Toh Kristael

This saltwater lake at the heart of the Feirgotha Plateau defies most natural laws. No rivers, streams, or other tributaries flow into the lake, and the arid climate generates insufficient precipitation to replenish any water lost to evaporation. To further cement its unnatural origins, Toh Kristael is reputedly bottomless. Some believe the legendary wizard Aka Bakar magically created the lake shortly after his arrival in Akados. In further support of this theory, scholars point to the fact he erected his capital city of Deepharbor on the lake’s northern shores. Unfortunately, after the city’s ruination at the hands of orc marauders, Toh Kristael claimed the razed metropolis as its own, submerging the rubble beneath its waters. However, the dwarves of Clan Craenog vigorously dispute this hypothesis. They insist Toh Kristael was here long before the Kingdom of Arcady sprang into existence. Instead, the dwarves trace the lake’s origins to the foundation of the Stoneheart Mountains themselves, claiming the forces that gave birth to the peaks beget Toh Kristael as well.
The lake’s only possible purely natural effect is its moderation of the prevailing climate surrounding it. The air here remains crisp and dry, but the temperatures are milder than in most parts of the Feirgotha Plateau. Salt and gypsum formations protrude from portions of the lake’s surface along its shallower edges, while the gravel and salt pan bordering the lakefront stifles almost all flora other than a few tufts of grass and cacti tenaciously clinging to isolated clumps of arable topsoil amid the infertile earth.
In 3343 I.R., the explorer J’acu Niimo assembled a salvage team to probe the depths of Toh Kristael to learn more about Deepharbor’s fate and to recover valuable relics. The fabled human druid and his associates dodged the vindictive dwarves patrolling the plateau’s perimeter and arrived at the site two months after setting out from Glaivr. To his dismay, the lake’s saline waters took a heavy toll on the ruins, corroding metallic objects and damaging stone and wood. Disappointed, J’acu expanded his operation to the lake’s southern shore, where he discovered a lone island dominated by a tower. To his surprise, thick vegetation and vines covered the structure’s exterior. J’acu and four of his most able colleagues could not resist the opportunity to personally examine the only standing manmade building that presumably survived the cataclysm that laid waste to Deepharbor and the Kingdom of Arcady. They swam out to the island and were soon engulfed by dozens or perhaps even hundreds of animated corpses. J’acu barely escaped, but the undead monsters devoured his four friends. He abandoned the effort, though the autobiographical account of his expedition, The Anomalous Lake, survives to this day and may prove useful to adventurers aspiring to follow in his illustrious footsteps.

Type

Lake