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The maw is an extremely dangerous area of the dungeon, which is full of stalagmites and stalagmites
Stalactites grow down from the cave ceiling, while stalagmites grow up from the cave floor
The place is also littered with the bones of mushroom elk that migrate through here twice a year.
The elk need to pass through here to graze on mushroom growths, that serves as the primary feeding frenzy for the innumerable Piercers and Ropers inhabiting the Maw.
After the migrations the Maw is actually rather calm as most Piercers and Ropers are digesting their meals, and the left overs are fought over by the other carrion eaters of the dungeon. That said it is still a dangerous place, in particular the weeks leading up to the migration the Maw becomes a literal death trap that no one but the most inane will attempt to cross.
Also after the migration, when the piercers are digesting and sleeping, there are those that collect young piercers as a culinary delicacy. While small they are still edible and rather delicious, however once they reach a size over 40-50cm their meat becomes tough and rubbery and it’s flavor rapidly loses its aroma. Aside from the calcification in the meat become tedious to remove as they grow.
Once a piercer grows too large to sustain itself from the roof, they settle on the ground and through a molting phase (in which they mollusk is totally vulnerable) they become Ropers and lose their motility, but also become adults capable of reproduction.