Angel Cove

Den of Monsters

^{Image credit- Artbreeder}

Location and Climate-

Angel Cove is a massive coastal salt flat near Central Nevia, surrounded by uncharted grassland and ocean. Due to its orange, chalky ground and the colorful salt crystals and coral that dot its surface, the area is often compared to a otherworldly mosaic.

The climate is dry and arid, with shallow divots in the earth providing the only source of water. Storms are rare, but vicious, with lethal winds and hail. These harsh conditions have resulted in the only known alliance between Nevian and Seeker- covered in 'In the Monster's Den.'

Flora and Fauna-

Any creature living in Angel Cove has had to adapt to low water and very high salt. Regular plants and trees are near non-existent, and hardy corals are the only flora that survives consistently. The corals serve as a crucial food source, though they often fuse with salt crystals and pillars- affectionately nicknamed 'Corstals,' they are a source of fascination for biologists in Nevia.
There are precious few large creatures in Angel Cove, as most life takes the form of small fish or crustaceans. However, there is one main predator- the Coral Seeker. Smaller than its cousins, but more vicious, this variant of Seeker averages six feet long, travels in packs, and spends more time on land than in the water. They are also responsible for Angel Cove's poor reputation, and the horror stories of the miners that never came back.

Resources-

Angel Cove has one incredibly valuable resource- Crystal salt. With a slightly sweeter, sharper taste than rock or sea salt, due to its exposure to the coral that grows near it, salt mining businesses quickly pounced on the new resource and began drilling into the ground and exploring caves looking for large deposits. Currently, Angel Cove is the only known area that Crystal salt forms in, making it even more valuable.
Though used mainly in seasoning food, crystal salt can play a part in many enchantments and rituals, producing slightly different results than other types of salt.
The unique Corstal formations are also a popular oddity, often used as souvenirs, trinkets, or to try to get children excited for science.

Mythical Significance-

Angel Cove is known as one of the most significant steps in understanding the art of prophecy and seeing the future, as it was the subject of the first prophecy to be widely believed. Before the Angel Cove Tragedy, any branch of predicting the future was seen as a fool's errand, with no confirmed backing that it did any good. This changed after the Tragedy, and shaped the art of prophecy into what it is today- something feared, but respected.

Angel's Lament: The Angel Cove Tragedy-

The children's song known as Angel's Lament had been around for decades before Angel Cove was discovered- a mournful song about a young girl grieving her lost brother, who sailed on Amity Lake at night and never came back. To cope with his loss, she invents a fantastical place in her mind- Angel Cove, a wonderful place that her brother had gone to.
When Angel Cove was first discovered, it matched the song's description well, a heavenly place of rainbow crystals and bright skies. And around this time, children began singing the song constantly. Over and over, seemingly unaware of what they were doing, they would sing the verses together.
However, most had disregarded the second half of the song. Where the girl sings that no one comes back from Angel Cove. Like the Cove had matched the first verses, it again matched the last. Mining groups sent to Angel Cove did not return unscathed, less than half surviving their first trip to the caves. They spoke of an invisible terror, a predator felt rather than seen- and when you did see it, it was far too late. Many of the most well-regarded and chilling horror stories written take inspiration from that dread- that every time you turn around, there is one less friend looking back at you.
Aside from causing a mass panic around children’s songs that lasted nearly a decade and still lingers today, the Angel Cove Tragedy illustrated the first and most important rule of prophecies and fortune-telling- that the world anticipates tragedies. Angel's Lament was written decades before the event that it mirrored, and children were singing it weeks before miners started disappearing. Each time, the future bled into the past, and the web of time finally revealed itself.

True History-

So what actually happened at Angel Cove?
When Angel Cove was first discovered, the salt was hotly fought over. Such a valuable resource, in such great quantities, was something highly valued, and miners were sent into the caves to see if even more precious materials could be taken and sold.
When the first few teams never made it back, companies hid the disappearances, not wanting to lose a source of income. When the losses became too much to ignore, another superstition sprang up regarding the possible cause- that the salt fumes had poisoned and killed the workers. As several Nevian species have a mild allergic reaction to too much salt, this was not seen as improbable. Burning any kind of salt in a person's home became a way of cursing them with ill fortune, and the value of salt dropped rapidly.
The salt mining companies then became panicked, not wanting to bring down their industry, and furthered research into the true reason that teams weren't coming back. They found no bodies, but they did find marks of a large predator, and later managed to glimpse of what looked like a moving chunk of salt scuttling into a tunnel. Eventually, a new Seeker breed was identified, and miners were supposedly equipped with gear that could ward off the deadly creatures.
Despite these assurances, salt mining remains an incredibly dangerous occupation, with one of the worst mortality rates of any job. Almost all the industries workers have no other choice, choosing between starvation or to join the ranks of miners.

'In the Monsters Den'

A book written by a miner in Angel Cove, about her encounter with a young Coral Seeker. Forced together by a deadly storm, trapped in an uneasy alliance, she begins to question what sets her apart from them- are we not all doing what we need to survive?
Massively controversial, and banned in quite a few territories, the book challenges the superiority that Nevians feel over other creatures, and asks what makes us so different from the creatures we revile.

And as I looked into those blank eyes, I felt like everything I had known was falling apart. Why were we so much better than the creatures we were taught to hate? What made us superior?
Nothing.
I looked to the Seekers eyes again.
I saw no kindness there, but I saw life. And perhaps, that was enough.