Mycena Cave

Mycena Cave is a magically enhanced cave that serves as shelter and home for various communities. Though the cave itself has existed for centuries, it was transformed during the great winter when a powerful sorceress channeled her strength into the stone and turned it into an enormous inhabitable space. The cave’s exterior has remained largely the same, but its interior now consists of a sprawling network of caverns, much of which is yet to be explored.

A tunnel leads from the Cave’s entrance to several caverns, which in turn branch off into many more rooms and spaces. The Sorceress altered the cave she found before she moved her people inside, and over the years, her spells have spread out and fed into the cave’s own inherent magic, resulting in caverns that continue to change even now. The caverns closest to the entrance are mostly reliable, but the deeper one goes into the Cave, the higher the chances of making an unexpected discovery or stumbling across something that simply makes no sense. This includes a haunted stone mansion (see: Chapter 4 - Ghosts), caverns with little to no gravity, and pools deep as oceans.

The first generation of Ineki and Drasilli that woke in Mycena Cave inhabited a cavern near the entrance, which has since grown into the main settlement. Several smaller settlements exist throughout the Cave, as do tiny outposts that serve as gathering points and resting stations for explorers, adventurers, and traders.

Fungi of all sorts flourish in the Cave, though mushrooms are prevalent. A particular species that is found throughout the Cave seems to be linked to the sun, as it glows and dims in a cycle similar to day and night. Several types of mushrooms and moss are luminescent, but this species is especially bright and is capable of lighting an entire cavern if planted strategically.

Because mushrooms are found in such large numbers in the Cave, they’re used for a number of things. They are a staple in many Mycenians’ diets, and they’re also used in spells and as decorations. Some crafty Mycenians have found a way to turn larger mushrooms into furniture, and others are exploring the possibility of weaving moss and the more fibrous mushrooms into cloth.

There is a single cavern that opens out of Mycena Cave. The doorway is guarded by the bone monster, a skeletal creature that the Sorceress constructed to protect Mycena’s inhabitants from the outside world. Its body is made up of old bones, and it takes its strength from the magic that binds it and from the emotions lingering in its bones. The outside world is visible from this cavern, but no Mycenian has found a way to slip past the bone monster, except during a scant handful of days in the spring.

The main settlement is situated in a large cavern near the Cave’s entrance. Several shops circle a central plaza, with many residential homes spreading out beyond that. Because the cavern is mostly free of pockets of unexpected magic, Mycenians are able to build and make changes without fear of their work being undone overnight, which is part of why the community here has grown as large as it has.

This tall, white house sits on a hill in a cavern a tunnel away from the main settlement. It serves as a waypoint where those newly awakened can get their bearings and ask questions about this world they’ve woken up in. Ledore herself is rarely seen outside the house, but her assistants are often spotted in various parts of the Cave, guiding newcomers in or simply exploring its depths.

This magical tree is located several tunnels away from the Cave entrance. Mycenians can join destinies before the Tree, and occasionally a flower will bloom in the cavern, marking the spot where a child grows within a nest of roots. There’s a small hole at the center of the cavern’s high ceiling, far above the Sacred Tree’s branches, where sunlight from the outside world streams in.

Some distance away from the main settlement lies a cavern that is particularly charged with magic. A paint-spattered Ineki, who was once a powerful sorceress in the outside world, has taken up residence nearby and draws upon the cavern’s magic to help her fellow Mycenians. In exchange for everyday favors, she uses her powers to aid the community, whether by drawing sleeping individuals out of the stone or guiding genesses to the Sacred Tree.

Recently, an adventurer stumbled upon a cavern where time seems to have come to a stop. The air inside has a heavy quality to it, and strange mushrooms dot the walls. Upon further investigation, the mushrooms were discovered to reverse the effects of aging, which may explain the lack of other flora or fauna within this quiet space.