Mt. Asan Area

Mt. Asan is a region between the Halcyon Heights and Asan Ranch. It contains several camps, secret recipes, and region-exclusive creatures, including Boars, Redwood Trees, Coco trees, Electric Antelope, and Iron Bulls.

## Dialogue

Khamul, Emma Tyler:

"I met a plant person who looked a lot like an ice cream cone. He was looking for the boss."

"I've never heard of a plant like that. If Grill were here, she'd probably know."

"Speaking of Grill, the boss just told me, Grill is the Lord Protector of the Forest!"

"Tyler, you promised me you'd quit your medication..."

"That wasn't even my fault, Grill and Simmer forced me to take... Wait that's not the point! It's really true, the Lord Protector of the Forest is our old friend grill!"

"She doesn't look like Grill at all."

"I don't know why she's dressed like that either."

"What should we do? Should we try and talk to her?"

"I don't think she's in the mood to talk. We'll just have to wait to see if the boss has something up her sleeve. Plus, I don't think there's time. Once everything's been gathered at Asan Ranch, we'll need to smuggle it all to the Stargate."

"Are we leaving Grill behind? I can try looking for her and..."

"We're in a big operation, Grill's being hostile and I think the boss is losing her ability to do magic... Sorry, I'm kind of confused too, but I think getting our shit together and getting the job done is the best we can do for now."

"A lot of things seem to be falling apart..."

"Simmer's having troubles with magic?"

"Grill talked about how she was using too much mana, but then Simmer also said she can generate more. Emma, you took the same classes as Simmer, do you know what's going on?"

"I uh, asked Simmer's skeletons to do most of my homework. Let me think... Hm, magic takes up mana, but I'm pretty sure mana can only be generated by a corporeal body. Spirits without a body can't regenerate mana. So if Simmer uses too much magic, she'll eventually disappear."

"I recently remembered that we exist due to Simmer's reanimation magic. So if she disappears, we're gone too."

"What? She never said anything about that? Can we help in any way?"

"We know that Simmer's the type to call for help and complain loudly whenever there's a big issue. So right now, if she's not concerned, maybe we shouldn't be too worried. Like Tyler said, we should get our jobs done. We'll talk to her about it when the Stargate's ready."

Harvester and crop:

"According to the Big Uncle Tree who takes care of us, Mount Asan is the brightest place in the dungeon!"

"That's correct, children! Long ago, Asan was pitch black. A dead area where no plants could survive. Who was it that brought light and made this paradise for us plants?"

"I know! It's the Lord Protector of the Forest!"

"That's right kids! Advanced lighting technology was left behind at the highest levels of Mount Asan. But ever since humans disappeared, the lights broke one by one, until the entire area was thrown into darkness. The Lord found us in darkness, and worked day and night to fix all the lights! Now, all over Mount Asan, plants live happily because of her selfless deeds.'

"The Lord Protector is amazing! When my legs grow out, I also want to make this a better place to live!"

"I'm sure you will! In this dungeon, every living being has their place and responsibility. Every plant and animal that lives here does their job and plays their part not only for the Lord Protector, but more importantly for the healthy ecosystem and natural order."

Harvester and cone:

"How can you stand feeding your own people to the animals?"

"...Because that's the will of the Lord Protector? Every living being must do their part for the ecosystem. Both plants and animals sacrifice themselves for the cause! We're the only source of nutrition for these cows. If we don't do our part, they'll starve! Silkworms went extinct because the mulberry plants refused to cooperate. That's unacceptable! The Lord Protector gave us life, and as plants, we should be grateful!"

"What do we gain from making these sacrifices?"

"What do you mean?"

"Without silkworms, are our lives really that worse off?"

"This..."

"At the end of the day, it's these lights that give us life. Not the animals, and definitely not the Lord Protector."

"But the Lord Protector wants ALL creatures to live in harmony. That's something I think we should all strive for."

"...and for that goal, you're raising these kids for slaughter?"

"No I-I..."

"You'd happily feed your young to the cows, knowing that you were doing the right thing?"

"I don't know... Animals eat plants. Isn't that the way things were always done?"

"The world has changed, old man. We have arms and legs, needs and desires. How this evolutionary shift happened may forever be a mystery. But if we've changed, shouldn't the ecosystem change for us too? We should fight and forge a brave new world for all plants."

"That... kind of makes sense! What plant are you, I've never seen your kind before."\

nothing here sign:

"Simmer's camp isn't here! There's nothing to inspect."