What happens to a big dead animal in the Underdark?

[Ion]

A big animal dies in the underdark, and then the bugs move in. What's the decomposition process of a big dead thing look like when you have all the giant and magical creatures of the underdark to consider?


So, in the near future some of my PCs are going to have a short trek through the underdark. They have a dwarven guide, and the tunnels they are walking through are by and large, controlled by the dwarves.

That means, I don't want to have them attacked by Drow scouts, or any other thing with an agenda. On the other hand, I think having no encounter would be boring, and wouldn't really give them any of the flavor of the underdark.

I've settled on the idea that some big animal has crawled into a giant cavern somewhere and died. Such as it happens, the 4th level PCs have to go right through this cavern.


So, definatly the corpse is covered in Giant Maggots (Underdark), and Giant Bombardier Beetles (MM), and maybe a Monsterous Centipede, and a Centipede swarm or something like that.

What other creatures would be trying to get a piece of this big dead animal? What order would they show up?

 

[freyar]

I think a carrion crawler is just made for this kind of situation.

 

[the Jester]

Oh HELL yeah.

All kinds of scavengers- giant cockroaches, giant beetles, oozes, etc.- are likely to be there. In addition, there are likely creatures that predate on the scavengers that might be there- a burbur, for instance, if you decide to go with some slimes. (I'm honestly not too sure exactly what eats giant beetles, though a trip to wikipedia would prolly help come up with some ideas).

Here's another thought- maybe the big animal had parasites, like giant ticks, and they are now roaming free, looking for a new source of blood.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Humanoids are one option. If it's big enough, scavenging svirfneblin or goblins or orcs may be using it's remains.

As far as critters go, oozes are A #1. Fungus, such as the Phantom Fungus or Myconids or the like might be around about it, too. And where there are regular worms, there are giant worms (purple worms, perhaps).

 

[Thurbane]

...and rot grubs, LOTS of rot grubs...

 

[Ion]

You people are brilliant, I had thought of bugs, but oozes and fungus totally skipped my mind!

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

giant bugs=food for giant lizards, like the ones some underdark races use and thus must run wild somewhere

 

[jefgorbach]

personally never understood the GIANT part of insects/vermin UNDERGROUND considering the majority of the tunnels/paths are either small natural openings or created/enlarged by various small folk like dwarfs/kobolds/etc -- who surely would NOT create passages large enough to freely pass such dangerous annoyances. ... more likley swarms and small-medium sized vermin would be the norm.

 

[Twowolves]

Shriekers and Violet Fungi on top, Green Slime on bottom.

 

[Ion]

Is Green Slime a monster from somewhere? Or just a generally unpleasant thing to find near a dead body..