The moment we passed through the cave entrance, I felt the atmosphere change.
The narrow passage opened into a vast underground settlement.
Wooden houses stood throughout the enormous cavern, scattered along winding paths carved directly into the stone floor. Some were built against the cavern walls, while others had been constructed around the thick roots of enormous trees that somehow grew through the ceiling above.
Small lanterns hung outside the houses, their warm orange glow illuminating the paths and casting long shadows across the ground.
The settlement was surprisingly peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
There were no merchants shouting from stalls, no children running through the streets, and hardly anyone wandering outside.
Most of the beastkin were asleep.
