Caves Features
Ceilings
Unless noted otherwise, the ceilings in the caverns are 20 feet high, and the tunnels connecting the caverns are 15 feet high
Light
The interior caves are illuminated by bioluminescent fungi, which provide dim light throughout the area
Walls
The cave walls are formed from hexagonal columns of dark gray basalt- volcanic rock originating from
Sharruth 's undersea tomb. The walls provide hand- and footholds, so climbing the walls doesn't require an ability check
Fumes
Toxic volcanic fumes from deep below the island are slowly poisoning the fungi in the caves. A faint smell of sulfur pervades the place, growing stronger the closer one gets to area B6, each character must succeed on a DC13 Con save or be poisoned. The
lesser restoration spell ends this effect, as does finishing a long rest in fresh air.
Locations
B1: Entrance Tunnel
Multicoloured fungus covers the walls of this tunnel, its bioluminescent glow filling the cavern with dim light. The surface of the water swirls with colourful, faintly glowing spores- perhaps reacting to the movement of something under the surface
At high tide, the tunnel is flooded, so visitors must approach by boat or swim. At low tide, walkways formed by the tops of stone columns line the sides of the tunnel, leading to a flight of natural steps up to area B2.
A
spore servant octopus lurks in the water and attacks any creatures (other than myconids) who enter the tunnel, regardless of the state of the tides. Before the myconid leader lapsed into unconsciousness, it created this guardian to keep outsiders away.
If 2nd lvl, two
stirges clining to the ceiling are disturbed if fighting breaks outin this area and join the battle. They ignore the spore servant
At high tide, the water level is about 8 feet deep along the edges and 25 feet deep in the middle
At low tide, the walkway along the edges are exposed and the water 15 feet deep in the middle
B2: Fungus Farm
This fifty-foot-high cavern is a forest of multicoloured fungi, ranging from tiny filaments to tree-sized mushrooms. A natural staircase of stone columns along the east wall leads up ten feet to a higher cave area in the north. Water burbles down from that upper cave and collects in a large pool. Two small mushroom-like people are working amid the mushrooms near the pond. A sickening smell, like sulfur hangs in the air
The waterfall is fed from a pool in the upper cave, which in turn is supplied by runoff trickling down from the surface. Both pools are 5 feet deep at most. The two mushroom people are
myconid adults named
Hipsiz and
Rugoso tend the mushrooms near the upper pool, out of sight from below. All four myconids were oblivious to the true threat in the cave-three
violet fungi that grow among the harmless mushrooms here. If the PCs move into the cave toward the myconids, one
violet fungus attacks them (three if
lvl 2 party.), extending long tendrils that cause immediate rot when they touch living flesh. Read the following
As you advance into the cave, a sickly looking mushroom suddenly stirs to life. It extends long purple tendrils toward you and moves slowly across the cave on root-like tendrils
Combat
Because the violet fungi move so slowly, it's easy for the PCs to stay out of their reach and kill the fungus monsters with ranged attacks. The interesting part of this encounter is identifying the danger. One fungus starts the encounter, but if they get to close to one of the other two, they attack as well. If a PCs scans the fungus farm looking for more violet fungi, cast as much doubt as you can; many of the fungi look sickly and purple
Myconids
The myconid sprouts avoid the characters and the violet fungi. If the adults become aware of the danger through the noise of combat ( or the sprouts' distress spores), they move as quickly as they can to protect the sprouts. If the PCs defeat the violet fungi, the myconids' attitude improves to indifferent and they are willing to speak to the PCs (with Rapport spores). The adults agree to accompany the characters and vouch for them with the rest of the myconid colony, improving the other myconids' attitude to indifferent as well
Blighted Fungi
A character who examines any of the fungi notices that many of the mushrooms are sickly, shriveled, and blotched with black patches of decay. The blight has no obvious source
Treasure
The fungus farm contains heart cap mushrooms for harvest. A character who spends 15 minutes searching this chamber for useful fungi and succeeds on a DC12 Nature or Survival check finds 1d6 of these reddish mushrooms, which bear an unsettling resemblance to human hearts.
Tarak can make each heart cap mushroom into a
potion of healing
B3: Larder
This cave reeks of rot, and the floor is covered with decaying vegetation. Three small mushroom-folk are working amid the filth. In the southwest corner of the cave, a bulbous object the size of a cart clings to the wall and ceiling, glistening like a glob of jelly
Five
mynocid sprouts named
Bispo ,
Kraz,
Molen Valup and
Popple work here gathering fertilizer for use in area B2. The bulbous object is a stirge nest, which PCs can identify with a succesful DC 15 nature check. If a PC moves more than 5 feet into the chamber, six (or 8 if lvl 2)
stirges emerge from the nest and attack. Meanwhile, the sprouts flee toward area B4 at the first sign of intruders, relying on the distractions of the stirges to escape
B4: Circle Chamber
Six clusters of giant mushroooms are arranged in a rough circle around this cavern. Several human-sized mushroom folk stand in a circle in the center of the cave. The smell of sulfur is strong here.
Six
myconid adults are here. Two of them (named
Agric and
Omphalo) are tending to other four (
Craterel ,
Pleuro ,
Subrufus and
Virosa), who are standing stock-still in a dream like trance called a meld, experiencing a shared transcendent state. The two conscious myconids move quickly to confront any intruders who aren't escorted by other myconids, and they respond with violence to any threat. All six myconids are ill and fatigued from the blight that is spreading through the caves, so they take turns resting here
B5: Sinensa's Sanctum
Glowing fungus and colourful crystals grow from the walls and ceilings of this smaller cave. In the middle of the cave, two human sized mushroom folk tend to a larger specimen of their kind. The large one is shrivelled and cover with unhealthy purple blotches, and it does not move
Two
myconid adults named
Auranta and
Enok are tending to the unconscious myconid who leads this colony,
Sinensa. The adults collect spores from a barrel-sized, glowing red fungus that vaguely resembles a human brain and puff the spores around the leader's head. The treatment is keeping the leader alive for now, but it is a losing battle.
Sinensa's only hope is for the blight to end. The adults zealously defend their leader, immediately attacking intruders who aren't accompanied by other myconids
Treasure
If the PCs bring the glowing red fungus, called a ruby morel, back to the cloister,
Tarak uses it to make them an
elixer of health
B6: Crystal Cave
The air in this cave is choked with thick smoke that assaults your nostrils with a pungent odour of brimstone. Strange, flickering orange light illuminates the smoke. This area is free of fungal growth; instead, crystals grow from the rock. To the right, a large cluster of purple crystals juts from the stone. On the far wall, a glowing orange crystal wedged into a fissure in the cave wall seems to be the source of light. Streaks of soot trace a path along the cave walls between the purple crystals and the fissure
Two (or 3 if lvl 2)
fume drakes lurk amid the sulfurous fumes. These elemental creatures look like little dragons formed entirely of greenish smoke. They don't leave this cave, but they rush to attack any creature that enters it.
This cave is the source of the blight spreading through the myconid colony. As the characters explore the cave, they can easily determine that noxious fumes from deep beneath the island seep up around the vein of purple crystals. Ordinarily, the fumes vent to the surface through a fissure in the west wall, but the fissure is now blocked by the enormous orange crystal, which is also the source of the light here.
The heart of the problem is the tomb of the red dragon
Sharruth, deep beneath the island. The presence of such a powerful dragon far underground causes the volcanic activity that produces the noxious fumes. What's more, the dragon's energy occasionally tears open small rifts into the fabric of reality that lead into the Elemental plane of fire- another dimension of reality that is the cosmic source of fiery energy. The plane of fire is the origin of both the orange crystal blocking the vent (which is actually an egg case) and the creatures currently in the cave
Fire Crystal
Destroying the orange crystal blocking the western fissure allows the noxious fumes to escape the cave and stops the blight that is harming the myconids. A single strong whack with a weapon, crowbar or another tool is sufficient to shatter it. When the crystal breaks, a two-foot-diameter sphere of smouldering obsidian falls to the floor amid the other pieces and breaks open, releasing a
fire snake from this stony egg. (if lvl 2 two fume drakes emerge as well) Seeing the PCs only as fuel, it attacks them at one. Breaking the fire crystal also reveals the reason the mysconids avoid this cave; the cave is immediately filled with shimmering sunlight refracted through the crystals that line the vent. Bright light fills the entire area
Treasure
The fire snake's egg breaks into 25 tiny chunks of obsidian worth 10 gp each
Denizens
The caves are inhabited by the
Myconids
- Sinensa: leader of the myconids
- Myconid Adults
- Myconid Sprouts
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