News has begun filtering in of a tremendous upheaval of the ground in the south of Mirkwood. The early reports have been scattered, and relatively vague; they tell of the ground moving, shaking, even opening in places to reveal great chasms and caves. As the reports continue to come in, they become much more grim; they tell of aftershocks, small tremors, of friend and foe alike buried in collapses while exploring what appears to be an enormous underground cave system.
(OOC: A large underground cave system is now accessible beneath southern Mirkwood. It has numerous connection points to the zones above. This area is dangerous, both the environment and the mobiles, so those exploring it should be cautious. There are a number of new quests connected with this zone, for all sides of the war, and one is very long and has multiple possible endings. There are things to interest every race. And one final comment: even if you explore the entire area your first visit, it is very unlikely that you will have seen or found all that there is to see and find.