Before an hour had passed Clotho found herself in the shadow of a massive jungle tree. This gnarled, centuries-old colossus loomed out of the vibrant, tropical forest around it like a stone bastion looms over a muddy town of huts. Its bark, stained by countless events over the course of its massive lifespan, resembled a grand mosaic of life. Though ages old the tree still thrived, ripping open the clouds of the sky and replacing it with its own viridian masses. Vines hung down from the tree, long, limp fingers reaching down from above, the politician's tendrils of influence. They ensnared other trees in the vicinity, keeping them in the firm hold of their elder and preventing them from ever being able to ascend to the same heights. This wondrous plant was a jealous lord. No lord, however, could boast immunity to the usurper.

The tree enraptured Clotho, from the majesty of its height to the incredible life that it sustained. Primates, birds, reptiles, and billions of insects, unaware of the conqueror standing in the shade of their vertical kingdom, carried out their daily routines. Clotho caught the enticing scent of magic on the wind, seeping from the timber and every creature that called it home. There could be no better opportunity than this to establish a Dungeon and start creating her own legacy. “Drones.”

Her five minions, intent on devouring the corpse of an unfortunate anteater, abandoned their kill to heed her call. They gargled and rasped slightly as they approached. “Follow me.” Clotho held her rapier aloft, briefly running a clawed finger along its length. The weapon flushed with the repulsive yellow-green, black-speckled magic that she had used to summon her imps, which then spread to her hand like a tiny tide of ants. She stared intently at her left hand, molding the magic between her armored claws, and finally turned her palm outward to release it. A jet of sticky, beige fluid launched at high pressure from the outstretched limb toward the great tree, where it lodged with a wet [i]sploge[/i]. Upon exposure to air, the secretion expanded and dried, forming a rigid, paperlike substance several feet in diameter, very much like the hive-material of the yellowjacket wasp. Panicked wildlife fled from it as it hardened, turning a smooth cocoa brown interspersed with tan stripes. Clotho flung her end of the tether to the ground, anchoring it there and thereby connecting earth and tree. 

After a few seconds, five more jets were fired at the tree, each from one of the mandibled maws of Clotho's imps. They didn't have quite the same strength as their masters, but performed their job efficiently nonetheless. Three of the strands crossed as they were expanding, forming strange shapes. Once the initial six strands solidified, the imps climbed them, heading toward the king tree. Clotho watched them go, exhilarated. They would continue creating these strands, linking the king tree to the ground, other trees, and even other strands to create an elaborate, gigantic nest. In a few hours the basic structure of the hive would be complete and real construction could begin. Until then, Clotho did have a few ideas on how to keep herself occupied. She moved out from the king tree's shade into the sunlight, lightly stepping over the mooring point of one of her soon-to-be hive's support strands.

With a few, fitful flutters, her wings unfurled from their inactive 'cloak' position and spread for use. The afternoon sunlight caught them perfectly, streaming through the transparent green membrane while glinting off the orange pigmentation that bordered it. Clotho beat her wings several times, building up enough speed to generate lift, and then rose into the air. She made a beeline for the apex of the king tree, which -as of yet- was unperturbed by the imps' work. Grinning wildly, Clotho held out a hand and sprayed a broad swath of the tree with the material, creating a surface and then a canopy to cover it. Once it hardened, Clotho charged at it with rapier extended, and broke into the canopy from above.

She quickly took stock of the structure she had made. She now hovered in a domelike chamber, complete with floor riddled with holes through which the rest of the tree could be accessed. Far below she could hear her imps at work, noisily slaving away to finish the hive. With only five imps, though, it would be a long and arduous task. Clotho landed on a branch protruding through the paper floor and lashed it with her rapier, creating a dozen more rifts through which new drone imps would claw their way into her service. Leaving the imps to their job, Clotho jammed the tip of the rapier into the crunchy floor to keep it hand before employing more magic to transform the barren dome into an acceptable Dungeon Heart.

Half an hour later, the only flaw remaining with the chamber was the high-altitude wind whining through the hole Clotho had entered by. Using a seemingly uncharacteristic amount of precision, she had fashioned chairs, tables, shelves, and (most important of all) a comfy cocoon in the room's center, anchored by a vast amount of thin strands in all directions, that hummed with Clotho's life force—her Heart. Deeply satisfied, she climbed into the open cocoon, which closed around her as she entered the requisite trance to create her first minion.

[u]Status:[/u]
First Minion: 0/3
Location: King Tree, jungle north of Saploya River, N16°W12° 
Dungeon: An incomplete and unfurnished yet vast hive spanning the length, width, and height of a massive, ancient tree in the jungle. The hive itself is constructed of a magically-created liquid that expands and hardens into a stiff, paperlike substance upon exposure to air. The main body of the hive is suspended by countless support struts that reach for hundreds of feet in every direction. The Dungeon Heart is situated at the very top of the tree.
Forces: 15 Drone Imps