84 rooms · levels 4–15
The path seems to dead-end here, however the ground is covered with footprints that lead to and from a large rock to the north. Behind the rock is a small, thin vertical opening. The darkness beyond the hole seems to descend into the earth. All is quiet here at the cave's entrance.
A thin, narrow path meanders between large black rocks. It seems as though the earth used this narrow corridor as a vent for the hot gas within its belly. The air here now seldom moves, and it smells stale. Yet, within the darkness and isolation, noises and movement can be heard, deceptively close, echoing from below. The path moves down to the east, and back to an opening to the south.
The fissure continues to the north, descending deeper into the dark earth. The cave walls are made of black rock. Every once in a while, a sparkle reflects off a torch or glowing light source. Tiny, soft veins of gold run through the black rock, looking like strands in a spider's web. An occasional emerald or ruby also shows an uncut face out of the black rock.
The fissure continues to tunnel through the earth to the north, descending ever deeper within the dark recesses underground. There is a narrow opening to the north leading into a small cavern. A scraping noise seems to rustle from ahead.
The fissure opens up into a small, dark cavern. Small fungi grow like brackets on the cave walls, bathing the area in an eerie, green glow. The ceiling is rough, but no mineral columns drip down from it. The floor is dry, and covered with a fine layer of dirt. At close inspection, it seems that the dirt moves and writhes, giving one a creeping feeling that shudders up the spine.
The slope of the tunnel flattens out here, no longer descending down into the earth. The main part of the tunnel heads east. There the fissure widens into a hollowed out passage beneath the earth. A clacking and chinking sound can be heard from the west. To the south, the tunnel ascends back to the entrance.
The tunnel leads into a large, dimly lit cavern. The semi-darkness seems not to impede the odd shapes moving about within this cavern. They communicate via an odd clacking noise, and seem to be digging and mining the cavern for minerals. The clicking noise gets louder as a new vein of ore is discovered, and then the shapes heave small mining picks and start chinking away at the hard rock. It feels as though the earth shudders, and the ore seeps out of the rock like blood from a wound. A tunnel leads east.
The tunnel leads into an underground cave system. Passages lead off in three directions. Muted sounds echo within this central cave, lichen and bracket fungi glow with soft lights, but they give no indication as to which tunnel leads where. The floor of the cave is hard rock, and there is no dirt in which to track footprints.
The tunnel dead ends here. It seems as if someone or something was mining, but the vein they were following dried up. Debris consisting of loose rocks and shattered, worthless gem chips covers the floor. A broken hand pick is partially buried under the rubble. Overhead, two glass globes hold some phosphorescent fungus, dimly lighting the cave. The very walls seem to shift and smirk, as if laughing that its precious minerals cannot be found.
The cave follows a meandering route underground, and finally heads north again. The rock floor is hard, cold, and black. Globes of light are dispersed intermittently within the system of turns, casting eerie shadows around each bend. Occasionally, water seeps through the rock on one of the walls. Lichen, chemicals, and minerals oxidize, painting the walls with splashes of lime green, turquoise, and rust.
The fissure within the rock that some have used as a path opens into a wide cavern here. Steaming hot waters sit within stone pools on the ground. They glow yellow and white, being backlit with glowing lights. Stalactites and stalagmites push their way from the ceiling and floor. Fungus with phosphorescent caps have attached themselves to the columns, adding their light to the cavern. The cavern continues to the north, a small obscure tunnel leads to the east, while to the south is another cavern.
The tunnel slopes down into the darkness below. A cold, dank feeling permeates the air. There is a dryness here that seems unnatural in such a cave. The walls are smooth to the touch. The tunnel is not part of the natural cave system, but instead seems to have been carved out of the black rock. It leads east further into the bowels of the earth, and to a large cavern to the west.
Torches in sconces light the walls of this hollowed-out cave. It appears to be the entrance to a sacred place. A path that leads to the south is lined with skull topped sticks. The skulls stare out with hollowed eyes and gaping jaws at those who pass. Within the shadows, silent guardians of this place of the dead move with certainty to keep intruders out.
A statue of an eight-armed woman dominates the south wall of this cave. Around its base lie silver plates, copper bowls, golden goblets and other offerings. A small cave spider has spun a web in the upper corner of the cave, and lives there unmolested feasting on cave ticks. Ornate symbols painted in black grace the walls opposite and to the side of the statue. Torches light the room and their flickering light makes the shadows of the statue's arms dance rhythmically.
The cave seems to dead end into a cul-de-sac. The walls are round. The stone feels rough and bumpy to the touch. Other than the opening to the west, there seems to be no other exit from here, but a closer look seems to show some outlines on the wall.
The air here is dank and stale. The walls are cold, dark stone. There were once many torches that lit this area, but all that remains of them now are broken pieces on the ground. There is an eerie feeling here. The floor has been carved with spiders, which seem to move up the wall.
This is still more long, dark hallway. These cold stone walls have been painted with images of darkness and death. The floor is carved with many spiders, and the air here is musky and stale.
This is a long, dark hallway, carved out of cold, dark stone. The stone has been painted with images of darkness and death. The floor is carved with many spider shapes. Here, there is lots of dust and cobwebs.
This is a long, dark hallway, carved out of cold black stone. These walls have been painted with images of darkness and death. The air is stale and there is an eerie feeling here. The floor is carved with many spider shapes.
This crypt has been invaded and stripped bare. There is an overturned casket with many pieces of bone and lots of gray dust. The walls here are also painted with pictures of the Spider Queen Lloth and other carvings of death. The floor is also carved with spider shapes.
The air here is filled with the sweetly sick smell of death. The walls have been painted with images of darkness and death, as well as sacrifice to Lloth. Someone or something has created an altar out of bones and old, torn cloth. There are many spiders weaving webs throughout this room. They seem to be undisturbed.
This is an open crypt, with many spaces carved into the walls for dead bodies. There are a few bodies that seem to have been pulled out of the wall and eaten away at. If a closer look at the corpses were to be done, there would be many tooth marks on the decaying bodies. There are many spider webs clinging to the walls and floor. The smell of death is very strong here.
The walls of this crypt are empty, and there are many places for the dead. There are scattered all along the floor remains of various dead bodies. It looks like something has totally destroyed this area and left it a complete mess. There are many spiders and webs that cling to the walls, dangling down towards the decaying pieces of flesh and bone scattered across the floor.
This used to be a crypt for just a few. There seems to be something using it as a lair. The bodies have been pulled out of the wall and ripped apart, and the remains have been left on the ground here. The walls here are painted with the same images as the rest of this area, but someone or something has attempted to remove them from the walls. The odor of decay and death is quite strong here.
This room has been totally ransacked, with all the bodies that once were peacefully buried in the wall scattered on the ground. There are many bones and pieces of flesh littering this crypt. Spiders and bugs crawl through what is left of the desolation, seeking some small bit of nourishment.
This is a long, dark hallway. Its dark cold stone walls have been painted with images of Lloth the Spider Queen, darkness, and death. The floor has many carvings with spidery shapes. The air of this region is stale.
This appears to be a storage room. There are a few undisturbed barrels of some sour liquid and lots of cloth. The cloth has been ripped and scattered all about this chamber. A couple of smashed barrels also lie on the floor. It appears that something or someone has tried to destroy this room in the past, and failed by only a small margin. The wall is painted with images of death and darkness like the rest of this region, but the floor is just smooth and featureless black stone.
This crypt is full of bones and rotten cloth, looking like something has totally emptied the alcove of any dead within. If one looks carefully at the bone and cloth littered on the floor, tooth marks can be seen. What must eat the dead to stay alive, if alive is what that can be called? It must be some poor, tortured soul who must spend time as some undead creature, destined to such a pitiful fate until the Spider Queen grants them peace, if that term can be used to describe the afterlife of that deity's faithful.
This crypt has many alcoves, each one containing a wrapped body. Nothing has disturbed these corpses, or has even been here in a long time, as the thick layers of dust everywhere indicates. The walls sport many carvings of death and mayhem, and the floor has a large carved spider with eyes of ruby. There are many spider webs scattered across the room, giving this whole tomb a feeling of eeriness, sending shivers up and down one's spine. The atmosphere of this crypt is that of total devotion to Lloth, favored deity of the dark elves.
This long, carved hallway is made of dark stone. Its walls have been painted with shapes of spiders and death. The floor too has many spidery carvings on it.
This long, carved hallway is made of cold, black stone. It has been painted with many glorifications of spiders and death. The floor also contains many carvings of the spider.
This crypt has not been disturbed. There are a few bodies wrapped in cloth and placed in alcoves that line the sides of this chamber. The floor is rather clear, with only the occasional scrap of cloth or shard of bone lying there. A strange, sweetly sick smell of death permeates the room. The walls are painted with images celebrating Lloth and her unholy rituals. The floor too is carved in the general shape of a gigantic spider, with red gems set in where its eyes would be. This must be the crypt of high priestesses in everlasting service to their evil goddess, Lloth.
This crypt has been left unused, and is very dank and dusky. Alcoves line the walls, all empty save for large masses of spider webs. The walls appear to be carved black stone, painted with illustrations of Lloth and her minions of infinite evil and chaos. Many small spiders scurry about this chamber, weaving majestic webs undisturbed by anything.
This room looks to be where bodies are prepared for burial in the vast series of crypts. To the south is a bottomless crypt of sorts where the dead are tossed if they could not afford a place in here, or if they were in disfavor with Lloth. The pit goes down deep into the bowels of the earth, and would mean certain death for anyone alive who falls there. To the west is another crypt which lies unused, as the drow elves now have other ways to dispose of their dead. Carvings and runes on the wall seem to imply that all here should hail and obey the power and will of the Spider Queen.
This is a bottomless hole in the ground where the disfavored or poor dead are tossed. This hole descends well out of sight, and can only end in death for any who are not currently in that status.
The cavern continues from the south, growing more magnificent in its beauty and unusualness. A vein of luminous fire opals reveals itself within the rock, shimmering with its iridescence. Sparkling diamonds reflect shards of a rainbow when stray shafts of light happen to hit upon the gems embedded in the walls of the cavern. The pools of water still steam, glowing a deep green. The cavern stretches back to the south, while a tunnel leads north. To the west is a dark area.
This part of the cave system is extremely dark. The ceiling is high, maybe the highest roof in all the cave system. The ground is sticky and it smells rather sour. A slight fluttering sound is occasionally heard, along with a very high-pitched and subsonic squeaking. Glancing up, it seems that darkness moves within the shadows, and the ceiling is alive with shape and sound.
A natural tunnel winds deeper within the earth. Some of the rock shines like obsidian in the glowing globes of light. It is smooth to the touch and some of the walls have white scars, where something hard and sharp has run along the black surface. The tunnel curves off to the east, while a large cavern lies to the south.
A tunnel continues to twist and turn, following an underground route only it knows. It curves north and west here. The rock floor is hard, cold, and black. It is easy to slip on its glassy smoothness, but someone has scattered handfuls of sand across its surface. Globes of light are dispersed intermittently within the system of turns, casting spooky shadows around each bend.
The tunnel spills out into a large cavern again. This one glows with a brilliant blue light. Pools of water sit in pockets in the ground. It seems cooler here, and only a fine mist rises off the water. The walls of the cave are covered with a crystalline white mineral, which reflects the sapphire glow of the pools. A small runoff from the pools trickles down the center of the cavern into a cave to the east. Tunnels lead to the east and south.
The water from a cavern to the west trickles down the slightly sloped floor of this cave. The footing is treacherous. Slime and lichen grow profusely on the cave floor, adding to its slipperiness. Feeding on the lichen are several large, slug-like creatures. Their antenna wave and rotate as their large, hulking bodies undulate. As they move, they leave a slimy trail, further making it hard to stay afoot in this cave. A tunnel leads off to the north.
The tunnel leads east and west here, and a small opening leads to a cave to the south. The tunnel walls are made of black rock. Every once in a while a sparkle reflects off a torch or glowing light source. Tiny, soft veins of gold run through the black rock, looking like strands in a spider's web. An occasional diamond or topaz also shows an uncut face out of the black rock.
The tunnel starts to narrow, and soon ends here. Some exploratory mining was tried here, but nothing worthwhile was found. Loose rocks lie on the floor, and the air is very stale here. The walls are bare, no stone, ore or mineral shows through. Overhead two glass globes hold some phosphorescent fungus, dimly lighting the cave. The very walls seem to smirk, as if laughing that its hidden treasures cannot be found.
The tunnel intersects with two more cave systems here. To the east water can be heard trickling within an underground cavern. To the north is a dry cave. Warm air drifts in from the north, faintly stirring the air within the tunnels. To the west, is a cool and dank smell.
The tunnel opens up into a vast underground cavern that leads up to the east. An underground waterfall fills a lighted pool in the southern wall. Deep violet glows light the pool from within, casting purple shadows all about the cavern. Delicate silicon spires bead down from the ceiling and rise up from the floor. A slight acrid smell rises up from the pool, and the water splashes cool on the cavern floor.
The vast underground cavern stretches out to the west, where an underground waterfall flows into a lighted pool. The purple lights cast wicked shadows down in this end of the cavern. The walls are covered with white crystals, which jut out in geometric shapes. Their smooth, clear faces seem to entrance and hold the viewer much longer than seems safe. To the east, the crystals grow large around a small alcove. Within the space, there seems to be a stone door set within the wall.
The door opens into utter and complete darkness. A damp, moldy smell permeates the air. In the inky black depths of the mountain, this is another world. It is older than time itself, and the things that live here must be as old as the mountain as well. A faint dripping echoes in the cavern and tiny phosphorescent glows dance about on the cave walls in the darkness.
The tunnel continues to wind down into the earth, seemingly without end. Occasionally the whirl of a bat passes overhead. It is hard to discern time, space or even direction in the inky darkness. There is a faint glow from tiny phosphorescent growths, but the light only serves to confuse the senses.
Down and down the tunnel winds, deep into the earth. The passage here is low and rough, tearing at clothes and flesh that scrape too close to the sides and ceiling. A low dripping noise invades the psyche, slow and maddening is its tempo. In the darkness now, it is hard to tell where the passage leads or where it has led from.
Feeling alongside the wall, a break can be felt in the tunnel. One passage moves off in one direction, and the tunnel continues in the other. In the darkness it cannot be determined where to go. Dripping noises seem louder here and there is a definite dampness in the air. A slither or a splash may be heard, but it's hard to tell what is real, and what is imagined.
The passage continues to twist down into the depths of the mountain. In the Darkness the walls seem to close in and suffocate. To the west is a small passageway. There is no phosphorescence here, and sometimes, a peak thrusts dangerously down or a stray rock hinders and trips those that try to pass by here. There are also rocky ledges upon which creatures of prey may be lurking.
The passage comes to an end here. It stops dead into a flat smooth wall, very unlike the rest of the cavern here. The wall is solid and doesn't move. There are no foot or handholds here. The air is damp and stale, but there is no moisture that gathers here.
A damp, moldy smell permeates the air. A splash in the dark indicates a finger of water, reaching out from within the very heart of the mountain. The water is cold and icy, as unfeeling and tainted as the blood in the veins of she that spawned it. The strange things that live under the surface here are older than time itself. A faint dripping echoes in the cavern and tiny phosphorescent glows dance about on the cave walls in the darkness.
The underground stream barely moves, but water drips from the ceiling. As it falls onto the stream, it mars the clear, black flat surface, and sends ripples of phosphorescence out in waves. The things that live in such pools and lakes have adapted well to the darkness. Their flesh becoming more and more translucent, as their eyes become larger and more luminous, blindly trying to see in the darkness.
The stream merges into a large underground lake, which may stretch for miles or feet here in the darkness of the mountain's heart. Strange things live in such pools and lakes, just like strange things live near these bodies of water also. Nasty, slimy things with big, bulging, blind eyes wiggle in the water. a soft yellow light blinks from the darkness upon a tiny island, then all is dark and silent again.
The water in the lake is icy gold and the rocks are treacherous and slippery. The island juts out from the inky darkness, a hard refuge in the cold and wet gloom. Tiny slippery finned-creatures swim in the shadows of the darkness, glowing when startled. Two large circles of light open up and start to glow, focusing in on its prey. A pitiful snarl echoes in the cavern.
The black walls of the lower cave seem to blend into a lighter bedrock here. There are some thin veins of gold, but the ore seems of a lesser quality and it flakes off into tiny granules at the slightest provocation. Moving through the caves, chunks of granite are also layered within the rock walls. The cave leads north and south here.
The cave stretches to the east and south. It is very dry and dark here. The floors and walls of the cave are smooth, as if worn over by time. A slight sprinkling of dirt sits on the floor, seemingly undisturbed. The cave walls hold a few alcoves and it's possible that at one time, someone may have lived here in the darkness.
The cave leads to an intersection. There is another cave to the north, and a warm, dry breeze softly blows in from there. To the east, is a darkened area. There must be moisture, as it sounds like some water trickles down from somewhere. The cave floor has a layer of dust on it, and a few veins of gray-green clay now disappear in the layers of rock in the walls.
The cave narrows to a small, thin alcove here. A small puddle bubbles up from within the eastern wall. A sour smell arises from it, making it probably not palatable. There are indentations in both the north and south walls, and something seems to move slowly about here. A giant slug emerges from the hole, its body flashing with yellow and green fluorescence. It moves slowly to the water, and then hisses as its acid merges with the acid of the puddle.
The cave slopes upward, and the temperature gets warmer to the north. An arid wind blows in gently and its fresh scent is refreshing. A batch of thick, gray clay spills out from one of the walls. Its texture is fine and smooth, and it looks as if someone was digging here. Some half-finished pottery sits to one side. Some damp cloth is wrapped around bundles of the fine-quality clay. A spider sits above the spill, silently spinning and watching. A doll has been left behind, and it appears to have been placed reverently beneath the spider, as if in offering.
The cave leads upwards to an opening. A warm wind blows gently here, stirring the red dust that has collected on the cave floor. Sand-colored boulders grace the entrance of the cave, as it leads up to a high, flat mesa. Shards of pottery are scattered alongside one wall, as if swept out of the way of the main passage.
As the trail descends down the mesa, it leads from a large mountain. Against the cerulean sky, the beige rocks stand bright and magnificent in the hot dry landscape. Dark green bush seems almost black, creating a tableau of intense extremes of color. Cactus grow along the path, and the sandy trail leads on down to a desert canyon below.
Cactus and creosote line the path that leads from a large rock down a flat mesa. The dusty brown rocks are covered with washes of brown and red iron oxide. Small ants and tiny insects scurry about on the flat sandy ground.
Cactus and creosote line a path that leads from a large rock down a flat mesa. The dusty brown rocks are covered with washes of brown and red iron oxide. Small ants and tiny insects scurry about on the flat sandy ground.
The trail meanders through the rocky terrain. Cactus and aloe plants dot the landscape. Lending their own colors to the beauty of the mesa.
As the path winds down to a flat mesa above a desert canyon, an occasional century plant grows within the red rocks. Blooming only once during its lifetime, the century plant symbolizes the perseverance and hardiness of desert dwellers. The plant looks similar to an aloe, with green-white spears in a crown. When it blooms, it sends up a stalk about nine feet in the air and grows pink and yellow flowers at the end of each stalk.
Aloe grows thick in the shade of the desert path as it winds down the mesa. Soft sand makes footing hard, and the trail is windy, moving sideways and back to avoid the thorny cactus. Ahead is a large desert.
Vultures circle in the high wind currents overhead. The aloe grows thick in the shade of the desert path as it winds down the mesa. Soft sand makes footing hard, and the trail is windy, moving sideways and back to avoid the thorny cactus. Ahead is a large desert canyon.
The trail emerges onto a high mesa that overlooks a high desert region below. Tall saguaro cactus stand proud against the skyline. Ocotillo stretch spindly arms up to the sky. Their thorny branches are topped with a bright magenta flower. To the south is the path leading toward the mountain. And a small trail leads north down the face of the cliff.
A path winds down between two mesas. This little box-canyon provides some shelter from the mid-day sun. Water has collected in a small pool between some rocks, providing the wildlife a place to drink. The entrance to this canyon is narrow and it is possible for some to drive hoofed herd-beasts into the canyon and then hold them there by placing the thorny ocotillo across the entrance. Some mud-swallows have made their homes in the cliff-face, having hollowed out small nests in the soft rock.
The path rises up into the low foothills of the high desert to the north. In the lee-side of some of the hills, beavertail cactus grows in abundance, adding its ripened fruit to the jack rabbits and skunks that inhabit this arid environment. In the springtime, the floor of the desert is covered in green, yellow, white, red and orange, as the wild flowers bloom quickly after the first rains, and then drop their seed before the heat of summer hits with its full intensity. A canyon is to the west.
The trail leads back up to the flat-topped mesa to the north and to some foothills to the south. A few pinyon pines attempt to hold onto their niche here atop the arid flat cliffs. The winter winds and snow stunts their growth, causing the poor little trees to look like gnarled old men. a lonely hawk circles in the sky, waiting for dusk when its prey the tiny deermouse and sidewinder come out to play.
From atop the mesa the view looks out over a long desert valley. A small river bed runs through its center. Flowing hard in the spring, and then drying up during the summer, the river has forged a tortuous path in the soft, clay bedrock. Its flow has carved lofty spires that look like sand castles. Over eons of time, this may become a large, river-carved canyon. There is a trail that leads down to the desert floor to the east and a flat mesa stretches out to the south
The path leads down to the banks of the riverbed. The red clay soil is fine and powdery here. It seems to cling to whatever touches it. A galloping horse can kick up enough dust to choke someone following close behind. Travelers wear cloth masks when traveling through here, to avoid such problems. The trail moves over and around small hills to the north, and back up to the mesa to the west. To the east, the riverbed flows in and out of a box canyon.
The riverbed meanders into and out of a large canyon here, creating a horseshoe bend in its path. Sand carried down from the high mesa is deposited here after the rains. Some uprooted trees washed down by flash floods create a natural break. Some vines grow within them, drinking the water that gets trapped beneath there. The canyon continues to the south. To the west, the riverbed has deposited a bed of red clay. The river's path flows on to the north.
The sand piles up in mounds up the face of the mesa here in this canyon. sage grows sparsely over the ground and a few sprigs of deerweed and Indian paintbrush dot the ground. The sand seems to be disturbed by something, clumps of the white sand are scattered about. Upon closer inspection, the clumps start moving, and the camouflaged scorpions scuttle forth sensing prey.
A layer of red-clay covers the ground, creating a silty, dry top soil. Sage grows wild, and tumble weeds roll across the desert floor, spreading their seeds. A few succulent plants grow as ground cover, spreading out as far as they can, soaking up available moisture. Tall cactus grows equal distance from one another. The riverbed continues to the east, and a red-clay riverbed sits to the south, under some tall mesa cliffs.
The riverbed meanders around strange and beautiful monuments of stone. Over the years, it has worked hard to carve these lofty spires. One looks like the trunk of an elephant. Another resembles a tiered wedding cake. Another one looks like an overturned bell. In another eon, this desert may become a large canyon, as the river continues to carve its way through the bedrock. The river flows from the east to the west, and to the south, it bends into a narrow box canyon. To the north, the desert floor raises up to a flat plain covered with cactus.
The river flows with just a trickle to the north. Its bed is lined with small stones and rocks, that it uses to carve the stone monuments. To the north lies one of its most intricate structures, a natural arch under which it flows. A mesa blocks the river's way to the east, and a small trail leads up its face.
A cool breeze blows softly off the top of the mesa, stirring up a little of the red dust in the desert below. Small dust devils can be seen to spiral up and around. They blow for a bit, and then settle back into the dust. Here the pinyon pines grow a bit straighter. some tall pines provide a little more protection against the wind. Atop one of the trees, a giant eagle has built a nest. It soars in the sky above, a noble bird of prey with a giant wingspan.
The sandy desert is spotted with saguaro and barrel cactus. A fresh scent blows by in the breeze. It smells of sage and sand. Some of the barrel cactus still have their flowers that bloomed as a result of a recent rain. The desert continues to the north. To the east is a magnificent arch. A riverbed sits to the south.
The desert floor raises up again, and the cactus grows more close together here. The ground is rocky, and the path leads through a large cactus garden. Strange shapes and varieties of cactus seem quite at home in the dry rock. something rustles and an unusual vine, covered with thorns and needles sways in the breeze.
The river trickles beneath a large stone arch. Carved over the years out of sandstone, and then hardened by the wind and the sun this arch stands as a sentinel over the desert. The river runs out of water here and awaits the next rain so it can flow again. Someday in the far future, another river will shift in its channels, providing this ambitious trickle the water power it needs to complete its carving of the great canyon. To the west is a sandy desert floor.