THE BOWELS - OVERALL
The Bowels:
reeking, rotten pits open to the world above. Below? Twisting tunnels of stone, bone, and meat turn upon themselves. Winding ever downwards, the Bowels carries within itself a multitude of settlements which are occupied by a number of factions.
None of them think keenly of the world above. Mutations in the Bowels are sharper, more lethal, arranged with more killing intent. Stone-Worms and other predators skulk among slick passageways which contract and shake with quakes.
Localized Phenomena
In the lower third of the Bowels, a pit spirals deep into the flesh and soil and stone. If one were to follow this pit down despite its slick footholds, one would find themselves confronted by a thrumming, beating heart that has twined itself within the stones. The heart, as far as is known now, cannot be damaged. Attempts to do so have ended grotesquely for those involved.
Those in the Bowels who know about the Heart are driven to keep it secret from the world above.
Farther down in the Bowels the flesh gives way to teeth and bone and stone. Few have observed this phenomena and lived to tell the tale. What lurks in the dark depths?
Nobody really wants to see.
Climate
The Bowels are hot. Even as the world above chills during latter months, the Bowels remain steamy and thick-aired.
Water in the Bowels is, interestingly, more pristine than water aboveground. This is the only real resource superiority possessed by the individuals forced to make the subterranean fleshscape their home.
Perhaps worse than the heat, however, is that when one travels far enough down in the Bowels that the flesh gives way to strange harded chitin and teethlike stones, the air becomes chilled and incredibly cold.
Fauna & Flora
Notable fauna of the Bowels include
Temgodi : large quadrupedal herbivores which graze on the fungus and plants of the Bowels. Temgodi are brightly-colored, and possess large crown-horns with which they perform ornate mating and threat displays. Temgodi have arched stinging tails and their coats are studded with sharp spurs that defend them from predators.
Yuga : eyeless, many-legged rodentlike creatures which have long spines and skitter along walls, ceilings, and floors. Yuga never grow beyond two feet tall at the shoulder, but have been observed at lengths of over ten feet long. Yuga have serrated poisonous teeth and are vectors of horrid disease, making them ideal pets for those in the Bowels who follow the Lore of Fetid Flesh.
Natural Resources
The Bowels have numerous springs and sources of pristine, fresh water. Nobody really knows why, but nobody in the Bowels is asking questions, either.
History
As with all of Iun's natural geography, the Bowels have always been here.
Tourism
Those who visit the Bowels are either looking for keen flesh to manipulate, trying to escape the law, or have a multitude of unsavory purposes for their business.
Alternative Name(s)
"Deepguts Road", "Bloodhouse", "The Pit"
Type
Underground / Subterranean
Location under
Characters in Location
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