Chapter Text
Amidst the soft glow of the Underdark, Tav reclined in his tent. A sense of contentment washed over him as he sat down on a soft mattress after a long day of adventuring. The rest of the squad had just settled at the campsite, ready to end the day.
Savouring the serene ambience of the Underdark—a place where, for a brief moment, could have been his home—Tav mused around the eerie glow of the place. Like something had touched his core, yet not close enough to call it a pure bodily sensation. Being born as a Seldarine drow placed him at a strange pedestal. While he practically grew up on the surface, there was some sort of ancestry here, faintly calling onto him to explore his “supposed” legacy.
If being a Seldarine drow wasn’t strange enough, Tav grew up in a druidic circle. Unclear who his parents were, he was taught and learned the ways of the Moon Druids. The years leading up to his adulthood weren’t particularly pleasant, but Moon Druids weren’t exactly known for their sociable presence, thus, Tav has been able to survive most of his life without the company of huge, condescending druids. Despite facing countless disdainful comments and demeaning remarks, he learned that his drow ancestry was always what people would see first, disregarding his nurtured ability as a druid. Despite it all, for years, he prevailed, and stood true to his faith.
Tav let his mind wander about what would happen if he had grown up in the Underdark, away from the luscious jungles and forests he’d spent all his life in. With no sun to caress his skin. He closed his eyes, trying to inhale the natural smell of the Underdark, to find traces of his legacy… yet he found none. The Underdark didn’t feel like home at all. It was beautiful, in its own nature, but Tav quickly realised his nature didn’t belong here.
Just as he was drifting off to a slumber, someone shuffled near his tent, seeking entrance. Gale’s voice was particularly loud within the Underdark’s dense atmosphere—or was it simply Tav’s druidic sense? Either way, Tav opened the flaps of his tent, revealing a rather agitated Gale, still clad in his wizard’s robe.
“Good… evening,” he greeted with a small wave and a playful smile. No one could tell the time deep in the Underdark. “I am terribly sorry to disturb your peaceful time, but could I have a word? It is something worth your while, I promise.”
Hearing that, Tav crossed his arms and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Yes? What’s this about?”
“As we all are aware, we have arrived in the Underdark. The home of… well, your ancestors, I would presume?”
Tav raised an eyebrow. He was ready to absorb another comment about his drow lineage—but his train of thoughts stopped when Gale produced a peculiar-looking book from behind his back.
“During our… shenanigans in Creche Y’llek, I found a most exquisite specimen within the Captain’s Quarters bookshelves! It was filled with interesting copies, you see. One of which had caught my attention: The Underdark Customs,” his voice, bouncy as always whenever anyone discussed a book. “Seeing as you, a valued leader of our group, hailed from the drow bloodline, I’d thought ‘well, why not learn some more about him?’, this book was the perfect copy for me to do just that, without directly being nosy.”
Tav chuckled. He didn’t know Gale was all that considerate about his ancestry. “I truly appreciate the sentiment, Gale. However, it would be fine had you asked me directly,” he returned Gale’s excited smile. “Granted, I have little memory of my early life; let alone my origin. The wilderness has been my home for many years, as you know.”
Gale’s excitement was unquenchable, sensing a tad bit of curiosity and appreciation with the mention of Tav’s heritage. He nodded eagerly, flipping the pages of the books until it showed a particular bookmark, courtesy of the wizard, obviously. “That is exactly why I have come to you: to muster my knowledge about your unique self. You are a druid, surely you are deeply in touch with the environment and how you navigate yourself around nature, correct?”
With certainty, Tav nodded.
“And you are a drow. You do have some kind of connection with the Underdark and its customs, yes?”
Tav frowned, his answer was bound to disappoint the wizard. “Sadly, I highly doubt that. I might be a drow, but the Underdark was never my home.”
Hearing the answer, Gale’s shoulders slouched slightly. A couple of thoughts swirled into his running mind, as seen from his eyes. In this silence, Tav continued: “However, I would get more in tune with the Underdark’s surroundings, given time.”
Gale’s eyes twinkled once more. “I see,” he pondered. “That would be greatly appreciated.”
“You haven’t exactly told me what’s this about, Gale.”
“Ah, right. Apologies for the meander,” Gale showed to him the revealed page. “As you have probably known, this wasn’t composed by the githyanki. I have no idea how they could get their hands on a book like this, but I have reasons to believe this was written by a drow .” Tav widened his eyes at the emphasis on that last syllable. Drow-written books may be many, yet their nature to conceal their identity—and with that, their knowledge—made their expertise exceptionally unknown. To have such a piece of knowledge reached the surface at some point, comforted him greatly.
The words on the pages were smeared, dirty, and aged. This book has survived countless centuries, it would seem. None of them could make out the author’s name, let alone the ancient knowledge poured here. “Huh, what’s the book about?” Tav leaned in, starting to share Gale’s curiosity.
“Well, apart from the obvious Lolth-sworn drow customs—which, as later revealed, the author seemed to be a disbeliever—it seems to me that this author had somehow hailed from an elusive drow city called the Saekolath.”
Saekolath, Tav’s mind wandered. Where has he heard this name before? His memories spun once more, and he recalled an important knowledge he had obtained in his youth, during his time in the Circle. Saekolath was a hidden city of the Lorendrow, a group of Lolth-rejectors. This society of “greenshadow elves” as his mentor had described, was the only drow society who had deep connections with nature and its elements. The Lorendrow lived in a secluded jungle, where nature protected them from harm. Though never achieving similar prowess as the druidic circles, they were the only group one would call “nature drows”, a term that had instilled something in young Tav’s soul. The existence of the Lorendrow confirmed his alignment as a drow living alongside nature. Perhaps his parents had originated from Saekolath themselves, journeying to the surface to finally join the druids.
“Saekolath? Yes, I’ve heard that name. It’s a city of drows living in a hidden jungle.”
Once again, Gale’s interests were piqued. “Ah, most excellent insight! It gets more interesting once we arrive at the later pages.” Gale flipped the pages a few more times, arriving at a specific paper that described the culinary customs of the Saekolath drows. There were a few faded diagrams and inked illustrations, but Tav could barely make out most of the drawings. However, it did show some images of—what Tav could only assume— cooking ingredients.
“This book revealed that whoever had written this, was on a path to gather not just cultural or societal knowledge, but also the Underdark’s delicacy.” Gale pointed at a specific part of the paper, a flurry of written sentences Tav was unable to read. Perhaps the wizard’s eyes were simply different from his. Gale, still showing absolute keenness, described what the paper contained. “This, my friend, is proof that there is an ingredient much rarer than Noblestalk mushrooms: the Underdark Truffle.”
The name itself stirred something in Tav. A truffle, an ingredient completely unheard of, possibly the most knowledgeable chemist of Faerûn hasn’t even heard of. The Lorendrow were extremely secluded, it was very likely a huge chunk of their culture was hidden from the rest of the world. It would be a breakthrough if they could get their hands on it somehow.
Tav rubbed his chin and hummed in response. “If it is that rare, any idea how our drow friend was able to find it?”
“Indeed, our esteemed drow scholar had faced the most unexpected obstacle yet,” Gale’s grin was almost as wide as a Spectator. “They quoted that, after searching for it for nearly a decade, these are ‘precious mushrooms that can only be found underground—between 20 to 50 centimetres deep—scattered around the Underdark regions, possibly nurtured wherever a Myconid colony is nearby.’ They also noted that you would need to have an extremely sharp sense of smell in order to find these. Our drow friend was able to dig one, albeit a mediocre quality, with the help of a friendly Myconid. They suggested that the deeper the truffle was dug, the better the quality. It smells ‘ amazing’, they said .”
Tav hummed again, trying to connect the strings. “I still don’t know what you’re trying to do.”
“Didn’t you hear? A sharp sense of smell!” Gale smiled widely, closing the book with a loud thud, Tav was sure everyone in the campsite heard him. “All we need is a bunch of pigs, and once we find these mushrooms, we’re going to have one heck of a feast. We all know I’m the best cook, I can already imagine the–”
Gale’s stream of inspiration was cut abruptly by Tav’s confusion. “I’m sorry, pigs?”
“Yes! Pigs!” He yelled again, completely oblivious to the fact that Karlach has been eyeing the pair lately for being loud during rest hours. “Did you know that pigs possess olfactory receptors twice sharper than that of canines or felines? Surely, they’ll have no trouble sniffing out these rare mushrooms underground!”
“And pray tell, how are you going to get your hands on a ‘bunch of’ pigs?” Tav squinted his eyes.
“Well...you are a druid…” he let his words trail off, letting Tav digest it all. “...and Halsin too?”
The rush of realisation hit Tav like a gust of wind. Of course, he thought, of course Gale was on another quest of shenanigans. “Were you assuming I could shapeshift into a pig?” As a druid, shapeshifting into a species of pig didn’t sound too impossible—however, Tav hasn’t met a druid that was able to shapeshift into one. Perhaps there was always a first time for everything.
“Or a boar, or a hog!” Gale was smiling even wider, knowing Tav might be able to lend a hand; or rather, a nose? “Truth be told, I was only expecting you could summon one, but the idea that you could shapeshift into a pig settled a better image in my head,” he paused upon realising his voice was getting a little bit too loud, “wouldn’t want a wild hog to wander around the camp, would you? I have reasons to believe some of us would disapprove of the idea.”
Tav sat with his thoughts for a while, thinking the idea wasn’t as dumb as he initially thought. Getting hold of this rare ingredient could prove beneficial. One, he would be able to retain a piece of knowledge from one of his ancestors—the Lorendrow—two, he would be able to sell these mushrooms to alchemists and cooks in Baldur’s Gate, reaping a much needed gold; and three, the group would most certainly possess a new kind of culinary experience and knowledge.
“So, what do you say?” Gale ignited his curiosity once more.
“After resting, we shall decide. We will need to speak to Halsin as well, he was an Archdruid. Perhaps he could give us a most needed insight regarding this… truffle hunting.”
With that, Gale widened his arms. “Ah, marvellous! I thank you for your utmost interest in this matter, my friend.” His body language hesitated, as if conflicted whether to hug or kiss the druid. As a result, Gale waved his hand rather awkwardly. “Very well, I shall leave you to rest.” He left Tav’s tent joyfully, still with the book beneath his arm.
After a few hours of sleeping, Tav woke up. His internal alarms blared, even though he could sense neither daylight nor sunshine. He could also feel the rest of the group had woken up as well, judging by the subtle chatter and a few shuffles around the camp.
Tav stepped out of his tent, seeing his companions exchanging banters and conversations. Wyll and Gale in particular, were engaging in some sort of a debate from the looks of it. Their exaggerated body movements and rather loud rebuttals gave it away. Though, about what, he could not tell. All he knew was that the rest of the nearby group refused to take part.
Just a few steps away, Wyll addressed the newcomer in the conversation. “Are you seriously considering this idea?”
Tav was taken aback by the sudden involvement. No small talks whatsoever, rather peculiar for Wyll. “Truth be told, Wyll, I see little drawbacks from this quest. Do enlighten me.”
“I wasn’t concerned about the drawbacks, I’m more concerned about the truth of it,” he sounded quite defeated already, seeing two people were already on board. “I mean, this book is ancient, it’s full of uncertain notions. I’d say we shouldn’t be too quick to judge. Who knows what danger we’ll step into? Who knows if we’ll be able to find it at all? Nobody confirmed it even exists at all, let alone these so-called ‘ jungle drows’. ”
Tav nodded, but he sensed something else in Wyll’s words. It was a familiar feeling, a presumption that they had something else in their mind, but too afraid to speak it out. “Were you saying that because of the book or is it because it’s part of a drow history?”
With that question, Wyll exchanged silent glances with Gale. Tav could see a surge of realisation washed over the warlock’s face, like he had just received an epiphany. “I… apologise,” he finally said, after a few moments. “I realised that that sounded wrong, I should’ve known I might be talking directly to a possible heir.” Wyll and Tav met their eyes, and they exchanged a friendly smile. “This insight might mean a lot to your bloodline, I would say. I’m sorry to have quickly come to my nature.”
“I understand,” Tav replied wholeheartedly. Drows aren’t exactly the most trustworthy of other races, perhaps Wyll just needed a wake up call that drows, despite their notoriety, still exists. “I don’t blame your nature, Wyll. I might behave the same had I originated from another kind.”
“Good,” Gale finally broke the silence. “Now that that’s settled, let’s move on.”
“Let’s talk to Halsin,” said Tav.
“Ah, I think I’ll stay,” Wyll lifted a finger and smiled. “I’ve had enough truffle discussions for the day.”
On the way to Halsin’s camp, Gale had asked Tav if the former Archdruid would approve of their idea. As a fellow druid, Tav would expect Halsin would at least be a tad bit curious. Druids seek wisdom in the wilderness, and finding the mysteries of nature would help them to become better servants to nature.
As they got closer to the tent, Tav could see the big elf was whittling just beside a nearby glowing mushroom. The wood hasn’t taken any clear shape, but Tav decided not to comment on that. Upon sensing them nearby, Halsin cleaned up his tools and greeted them with a smile. “Greetings, I trust you have been resting well?”
“It’s as well as it used to be. The Underdark isn’t exactly as bad as people portrayed it. It’s rather comfortable, I should say.” Gale replied.
“Glad to hear a wizard could acquaint himself easily in a nature foreign to them,” Halsin turned his gaze to Tav. “I suppose you have no trouble as well?”
Tav nodded. “I have travelled places far more threatening than this one.” He didn’t realise how boastful he sounded, in an attempt to gain the approval of the older druid. “Although, I must say, the unknown here really intrigues me. I haven’t seen any environment such as this one.”
Halsin seemed to second the latter statement. "It is a beautiful place, though we must be wary of the dangers that might lurk here. We know nothing of it." If anything that disturbed their senses, it was neither the denser atmosphere nor the sheer darkness; it was how much of this place they didn’t know about.
“Speaking of the unknown,” Gale started, shifting the discussion, “have you, by any chance, encountered a rather peculiar mushroom called truffles, here in the Underdark, Halsin?”
The elf hummed at the question. “Truffles, you say? I have not heard of them.”
To think, an old druid such as Halsin to have ventured many places—including the Underdark—hasn’t even heard of the rare mushroom, was baffling. It showed just how secluded and hidden the Lorendrow society was, or if they even existed at all. “Gale had found something interesting regarding these mushrooms,” Tav continued. Halsin beamed at him, waiting for a follow-up. “He found a book written by a certain drow scholar hailing from the Underdark, about how to find truffles. The author suggested these can be found deep in the underground, possibly near a Myconid colony.”
Halsin hummed once again, rubbing his chin in deep thought. “Curious, indeed. Are these needed to brew a potion, somehow?” He turned to Gale, assuming this crusade deeply involved the wizard’s cause.
“Well, if my readings are correct, truffles are much more suitable for eating, since they provide a distinctive aroma, taste, and texture with each bite,” he explained it like a chef explaining a dish to a diner. It sounded like the most pleasant culinary experience they’d never be able to imagine.
“You said it was a drow scholar, do you know of them?” Halsin turned to Tav again.
“I doubt any Seldarine had even known them at all,” Tav replied. They couldn’t even confirm the author was a drow. This quest was full of speculations already, but the clues seemed too precious to let go. “If the book speaks truth, this drow came from a secluded city called Saekolath. I’ve read of them, they are called the Lorendrow, a group of Lolth-rejectors who lived inside a lush jungle.”
Hearing the names, something seemed to click in Halsin’s mind by the way his eyebrows danced. “Amazing,” he widened his eyes. “I’ve heard stories and myths about the greenshadow elves, but never expecting to find real traces of them. Even during my youth living near drows, I’d never thought of confirming the truth. This is a great conundrum to uncover.”
“Excellent!” Gale lifted his arms. “I knew you would be on board.”
“This could be a chance for you to reunite with your distant family,” Halsin smiled at Tav. “It is sorrowful to have been separated from your kind, but I’d wager it would give you immense pride and relief should you manage to get hold of this rare knowledge.”
Tav almost teared up at Halsin’s approval. Saying his distant drow lineage as family meant a lot to him. He might not be a direct heir of the Lorendrow, but if he was, he would be grateful to have a piece of his ancestor’s knowledge at the hands of his friends.