Episode 29 - Minotaur Attack

Where we last left off, in the early days in the Underdark, the memory of the sun began to fade. The descent into the drow realm has been a steady immersion into the antithesis of the surface world.

The initial trek was a pilgrimage into absolute blackness. The shift was immediate: from the familiar warmth of the surface to a constant, biting cold that settled stubbornly at 40 degrees. Every finger, every toe, ached with the chill that the environment enforced.

An unnerving feature of this lower realm was also the utter, profound silence. It was not mere quiet; it was an active void where sound goes to die—or worse, to be amplified. Every strained breath, every scrape of leather against stone, echoes unnaturally, suggesting that the darkness itself was listening.

The routine dictated by the world above diminished. Time had become meaningless; days bled into one another, marked only by the necessity of sporadic, uneasy rest and the pangs of hunger.

After what the party estimated to be three days of this relentless journey, the oppressive blackness broke. On the rough, damp walls, the group saw a mesmerizing display of bioluminescent fungi and lichens painting the stone.  However, it was fleeting, as these seemingly random illuminations gave way to total darkness, both thick and suffocating. Any light source seemed feeble, bullied by the gloom.

After twenty miles of travel, the forward march came to a halt. The passage had led the party into a large cavern. The air there was noticeably colder, suggesting the convergence of three tunnels lying ahead.

1.       The northern tunnel was starkly different from the rough passages the group had traversed. It was unnaturally smooth, the rock seemingly worn down by a powerful, abrasive force. The air was hostile, carrying a bitter, acrid smell strong enough to sting the eyes and induce tearing.  

2.       The path leading Southwest descended into inky blackness. The entrance was marked in “Deep Speech” with a warning: “Here Be Mind Flayers.”  A low, rhythmic thrum emanated from within the tunnel, a psychic pulse that resonated within the party’s skulls.

3. Ahead Eastward: The Underdark continued toward the dwarven city of Hammerhand. 

Continuing eastward, the long tunnel ahead vibrated with a deep, rhythmic thudding. As you continued, the source of the noise became clear: two hulking minotaurs, their nostrils flaring, charge down the corridor, bellowing a war cry. Ahead of them, scrambling frantically toward you, were four duergar, their faces twisted in fear. The minotaurs’ axes swung wildly, as if taunting the grey dwarves with their upcoming deaths!