The Crushing Depths

The narrowness of the tunnel as we descended into the earth was not what bothered me; rather, it was the dryness of the air. I've swam in reefs barely wider than myself in the past, and darker than the deepest depths - but the persistent dryness of the air served as a constant reminder of my vulnerability. As the time dragged on and on, I found myself clutching my own handmade trinket, reminding myself that this was my path.
 
I was glad that my focus was so high, as it happens, because I was able to prevent my party from stumbling upon a couple of Duergar. Mackie was able to knock them out without rousing attention.
 
Eventually we came into an open area where two fire drakes were on guard. Mackie was unable to dispatch them both, so we wound up fighting, and more Duergar joined the fray.
 
Most interestingly of all, they were using a pile of glowing mushrooms for a light source. It's the first time I've seen bioluminescence in action! The mushrooms look similar to some of the flora we see in the deeper parts of the ocean. I'm noticing more and more parallels between our worlds.
 
Anyway, the fight quickly went in our favor, and we found that the Duergar had been transporting a strange black tar. Unable to discern its use, we poured it onto a fallen foe. It turned out to be a starving slime. Clearly they were weaponizing the creatures in preparation for some type of war.
 
We hastened on, but after our victory, clearly I was too confident. I carelessly stepped on what appeared to be some sort of spiked trap, not unlike a clamshell. The trap snapped shut, and then continued to attack me savagely. After my wounds were tended, we continued on through the caverns.