Cooking Pot Lake

Cooking Pot Lake is known for its picturesque landscape; the dusky sky is reflected in smooth waters, perfectly framed by the rim of the caldera in which the lake formed. It is the most well known feature of Vriddasa's Caldera National Park, and is a popular destination for vacationers and day-trippers alike.
The lake is also a destination for the superstitious. One of a number of cinder cones, Ndogo Island pokes out of the northern end of the lake. Easy enough to reach by canoe or kayak, it has become a common spot for those looking for a more quiet spot, but is also occasionally visited by campers hoping to hear what has become known as the voice of the lake. It is said that when it is quiet enough, if you press your ear to the ground on the island, you may sometimes hear a faint humming noise. Exact descriptions of the humming differ; some say it is low and steady, others say it starts and stops, changing in tone and pitch as though someone were speaking. Some have suggested it could be the still ongoing volcanic activity below the caldera, but there has yet to be formal academic inquiry into the phenomenon, allowing the public to speculate unimpeded. The most pervasive thought has been that it is some sort of ghost or remnant of Reszket, although Its slowly rotting corpse can be viewed just one continent away in the Avarian Divine Empire.

History

The name Cooking Pot Lake comes from local oral histories. It is said that two millennia ago, Mount Refu was one of the tallest mountains in the area. While it would frequently billow smoke, it had been centuries since it had ever exploded, and so locals felt safe living in Mount Refu's shadow. However one year, there was a terrible drought; crops were dying, people had to walk all day long just to carry home barely enough freshwater for their family to drink and cook with. The drought lasted for two years, until people were beginning to lose hope. They prayed to Reszket, the deity of natural disasters, begging for rain, even if it were torrential because at least it would provide some measure of relief, and right before the drought could enter its third year, their prayers were granted. But not before Mount Refu finally exploded.
The lava and pyroclastic flows raced down the northern side of the mountain, the one side which would miss surrounding towns, and left behind at the top of the once tall mountain was a large caldera. When the torrential rains finally came a month later, the caldera slowly but surely began to fill. It is said that in the early days of it, the surrounding rocks were still so hot that you could practically just toss something in the water to cook it, hence Cooking Pot Lake.
Nowadays, it is a large lake filled with cool, fresh rainwater which drains through a creek on the southern side of the caldera. Vulcanologists have not been able to confirm the stories of cooking in the lake, they have been able to find evidence which suggests the stated time of Mount Refu's explosion, approximately 2,000 years ago, does seem to be accurate.

Tourism

There are a number of cabins and cottages lining the lakeside that are available for rent. It's a common location for those who live nearby to bring their family for a day of hiking, fishing, and picnicking, or for those from further to enjoy an extended stay away the hustle and bustle of the city.

Type

Crater / Crater Lake / Caldera

Location under

Vriddasa