5th Amerysday of Winter's End, Second Age 1853: Our expedition into the shadow elf city began with a delicate traversal through a mushroom grove, guided by information gleaned from a corpse through Drustanus' blessing. With Grikz’s cunning and Selestiel’s subtle presence, we avoided the hallucinogenic spores—a danger I noted for any larger group that might follow. The path led to a hidden entrance into the city cavern, a discovery that spoke of the shadow elves’ overconfidence in their secrecy.
From an unguarded overlook, we surveyed the city below, its layout a puzzle of intent and neglect. Fires burned in the slave quarter, their purpose unclear—perhaps a grim disposal of blood magic’s remnants, though I longed to investigate further. The absence of magical lights and the city’s routine movements suggested a culture steeped in shadow, appearing to mobilize for the impending siege. The fires lay half a mile from our position, the main gate a mile off, distances that underscored the need for careful study of the city’s defenses.
We learned of a slave revolt that had claimed a portion of the city, led by a figure named Nauriel. Meeting her, I saw not just a leader but a potential ally in preserving knowledge. Our conversation turned to the city’s records, and I urged her to help save as many written works as possible. She was reluctant and short with me at first, understandably more focused on securing her people's survival over nebulous written works. I was able to break her defensiveness by sympathizing with her plight, perhaps with more future interactions she could become an ally or even a friend. She directed me to an archivist who could offer deeper insights, a lead I’m eager to pursue. The prospect of uncovering the shadow elves’ chronicles—perhaps even clues to Luthais’s fate, given his descent into the aberration-infested tunnels below—fills me with anticipation. Knowledge, not conflict, will illuminate the path forward.