A NOTE FOR READERS: The journals of Zong-Tossu, though fascinating, should not be taken as accurate. Even though he was considered a great ghav-urath, eventually many of his writings were dismissed as the products of severe psychosis by the ruling council of Thamasku and simply regarded as fiction or parody. It was rumored Zong-Tossu had a mental breakdown caused by his usage of the narcotic cam-rahn.

The caverns seemed to wind and spiral endlessly as we descended far beneath the Island of the Pariahs. As the journey wore on, the creatures we saw grew stranger and stranger still. Their deformities lessened with distance from the Sky Ark and its corrupting runoff, but those dwelling in the deeper tunnels were clearly far separated from the creatures of the surface. Surely long since having adapted to life in this deep, benighted world…

Eventually, the even-descending cavern seemed to have come to an end, as we had come to a great subterranean sea. Eerily silent, the dark waters gently lapped against the rocky shore. The air within the cavern had a distinct smell of rotten eggs, and star-like light twinkled on and off in the distance above. The glowing lifeforms we carried for light were beginning to fade as we entered the space, but luckily a number of bioluminescent specimens resided here as well, though not as many as had lived in the descending tunnel.

The banks of the inky sea were dotted with towering growths - great tree-like structures that seemed more fungus than plant, as they were fleshy like a mushroom and their thick limbs had no leaves. Small insects and the like buzzed among and crawled across the fungal trunks, burrowing into their flesh and hunting each other. The tiny arthropods scuttled among the rocks of the shore and the cavern walls as well, but they were fewer in number there, as strangely-shaped crabs and swooping winged predators preyed more heavily upon them in the open.

As we walked along the shore, searching for a route back to the surface, we had the chance to study the variety of the subterranean creatures scuttling around us - many were corpse-white, blind and adapted to the eternal darkness, but others were far stranger. A number of them possessed transparent shells and flesh, exposing their writhing and pulsating organs beneath to the bioluminescent light we carried.

Stepping to the water’s edge to inspect an especially large and transparent arthropod, Tr’Shadai squinted and exclaimed “Look master Zong-Tossu! These here are venom sacs here near the jaws, yes? But then what are these organs in the rear? More venom glands? And what are these, spinneretts?”

“More likely silk glands, if it has spinnerettes.” I said as I walked over to examine the creature. But, as I made my way over to the young ghav-urath, a loud splash erupted from the surface of the lake, and a foul stench wafted towards us.

“What was that? Step away from the lake masters, it’s not safe.” demanded one of the vher-etuils. “Yes, Tr’Shadi, Wir-avios is right.” I said, backing away from the rippling waters. “Come back from th…” but before I could finish, a night-black tentacle slapped onto the shore, wrapped around the arthropod, and retracted back into the water! Tr’Shadai gasped in terror at the lightning-fast tentacle strike, rushing back to the rest of our group so quickly that he stumbled multiple times. “Perhaps… Perhaps I’ll just examine the creatures from afar for now…” he said, still shaken.

From there, Cho’ka led the way, marching us furiously over the broken stones and sparse sands of the shore until we ran out of shore. “Look there.” he said, gesturing with a clawed limb towards an island just at the edge of our light. “That island has a pillar of rock that rises well above the waters. We should be able to rest safely there.”

The dark waters that separated the island from the shore were shallow enough for us to wade through, but a ripple shot through the waters as we made the crossing. Cho’ka suddenly threw up one of his clawed hands and shouted: “Wait!”, but it was already too late - a swarm of grasping, barbed tentacles exploded from the water before him!

Cho’ka swiftly lashed out with his claws, and our remaining vher-etuils surged forward, hacking and chopping at the rubbery appendages, but they still coiled and reached out to grasp at us, squirming across the rocky shore as if they had minds of their own. It was all we could do to avoid them as the still-attached tentacles assaulted us.

The tentacles continuously sought to wind themselves around our furious kreen, slowly but inexorably pulling Cho’ka deeper and deeper into the pitch-black waters. Suddenly, Wir-avios leapt forwards with his armblade, slicing through one of the larger tentacles with a single stroke and nearly freeing the mantis warrior. Glowing blue blood spurted from the severed ends of the limb, drenching Cho’ka in it even as he staggered back up out of the water.

The tentacle creature clearly did not care for the pain, as it pulled even harder with its other limbs, attempting to pull Cho’ka deeper into the water. At this, we all rushed forward, grabbing his chitinous arms and legs and trying to drag him back onto land, all of our limbs shaking from the exertion of striving against this foul tentacled beast.

Suddenly strange whistling sounds - wet, warbling, and alien - could be heard, rising like a chorus from the waters, and the tentacles released Cho’ka immediately, withdrawing back into the dark waters with nary a ripple.

From the dark waters emerged a number of strange beings: round, amorphous creatures with a multitude of tentacles and one great eye rising from the center of their bodies. Their soft, bulbous forms changed colors in striping patterns as they slithered up onto land, and they each kept their one large, cyclopean eye upon us as they approached, their rubbery limbs questing across the rocky beach before them…

As the creatures moved closer, we could see that many of them wielded weapons in their tentacles: spear made from bone, saw-toothed blades made from fanged jaws, and barbed, whip-like weapons made from what looked like the tails of rays or skates.

While the beings fanned out wide to surround us, keeping their weapons still pointed at us, one of the larger ones raised a weaponless tentacle. As it did so, the octopodal creature’s skin began to change its appearance, shifting to display a shifting series of shapes and colors. It was all we could do to stare dumbfounded at the being; I knew that certain creatures were able to control their coloration - we have several types of life-shaped devices that work on this principle - but to see such a striking example of it there, in that stygian darkness, was something else all together…

The creature was still for a few minutes after its coloration had shifted, but it then seemed to gather itself for a moment and shifted its coloration again, appearing to repeat the same sequence of patterns and colors, from what I could tell. When we still did not respond - at a loss for what we should do - the creature seemed to sink in on itself, as if slumping in regeneration, and gestured with another tentacle, which itself flashed with a different series of colors and patterns. At this, another of the tentacled beings came forward holding a small object and gave it to the larger one. When it pressed the fleshy object to its skin, we all could feel a pressure in our minds, subtle but discernable. In my mind, I suddenly heard: “What…are you? Where did you…come from?” It was the creature’s thoughts I was hearing! “I am Zong-Tossu, and we are Rhulisti. We came from above.” I thought back at it.

This caused the leader to quickly and violently change its coloration, which seemed to cause quite a stir amongst its companions. “Above? You must come with us - meet with Council.” it thought at me. With another gesture and flash of colors and patterns - which I was now beginning to understand was the creatures’ natural method of communication - one of the other cephalopods retreated back into the water. Moments later, a massive orb-shaped creature surfaced from beneath the dark waters and beached itself on the shore. Opening its meaty mouth, we saw no teeth or flesh, just a large open space within.

Once we had filed into the bulbus creature’s mouth - a tight fit after the cephalopods joined us - the gaping maw closed, and the beast began to move. Within moments, we descended into the unseen waters. Almost immediately, however, the cold dark waters of the subterranean sea began to filter into the space. “It’s filling up!” Tr’Shadai shouted, “We’ll drown - let us out! We have to get out!” As our captors and our two vher-etuils drew weapons once more, Cho’ka counseled calm: “Of course it is. These beings came from beneath the sea. Did you think they would breathe air like you or I, rather than water like fish?” “Yes, exactly.” I said. “Breathers, everyone.” At this, Tr’Shadai visibly calmed, putting on his mask as I handed a spare to the kreen.

As we descended further, the cephalopods motioned for us to cover our light sources. Once done, we could see that the flesh of their huge swimming orb had grown transparent, giving only a view of pitch black waters at first, but soon enough flickers of bioluminescence appeared here and there in the water, eventually growing in regularity until it looked like nothing so much as a thunderstorm crashing into forested mountain slopes.

As we descended ever deeper into the depths, a dull red glow became visible from below, slowly growing in intensity until it washed out all but the brightest flashes of light. As we grew closer, we could see the glow came from a great volcanic rift yawning below us, somehow existing beneath this subterranean sea. Soon glowing orbs and tendrils became visible in the darkness as well, writhing and undulating in an alien dance upon a great shelf of stone far above the volcanic rift. These bioluminescent structures were only the first hints of a vast subterranean realm that slowly revealed itself to us as we descended, one filled with massive cone-like structures that resembled gargantuan sea anemones that radiated soft orange and magenta light.

Our huge swimming orb eventually drew closer to one of these structures, squeezing its clear fleshy bulk between the crown of tentacles and descending down a long glowing vertical tunnel. At the base of the passage was a fleshy valve. Tendrils reached out and pulled our orb-creature through the opening and into a great fleshy pocket, revealing a glowing green chamber.

In the center of the chamber stood a circular dais from which a number of the octopodal creatures watched us. These cephalopods were larger than any of our escorts and sported various fleshy combs, tendrils, bulbs, fins, and other types of striking growths sprouting from their fleshy heads. Some even sat atop large mounts that resembled crabs or lobsters. Once our fleshy orb-shaped conveyance had situated itself, our lead escort turned to the dais and flashed shapes and colors across its flesh through the transparent surface - seemingly reporting to its superiors. At this, an ancient and wise-sounding voice sounded in my head - in all of our heads, judging by the surprised gasps that sounded from my compatriots: “Marshal Captain reports that you are creatures from Above. Is this true?”

“Yes, we came from above.” I thought at the tentacled creatures in response. “I am Zong-Tossu, and these are my friends: Tr’Shadai, Cho’ka, Wir-avios, and Ben-Zul.”

“Welcome, Zong-Tossu and friends.” responded another voice in my head, “We are the Tako Council, the rulers of great Sho’Ku’Shu.”

“We have viewed the Above with our minds, but no tako has seen the Above with their own eyes in all of our recorded history… So it is good that you have come here, surface dwellers, for we have need of you. You must go to the depths and speak to your kin, the Guardian of Abominations. Go there, and convince them to cease their madness; cease protecting the anathema.”

At this, Tr’Shadai grew flustered and could no longer contain himself: “Sho’Ku’Shu? Our kin? Guardian of Abominations? Anathema?… What does any of this mean!?!”

“Calm yourself, Tr’Shadai.” I said, placing my hand on his shoulder. “However, my young pupil has a point, great rulers of the tako nation of Sho’Ku’Shu. Who is this ‘kinsman’ of ours, and how could they have proceeded us here? And who or what are these abominations?”

“Your kin they must be, for they are like you, but we know not from whence they came - only that they appeared in the depths with no warning. The abominations are anathema to us - terrible glowing creatures that come from below, wreaking destruction with a touch and poisoning the very waters around us.”

“Yes,” another thought at us, “and the Guardian does not stop at protecting our enemies, but also lures our most foolish brethren to their embrace, seducing them to their side and inducting them into their foul Abomination cult. The Guardian must be stopped!”

At this, Cho’ka leaned down and whispered into my ear. “The depths, deep below… The lava vent? Glowing creatures that destroy with a touch - creatures of magma perhaps?” I nodded. “Yes, perhaps.”

“We only wish to continue our journey and return home, worthy councilors; if we do this for you, will you release us to continue on our way?”

The Tako Council members looked amongst themselves for a moment, flashing shapes and colors across their flesh before responding with a simple “Yes.” directed into our minds. With that, our escorts saluted the council members with a long-held flicker of color and our orb-shaped conveyance backed up out of the chamber, moving to take us to meet with the so-called Guardian of Abominations.