Cing Lake

The Cing River runs from East of the town of Niell, all the way East to The Whale Sea to the West - in the Jingré Region of Malnax.

Along the way, the Cing Lake has formed. The river is not very deep nor very wide. It ambles slowly along over a shallow bed that is only wide enough for once elephant foot. It does widen out as you come closer to the lake.

Water hyacinth, (dark purple)

Alligator, lots of fish, ducks, geese, antelope

Localized Phenomena

As you left Neill, the party head across a flatter, rocky part of the desert. Cactus are scattered on the left side of the river. On the right is just more and more sand. Thread (elephant) carries you easily, only stopping for water.
Other than the one sighting of a dragon patrolling above, you see no signs of other people. A few lizards lazied in the desert sun, and some pale butterflies flitted from one cactus flower to the next.
The river is not very deep nor very wide. It ambles slowly along over a shallow bed that is only wide enough for once elephant foot. It does widen out as you come closer to the lake.
Thread steps up around the tussock type grasses and there is the Cing Lake. Signs of the recent sandstorm still remain. Extra sand is piled against the tussock, around catrus and rocks.
Resting on top near the closest edge, is Water hyacinth of a dark purple colouring. The lake seems so still and clear along the edge.
There are no alligator, ducks, geese or antelope – as Lucy had said once lived in this area around the lake. There does seem to be silvery fish darting through the deeper areas.

ROLL

Across the lake you sight a shallow cave surrounded by sand. In front of it a statue of a Half-Elf female stops, as if was running when posed. She is heavily dusted with sand.
Her face is fearful and mouth open as if yelling. She appears to be heading around to a slope pasted where you crossed the tussock.

ROLL

Chole
Looking about you find a small huddle of three caverns, parked with the doors away from the direction the sandstorm had flown. Behind them, 3 horses are still carefully blindfolded. They are thirsty and look weary. The huge cavern wheels are deeply entrenched in the sand.
One cavern, the doors are shut but not locked. Inside is crates of fruit and other travelling supplies.

ROLL

The other 2 caverns are locked

ROLL

when you do try to open them

ROLL

you hear grasps and soft whimpering from inside.

One cavern holds 9 males. The other has 7 females inside.
Opening doors a burst of expressive warmth hits you in the face. What could be a more than a half dozen eyes look out of the gloom blinking at the bright sunlight. Small children hide their faces in the chests of bigger children.
The little water they have left is murky and very warm.

These are followers of a small stem of Sune, who separate the female and male children to keep them beautifully innocent and pure. There are no adults among them.
The oldest male is a Half-Elf named Felixo – He is talks the most. A bold female Human, Maisie, chatters when she can. The other children stare at her in fright, waiting for her stop.

Are heading to Jeyton City to a Children festival at Sune temple.

The woman is their “keeper” and she had gone to seek out shelter from the coming sand storm. Then suddenly came running, and yelled for them to lock themselves in. Afterwards they had heard strange noises, the pelting of the sandstorm and then long silent.

ROLL

20 - Towards the cave you find two Human males fallen as stone into the thick sand.
15 – 19 find one male Human face down in the sand near the female Half-Elf, and another buried
10 – 14 find one male Human face down in the sand near the female Half-Elf
6 – 9 hear a crunch of breaking stone, before realise stone figure in sand
2 – 5 hear the sounds of the Stone-cursed waking =n groans of waking, stone slow movements
1 a stone-cursed bursts from the cave with arms out stretched

Davis – hurt leg
Maxwell – Human

Inside the cave of the stone cursed is another figure (not known to the children) who has been turned to stone. A Fubold male looking startled as he ate.

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Stone Cursed

Medium Construct, lawful evil
Armor Class 17 (natural armour)
Hit Points 19 (3d8 + 4)
Speed 10 ft.
STR = 16 (+3)
DEX = 5 (-3)
CON = 14 (+2)
INT = 5 (-3)
WIS = 8 (-1)
CHA = 7 (-2)

Damage vulnerabilities: bludgeoning
Damage Immunities: poison
Condition Immunities: charmed, Exhaustion, frightened, petrified, poisoned
Senses: Passive Perception = 9
Languages: the languages it knew in life
Challenge 1 (200 XP)

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The lake is calm as you move along to the far end, where it once more becomes a river – this one is wider and yet only slightly deeper. ROLL Your eyes catch something shining in the middle of this part of the lake. It is copper or bronze by the fact it is not easily seen on the brown bottom.
Their is two shields welded tightly together on the lake bottom. They are like a closed clam shell. A sliver of a crack has formed on part of the top shield – (a little magic seeps out).
From inside comes the words whispering out - “Release me, I will offer you some gold, 1 wish to share and three answers.” the voice is hard to figure out anything of the creature or person inside.
“The rules are no violence, no love and no excessiveness.”
“I’ll give you a simple free answer, as a taste ... The floating land the stone forged, living vines seeks has a name and a place ... will give you part of those ... This isn’t one difficult riddle It won’t leave you in a muddle, The name begins simple as its shape The answer is what falls from a cloud middle And then joins it’s kind in a puddle, And it does lie above a certain Malnax cape.”
Their self released they grins with leathery frog like lips. Their large size twirls in anger at having been trapped. Their upper body looks amphibian in nature – frog-like four finger hand, and green-shimmer to the skin. They could be all of 17 feet tall. They wears what looks to be a huge white silk shirt that tightly covers a muscular chest – that doesn’t reveal any gender traits. Over their shoulder and hanging on the opposite solid hip is a leather pouch. A pretty sky blue waist coat with plaited rope shoulders and a huge wide golden belt with a bright blue sapphire stone, in the centre of purple amethyst, like an eye. Below the belt is swirling water. “I am Amos the Grand Pearl” A Madrid.
They can use the following spell-like abilities whenever they want to: create water, detect evil, detect good, detect invisible, detect magic, invisibility, polymorph self, and purify water. The marid has the same standard “genie package” of gaseous form, invisibility, plane shift and conjure elemental. Control water is a powerful once-per-day ability that allows the marid to create a whirlpool in a body of water which can catch a PC in its vortex and subject him or her to bludgeoning damage; to flood an area with any amount of standing water; or to create a 20-foot-high tidal wave and bring it crashing down on its enemies. • Armor Class 17 (natural armor) • Hit Points 229 (17d10+136) • Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft., swim 90 ft. • Saving Throws Dex +5, Wis +7, Cha +8. • Damage Resistances acid, cold, lightning. • Senses blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 120 ft. • Languages Aquan.

The Stone Cursed was their doing. They was trapped. Little did the captives realise there was a slight crack. Finding they were able to release a Whisp of magic to where they sat in the shallow cave (which they thought far enough away for them not to hear the 6 people) around a dim campfire, to mix up their minds and one cursed the rest – who then attacked their ally. Even from their captivity they had laughed. Travellers passing by had been given surprises – good or bad depending on Amos’ mood. They heard tales they liked, and gossip that angered Amos. It became Dull as less people travelled this way. At their release what remains of the stone-cursed crumbles. The other people are freed – including the Half-Elf woman, Chole, and the Fubold = Yinjor
12 years
“You have an hour to decide your shared wish, and what what answer you each seek”

Type

Lake

Location under

Jingré Region