The Iron-Rot Mine
The rhythm of pickaxes has been replaced by the wet scratching of fungal limbs.
An isolated pocket of deep tunnels sealed away after a catastrophic fungal outbreak. The mine is a claustrophobic maze of rusted iron and pulsing bioluminescent spores.
The air is heavy with damp heat and the scent of metallic rot. Rhythmic thumping sounds like a heartbeat echo through the walls, and faint blue bioluminescence clings to every surface.
☠ Threat
The Fungal Heart, a massive parasitic organism in the lowest level, controls everything within the mine. It senses vibrations through the fungal mats and seeks to infect any new organic matter that enters its domain. It creates a hive mind that makes the dungeon inhabitants surprisingly coordinated against intruders.
History
Deep-core miners breached a primordial geode fifty years ago, releasing a parasitic fungal entity known as the Iron-Rot. The consortium sealed the upper shafts to prevent the infection from reaching the surface, trapping the entire workforce inside. These miners have long since been transformed into mindless husks, tending to the hive's growth in the absolute dark.
Encounter Table
CRInfected kobolds that crawl along the walls, dripping ichor.
A massive scavenger lured by the scent of the Rot's leftovers.
Rumours & Whispers
The mining consortium never actually ran out of iron; they just hit something they couldn't kill.
If you hear a heartbeat coming from the floor, you're already standing on a fungal mat.
The miners used a magical golden axe to break through the final seal, but it was lost in the retreat.
The spores in the mine aren't just poisonous; they're hungry.
Quest Hooks
Quest giver: Elowen, a miner's widow
The families of the trapped miners believe a large chest of gold was left in the vault before the seal.
20 percent of any gold found.
Quest giver: Master Alchemist Vane
The local alchemist needs a sample of the Heart's core to synthesize an antidote for a nearby village outbreak.
Three Potions of Greater Healing and 500 gp.
Corridor Notes
A string of rusted mine carts, one containing the skeletal remains of a mule.
Patches of glowing blue mushrooms that release a puff of bitter dust when approached.
Turn The Iron-Rot Mine into a sheet
A high-res, share-ready sheet you can post or print.