Chapter 1: The One Who Watches From Below

The east passage widens into a well-traveled intersection. Small footprints lead in all directions. The muted thumping sounds emanate from the ceiling. To the north, stairs lead up to a door, while the tunnel continues on further east.

Clusters of mushrooms sprout from floor to ceiling. A glassy, yellow eye opens from the center of a mushroom cap, staring you down. Then, one by one, an eye opens up on every mushroom in the chamber! They glare at you...

The door at the top of the stairs opens into a strange area filled with an almost alien architecture: all corners are rounded, the walls are coated in whitewash, and strange glowing crystals are mounted on every surface. The ceilings are low, causing all of you to stoop over except for Kip.

This room is bustling with activity. A hooded figure with its back to you is whacking away at a butcher’s block with a meat cleaver--the source of the thumping noise. The figure is a full head taller than its brethren, who are the size of halflings. A line of similarly-garbed workers carries pots brimming with purplish severed limbs and black organs. Another group feeds the chunks of meat into a bubbling vat connected to pipes that feed into the floor.

The humanoids shriek in alarm when they notice you. As they turn to you, you can see that beneath their robes, their bodies are stunted, with swollen, stiff joints and a pale purple pallor. Their oversized heads are twisted and deformed. Yellow teeth, too large for their mouths, jut at awkward angles. Their eyes are black like an eel’s eye, and vestigial gills line their necks.

While Honey's magic falters, Tim's proves strong as he creates a protective aura around himself. Kip readies her weapons as Hyde rushes forward, cutting down the cleaver-wielding mutant before it can attack!

Four of remaining mutants shriek in terror and flee the room. The other four split into groups of two as they rush Hyde and Kip with daggers drawn. Kip lashes out with axe and shield but doesn't hit. Luckily, none of the mutants are able to hit either!

Unfortunately, none of you are able to land a hit against the enemies this round! The halfling-things attack again, this time managing to stab both Hyde and Kip.

The tide turns in your favor. Kip chops down one of the halflings, then Honey slays one with a crossbow bolt. Aldar’s magic missile strikes a third halfling, causing it to literally explode! Blood and body parts fly everywhere, showering Hyde and the final halfling.

The last foe shrieks in terror and turns to flee!