Worm Death Caves
If the Twists are a nightmare to navigate then the Worm Death Caves are a fever dream, pitted with holes, switchbacks and caverns. See back after the Worm escaped the Dragon Empire it was tearing through Rasht like cheese. The Druids could see that one day it might break Rasht apart totally, so after diplomacy failed they trapped it in the tip of Rasht and then broke that part off, sending it off towards the Moon Coral Atoll. Trapped and with no escape the worm went mad, it cut through that chunk of rock, spreading as cancer. It had been blessed with intelligence by those ancient wizards and it railed against being imprisoned again. In its desperation it carved the island up, writhing back and forth and paying no heed to it's prior tunnels. Perhaps through intent or by luck the tunnels it carved caused the screams of its infernal teeth to echo across Rasht, and if the tunnels caught the wind they howled a long low moan that set all who heard it teeth grinding. The legendary druid Shiftsoul, who had been against its imprisonment left to deal with it, he did not speak of what he intended to do but one day both he and the screams of the worm disappeared forever. With monster gone, the gnashing of it's enchanted teeth were banished, however the mournful howl of its tunnels remained. The druids unable to block the vast array of tunnels used their secret magics and moved the island closer to the moon coral atoll, it spread its coral through the gaps, cluttering and plugging them so the howl is but a whisper of what it once was. Now it is a lighthouse of sound, a warning to those who stray close to the atoll in the night or day. Bastion, the Skull Burner veteran on approach the Moon Coral AtollThe Worm Death Caves and the isle that surrounds it is said to be a cursed place, on the outside, it looks like a stunning reef of coral, the normally white spines of the Moon Coral don't manifest here for whatever reason, leaving the beauty of the dream coral, it's waving fronds and dancing tendrils in scintillating colours up for view. Few get up close to the caves though, not only is their the mournful howl of the wind moving through the caves which retains its unsettling tone, but there are also the sharks. Just like a normal reef, the caves are home to a number of fish-like creatures, unlike other more mundane collections of coral, these fish fly and are joined by birds and other small animals who focus on swift movement and make some effort to glide. While much of these flying fish are harmless they share the skies here with shark-like creatures, whose long fins flit in the air, propelling them through it like sails. Many a crew member has lost their lives to a hungry Moon shark. The Caves are said to house a number of treasures, long before the druids pushed the chunk of rock off from its foundations a grand wizard of the Dragon Mage Empire made their home here. Said to have been a magnificent tower, it was reported to have broken apart, floor by floor and tumbled into the made caves below. Occasionally adventurers have found traces of this once peerless residence and even those scraps worn by time and wrapped in Coral were of such value they never needed to adventure again.
Ecosystem
This large rock is maybe 10 kilometres across in each direction, while a significant piece of rock its surface area has been greatly increased by the tunnels that run through it with no apparent logic. Much of these tunnels are now overrun with Moon Coral, and glow with strange light. Dirt and other debris has gathered in the tunnels and has made beds of earth that allow plant life to grow, though much of it is scraggly shrubs and spindly trees.
The flying creatures here, both the magical and mundane creatures, live off the earth and water that has collected in the rough tunnels, the Moon Coral also offers sustenance, here, like deep within its heart, much of the coral is alive and as it captures the dreams it turns that into spirals of dream energy. This energy is eaten by creatures often known as 'Minnows' who are less than a cm long and move in great shoals. These darting silver dots are the core of the ecosystem here, the energy they retain is far greater than their mass would normally allow. However they must be consumed live and whole, making them poor fare for the people of Reef.
Localized Phenomena
Like all dream coral, sleeping in these caves causes unnatural dreams. The dreams here are unique though, it is said that all who slumber here find themselves transported to the minds of the fish around them, for some this is an incredible experience, becoming a vast shark or darting squid. For others it is a nightmare, living as a desperate minnow hiding in the coral and hunting for dream scraps.
Roll for dreams each night
| Roll | Dream |
|---|---|
| 1 | You are a minnow desperately escaping a hunting bird, it plunges into your shoal, pecking away at the others around you, desperate you flee to the safety of the coral only to be lazily snapped up by a passing shark. |
| 2 | You're a Squid, jetting through the edges of the Coral, above you a shark circles, hunting you. It is distracted for a moment by an unlucky minnow, you jet out to a narrow gap, your colours change and you ease into a crevice, doing your best to blend into the dappled grey stone. The shark comes, it moves up, it moves before you, it edges past. |
| 3 | You're a ray, you flap your long body and let the air move over you, dipping up and down you flow over the coral, occasionally snapping up dream scraps or even the occasional unlucky minnow. You spot what you need and move up to a thin tree. On your back, a red-crested bird with a flattened beak drops down, it sits on your spine and from that point moves up and down you, pulling at little suckers that have been trying to hitch a ride off of you, ridding you of your unwelcome passengers. |
| 4 | You're an eel, you curl beneath the shadow of the large outcrops of coral, above you shadows of other creatures move about, you're hunting a small group of minnow, they're hiding beneath the coral, trying to snap up dream scraps. You close in on them, hunger in your belly, they are vulnerable to you here, the other creatures can't come so low. But you move to quick, in your desire to catch the group you move to fast, one catches your movement and the group scatters. |
| 5 | You're an older shark, big and marked with scrapes. You power through the caves, letting the sun warm you as you find one of the many natural skylights, there is food to be had soon, the night is over, the coral has gorged and now releases its fill, already the coral is teeming with minnow, but you are waiting for the bigger creatures, the squid, the rays or the eels, they are twice the hunt but ten times the meal. So you watch and wait lazily hovering in the light till you spot your first target, give your fins a flick and start your dive. |
| 6 | You're vast, there is only one of you, moving through the dark you hunt the other creatures here. You've been here long, long enough to see those creatures with tools and weapons change and improve. They can hurt you now, perhaps the only thing that can as even the sharks fear you. The shark make for good eating, but they aren't worth the fight, you're body is so big that a shark must be a particularly easy catch or you feel more empty after dinner than before. You let yourself slumber again, your senses waiting soon there will be a meal worthy of your attention. |
Alternative Name(s)
Island of the dreaming wizard
Type
Cave System
Location under
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