The constant dripping of unclean water from the ceiling of the damp chamber was
muffled by the excited murmurs of six slimy illithoid children, their milky
faces veiled by patches of grime and soot. Dressed in nothing more than
tattered tunics, they sat around a decrepit stone ledge protruding from the
prison wall, somehow resembling a crude chair.

A weary illithoid waddled into the chamber. Her eyes were sunk deep into her
skull, partly covered by thick folds of greasy skin sagging over her eye
sockets. Innumerable wrinkles adorned her soft, pale skin, the sweat
glistening in the available light. The illithoid matriarch wore only an
ancient smock, barely more than rags from years of wear. Wincing in pain, she
slowly walked over to the rock ledge and sat upon it, allowing a smooth burst
of air to rush thankfully out of her nostrils. She focused her attention on
the bulbous eyes of the illithoid children, hungrily awaiting one of their
grandmother's tales.

"So," the tired illithoid said, "how can I entertain my grandchildren today?"

"A story, Gramma!" the six children exclaimed in unison, unable to contain
their built-up anticipation. Silent laughter erupted from the old illithoid
woman.

"Very well, my thoidlings," she said sweetly, an affectionate term for her
nubile grandchildren. "Then a story you shall have!" She pursed her lips,
gazing intently at the opposite edge of the chamber as she mustered her
thoughts. "Settle down, settle down," she croaked, quelling the newest wave of
giggles and whispers beginning to overtake the chamber. "This is a story of
two young illithoids, not unlike all of you." Her eyes twinkled as she smiled
warmly upon her grandchildren. "It all began one unusually warm Roarkian
morning..."

Twelve ears unconsciously muted the steady dripping of water to absorb the
irresistible voice of the elderly illithoid.

* * *

Of course, no one knew then that it was unusually warm for a Roarkian morning.
The Undervault is too far from the surface of the Basin to be effected by even
the most violent of storms.

Two pairs of feet pounded against the damp floor of the Illteeth Tunnels,
flecking mud into the stale air. The bodies controlling them suddenly stopped,
gasping for breath between laughs.

The older of the two illithoid children was shockingly short. The top of his
plump, bald head was barely three feet above the air. However shriveled and
stumpy his body was, the child's head was disproportionately large in
comparison. It was a comical sight even his own sister could not resist poking
fun at.

"Borris, it's a wonder your big head doesn't fall off your little shoulders!"
she blurted, falling victim once more to an uncontrollable fit of giggles.

"Aww, cut it out, Edna." The little illithoid's bulging cheeks turning a deep
crimson. His stunted sternal mouth shuddered weakly behind the cloth of his
sand-colored tunic. Edna sighed regretfully, and smiled at him apologetically.

"Sorry, Borris." The illithoid pair stood in an awkward silence for some time,
finally broken by a far-off clicking noise. Borris grinned sheepishly at Edna.

"Want to go find that fisher?" Borris' eyes stared anxiously at his sister.
Edna became very interested in a bumpy rock sitting on the tunnel floor.

"I dunno, Borris...Mom didn't want us to go far...I don't think she'd like it
if she found out we were playing with a cave-fisher..." Edna looked expectantly
at Borris, who continued his mischievous grin.

"I won't tell if you don't!" Borris whispered. Edna sighed. "Come on, let's
go!" Borris began running wildly down the tunnel path toward the sharp
clicking, his oversized head bobbing to and fro entertainingly. Edna watched
for a moment, allowing herself a small smile as she witnessed Borris' feeble
attempt to run.

"It really is a wonder his head doesn't roll off his shoulders," she muttered
to herself. Biting her lip, Edna darted after her adventurous brother.

The clicking noise grew in intensity as the pair raced through the tunnels.
Rock, mud, and water were disrupted by their bare feet mashing against the
moist tunnel floor. Without notice, Borris halted, his withered arms blocking
his surprised sister from proceeding further. Edna looked at him blankly.

"Borris, why..." Borris held a wrinkled finger to his lips, then motioned
further down the tunnel. Edna let out an involuntary cry of shock as the
cave-fisher rumbled slowly around.

Naturally, as inhabitants of the Undervault, the illithoids had seen their fair
share of cave-fishers. This one, however, was absolutely monstrous. It was
twice the size of the average cave-fisher, with enormous mandibles ripping into
the mutilated carcass of an unknown pink creature. Borris and Edna could not
prevent their jaws from gaping at the breathtaking sight.

Clack. Clack clack clack. Clack.

Edna whirled around to meet a second horrifying sight. Another fisher, equally
as large as the one they had been so intently watching, was skittering slowly
toward them.

"Borris!" Edna hissed, grabbing the little illithoid's arms and pulling him
into a dank neighboring side tunnel. They both fell to the ground,
unsuccessfully attempting to quiet their heaving chests. Remaining motionless,
the children waited in cruel anticipation.

The very soil shuddered with each pounding step of the cave-fisher's spindly
legs. In front of their poor hiding place, it stopped and turned its ugly head
in the direction of the frightened illithoids. A single, spiny foot raised into
the air, ready to begin the short journey to a savory meal.

Clack. Clack clack. Clack clack.

The two cave-fishers finally made their presence known to each other.
Mandibles clicking wildly, the cave-fisher neared the illithoids hunkered off
toward its adversary. Borris and Edna peered out of their grimy haven to find
the two fishers circling the half-eaten corpse, eyeing each other hungrily.
With a sudden lurch, the cave-fishers began their battle, stabbing with spiny
limbs and tearing with powerful pincers.

Unable to tear their eyes away from the majestic scene, Borris and Edna looked
on with fascination as limbs were torn and shells were battered.

Behind them, the methodical marching of many feet abruptly turned their
attention away.

* * *

"Gramma, wait!" one of the smaller children said. "Wasn't their mom angry they
went by them mean ol' fishas?" Pardoning the interruption, the old illithoid
smiled down upon her.

"Well, their mother was not aware of the young scoundrels' rule breaking! I'm
sure she would have been very upset, though." Another child piped in.

"Those fishas musta been thiiis big!" he exclaimed, holding his arms as far
apart as he could. The storyteller allowed herself a cheerful chuckle.

"At least that big!" The curious child's mouth hung open in awe.

"How come I never seen fishas big as them?" he asked innocently. His
grandmother reached down to pat his lumpy head.

"Estarra must not want huge cave-fishers clogging up her wonderful little
tunnels anymore. Now where was I?" Six bald heads resumed their attention on
the aged illithoid. "Ah, yes. The methodical marching of many feet..."

* * *

Borris and Edna looked behind them just in time to see a pair of great jeweled
rockeaters hauling a wagon stacked high with canvas bags round a bend in the
tunnel. They hurriedly crept back into the darkness of their side tunnel,
listening and watching for any signs of activity. Had Borris not roughly
covered Edna's mouth with a grubby hand, she would have, without a doubt,
screamed.

A trio of lithe kephera warriors marched by the tunnel opening, too intent on
their presentation to notice the pale figures observing them closely. No
weapons were wielded between the three of them, unless trained fists should
count as weapons. The leader held up a hand, causing rockeater and soldier
alike to halt.

CLACK CLACK CLACK. CLACK CLACK CLACK.

The leader nodded silently to his comrades, who clenched their fists and darted
ahead in the tunnel. Mere moments passed.

CLACK CLACK CLACK-

The clicking noise suddenly stopped; instead, a dying roar reverberated off of
the cramped tunnel walls. Borris and Edna watched the kephera leader direct
the heavy wagon to follow him forward into the darkness. Borris and Edna poked
their heads around the corner to see the three kephera kneeling over the pink
corpse which had been the feast of the late cave-fishers The two fishers lay
strewn about, their many legs curled together in death. Dents and tears in
their chitin the size of fists riddled the fishers' bodies. The convoy leader
kneeled before the broken kephera corpse and gently stroked it.

"Kehlka..." he whispered, his voice amplified by the caverns. The leader
quickly wiped his eye and stood up. "This sentry died protecting our hives
from illithoid scum." Borris and Edna's eyes hardened as they listened. "Let
us take him to his birthplace to be given a proper burial. Kehlka is a hero."
He gently lifted Kelkha's body onto the wagon. Nodding briskly, the convoy
continued down the tunnel.

The illithoid children slunk cautiously out of their sanctuary. Edna's face
was even more pale than usual. Borris clapped his hands together.

"Alright, Edna! Let's follow 'em!" Edna smiled weakly.

"Borris...please...we should go home..."

"Home?" Borris' hands started shaking. "Home!? You call that stony pit a
home!? It's a prison, Edna! A prison!" He punched the tunnel wall with all
of his might, displacing a chunk of soil. Breathing heavily, Borris looked up
at his younger sister. "I'm going on with or without you." Spitting on the
ground, Borris started in the direction taken by the kephera. Edna paused,
looking at Borris' bobbing head. Eyes watering, she quickly walked after him.

"Borris, wait up..." The horrific stench of the dead fishers ripped into the
illithoids' nostrils. Borris fell to his knees, coughing violently. Edna
keeled over, vomit pouring out of her mouth and nostrils onto the tunnel floor,
unable to bear the poignant odor any further.

"Borris...I want to go home..." Edna whispered, watching the excrement seep
into the soil. Salty teardrops splashed softly onto the rich earth. Edna knew
changing Borris' mind was hopeless, but she decided it was worth a try
nonetheless. As expected, Borris rose and shook his massive head.

"No. We go on." Little Borris waddled off into the foreboding darkness before
him, determination glinting in his eyes. Edna had no choice but to follow him.

The somber pair walked for hours, following only the muted echoes of the
kephera's proud footsteps. Occasionally, they would find the repetitive
marching vanish as they took a wrong turn in the labyrinth tunnels of the
Undervault. At one point, the children stumbled upon a regal kephera hive, its
winding tunnels brimming with meditating monks and alert fighters.

The wide tunnel they had been traversing suddenly opened up into a colossal
cavern riddled with glowing stalactites and stalagmites. Harsh waves crashed
against the rocky walls, daring the illithoids to enter. Three outlines of
kephera warriors could be seen hugging the cavern wall on a thin strip of
beach. The constant chittering of kephera could be heard, hidden in the
distance.

"Come on, Edna!" Borris whispered excitedly. Edna was busy watching a
brilliantly white eel stir beneath the contrasting black waves.

"Hey, Borris...look at this..." Beaming broadly, she reached out to touch the
albino creature.

"I dunno if you should do that, Edna," Borris muttered, his round eyes filled
with worry. Paying her brother no attention, Edna's hand broke the frigid
surface of the sea. Immediately, the eel barged into Edna's outstretched hand.
She recoiled with a quiet scream, filling the chamber with the vile aroma of
charred flesh. Borris wrapped his stubby arms around Edna, claming her with
his company. Whimpering, Edna turned over her arm, revealing a jagged line of
black, burnt skin. Blood was oozing out of the wound. She let the tears flow
freely from her eyes, and drew closer to her brother.

In the nearby hive, the anguished scream of a kephera mother laying faceted
eyes upon the mangled corpse of her brave son filled the cold air.

* * *

The dungeon was silent. The illithoid children stared up at their grandmother,
some teary-eyed, some drooling.

"Gramma, did all this really happen?" the curious illithoid asked. The old
illithoid woman grinned lovingly at him.

"Yes, Felyarc. It all happened quite some time ago, though." A stream of
"oohs" and "ahhs" broke through the chamber.

"I wanna go on a avencher too!" a shy young girl piped in.

"Maybe when you're older, my granddaughter. For now, let's stay safe within
the walls of our home." The children's hopeful looks vanished. The shy girl
spoke up again.

"I'm hungy, gramma!" Her grandmother laughed soothingly.

"As am I! What's a story without a snack?" As if on cue, a plump illithoid
cook walked in with a tray of bubbling bowls of soup.

"Heard there were a story in hereabouts, so I'd though I'd cook up a little
somepin for y'all." Joyous cries erupted in the dungeon as twelve tiny hands
wiggled in the air, reaching for the warm soup.

After the last slurping noises resounded off of the stone walls of the room,
the illithoid children loudly set down their bowls in an unnecessarily noisy
clatter. The storyteller clapped her wrinkled hands together.

"Now that our bellies are full, shall we finish up this story?" The illithoid
children vigorously nodded their heads and awaited their grandmother's next
words. "Hmm...oh, I remember now..."

* * *

"Let's go, Edna!" Edna wiped away the few tears that had been rolling down her
cheeks. Borris clasped her hand in his and they began the walk along the beach
to the hive entrance. The cruel waves deafened them and showered their bare
feet in freezing droplets of seawater. The pair made an amusing sight: the
determined little illithoid with the giant head hurriedly pulling along his
normal-sized sister. Borris and Edna slowed to a stop as they neared the
tunnel entrance. Borris' wrinkled forehead creased into a frown.

"Where are the guards?" Edna nudged him and pointed to a small peninsula not
far off.

"The funeral..." she said in a loud whisper. On the peninsula, dozens of
kephera were gathered in a stony silence, broken only by the soft words of
praise to their fallen comrade. Borris pulled her farther, to the hive
entrance. He glanced around quickly, baring his tiny fists. Empty. With a
mad giggle, Borris stole into the depths of the kephera hive. Edna stayed at
the hive entrance, in front of a shallow pond, trepidation in her face.

"Borris, this really doesn't feel right..." She winced in pain as something on
her chest twitched beneath her tunic. Borris turned around and beckoned to his
sister.

"We don't have much time, Edna. Let's go!" he retorted harshly. Edna splashed
through the small pond to fall in line behind him, sulking. Borris' eyes
gleamed at the prospect of more adventure. The pair dashed through the barren
hive, around waxy columns and up winding stairs. Edna ran into Borris' back,
almost knocking him over as he slowed to a stop.

The illithoids were in a cramped, domed room. A single waxen contraption
rested on the floor. Borris let out a quiet "oh!"

"Edna, know where we are?" he questioned, his yellow teeth curving into a
sinister grin. Edna shook her head sadly. "This is
that...Ack...Ack-hair...the breeding hive!" He let a stubby hand stroke the
incubator. Frightened, Edna pointed a shaky hand at the incubator.

"Wh...what's in it, Borris?" Her voice shook in obvious discomfort and fear.
Borris reached his small hand into the incubator and pulled it out, a pale egg
clutched in his grasp. He gave a triumphant howl.

"A kephera egg, Edna! A kephera egg!" Lowering his fat head to the object,
Borris placed a gentle kiss upon the shell with his dry lips. The egg
shuddered slightly. "We can take this to one of the breeders back home! We'll
be heroes, Edna! Heroes!" Borris stared intently at the white egg, pure joy
and greed bursting into a wicked smile. Edna stood motionless, looking at the
ground.

"Borris, I think you should leave that here...it's not ours to take..." Edna's
eyes grew wide as Borris' face was overcome with hatred.

"It's not ours to take!?" Borris' fists were quivering so wildly it was a
wonder the egg he grasped did not shatter in a rain of broken shell and moist
yolk. More tears poured out of Edna's face. "These kephera have been
oppressing us and killing us since... since... forever! And you're worried
about a little stealing? By the Gods, Edna! If I could, I'd kill every one of
those damn bugs right now! But I can't." His eyes bored once more into the
quiet egg in his grasp. For a split second, he contemplated crushing it.
Crushing the egg would mean one less kephera to hurt the illithoid. One less
kephera to storm his pitiful home. One less kephera that could kill him.

Borris' withered hand released its vice grip on the egg and feel loosely to his
side. Edna watched him, unable to stop the steady flow of tears.

"Borris...please..." Borris bound up to his sister and slapped her viciously
in the face. Edna stayed silent, gaping at her short brother in awe. And
disappointment.

"Let's go," Borris snarled, roughly grabbing Edna's sweaty hand in his own.

Pulling Edna out of the hive, Borris sloshed through the murky pond at the
entrance. Edna stumbled and fell into the pond with a loud splash. Rolling
his eyes dramatically, Borris dragged his weeping, soaked sister out of the
water.

"I said let's go!" he said rudely. His head swiveled suddenly to face his
left. The incessant chittering of kephera had resumed as the inhabitants of
the hive filtered into the hive through the far entrance. Borris managed to
haul Edna to her feet and she followed him into the sandy strip of beach they
had walked across not long ago. Borris broke into a run, pulling his sister to
keep up. He ran surprisingly quickly for an illithoid of his stature,
especially considering he was at a severe disadvantage, being weighed down by
his bulky head.

Unwelcome noises bombarded their ears: the skittering of a kephera warrior
behind them. The livid pounding of feet.

The frightened beating of their own hearts.

* * *

There was a communal intake of breath by the children huddled around their
grandmother. Her face was stony, but immediately brightened as she clapped her
hands together.

"Well, what did you think?" she asked enthusiastically.

Felyarc spoke up. "That can't be all, Gramma!" Shouts of agreement bombarded
the old illithoid's ears. "What's the end?" The elderly illithoid's smile
faltered for a second.

"Oh...silly of me to forget..." She cleared her throat. "Borris and Edna made
it back to the Prison and gave the egg to one of the breeders!" Her broad smile
had returned to her face. The bashful illithoid girl could not resist.

"So the bad bug followin' them din catch them?"

"Nope! In fact, Borris was able to fend him off alone!" Gasps of jealousy and
awe burst from the mouths of the illithoid children. The children's grandmother
laughed heartily. "Well, it's getting late. You'd best all run off to bed!"

Rising to their feet, the six children ran out of the dungeon screaming to
search for a suitable hiding place before bedtime. The ancient illithoid was
left in the dark, silent chamber.

Lifting up her smock sleeve, the illithoid gently stroked a jagged line of
black flesh on her hand. Her eyes welled up with tears.

"Borris...you didn't have to do it."

The noise of the never-ending dripping of water resumed, bringing the aged
illithoid back to reality.

* * *

"Edna! We need to go faster!" Borris screamed at his sister.

There was no hope for the illithoid pair. The kephera was a trained killer at
his physical peak. Borris, terrified, began to slow down.

"Edna, go." His lungs fought wildly for air. "Just go." He flung his weeping
sister forward and turned to face the charging kephera. "Alright, Borris.
Time to shine." He clenched his fists in a boxing stance.

Edna whirled around to watch. The kephera leapt majestically into the air, his
foot connecting with Borris' jaw with a loud crack. Borris crumpled immediately,
his jawbone dislocated. With strong arms, the kephera bent over and roughly
grabbed the unconscious Borris by his neck, lifting him into the air. He
paused suddenly, examining the ground closer.

A white shell lay shattered upon the ground, its contents absorbed by the
thirsty soil below. The warrior gave a fierce roar and twisted Borris' thin
neck with a resounding snap, letting his little body fall to the ground in a
heap.

But Edna had turned away. She ran, farther and farther into the tunnels,
losing all sense of direction. She lost track of time, eventually falling to
her knees in hopelessness.

She had to tell someone.