Hell's Gate

Hell's Gate is a sinkhole that just recently appeared in the central, sparsely populated area of Grand Vailia. The reason for its ominous name is because wildfire started spreading from the location as it collapsed, swallowing the entirety of a forest temple dedicated to Herod, the God of the Hunt.
By now, civilians are prohibited from approaching it, as a detachment from the now occupies the area, only permitting select research personnel to pass.

Geographical Location

This Sinkhole has formed at the very foot of the , swallowing a sizable amount of the dense forest along with the temple that was located here before. Thanks to the wildfire that inexplicably broke out just moments after the ground swallowed the house of worship, large swathes of the otherwise green forest are now charred and nature only slowly starts recovering from this. Mountain climbers can even see this massive hole in the ground from miles away, as it is a very prominent bald spot in the otherwise thick forest, surrounded by the many dead trees.
Before the entire location was put under lockdown by the Ministry, prospectors found various mineral deposits revealed by it, making it likely that the ministry's goal is to ensure there won't be any further collapses before permitting mining operations to commence.

The Myth

While this sinkhole is very recent, there are already countless myths and stories around it. Some claim that the Priest of Herod, who died when the sinkhole swallowed his entire temple, was living a life of sin and debauchery in this remote location with countless orgies and even worse, sparking the ire of his god who then utterly destroyed him.
Another superstition that ripples through the land like wildfire is that this was merely a test run by the mistrusted Devils, and that they intend to use sinkholes like this to march their infernal armies onto Rameria in an upcoming invasion. This theory is made even more popular by the wildfire that erupted around the sinkhole after its collapse, making the entire area look very desolate.

Hell's Gate

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Type

Sinkhole

Official Name

Great Central Vaillian Sinkhole

Located In

Grand Vailia

Owned By

Ministry for Interior Security

Created By

Unknown Forces, possibly natural