On Treasure in Holes
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a destitute adventurer, in possession of a sharp blade, must be in want of a hole. Holes are after all where the treasures live, guarded by orcs and worse. Of course, in modern parlance, we like to call these holes "Dungeons", and if we want to get real fancy, they're "The Mythic Underworld".
This is because, indeed, it does not make sense that one would store that much treasure in what is, essentially, a hole in the ground. Even at the best of times, going underground is a scary prospect, untold tonnes of earth and stone hanging over your head, ready to collapse at any moment if not properly secured, burying you with your treasure for all eternity. Sensible people build castles, it's less work. Maybe a little basement underneath, but none of this deep cave stuff. That's delving too deep, too greedily.
This means that normal people don't put their treasures in big dungeons deep underground. People with lots of dosh usually pay the less wealthy to get treasure out of holes in the ground. Just visit any mine: all the people going into the hole are poor folks, extracting the treasures of the Earth and enriching some fat cat who would never himself set foot in the mine. At best, they will have a basement with a safe, and that calls for a heist, not a delve. If they do have a dungeon, it's for torturing prisoners, or for sex. Not so much delving to do there, unless you're looking for whips and screaming people.
Why then, would treasure end up in dungeons, these deep, uncomfortable holes? Something inhuman must have put it there, or someone really weird or desperate, I guess.
A pirate captain will bury their treasure, but usually not themselves along with it, it takes something more to drive a wealthy man underground. Perhaps the persecuted would go underground, avoiding those who would try to destroy them, but these types are usually not the most treasure-laden of folks.
The treasures in the Mythic Underworld must therefore be just that, Mythic. Long lost golden hoards from ages past, enchanted artefacts of legendary craftsmen, the bones of unimaginable beasts, and the blood of angels and demons, not of this world.
When putting treasure in your hole, think bigger. Why would there be base currency a mile underground? Put something weird, fantastic, mythical. A treasure fit for an underworld, not something you could find in the bank, the least mythical of places.
And remember, the deeper in the hole, the weirder the treasure, because nobody normal would want to be down there.
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