Real-life Mystery Dungeon Crawling

[Mychaelh]

Ever heard of 'Erdstall' ?
Just make a google pic search to get an impression.

Some artice in English language:



--> http://www.spiegel.de/international/zei ... 48,00.html

[Jack Dandy]

This kind of stuff is fascinating. Reality can be stranger then fiction!

[Mychaelh]

German SPIEGL TV documentation showing shoots from the above pictured Erdstall:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv0mn4Yk_0g

[antti]

I'm not claustrophobic but that tunnel seems damn scary. Cool stuff!

[ozmiz]

Pretty cool stuff, would be afraid of getting stuck because a couple of times that one guy appeared to really have to squeeze to get through the round holes that opens to another chamber or tunnel. Seems stable though to have been there that long.

[nianu]

i dunno about children with torches... my kids would set me on fire without a second thought haha. but this would be awesome

[TZO2k12]

LOL, you can bet that the Hard Core gamers over at the Beth forums would take serious issue over those severely over-lit dungeons! Outstanding find, the south/north eastern Appalachian wilderness are home to many caverns as well, though I don't plan on visiting them any time soon as I'm not a spelunking enthusiast.

[Mychaelh]

The point is that these are not ordinary natural 'caves', but man-made. There is no knowing by whom, when and for what purpose they where made.
The theory, that they where hideouts don't really hold, because they have no second escape exit. Make a fire before the entrance and anybody in there will suffocate. The "Schlupfe" are to small for pregnant women. There are no historical written records about them, but there are over 1000 in Central Europe and it is estimated, that only 10% are discovered till now. It's seems that all where closed with heavy stones sometimes in the middle ages and completely hushed up, since then. They are completely clean inside. It's a real mystery.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erdstall

[Jack Dandy]

It's seems that all where closed with heavy stones sometimes in the middle ages and completely hushed up, since then. They are completely clean inside. It's a real mystery.

Daaamn. I gotta look up on this myself.

[Mychaelh]

There is not much info to be found about it.
The SPIEGEL article I linked above is the best summary in English I found. It tells about all the different theories.

Academics never much looked into this before. 'Goblin Holes' where more something regarded as a 'popular belief' since recently. First systematic 'Erdstall explorer' was Pater Lambert Karner, a Benedict monk, who explored and documented over 400 Erdstall-tunnels from 1879 till 1903. Till now it was (and mostly still is) an activity of private hobby archaeologists and freaky treasure hunter/adventurers.

Only easy available book with lot of REALLY good photos, which lists all theories (also the more esoteric ones) in German Language:



-> http://www.amazon.de/Tore-zur-Unterwelt ... 204&sr=8-1