Khenal
patreon
Peek: Darkwater
🕑 Added 2024-11-17 23:59:34 +0000 UTCWhew, we got the tents up just in time. These spring rains always remind me of a story Johul used to tell. Help me tend the fire, and I'll share.
Usually, it's bad form for a bard to tell someone else's story, but Johul isn't around anymore to tell it himself, and I'd hate to have this particular story die with him. Johul was even more well-traveled than me, which is saying something! Now, ports were a lot more open back then, but every time I say that, it feels more and more like an excuse. Maybe I'll get to tell my own version of this story, some day.
Anyway, he had been hopping from ship to ship, trading stories and songs for passage, and what kind of a ship would turn an offer like that down? He had mostly been joining merchants, but he also managed to board a military ship, and even pirates once, too! But those aren't what this story is about.
No, this is about the time he got onto a ship full of adventurers! They had their own stories to share, and this is where he learned what the destination of the ship was: The Deep Sea Dungeon. Well bellow the waves, there are many different seafolk, and as you'd know if you've been paying attention: where's there's folk, there's dungeons. This particular dungeon, the locals liked to call Darkwater.
You see, that far down, people like us would say it's all dark water, but the people of the deep ocean have their own lights to navigate by. But Darkwater was a shadow affinity dungeon, so light didn't behave quite how we might expect.
It was a belligerent dungeon by Dungeoneer standards, but only by technicality. While it had a Voice, it didn't seem to care much about delvers, one way or the other. Its nodes weren't especially rich, and its denizens weren't particularly interesting to fight.
But they were fascinating to watch. The lights the deep sea folk use simply don't work, but the lights of the denizens do. Strange creatures of the deep called Darkwater home, and each of them had their own twinkling lights, like the constellations in the sky decided to come down and swim about. Even the seaweed and other plant and coral nodes had these little points of illumination around them, giving a stark and beautiful contrast to the pitch black around them.
Johul, upon hearing this from the adventurers, just had to see for himself, and so he was able to join one of the parties for a delve. Once close to Darkwater, the locals guided them to a good place to anchor, and sold them aqua affinity potions for the trip down, and the adventurers were more than happy to make use of these services.
So down they went, and even the hardened adventurers were more inclined to simply observe than fight. Things they never imagined slowly swam by, not paying the delvers a second glance as they went about their lives, shapes and sizes that defied description, gigantic and tiny and more.
Ah, I wish I had illusion affinity like Johul did. I have to make do with the floating embers of the fire, and my imagination. I hear the ports are opening back up, though. Maybe I'll get to see Darkwater for myself someday after all.
~Onthar, Orc Bard Historian
__________________
Inspired by PickledTink, who wanted to see a deep sea dungeon.
Comments
David Rusk
… please for the love of all that is good and orderly in the world, please do not place Cthulhu down there!
Ben Bass
TYFTP! That is a real nifty idea, and I love the little world building about bards using their affinities to help their stories, I bet both the narrator with his fire affinity using embers and fire to build stories could be amazing, as well as the illusion affinity!
Vik M.
Hey, wasn't sure where to put this, or if you even take suggestions like this, but I noticed a few minor typos, and also had a wording suggestion: ORIGINAL: "Well bellow the waves, there are many different seafolk, and as you'd know if you've been paying attention: where's there's folk, there's dungeons." (changed "bellow" to "below", changed "where's" to "where") EDITED: "Well below the waves, there are many different seafolk, and as you'd know if you've been paying attention: where there's folk, there's dungeons." ORIGINAL: "Even the seaweed and other plant and coral nodes had these little points of illumination around them, giving a stark and beautiful contrast to the pitch black around them." (the second use of "around them" is repetitive, and the sentence works fine without it) EDITED: "Even the seaweed and other plant and coral nodes had these little points of illumination around them, giving a stark and beautiful contrast to the pitch black." I love the deep sea because of all the bioluminescence found there, and the weird shapes that are forced to develop to deal with the insane conditions. Having a dungeon that doesn't allow for any lights except for its garden of bioluminescent life is wonderful and perfect. Thanks for sharing!!
Raufgar
Thanks for the chapter~!
Laetitia
I would really really love that ! Maybe he could offer stories to thedeim in exchange for better loot?
LinaBoeckwurm
That picture got painted into my brain loud and clear, almost as if there was an illusion ability involved! Well written!
Herakilla
Thanks for the peek!
Demonlord
Thanks for the nice peek 😊 Story's like this makes me want to have more in depth dive into the dungeon and their view of people (in this case diving is ment literally XD)
Durphymcbob
Its nice to see the orcish bard again, wonder if he will ever come by and visit thedium
chris Bell
They haven't used affinity or magic yet so since she will be studying the ice mage he might be waiting for that
MattUDFells
Probably the same as the South Wood but without the Stag or any other denizens paying attention
MattUDFells
That may have been too short without repeating parts of the fight. Maybe after another round or two.
AssumedPseudonym
I have to say, I love the belligerent-by-indifference take. I’d kinda wondered how one of those would actually be classified, though I suppose that partially depends on whether or not the denizens put up enough of a fight to not qualify as a toybox. Sounds like Darkwater’s do. I’m kinda curious how a delve in an indifferent toybox would go.
chris Bell
As much as I love the world building i thought today's peak would of been by Tula watching the first round of the fight lol can't wait till tomorrow
Cordell Patrick
So dun thing humans have bioluminescent stripes all over us which we normally can't see but you want to know what can see them most cats it's also why pregnant women "glow" they're just a hair brighter then the average person
Jacob
Man it's stories like his that.make me with bioluminesence was common on land. Some mushrooms do it, and some bugs do it, but I want mamals to do it. You know how cool that would be? Lemurs with glowing fingers to attract bugs, cats with soft subtle patterns that help it blend in with the moonlight. Baboons with glow in the dark butts. People with glowing lines on our faces to help with expression. It would be awesome.
Juno Tubolino
Oh I adore the notion of a fully bioluminescent spawning dungeon, the visual of it is /so/ cool
