Drowning Maw
Thirsting for More
We grant our bodies to they who eats all. May our flesh nourish its broken form, for may they use it to cleanse all in sacred breath.
The Drowning Maw is a cliff found on Scalerot Island's western side. A toothy drop used as a ritualistic funeral site, its size and appearance lead to many mysteries about its formation.
Jaws of Decay
Scales & Bone
Large Dragon scales lie scattered around the cliff-side, some centuries old. Many believe it was because the Drowning Maw was a place for them to shed their hides together.
Others believe it also was a place where many Dragons went to die due to the abundance of fossils in the area. Several bones appear around the maw, although most got scavenged by the local communities over the centuries.
Rotting Teeth
The waters around the Drowning Maw are decorated by large protruding rocks, with the overhanging cliff full of stalactites. For anyone daring to jump, the fall is guaranteed lethal.
Attempts to count the totals measure it in the hundreds, some spikes a dozen feet tall. Although people also doubt their formation comes from saltwater eroding stone, with high concentrations of calcium in them.
The Stench of Death
While Scalerot Island is known for its intense smell, nowhere as potent as here. The ocean rots with decay, the stench of death burning one’s nose. Being within its waters alone makes one nauseous enough to gag, making most avoid approaching the cliff from the seaside.
It appears that the stench comes from the cavern located below the Drowning Maw, leading into the island’s depths. But with the horrific smell, nobody dares exploring it themselves.
Sacrifices to be Made
The Devourer's Cult sees the cliff as sacred ground, used in all sorts of rituals. The most common is that of a burial site, where a deceased one’s body gets thrown off the end into the waters below. This way, it would feed the supposed Dracoratrix they worship.
The cult is very protective of the cliff, with most intruders attacked on the spot. While local tales say intruders got thrown off as well, proper reports show this to be sacrilegious against their beliefs. Instead, they got carried off elsewhere to keep the site pure.
Deep Breaths
Those who sail near the maw spoke of feeling strong winds moving in and out from the area, as if something massive was still breathing. Nobody knows who or what causes it, but it became a concern that something lives beneath the cliff feeding off the Kobold burials.
In the same manner, the waters around the cliff occasionally start bubbling. Most assume it to be natural gas escaping from below, but some describe it akin to desperate gasps for air. All of it raising questions on what the Kobolds are feeding below the cliff.
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