Obsidian Honey

Shadow Bees

Deep underground, in the colossal cave systems that meander beyond the reach of Baelonmor's sun, is an alien ecosystem. Forests of fungi that loom as high as the ceiling will allow dominate huge caverns, sprawling like the jungles of the surface world. Subterranean lakes play host to shoals of glowing fish and the strange monsters that prey on them. Life thrives in these pitch black recesses. Few animals, however, are as important to this ecosystem as the Shadow Bee. This tenacious insect plays a pivotal role in the ongoing survival of the Underdark.

Shadow Bees share some similarities with the bees of the surface: they are small, plump, and fuzzy with a stripe through the middle of their thorax. They also possess a stinger, though their venom is more painful. Unlike their cousins from the surface, Shadow Bees are stone grey with a dull off-white line across their thorax. From their backs, four tiny gossamer wings extend. These appendages are weak and cannot elevate the Shadow Bee to flight without assistance. Thankfully for the insect, they have powerful legs which they can use to jump more than three feet off the ground, giving them the starting point needed to achieve flight.

The Shadow Bee has an uncanny sense for mineral deposits trapped within the rocks. Using its durable mandibles, it is capable of digging through a few centimetres of stone a day, and a whole colony is capable of excavating nearly a kilometre in that same period. Once they have accessed the minerals, they will collect them in much the same way their surface-dwelling cousins harvest nectar, and return to their hive. Here, they will transform their bounty into Obsidian Honey. This produce is invaluable to the Underdark. Many other creatures, such as bats and lizards, strive to steal this nourishing substance, often entering into conflict with the Shadow Bees in the process. If the intruder escapes with their prize, it will sustain them for several months. This in turn leads to their excrement becoming an ideal compost for the fungi and lichen that are native to the Underdark. If the intruder does not escape, however, their body will be broken down by the hive and harvested for nutrients. This, in turn, allows the bees to produce more honey. With such excess, the colony's numbers will explode. Whilst this is very beneficial for extracting more minerals from the caves, it also provides an abundance of prey for the Shadow Bee's numerous predators, spiders being the most common.

An Exotic Essential

For millennia, Obsidian Honey has been a staple in Underdark cuisine. It has a savoury, somewhat salty taste and, depending on the minerals that the Shadow Bees had fed on, it can have earthy or nutty undertones. Many classic dishes that originate below the surface rely on Obsidian Honey for flavour, and it is also invaluable for those who must undertake long journeys: it is calorie dense and takes years to decay if stored correctly. Furthermore, many baking recipes use this staple as a binding agent. Shadow Bees have been domesticated across the Underdark, though their hives are rarely kept near settlements; their tendency to dig into stonework can be catastrophic in urban areas.

Before the Rise of the Enmanari, few people in Myrengol had even heard of Obsidian Honey, and even fewer had tasted. However, it is now an affordable luxury item. When the invasion and the Blights cut off countless trade routes, Myrengol lost access to many herbs, spices, and flavourings that it had once enjoyed. As a result, people searched elsewhere for new and exciting tastes. It was in this period of internal exploration, that the general populace of the city discovered that the Underdark nations said to exist beneath their feet were real. Curious chefs ventured beneath the earth and returned with a viscous black slime that most surface folk refused to eat. Those inquisitive few who were brave enough to cook with the Obsidian Honey were pleasantly surprised. It tastes much better than it looks.

Initially, it became an ingredient only the wealthy could afford; the trade routes between the Underdark and the surface were not thoroughly established and so any Obsidian Honey that was brought to the surface was very expensive. This did play an important part in encouraging the public to try the strange substance, however, as it became associated with nobility. As time progressed, and the trade routes improved, the price of the honey dropped. Suddenly, everyone in the Bastion was so eager to purchase the exotic flavouring that Underdark governments had to impose taxes on their own exports - there was so much demand from the surface that there were shortages at home. Nowadays, demand has steadied and the beekeepers are able to produce adequate supplies for both populations.