After an almost 12 day journey through the sun-soaked desert, our expedition had reached its terminus. This desert did not feature any windswept dunes, but we did arrive at an oasis.
We traveled through an area known as the Inskagi Badlands, a great plain of barren, jutting rocks and dour looking foliage. The uncommon life that existed here included unique insect species and the occasional rodent, all highly specialized for the arid climate. The rare predator that lurked in this wasteland was far too timid to approach a caravan and posed no real threat to man or elf.
I leapt off the covered wagon and felt the crunch of the dry earth beneath my feet. The caravan porters began to hastily unpack. I had gotten to know some of the new guild members on the way here. They were a hard-working group of people and I was confident they would have our encampment set up by dusk.
From this vantage point I could see for the first time what we came to survey and plunder. A massive fissure in the earth cut through the landscape like a knife scar. It was more than three wagon lengths at its widest point and spanned a good half day hike in either direction.
I approached it from a cautionary distance to better survey the find. This natural fissure in the desert rock contained a highly-valued prize and it bared its secret to anyone who was willing to look down into the depths.
It took a few moments to crawl slowly up to the lip of the chasm and peer over the edge. The subterranean landscape was impressive. After a cursory glance I had seen enough to know we had struck it rich. A deep orange glow emanated from beneath the surface. I could see the twilight fungi thriving on rocky outcroppings at a depth of 30 meters, well protected from any tendrils of sunlight that tried to invade the darkened habitat.
The stubborn mycelium defied cultivation, which is the first major reason it was so valued. The light, moisture, acidity — everything had to be perfect for the spores to take.This underground nursery was fed constantly by a subterranean spring that rolled through the bottom of the crevasse and disappeared back into the deep earth as quickly as it came. The violent water kept the area lightly misted and very humid, a stark contrast to the world above.
The second reason it was so valuable was that harvesting the fungi had been made difficult due to laws put in place to protect the mycelium wherever it is found occurring naturally.
There was a lot of bureaucracy required to ensure a legal harvest and a sustainable product.
The third and most important reason it was so valuable was because it was a potent elven aphrodisiac. And when I say potent, I want you to understand the full extent of what I mean. You could fill a library with all the songs and legends that have been written about its use throughout history.
It became even more valuable when the elven population began to dwindle. Procreation among their kind began to fall and no one could account for it. Some elves blamed the rising human population and some humans dismissed the elves as prudish and haughty.
The clever solution put forth by the aristocracy came in two parts. First, they mandated support for interspecies marriage. Marriage between man and elf was relatively uncommon before this policy was enacted decades ago. But now it was commonplace.
The second mandate was for state-sponsored subsidies of twilight fungi. The elves were able to sustain their birth rate by distributing twilight fungi at cost to the masses. They would be able to brew the dried fungal spores into their tea in the comfort of their own home. And then ostensibly, get down to making some baby elves.
--
"Let's hope it's an easy climb down, Henrik!" came a voice from behind.
My mentor Ulvarion clapped me hard on the shoulder and I took a defensive step back from the precipice. "Henrik, my boy, tell me I wasn't lying. Will you look at this absolute bounty?"
And it was a bounty. To my knowledge, I couldn't recall a larger crop ever being found. There was enough mycelium here to send us both off on a lengthy and posh sabbatical after the sale was complete and we received our commission from the guild.
I turned to look at the aging elf. He still had a certain zeal to him after all these years of mycological research and hunting down rare fungi. Claiming a new find had definitely put some wind back in his sails. As long as the guild stayed out of his way everything would go swimmingly.
"While the porters unpack our things I would like to take advantage of what daylight is left. Would you mind surveying the water flow inside the fissure? We'll need to begin drawing from it to replenish our reserves. And do mind your step."
I did as he asked, getting an accurate sketch of the fissure to scale and burning up the last light of day in the process. I found a reasonable spot to set up the scaffolding for the makeshift well that would dip over the edge to capture the flowing water.
As I returned to the encampment, the porters were still burying poles in the sand on which to hang lanterns. There was still some unpacking taking place in the dusk after the long journey.
Tomorrow we would form a plan to get down into the chasm. I managed to find my tent, wiped the dust from my face and promptly passed out.
--
The next morning I felt sore from the journey, but rested.
I broke my fast with Sylvia, the camp cook. She was a stout and voluptuous human woman with bright red hair, a few years older than my twenty. There was something about her that I liked and I think she knew it. She also flirted with me quite a bit and I understood it as a cornerstone of her personality. She had an attractive confidence that was hard to ignore.
We mostly gossiped about other members of the guild that she didn't care for. She was a complainer, but she was funny and worked her ass off to bring us all lovely meals from the limited provisions available. So she got a pass from almost everyone. We would not be restocked on supplies for another ten days and our sanity depended on her ability to throw the right things in a pot for the right amount of time.
I thanked Sylvia for the meal and took a small bag of ripe water fruit from the pantry tent while she wasn't looking. I ate some of the fruit as I walked around camp to wake myself up.
I was headed back to my tent when I heard a low horn echo over the dunes. In a few moments I could see the red and white colors of House Marvane as they began to crest the horizon.
There were six families and nine independent contractors that called themselves members of our guild. House Marvane was one of those families and also one of the most wealthy. Their presence meant that they would be the auditors of our expedition.
There was always some tension when a contractor like Ulvarion made a claim to a find. Contractors had less ownership in the guild compared to the families and were generally expected to serve as the auditors.
The families that were the most established in the guild didn't take it well when a contractor upstaged them, even one as talented as Ulvarion.
Silgis Marvane would not be pleased that he would have to take a back seat and play proxy to the work being led by Ulvarion.
Silgis was a dour elf, not quite as old as Ulvarion, but an experienced mycologist all the same. He was well known for his brooding disposition. I had never liked the man, but his wife, Aladria, and daughter, Phila, were rather pleasant people.
I waited several minutes for them to arrive proper and made my way over to their slowly forming camp to greet them.
Aladria was ordering porters around as I approached. She was a beautiful human woman and she carried herself like a high born elf. Aladria had long black hair almost to her waist, but it was regretfully covered up by a scarf at this moment.
I greeted her cheerfully.
