ANTHARIAN
CAVES
The Antharian Caves, in the mountains northeast of
Anthar, are the home
of huge black birds who make their aeries at the bottom of the many
natural
bowl-shaped depressions along the sheer granite cliffs. These birds
have been known to snatch the lightsources of adventurers in their
mighty talons, dropping them at the mountain's base. The city of Anthar
is divided from these tall cliffs by a large
mist-covered marsh.
Located
within the bowels of these caverns was an entire underground complex
for a variety of underworld denizens of at least 337 stories. An
elevator provided quick transportation between the levels.
Unfortunately, when it was broken, one was required to climb the
service staircase which spiralled down around an enormous pit, where
openings provided access to other tunnels and communities. One of these
belonged to the
Antharian
Cave witches.
Witch Izah
headed the
Antharian
Enchantress Society, during the
Second Age of Magic,
on the 337th floor of the complex. The witches also
frequented other portions of the cave, where they frequently made deals
with
Belegur and his
emissaries.
During the
Great
Monster Uprising, tourist groups explored the safer end of
the caverns and a cavern cafeteria was installed for pre-paying parties
to enjoy.
Legends of doubtful authenticity tell that when
Antharia Jack
was young, he ventured into the Antharia Caves without a lantern as a
dare. He had barely gone inside before he was chased away by a
grue,
losing his hat in the process. He returned later to find it, but it
could not be found. Whether authentic or fable, many great adventurers
have sought to find
this "lost artifact" within the mines, even until
the days of the Great Monster Uprising. Many have claimed to have found
it, but
there none of the so-called relics has been verified as being the
original.
A
gremlin who took pleasure
in lurking underground during the Great Monster Uprising was
responsible for
alerting the authorities to the whereabouts of the infamous pirate,
Long Jim Zorkmid,
who was then quickly detained and imprisoned in the
Antharian Caves for his crimes against Anatharian shipping. He
cleverly escaped the following day.
| SOURCE(S): Zork
Zero, Legends of Zork |
