<div class="floatleft">(http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u649/wigglebiscuit/Lydia/HumeFemale_zps9b0dc3da.jpg)</div><em>Finally! A chance to geek-out over the politics of the Dungeon!</em><br/><br/>Lydia wishes she had an hour to spend doing nothing but discussing the intricacies of the Dungeon, but alas, she does not.<br/><br/>Instead, she focuses on being as concise as possible.<br/><br/>"Well, you point out the flaw many Contestants make when they arrange alliances beforehand. The first level of the Dungeon is designed to pit Contestants against one another. Whereas other levels require that Contestants work together and even rewards group effort, the first level is highly competitive. Any alliances formed before this point are tenuous at best.<br/><br/>"But you are mistaken, good sir. Several Counselors allow more than one Contestant to pass on, and therein lies the first step of my plan. The Marchioness, the Sisters, and the Shadow King, and even, one could argue, the Barbarian, all allow two contestants to pass on in one form or another. Granted, this is with one Contestant dominant over the other, but still, with a firm but kind hand, a bond could form between the them. That is two, only a few more would be needed to form a fellowship that could penetrate deeply into the Dungeon. Those who fail to gain Counselors need protection and help; I would look there as well. Five Contestants, six at most. By making alliances, by collecting soulfruit, alliances could be formed.<br/><br/>"Plus, I should point out that with the rise of Pandora's Bitches over the past few years, alliances have become much more common. Contestants form alliances for fear of falling pray to that vile gang."<br/><br/>Lydia doesn't stop talking until she literally runs out of breath. She gulps air and continues. "How is it you stand to gain from understanding the Dungeon? I was under the impression that most considered the Dungeon to be some sort of extradimensional plane?"