Challenges and threats to the heroes come in the form of dark races, pitfalls, and mythic creatures. But rarely is the idea of life underground tackled, the beginnings and endings that bookend that heroic middle. It’s not surprising, really; an adventurer’s daily routine isn’t something to scream and shout about. But it’s a reality within the fantasy that’s always fascinated me. What does it mean to fight for your life in the deepest darkness, constantly damp and miserable and cold, no matter what the promised rewards? What happens when you’ve got your gold, but you can’t find the way out? And what occurs inside your own spirit as you watch your friends die and fail around you? These are the questions I wanted answers to when I started writing the story. As a friend pointed out, Tamik Two-Knives comes to resemble J.R.R. Tolkien’s character Sméagol-turned-Gollum. The similarity is unintentional, but maybe unavoidable; we are both trying to describe the effect that the external world has on our characters.
