Krīft Caverns

The caverns spread wide and deep under the Krīft mountain. They are the only way to the top of the mountain without flight. If someone were to enter, even if they were an experienced spelunker, if they don’t know the layout they’re not getting out. The only clue that can be given to them is that if they hear water, they’re going the wrong way.

Geography

The deepest point recorded was 1,246 meters below the foot of the mountain, and an additional 1,539 meters from the base up puts you at the top. The deepest point recorded was only a few meters below the water, seeing how hard it is to obtain proper diving equipment within the country. The divers reported seeing only darkness and tiny bits of floating debris below the few meters they could see.

Fauna & Flora

Algae floats all over in the stagnant water. It’s the primary food source for the cave fish.
Several species of eyeless fish can be found in the waters of the Krīft caverns. The smallest species only grows up to two inches long while the largest grows up to ten. All of them seem to prefer the deeper waters, but often end up in shallow puddles as the water dries up due to weekly changes in weather. This allows the only species of bat that lives that deep in the caves to angle. Based on how many of the fish can be seen crowded into puddles at a single time, one can only assume just how many live deep under a diver’s vision; or perhaps something else.
The mushrooms growing on the walls look akin to jellyfish, with long, whiplike tendrils growing out of the sides, and the stem seeming to be covered with abrasive hairs. Touching the inner tendrils is worse than picking prickly pears barehanded. Hundreds of tiny spikes get stuck in your skin. You could pluck out the larger ones quickly with tweezers, but then smaller ones break off all around it. Going slow is more effective, but still doesn’t get all of the spikes out. The only way to get them out completely is to wait for your skin to shed. There is no immediate use for this mushroom, as it is moderately poisonous and has effects similar to Coprinus Syndrome. It is unknown if this mushroom is related to the species that can cause such effects, only that it has similar effects to the combination of the mycotoxin coprine and alcohol.
Some more common mushroom species live in the caves, such as the common brown mushroom and a subspecies of the deadly conocybe, which can be found in caves throughout the world.
Moving on from mushrooms, these caverns are also home to a variety of invertebrates. Glowworms like to group together in the largest chambers as they hibernate. Moths hang near the entrances and spiders like to crawl in when the weather gets too wet or cold. Occasionally a tarantula sets up a home deep within the caverns, catching whatever beetle dares burrow so far.

Natural Resources

There’s plenty of bat waste scattered over the ground. Some of the mushrooms are edible, but don’t risk it. A lot of them look alike, and the millimeter long curve near the end of the gills could easily spell the difference between a tasty snack and your death. Even if you’re a mycologist, only eat the mushrooms as a last resort.

Type

Cave System

Location under

Ilinia