Exploring Titan 16: Dungeon of Justice

It's time to finish up my coverage of "Dungeon of Justice" with a post delving into how it fits into the  Fighting Fantasy setting of Allansia.  This adventure is historic in its own way, because it actually does fit into Allansia.  Author Jonathan Ford went to the effort of giving this one a place on the map, which makes this one a lot easier to place than its predecessor, "The Dervish Stone".

The adventure takes place at the northern edge of the Desert of Skulls, which is said to lie some fifty miles south of Oyster Bay (home of the sadly departed Mungo).  (As an aside, there are a lot of desert adventures around this time.  This, "The Dervish Stone", Temple of Terror...  There must have been something in the cultural zeitgeist.  Indiana Jones, Dune, Star Wars?  There are no doubt other things I'm forgetting.)

On the southern edge of the desert is the prosperous town of Sapphire City, famous for its gemstone mines.  The protagonist of the adventure is planning to walk from Oyster Bay to Sapphire City, across the Desert of Skulls, which doesn't seem like the wisest career choice; if Oyster Bay to the desert is 50 miles, then the distance from there to the southern edge of the desert would be at least 500 miles based on one map of Allansia I've seen.  That map (the one from Titan) does have some coastal mountains along the western edge of the desert; perhaps Sapphire City is in those mountains, more south-west than true south?  It would be a more plausible journey.

The area between Oyster Bay and the Desert of Skulls is home to a tribe of elves, much uglier than most Allansian elves if the adventure's illustrations are anything to go by.  These elves have a twisted sense of justice: instead of putting criminals on trial, they throw them into an underground labyrinth where they must find a golden idol to prove their innocence.  I will note that none of the criminals encountered in the dungeon are elves: most of them are human (with one possible dwarf).  The only elf in the dungeons is found wrapped up in a giant spider's web, and may not have been a prisoner at all. It's possible that this form of justice only applies to outsiders.

Aside from criminals encountered, the creatures living in the dungeon are a mix of naturally occurring vermin (Giant Spiders, Giant Bats, Giant Porcupines), specially placed guardians (the two-headed dog Xlaia, Galon the Birdman, possibly the Mud Dragons), and administrative staff (the wizard at the end, and I suspect the sleeping old man as well).  The orcs and hobgoblin present are curious; it seems unlikely that the elves would have creatures like this working for them, although the wizard might.  They could also be prisoners, I suppose.

The most baffling encounter is the one with the Light-Worshippers, who are found dancing around a huge glowing crystal.  They're described as very small creatures with fine silver cloaks which float about them.  Their size makes it likely that they're not human.  They may be elves, but the real question is what they're doing in the dungeon.  I doubt they're prisoners.  Maybe they're a religious cult working for the wizard?

Let's talk about that wizard.  He's encountered at the end of the dungeon, and he's the one who leads the hero outside for his execution (or exoneration if they're lucky).  Even though it's the elves who throw the hero in, the ending implies that the wizard is really in charge, as he's the one who stays to wave farewell to the hero when everyone else has vanished.  He seems benevolent, but who knows.  If I had to put all of this together, I'd have him in charge of the whole lot: the elves up top, the elven light worshippers below, the monsters in the dungeon, and the whole justice system.  As for the reason for all of this, your guess is as good as mine.  I'm pretty sure I've already put more thought into it than the author did at the time.  (And that's not a knock, I've created loads of dungeons that are nothing more than rooms and tunnels filled with random monsters and traps I thought were cool.  I assume Jonathan Ford was a young boy or teenager doing much the same.)

Some smaller details:

• Oddly, this dungeon contains an atlas that has a map of Analand.  The hero takes it, thinking it will be very handy.  I suppose at the time the author had no way of knowing just how separated Allansia and the Old World are.
• Xlaia is the name of a two-headed dog, thought to have been extinct for 100 years.  I don't think there's been a two-headed dog in any of the adventures so far, but there's definitely at least one coming up (in Trial of Champions).  I suspect there are more, and that the Xlaia may just be a specific variety that's been almost wiped out.
• One of the criminals is carrying a piece of triangular fruit that the hero thinks might be the legendary Xentos, the fruit of longevity.  Literally nothing else is said about it, but based on the name you'd expect it to extend the lifespan of whoever eats it.

NEXT: It's back to the main series for The Rings of Kether.