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The Cavern of Doom was a section of the former Great Underground Empire.

Geography[]

Cave behemoth

Entering the Cavern, two passages seem to open. The right one actually leads to the mouth of a cave behemoth (its teeth can be mistaken for curved and strange stalctites and stalagmites) and one can guess that many explorers ended up as its meal.

The other is dusty and has seen more use. It has a sharp descent and some places have carved steps. The remains of an adventurer lie here, holding a brown sack and a shovel. The flight ends at a large cavern, through the center of which runs a shallow stream, with Grawl's stone hut.

At the far end of the cavern there is another dark passage, whose ground is soft sand; it ends to a small round room where someone has marked with a red paint an X, beneath which is at least one ruby. The rest of the passageway has black and lumpy walls, and branches off into smaller side passages and at some points the ceiling is supported by wooden beams; eventually it widens and along its center run railroad tracks that haven't been used in a long time.

Compressor

The tracks served a 4-wheeled car, a large bin carrying coal, and lead to a brightly lit room with white polished granite walls; at the center of the room there is a "Frobozz Magic Compressor", that super-compresses coal and turn them into diamonds.

Beyond the coal mine the walls become gray and rocky again, with moisty atmosphere. The walls are wet and dark green mosses grow where water trickles. Beyond a particularly thick growth there is a small tunnel, a dead end 40-50ft away with a wooden trunk full of emeralds and sapphires, and before it a colony of whip-weeds, waiting for an unsuspecting victim.

Beyond a nest of bats, there is a narrow corridor that ends in a junction: to the left there is a rope tied to a rock dangles down into a hole (Actually a grue nest); to the right the road is strewn with bones leading to an ornate wooden door leading to the "Frobozz Magic Crematorium", tended by two robots, Leo and Rocky.

Straight ahead is a metal gate guarded by a fat hairy gnome; reaching that point triggers a trap, as a massive stone door descends from the ceiling and crashes behind the traveler.

Past the toll collector there is a chilly cave of which one wall was the tip of an underground glacier. Beyond that was the nest of Leblong the dragon whom Grawl put as a guard. The area around his cave seemed scarred and blackened by the heat, and a cave full of stones and boulders was the nest of Leblong the Dragon. Leblong actually was guarding the Cavern of the Rainbow Mosses.

A round room with a domed ceiling has in its center a pedestal, atop of which is a flaming ivory torch. Four doorways lead out each one labeled with a signpost.

Cavern of the Rainbow Mosses
An enormous cavern, a mile across, filled with rock formations of every imaginable shape. Layers of phosphorescent mosses, glowing with the colors of the rainbow cover the ceiling.
A passage leads to a hundreds of steps tall narrow stairway lined with flickering torches. It is there where an underground robber, who speaks in an ancient language, has his hideout and stocks his treasures.
The Crypt of Death
A low tunnel ends at the entrance to a stone crypt, surrounded by skulls perched on poles. Inside, an inscription on the wall explains that the 12 stone coffins lining the walls contain the final remains of the twelve Flathead, rulers of the Empire. Anyone who enters the open entrance is soon trapped as an enormous stone door shuts behind them.
The Dungeon of Dry Bones
A long passage with roughly hewn walls seemingly without end. 10 minutes later it is crossed by a shaft of light which is actually a trap; passing it, the floor opens up to a very long sloping shaft, which ends to a damp floor strewn with straw and human bones.
The Hall of Mirrors
Initially a low and narrow passage which soon widen and ends at a large room. This room is an exact reverse replica of the banquet hall of the Castle of Zork (one can guess that it is somehow the work of Grawl), complete with windows, a tapestry and the large mirror wall, only that they are in reverse position. The "reflection" seen through the mirror corresponds to the real hall. When someone touches the surface of the mirror, a rumble and shaking follows, and is magically transported to the real hall of the Castle of Zork.

History[]

Grawl used that region as his hideout. When he abducted and enchanted Logrumethar, he exiled him in the Cavern of the Rainbow Mosses.

During the rule of Syovar, ruler of the Kingdom of Zork, explorers were rediscovering parts of the former GUE and operated again the Mines of Zork; they also discovered a vast "new" area attracting adventurers and treasure hunters.

Statues

Because none returned, Syovar sent 50 brave knights (perhaps Knights of Zork) to search for the missing explorers, but they also disappeared. Among those lost were the elves Fred and Max. Many of them were turned to stone after meeting Grum.

Grawl convinced the dragon Leblong to guard the entrance to that cavern. He also cast a spell over that region blocking any magician who would try to sense what was inside.

Syovar used his magical powers to explore the Cavern but the enchantment that guarded that region didn't allow his magics to penetrate it. He only could glean a vague feeling that only someone completely innocent and pure of heart would be safe there.

To prevent more disappearances he had to seal up the Cavern with a stone door, on which he put an enchantment.

Cavern exploring

Bivotar and Juranda volunteered to explore the cave and find their friends. Syovar reluctantly agreed and he opened the door for them to enter, which he later closed behind them. They found a ruby, created a diamond with the Compressor, and passed the gnome. They passed Leblong, tricking him into melting the ancient glacier and met Grum, whom they rescued through the Hall of Mirrors. Later Syovar transported all the statues to the Castle of Zork and restored them to life.

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