Lullaby of the Underdark

**The Underdark** was the seventh episode of Series I of Blyth and second part of story six. It introduces Est'mal "Esme" and is the first time Lunahov is mentioned.

## Plot

Returning to the Doctors hut with the corpse of Manspider, the group mourns as Ze'Urn digs a grave in Manspiders garden for his body. Though Man-spider blocked the sunlight attacks from hitting Rosa, she had seemingly got some sort of poisonous effect from being hit by them before. Doctor Torath refers to it as "Sunlight poisoning" and says he can cure it but it'll take some time. He suggest Ze'Urn take Danny into town to see some of the sights before his group is sent back to the surface and so Rosa can rest. Ze'Urn takes Danny to a nearby cantina for a drink or two.

Ze'Urn continues to ask Danny about the surface, and shows him a issue of *Callistean Baseball Quarterly.* Danny is surprised Ze' Urn managed to get this, but before he can explain they arrive at the cantina. The bar is situated in an area that lacks the bright green and yellow lights in the sky (or 'ground' as the under-dwellers would call it) and is surrounded in shadows.

Danny is introduced to the various species of the Underdark and is seen with many stares from the denizens. Ze'Urn introduces Danny to nectar beer and a Underdark styled whiskey. While indulging in spirits a Girros (a short amphibious creature) tries to steal from Danny however he catches the little beast. Over time the Girros reveals that he wanted more treasure and shows a coin from the surface world. Danny's inquiries lead him to understand that Ze'Urn similarly got a baseball quarterly from a crack in the 'ground' (though it actually the ceiling.) Klik, the Girros, got his coin the same way. Danny ask Ze'Urn to show him these cracks.

On their way out Danny notices a pale humanoid with antennae being harassed by a group of Dark Elves. Danny approaches and uses suggestion to clear out the harassers and saves the "Thri-Kreen", and offering her a drink. She introduces herself as Est'mal-- but prefers Esme. She ends up following Danny and Ze'Urn.

The three go to a nearby crack and find it glowing until it spits out a Parsecian pith helmet. Shortly after a man seemingly from Parsec points an archaic gun at the three. Danny calms him down and asks where he came from. He reveals himself to be Cadet Lieutenant Kang and claims he rode in on an airship called the Lullaby. Curiously Danny asks to see the ship, never hearing of an "airship" before.

Cadet Lieutenant Kang leads the group to the airship. Danny notices many old Parsecian tents set up around the fabled "airship" with many soldiers working on repairs. The group is introduced to Alexander Brunett, the expeditions leader and in association with a group called 'Lunahov.' Danny finds out that Lunahovpaid the Parsecians to take Burnett to the Underdark and that Burnett has added some sort of device to the ship that allows it to travels through the cracks in the Underdark. Danny later finds that Burnett and the Parsecians are from the year 242, over forty years before Danny's era.

Though it seems like Danny may have found an alternative way home, though to a different time, he discovers that Alexander Burnett plans to abduct denizens of the Underdark for Lunahov research. The crooner is found sneaking around and looking at Burnett's plans and is contained, while Ze'Urn and Esme as taken away. Danny free's himself using escape techniques he learnt from a stage magician and runs into Butch. Butch decides to help Danny and the two take on Alexander Brunett-- Danny taking his gun and Butch pinning him to the ground. Danny frees the prisoners while Butch tells the Parsecians to get ready for take off and puts Burnett away in a cell. Butch says goodbye to Danny with a salute, hoping to see him again... or at least for Danny to visit his grave.

Danny returns to the Doctor's. Esme decides to go to the surface with Danny and Ze'Urn feeling sad he can't go due to some sort of condition Dark Elves have that prevent them from using the chamber. However Torath reveals he has an injection that could perhaps allow Ze'Urn to use the Professors invention-- though it is risky. Torath sets up the sundial and the clock starts clicking rapidly. The group notices Siniath scouts on the horizon, making goodbyes hasty. Everyone passes through individually.

As Danny passes through to the surface, he meets an odd entity named Philemon. Philemon speaks in odd rhetoric and in an indirect manner, though he claims that he has seen Danny before. Awkwardly, Danny finds a mirror to go through-- taking him to "Man's Best Friend Bar" and reuniting with his friends. Rosa, Ze'Urn, Esme and Schlitz did not meet Philemon.