Episode 48 - The Fungi Forest

Previously on All Drow, All the Time

Traveling deeper into the Underdark, the party entered a stretch of tunnel where the honeycomb stone began to sweat. Oily moisture slicked the floor, and pale, slug‑like creatures with human mouths wriggled from the holes in the walls. They dropped from above in a wet cascade, gathering into a ravenous swarm.

The Star Spawn Grue surged over Kai. Ahl d’Kukyz’s psychic assault barely slowed them, but Nick Beardless’s axes carved through the mass, Scomitch’s fireball blasted them apart, and Wynter’s space laser cut clean lines through the writhing bodies. As the swarm broke, Kai pushed ahead further down the tunnel.

Fortissimo flew forward into the dim light, spotted movement, and wheeled back toward Kai — wings tipping in warning. He didn’t recognize the sign until the shadow peeled itself off the wall.

A shape unfolded into a tangle of six limbs, each ending in hooked claws. Its torso twisted in ways no spine should allow, jaws yawning wide to reveal rows of needle‑thin teeth.

A Star Spawn Mangler.

It hit Kai in a flurry of claws as more Grue oozed from the honeycomb walls. The rest of the party tried to close the distance, but the oily stone turned every step into a slow, sliding struggle — except for Nick Beardless. Whether it was his low center of gravity, his instinct to protect a companion, or simply the belief that he had to do everything, the duergar sprinted across the slick floor.

He grew into a dwarf of unusual size, lost traction, and skidded directly into the Mangler. His massive form barely clipped its ankle, but it was enough. The creature turned on him, slashing at the prone fighter as a fresh wave of Grue swarmed over his enlarged frame.

The band got back together and cut down the aberrations. A quick search followed, as no one wanted to stick their hands into the Grue’s oily holes, and the party pressed on.

A strange, earthy smell drifted from the cavern ahead, reminiscent of rotting vegetation layered with heavy fungal overtones. The darkness broke into distant specks of light drifting lazily through the air.

Far from the sun’s reach, a forest had grown — immense, alien, and breathtaking. Towering fungal structures rose like trees, their caps glowing faintly. Glittering motes floated on a gentle breeze, swirling through the vast cavern like drifting stars.

The Underdark opened before them, revealing a forest of fungi unlike anything in the world above.