Inked Inversion

Description

In the middle of Fal'Zhardum Din cave, this mysterious structure of unknown origin entices the arcanists all over the world. The structure is shaped as though a massive funnel; its thick, circular wall cradles a wide pit which plunges deep into the earth, and it slopes inward as it descends. The building is constructed of pseudogranite, though geomancers have decisively concluded it is not common stone. On the inside of the pit, hundreds of doors are interspersed along a maze of stairways. Each door leads to a room or a tunnel, some isolated from the others and some connecting to neighboring spaces.   As labyrinthine as the network of stairways, doors, rooms, and tunnels is, the task of charting the Inked Inversion is even more immense. The contents of these chambers challenge explorers. Some are mundane, containing armchairs and hearths with chimneys that lead nowhere yet still consume the smoke of fires built under them. Others are home to aberrant horrors which melt the minds of any who beholds them. Concerningly, previously charted maps often prove inaccurate during delves, which has led more than one keen mind to wonder if the Inked Inversion rearranges itself over time.   Additionally, one final challenge awaits any who seeks the bottom of the Inversion. The wall of the main pit is etched with scrawling black letters, seemingly made of fresh ink which cannot be cleansed from its surface by mundane or magical means. This ink evaporates in an unending plume of black mist, which grows opaquer the lower one delves. At a certain point, the air becomes so thick with this inky fog that vision is utterly impossible. At this depth, even those with truesight are unable to discern ledge from step.   The inked Inversion is often suspected to be the cause of the strange gravity within the cave.


Cover image: Farewell by Greg Rutkowski

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