Verash Sakhara

Verash Sakhara ('The Trench of the Void')

The deepest void in the Thunder Sea is a lightless pit of despair. Aboleths spar with merfolk guardians, while their sealed Overlord master lies hidden in the heart of shadow. The Lurker in Shadows, Overlord of the Unknown, was bound in the Thunder Sea by the aquatic armies of the Sovereigns. Its bound form lies in the deepest point of the sea, where it first squirmed out of Khyber at the dawn of time. The region is saturated with the Overlord’s influence, and shunned by all but the bravest. The Trench of the Void is where hopes go to die. The entrance to Verash Sakhara is one of the foremost outposts of the Karatael merfolk.

The followers of the Silver Flame are among the most devoted enemies of the aboleths, and use the power given to them by the ‘Piercing Light’ to slay their foes. Their blockade of the Trench is aimed at preventing the greater horrors of the Lurker from escaping. Over time, they have grown coral gates over the greater breaches, with merfolk always on watch. Several cracks in the seabed enter the ravine, which widens out initially into a vast subterranean space.

As it deepens, the Trench narrows, with the very bottom forming a portal into the heart demiplane of the Lurker - the abyssal citadel of Requiem’s Breach. Tunnels spiral off from the Trench, burrowing through to other locations in the Thunder Sea. These are used by the aboleths to travel beneath the notice of their enemies, most notably the Karatael merfolk who fight against their influence. Entering the Trench is to enter a different world. The inky blackness is permeated by far-off lights and flashes.

Bass tremors ripple up from below, but one cannot tell if they are the groans of beasts or the quaking of the earth. Titan horrors glide through the water, tainted into alien shapes by the Overlord’s influence. Even in slumber, the Lurker’s power here is tangible. The darkness is oppressive, and the faroff lights only make the shadows worse. The danger of the Trench cannot be overstated; this is the domain of alien fear.