Description:

Not actually abandoned mines, but in fact a series of deep and extensive cave systems, the Wandering Mines are well known for being a place where no Tokota should enter unprepared. Despite their notoriety, they are rather difficult to find. Most Tokotas who have explored them (and managed to come back alive) stumbled on them completely by accident. The entrances to the caves are covered in dense forest undergrowth, so falling into these holes can be quite easy.

Once inside the Mines, the walls of thick limestone and dolomite seem to swallow up all light from the outside. Once you are out of sight of the entrances - the only places where light can reach the caves - you are plunged into complete darkness. The chambers of the cave vary in size from too small for a Toki, to larger than a castle. The tunnels between them go for miles and miles, so much so that the Mines have still not been completely mapped, despite countless expeditions to do so.

The deeper one goes into the Mines, the more treacherous they become. They are made of such soft material that it is common for people to be crushed by falling rocks. This also means that the layout of the Mines is ever-changing. A chamber may be open one day and then blocked off the next after a rockfall. Similarly, new chambers seem to open up all the time. In the deepest chambers, water flows. However, this water is murky and not good to drink, so must be avoided. Some chambers are flooded, and the water can come to the height of a Tokota's shoulders. Stalagmites and stalactites are also rather common.

Landmarks:

• Last Light Rock - Though most of the Mine's entrances are notoriously difficult to find, the most common entrance is marked by a stack of large rocks, appropriately named Last Light Rock, for light disappears as soon as you enter the Mines.
• Explorer's Rest-Out of the many caverns in the mines, this one so far seems to be constant and rarely changes. There is very little to no light here, the only faint light being that of small bioluminescent mushrooms. A small camp was set up here many years ago, the remains of which has mostly been broken down by the humidity.
• The Glimmering Dark-Somewhere in the maze of tunnels there is a spot where water has gathered into a small lake. The water isn't very murky, and has been reported to appear drinkable by those who have happened upon it. It's named for the colony of glowworms that are above it, acting like stars in the darkness that reflect on the surface of the water.

Lore:

Legend says these Mines were dug out by vengeful spirits, angered by Tokotas and people encroaching on their land. Those who enter are cursed to lose all sense of direction and position, eventually becoming stuck in the caves and dying either from starvation, suffocation, exposure, or serious injury.

When the Mines were first discovered, a small expedition of a few Tokotas and people were sent down to investigate them. When they did not return to their village after three days, it was assumed that they had been killed in the Mines, and anyone else was strictly forbidden from going back. They received the name 'the Wandering Mines' because of how easy it was to get lost, and thus people would wander to their deaths.

For generations afterward, the warning soon became little more than a legend. Female Tokotas would threaten to send their misbehaving pups down the Mines, and it became something of an old wives tale. The entrances to the Mines had been lost from records after people were forbidden from entering them, but it was only a matter of time before they were discovered once again. These days, those who enter the Mines and come out alive are held in high esteem. For some packs and tribes, entering certain parts of the Mines is considered a right of passage. This all said, they are still incredibly dangerous and should be approached with great caution.

It is often said that misbehaving pups will be sent down the Mines to think about what they have done.

Some who have ventured into the deeper parts of the Mines claim to have seen the spirits of other Tokotas and people who have perished in previous expeditions.

It is recommended that those who plan to enter the Mines bring with them a helmet, a light source, and at least a few days' worths of rations.

The bones of those who have perished in the Mines are not to be disturbed. Anyone caught messing with them usually ends up dead themselves.

It is rumored that great treasures can be found deep within the Mines. No one knows for sure, as few have ever returned.

Original location inspiration by BlackFireIbex and kagetora4ever
Location art by USERNAME