Blackrot Grotto

Grimbone's Lair; the tunnels of rancid death

Blackrot Grotto is a small cave under the southern Kalduhin's Range mountains in the east of Curtana. It was the lair of Grimbone the Accursed, an Undead Cerberus risen from the corpse of a Corporal Cerberus who had once guarded the now-defunct "Planar Gate" under Fulton's Peak.

Geography

Blackrot Grotto was located beneath Fulton's Peak in the southern Kalduhin's Range mountains, in the east of Curtana, West Eirinn. The rock of the Grotto is predominantly metamorphic, with some sedimentary inclusions. Several other small caverns and cave systems are located nearby, including the ruins of a Planar Temple that holds the Planar Gate that was destroyed by Fulton, after whom the mountain was renamed, in Y6A 608. The mountain was previously known as Jaggedtooth Peak, and the similarly named Jaggedtooth Rise and Jaggedtooth Ridge still exist. These two locations are accessible from the Grotto, but only through small crawlways that reach only 12 inches high in places. Blackrot Grotto is also accessible from Mineshaft 24 of the South Bailbrecht Mine, which was accidentally excavated into connecting tunnels to the Grotto in 1467.

Description

Blackrot Grotto is a foul-smelling cave that gives off the scent of dead fungus and rot, which can be smelled from the tunnels tens of metres from the Grotto itself. It is a large cave of approximately 80ft wide and 200ft long, with a small alcove 10ft square at the back. The ceilings are 30ft high at the tallest, and 10ft at the lowest, with jagged stalactites hanging from them. The ground it uneven, stalacmites forming across it, and a stagnant pool of water takes up the far right corner of the space. The rear alcove used to contain a Weeping Tear, a tiny Planar Portal that would emit necrotic energies from the Planes of Navia, but this was destroyed by a pair of adventurers in 1467, after Mineshaft 24 was opened. The Grotto is filled with slimy, necrotic fungus that shrinks away from light and the remains of Grimbone's unfortunate meals. It is a dark, cold and wet environment with heavily stagnant air; staying too long within the Grotto risks various types of necrotic infection.

Defenses

The Grotto's defenses are predominantly natural formations, such as tightly winding tunnels with low ceilings and underground rivers. There are no known magical or Sapient-made defenses. There are two known entrances that Grimbone would have used; the Eastern Ridge tunnel, which opened out into Hartmoor, and Mineshaft 24 of Curtana's South Bailbrecht Mine.

History

The Grotto is believed to be a naturally formed cavern that may have once been connected to the Planar Temple. However, some time before Y6A 608 a cave-in or collapse cut the Grotto off from the rest of the Temple. It is believed that Grimbone, in his Corporal Cerberus form, was killed during this event. His corpse was later resurrected by the influence of the Weeping Tear, creating the entity known as Grimbone the Accursed.
The first knowledge of Grimbone dates to 672 in Hartmoor, when the first confirmed attacks were recorded, but Blackrot Grotto was not discovered until mid Palesun 1467, when Mineshaft 24 of the South Bailbrecht Mine was excavated. When seeking new coal deposits, the Mineshaft broke through into a tunnel that connected to the Grotto. Initial explorations did not find Grimbone within, and it is thought that he may have been hunting in Hartmoor when the primary party first explored. The miners found some evidence of habitation in the Grotto, but they determined that there was no danger and they began to seek coal in the tunnels around it, avoiding it as much as possible due to the disgusting smell. Their failure to explore the full length of the tunnels attached to the Grotto meant that Grimbone was effectively released into the mining complexes of both Bailbrecht Mines.
Grimbone was confronted and slain by Ivaldrazs Dsalegarr of the Blue Wolf Mercenary Group and a companion known only as Epiphany.

Inhabitants

Blackrot Grotto was formerly inhabited by Grimbone the Accursed, an Undead Cerberus. Since his destruction, the Grotto has remained empty.