Move 396:  Easy Going

Tunnels--Early, Day 40 (Marpenoth 23)

Arachne decided not to be invisible for the time being because of her place in the marching order. After making a few other preparations, the party broke camp and heading back to the intersection. Their chalk mark was still up near the top of the tunnel they had taken last time. This time, they went the other way.

This tunnel was a little different than the other one, more like the tunnels they had grown accustomed to in their time in the Underdark. There was none of the unusual rock, either of the smooth and slippery or the sharp and jagged variety. For the few miles they covered during the early part of the day, the going was easy. The area was very damp, and patches of moss and lichen grew thick on the walls in some places.

"Seems like in this area, we don't find anything 'till we get deep into its territory. I wonder why that is?" Blacky commented as they walked on.

Kanon continued to walk adding his theory, "It may be a sign of their tactical knowledge. If I were a leader of such a tribe I would camp near the branch in the tunnel so I could fall back and strike from ambush at my pursuers. Mayhaps it all has to do with food or water sources."

"Everything else has probably already been eaten," Jana muttered.

"Perhaps the ropers and quaggoths had territorial problems, and they leaft this central area as some form of neutral ground," Renn's voice came from the front of the group.

"Anyone got any recipes that use lichen or moss?" Arachne asked, as she and Azrun moved past a particularly thick patch of the mysterious vegetation. "It's surprising to find either of those growing down here," she continued. "Fungus, mold or mushrooms is one thing. Those grow on dead stuff, feeding on the decay. But moss or lichen, while they indicate that it's wet, also indicate a place that's getting light. Usually, anyway. I don't know how this stuff'd be getting much light, so this must be pretty weird moss and lichen. Magic, I guess. Magic, Azrun, is a damned good explanation for anything inexplicable. At least, it is until some spoilsport wizard comes along and says 'Nope. No magic here.' Anyway, whatever's making this moss and lichen grow successfully here, it ought to be serving as food for something else -- unless all the candidate something elses had been eaten already by a carnivorous something else... Can you bring a lightstone close to this stuff and let me see if it's green?"

Azrun brought his stone over so she could see the coloring of the moss and lichens, "Could be it gets what it needs just from the moisture in the air.  Things work differently down here, guess they aren't an exception to that."

---

Previous Move
Next Move
Back to Move Summaries
Back to Night Below Main Page