Chapter 5: Neverlight Grove - Out of the Abyss

Chapter 5: Neverlight Grove. Communities of myconids can be found throughout the Underdark. These intelligent, vaguely humanoid fungi lead lives of work and shared contemplation, providing shelter and safe passage to any who approach them peacefully. The relative isolation of Neverlight Grove, its abundance of food and water, and the welcoming nature of its inhabitants might bring the characters here to rest, recuperate, and resupply. While in the grove, they can consult with the colony's myconid sovereigns about possible ways back to the surface world, while enjoying a much-needed respite from the brutal and harrowing conditions of the Underdark. However, this particular myconid haven isn't as safe as it might appear. One of their sovereigns has fallen under the sway of Zuggtmoy, the Demon Queen of Fungi, who wasted no time building herself a stronghold in a colossal mushroom called Yggmorgus. There, she works on a malevolent scheme to claim all the Underdark as her domain. More and more myconids are slowly becoming unwitting thralls under her control, and characters who linger in Neverlight Grove might find themselves in great peril. Going to Neverlight Grove Because so few Underdark travelers have ever stumbled upon Neverlight Grove, it rarely appears on any maps. Nearly all the routes leading to it are dangerous and difficult to navigate, although many streams flow into and through the grove. If the characters enter the general area of the grove and stay close to-or travel along-these waterways, they eventually find their way here. Alternatively, three of the party's companions can guide them to Neverlight Grove. Stool, the characters' fellow prisoner from chapter 1, is a myconid sprout from the grove, captured by the drow before Zuggtmoy began exerting her influence over the myconids here. Although not knowledgeable about the Underdark, Stool has an innate sense of where its home lies and can guide the party toward it. Upon its return, Stool is greatly distu...