“Deeper Into the Dark: Jonty, Kenna, and Xiulan Return with Riches and Tales from the Abyss”
The whispers began at dawn, spreading through Peltarch’s docks and drifting down to Norwick’s taverns like wildfire carried on the wind:
They went back.
Against all warnings, against the fears of even the hardiest miners and soldiers, Jonty the Shield-Bearer, Kenna the Swordswoman, and Xiulan the Herbalist ventured once more into the yawning black of the Underdark. Few dared believe they’d return a second time—but as the sun rose this morning, the three strode through Norwicks’s gates, alive, victorious, and weighed down with loot.
Witnesses describe their armor scarred, their weapons dulled from relentless battle, their eyes gleaming with the wild fire of those who’ve seen wonders and horrors no map dares chart.
According to those lucky enough to overhear their first drinks in the tavern, the trio faced down monstrous foes. Rust monsters skittered from the shadows, their touch threatening to strip steel to nothing. Hooked horrors stalked them through labyrinthine tunnels, claws scraping stone like nails on a coffin lid. And strangest of all, they encountered magic eaters, bizarre creatures that swallowed spells whole, leaving the air dead and silent around them.
But the greatest whisper—spoken in low, trembling tones—was this: they reached the outskirts of a drow city. From a hidden ridge, they glimpsed the faint glow of enchanted lights, spidery towers stretching into the cavern roof, and patrols of dark elves moving like shadows through violet mist. Some claim Kenna kept her hand on her blade the entire time; others swear Xiulan pressed a protective charm to her chest, muttering prayers as the weight of the drow’s dark presence pressed down on them.
And yet, they returned.
Behind them, they carried sacks of gold, gemstones black as midnight, shards of strange crystalline material humming faintly in their packs. Feldegast Tinook, ever the first to appraise a hero’s haul, declared:
“Whatever they found down there… it’s worth more than gold. These aren’t just trinkets—they’re pieces of a story the surface was never meant to hear.”
Already, rumors stir. Will they sell their haul? Return again? Or has the lure of the deep already claimed their hearts? Some fear the drow may now have eyes turned upward. Others wonder what bargains Xiulan struck to guide them safely back.
For now, the three adventurers rest, their scars testament to battles fought in the endless dark. But one truth remains certain:
The Underdark has not seen the last of them.
