UNDERCITY REPORT #1: THE GARAK INCIDENT

[colovian fur 8360]

 

UNDERCITY REPORT #1 

- The Garak Incident -

Gib of Quarryville

2A 29, Mensis Solarius

 

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    I am Gib Garak, and I survived the first excursion into the Under Realms. My brother, Elithel Garak, wished for us to go on a venture to lay our sights on the caverns, and to attempt to forage for some elusive scrib. We did not for a moment think that the journey would be perilous, though the look on the Checkpoint Guards, dubbed the ‘Tunnel Rats’, should’ve turned us away. Maybe if our own greed didn’t forsake us, my Brother would still be alive.

 

    The guardsmen opened the gate, and as we entered, even with the light of a torch, the piercing darkness of the caves blinded us. A note for future explorers: although we can’t see in the dark, the creatures down there thrive in it. Utilizing a torch may very well be putting a target on your head. We crept through the darkness, the jingling of bells hung from tensed wire ringing in the tunnel as we made our descent. The guards warned us that they used the bells to alert their levy in-case of an imminent attack. We came to a crossroads, a cool breeze emitting from the rightmost path. After a brief exchange, we decided on a whim to head right. Even in the cramped tunnels, it felt like a thousand eyes were watching your every move: Every step you took seemed to echo for ages, and it was maddening. I found myself holding my breath at every turn, deeper into the cavern we went.

 

    Finally, we came upon a rope ladder with a significant drop. I took some water from my waterskin and poured it down to give us some sort of awareness of the distance. It only took about a second before we heard water crackle against stone. Taking lead, I took hold of the rope ladder and made my way down to the stomach-churning dark. Bats fluttered around, distant steps and shouts, the quiet of the Under Realms allowed every single sound to echo, no matter the distance. My brother followed shortly after me, and we were met with a rather large chamber as the tunnels broke away to a distinct clearing that smelled of moss and dust. We clung to the right wall of the chamber, sounds of stone rumbling far closer than I would’ve liked emitting from the left quadrant. As we explored, a creak in the floor caught our eye as wooden boards rested on the cool stone. After the fact, I believe these wooden paths to be some sort of rudimentary road utilized by the Vermin to navigate the Undercity. I can say this with confidence, because just as we found a lava pit with smoldering rocks, churning in the magma, two Vermin spoke from the darkness, asking if we were ‘gather-harvesting’ as well. They approached from that very same wooden road, and as soon as they realized we were Elves, they began to frantically shout that we were invaders. All of this happened so fast and my heart is racing as I write it down. The rodent spoke and suddenly, a small boulder was flung through the air as if launched from a catapult and crushed him. His fellow gather-harvester, knowing far more than we did, scurried off into the darkness. Our heads turned, and we were met with two, large, mushroom creatures. A small description of them will be included at the conclusion of this report. Elithel and I ran then, trudging through the darkness, not knowing what laid before us. We stopped then, aiming to stand our ground. We should’ve kept running. 

    Elithel brandished his rapier, and I drew back an arrow in my bow. All of this is a blur, Elithel attempted to step forward and jab the creature in what we believed to be his mouth. It was as if his rapier had been driven into a Great Oak tree, as the blade bent and the creature wound up a fist, and launched Elithel backwards. With a single hit, his entire shoulder was eviscerated.

 

 

 

    I let loose an arrow, attempting to blind the creature to no avail as my arrow seemingly dug in with zero result. The other Mushroom Creature stepped forward, winding its fist back and I quickly rolled out of the way. Elithel told me to run, he told me that I needed to warn the surface, and I listened. I rolled out of the way of the sporeish assailant, and  ran. I charged into the dark, and all I heard was a sickening crunch and pulverisation of my brother, extinguishing his life. I don’t think there was a single remnant of his body, should delvers find it. I slunk away into the cavern, without a clue of how to get out. I slunk up against the walls of the cavern, and inhaled some spores, which irritated my nose to a sneeze. If it weren’t for quick thinking and covering my mouth, I might’ve been carted off as a prisoner, or worse, dead. I was unable to get a good look at the mushrooms to provide a drawing, just know, these depths are home to fauna I don’t believe any Descendent have ever laid their eyes upon. Vermin guardsmen lurked in the distance with lanterns in hand, and after attempting to distract them by throwing a pebble, they simply extinguished their lanterns and waited, patiently, and more cautiously. They can see a lot better down here than I can, so I doubled back another passageway, back towards the direction I came. Taking an alternate path to avoid the Mushroom Creatures and my brother’s grisly fate, I came upon mushrooms the size of a small home, and more of the slow-moving creatures. I quickly darted off into another portion of the cavern, and to my surprise and potentially my life, I found the rope ladder. Lady Luck blessed me today, and I survived.

 

One final note, be wary and cognisant of your ascent as you begin to ring the bells along the cool stone. The Checkpoint “Tunnel Rats” Guardsmen will begin to muster and prepare an arbalest to blast you to the Nether. Be sure to assure them you are friendly, or your survival from the Undercity will be in vain.

 

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- Discoveries & Findings -

 

Mushroom Creature

Standing taller than the average man, these creatures almost resemble golems with their terrifying strength. Standing at three stacked barrels high, and wide as two barrels side by side, the Mushroom Creatures are truly a great beast. Though slow in movement, their exterior isn’t spongey as their resemblance to a mushroom might suggest. An almost wood-like shell covers the creature, offering a more than a worthy defense against modern weaponry. Piercing armaments, such as sword points, arrows, crossbow bolts, or spears, did very little to thwart the creatures, even when positioned and trained to what we thought were weak spots: Attacks to the eyes and mouth seemingly did nothing. In the Undercity, they congregated around large mushrooms located in the chamber at the end of the rope ladder. They should be avoided at all costs, less you wish to acquire some casualties. 

 

Blackhide Gather-Harvester

These Vermin were lurking round the caverns, and seemed quite skittish than a typical Blackhide combatant. We did not face one in combat, though it was well apparent that they were clad in mere cloth and rags. It is unknown if they carry weapons on them, or horns to sound the alarm. They appeared to be hunter-gatherer equivalents for the Vermin, seeking the caverns of the Under Realms for food, or perhaps to alert the Blackhide of trespassers. They are cowardly, and as they first laid their eyes upon us, they immediately began to shout out to expose us. They were extremely terrified of the Mushroom Creatures, and quickly fled at any sight of them.

 

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- Route Map -

Author’s Note: 

I am not the most eloquent artist, and most of this is from a very hazy memory. I have done my best to construct something that may give the next delvers some idea of where to find these Mushroom Creatures. If I were you, I would head left at the crossroads, and avoid the hulking shroomish beasts at all cost.

 

[!] Attached to the report is a crudely drawn depiction of Gib and Elithel's route, derived from memory a Saint's Day later. 

 

[Shorsand 2006]

[!] A small memorial for Elithel, found in the Naperly Quarter next to many strewn bottles of sujamma.

 

Spoiler

not my image @Letharian

 

[Temp 2006]

A particularly greedy scrap knight begins his journey with a burdened carriage of trinkets.