrogance to prove it. He really likes his titles.
Madam Orry Gammy – This Papyrus Harpy looks like paper and smell like books. She’s the head librarian of the Codex Athenaeum, where the card catalog has never been more dangerous.
Zhen Ikgix, the Venerable Threshing Turtle – This mysterious entity at the school not only chooses cohorts but also runs the dungeons and oversees the Tartarucha Cells. He is Shadowcroft’s very good friend. The old turtle looks at least ten thousand years old, and those years couldn’t have been easy with all those wrinkles.
The Four Clans of Shadowcroft
The Azure Dragon of the East –Decked out in blue and gold, this clan favors the bold, loyal, and disciplined.
The Vermilion Phoenix of the South – This clan is for those of a virtuous and fiery nature and for those who enjoy the colors black and red. Delightful.
The Crystal Tiger of the West – This clan focuses on the headstrong and brave mavericks, determined to carve a different path for themselves. Why else would their colors be orange and white? I mean, orange. Really?
The Onyx Tortoise of the North – With their cool heads and kind hearts, Headmaster Shadowcroft was a disciple of this clan back in the day. He looked smashing in his black and silver robes.
Cultivation Levels and Rankings
Ranks: All classes are subdivided into ten ranks, starting at level 10, then proceeding incrementally to level 1. When a dungeon core or dungeoneer surpasses level 1, they advance to the next class and begin the process over again.
U-Class (Foundation / AKA Dirt Class Cultivators): These are normal people that barely have enough Apothos to be alive.
E-Class (Deep Root Cultivators): This is a starting hero. An advanced Earth Athlete or elite solider might qualify as an E-Class Rank 10 or 9. Certainly nothing higher than that. Most E-Class heroes die young and easily.
C-Class (Iron Trunk Cultivators): This is the “average” Hero. They are just starting out, but are still much stronger than an average citizen. Their bodies are harder and more powerful, and they have begun to cultivate the energy, putting them firmly on a class/cultivation path.
B-Class (Azure Branch Cultivators): The third-strongest class. These heroes are very powerful, and a group of B- and C-Class heroes is nothing to scoff at, especially for a new dungeon without a lot of experience. These are your mid-ranged heroes, successful and working their way up but nowhere near the top.
A-Class (Jade Leaf Cultivators): The second-strongest class. They are incredibly powerful and can clear many dungeons single-handedly. They often serve as powerful lords and ladies to the Monarch-Level S-Class. Think Justice League, B-Squad.
S-Class (Heartwood Cultivators): The strongest and rarest class of heroes and dungeoneers. Every S-Class hero is equivalent to a small army, complete with assault weapons, tanks, and aerial bomb support! They are basically Justice League-tier superheroes, better than the best.
SS-Class (Crown): There are less than a handful of SS-Class heroes, and they rarely involve themselves in typical human affairs. Some dungeons, however, do achieve this ranking since they are capable of fighting more than one S-Class hero at a time. The strongest S-Class hero is approximately ten times weaker than the weakest SS-Class hero.
SSS-Class (Immortal Crown): Mythical beings with god-tier power.
Cultivation Terms and Conditions
Apothos – The fundamental energy of creation
Apothos Affinities – All life in the universe is filled with Apothos, but there are different kinds of the mystical energy, each with an elemental affinity. There are thirteen different meta-affinities, which include: Ignis, Magma, Corrosivus, Toxicus, Fulgur, Glacies, Terra, Aqua, Mallus, Luminosus, Umbra, Vita, Morta. To remember this, just use Inga’s simple mnemonic, I make coffee and tea for Grandfather Tiberius and make lemonade under the Velveeta moon.
Ashvattha – Also known as the Tree of Souls, a living tree of invisible dark matter that holds the multiverse together and provides all worlds with Apothos