The Gaping Maw
Belly of the Beast
How did you lose an entire dungeon? It couldn't just got up and left.
Legends speak of a fabled dungeon across Silva, known as the Gaping Maw. Described as a treasure vault with a nation’s fortune buried inside. Many adventurers seek out the fabled ruins to get it themselves. Although few who ventured into it ever came out alive.
Legend of the Dungeon
The Gaping Maw is a common legend told around Silva's taverns. The fabled dungeon, the challenge to any adventurer, home to a nation's worth of treasure. Its origins vary depending on who you ask, either as a treasure vault or a bandit hideout forgotten by time.
Whatever is true, the lure of gold makes it sought after by adventuring parties. The problem comes with the place of the ruins being inconsistent, as no map knows where it lies. People report it being in the east, in the west, high north or even down in the center of Silva. Even those that saw it return only to find turned soil and no sign a dungeon ever existed here.
The Secrets of the Dungeon
The dungeon’s sightings are recorded as far back as the Blazing War, but its purpose remains unknown. It always appears not far away from a major road or town, implying it is aware where civilisation exists. And usually someone finds it in less than a week.
Many adventurers journeyed into its depths throughout the years, with only a few ever coming back. Survivors claim the dungeon is playing with them, getting separated in a hallway or rooms vanishing before their eyes. Nobody even knows how deep the dungeon goes.
Even with the high mortality rate, people want to know the truth about the Gaping Maw. So there will be always a group of adventurers trying to find where it will appear next. Either to learn the truth, or finding a mighty treasure that lying within its depths.
Seismic Activity
Minor earthquakes tend to warn locals about the dungeon’s arrival, usually by a day or two before someone spots it. It leads to many theories that the dungeon moves underground, changing locations after a few days.
It also vanishes in a similar manner, with sudden seismic activity when nobody is looking. Even with attempts to monitor the entrance, it finds a way to either slip away unnoticed or take any witnesses with them.
This sounds like it would be a really interesting place to explore, though also dangerous. I like the theory that it could be a mimic.