La Verona Cave Network
The opening of the cave is a maw, halfway up the cliffs. The only way to enter is to climb or fly, and only the skilled should try. People have abseiled down to it and done some spelunking within but there are many pathways and hidden depths.
The caves are like an ant nest. Multiple turns can lead an explorer to a haven of glow worms or dank mushrooms. A different turn could take them into an underground grotto where the ocean bubbles up a spout. Random choices can have the spelunker lost until they expire, but theirs wouldn’t be the only corpse down there.
Sometimes called the 'Labyrinth Caves', the title is uttered in nervous jest or as a dire warning by those who knew the people who’d lost their way.
There are a few pockets that could be made into a den for any who dare to enter the caves. It wouldn’t suit anyone except those who want to keep their secrets hidden from the world.
Below the cave entrance the ocean pounds angrily against the cliff face as if the land has done it a disservice. Anybody who slips going to or getting away from the entrance will find a watery grave below; either pummeled against the rocks by the ocean or mortally wounding their frail bodies on the rocks below.
Only the first few openings of the caves have been mapped. The areas with the widest openings have been explored. Most hobby spelunkers investigate the first cave and leave without going further because the passageways are infamous for disorientating the explorer. Those brave and foolish might find:
-- A narrow trek downwards to a trickling river that attracts glow-worms on the walls and ceiling.
-- A pocket sized den of space that large, sticky moss-like fungus grows. This space smells sickly sweet, like cotton candy that isn't quite right.
-- A fascinating array of stalactites and stalagmites with encrusted minerals that make them seem to sparkle.
-- A wall that seems to challenge the most skilled rock climber, but should they top it they would discover a wealth of natural sapphire embedded in the stone
-- A naturally formed spout lake that is always chilly but ethereally beautiful
-- Simple but prolific wall paintings by long dead paleolithic people
-- A three-room cave 'house' complete with an air mattress for a bed and other odd acquisitions for furniture
