Hoardgild

A term used to refer to the unusual items, and especially treasure, that materializes from Mana during the creation and life of a Dungeon. Hoardgild can encompass a truly wide range of materials but is most commonly used to refer to seemingly worked or constructed objects such as prepared food, containers, doors, furniture, weapons, armor, works of art, cut gems, jewelry, coins, Potions, Scrolls, and in some rare cases even Crystallized Ichor and Stigmata. These structures manifest spontaneously from the Mana of Monsters and ambient Mana within a Dungeon and its environs, producing materials useful to Monsters and others willing and able to claim them. Hoardgild has historically been a major driver in Adventurer practices, as the materials are real, even if magically produced, and are often salable or otherwise usable. Since the advent of the current Overlord, however, Adventurers have been less inclined to raid Dungeons for this loot, with some notable exceptions, and Monsters more inclined to use what appears in their homes themselves instead of merely shoving it out of the way or into storage so they can use the space.

Many types of Hoardgild naturally replenish themselves over time, but others are unique items that take ludicrous amounts of time to regenerate... if they ever do. Others form almost instantly and spontaneously, derived from the expulsion of Mana that comes from defeating a Monster while under the effects of a Peaceward.

## Formation

Hoardgild generally forms slowly but imperceptibly over time; Mana condenses in a location within the Dungeon, usually determined by the Dungeon's Ley Lines and the Mana of the Monsters within, until such time as sufficient has gathered, at which point the materials simply appear out of thin air, being constructed from ectoplasm that's converted into other materials. Witnesses describe it as if watching something evaporate in reverse, with an ethereal, steam or mist-like substance coalescing and condensing into a solid form, colors growing more vibrant until the object is fully manifested. Some forms of Hoardgild manifest very quickly under specific conditions, but more often than not it's a slow, continuous process that occurs in the same space over and over again. For example, a weapon rack may generate a new supply of weapons once a month, so long as the contents of the rack aren't returned to it and the Dungeon remains sufficiently occupied.

Peacewards, magical enchantments created by a Dungeon Master distorting the properties of their Dungeon as part of a magically binding agreement with Adventurers, also have the property of creating Hoardgild. When Monsters and Adventurers are defeated under the effects of a Peaceward, rather than taking physical injuries or dying from the blows, spells, and traps of their enemies, their vigor is instead converted to Mana and expelled into the Dungeon. This causes no harm to the individual but *does* cause the expelled Mana to coalesce into Hoardgild nearby. Such Hoardgild often directly reflects the individual it was created from, and sometimes the method of expulsion and the individual responsible for it. For example, a Goblin skilled at weaving who's defeated under a Peaceward might manifest bolts of cloth or finished clothing in addition to more conventional items, or a Human Cavalier producing knightly weapons, armor, or horse tack. Gems, jewels, money, and small trinkets are common from this, as are weapons, armor, tools, potions and scrolls, and other items. These may even reflect particular preferences and capabilities of the individual, such as their artistic and aesthetic tastes or imagery and decorations that somehow represent them, such as sigils, crests, symbols, cultural styles, and the like appearing on derived Hoardgild.

Hoardgild is often referred to simply as Gild or Loot.

## Mastergild and Cleargild

These are forms of Hoardgild that manifest around a Floor Master or Dungeon Master. In the modern era, this is normally used by the Monster in question. However, it also often forms from their dissipating Mana when defeated as wellwhile under the effects of a Peaceward. Such Hoardgild is especially coveted, both because of its superior quality (stemming from the Mana of an entitled Monster as it does), and as proof of the prowess of those who successfully defeated said entitled Monster. This is especially true of Cleargild, which manifests when someone successfully overcomes the Dungeon Master of a particular Dungeon. Both of these were originally simply known as Hoardgild prior to the development of Peacewards.

## Lairyield

A similar phenomenon that occurs in Beast Lairs, Lairyield more commonly takes the form of raw materials and valuable plants that grow unnaturally within the Beast's dwelling rather than seemingly worked materials. These can include valuable crops, abundant and often oversized game and fish, rich veins of ore, gem-filled geodes, dense and powerful Manatite, Elementite, and Occultite, and other valuable raw materials. Unlike with Monsters, however, there is no such thing as a Peaceward for Beasts. They do not magically "drop," Lairyield or anything like it as Monsters and Men do under the effects of such a magical ward, though their corpses themselves often contain or consist of valuable materials suitable for making a multitude of different items and equipment. As such, it's common practice to try to carve up Beasts in pursuit of choice parts.