The Scar of the World
The Scar of the World: the largest lake in the known world. The ancient evidence of a glacier; the home of two ancient cultures; the buffer between two powerful militaries; the subject of many a myth and rhyme. The Greatest Lake is full of history, magic, and power. The Sea elves at the bottom of the lake war with the Merrow for supremacy, unaware of similar wars on the surface. A ghostly, haunting fog rolls in each night, voices screaming for help within. Legends tell of a god-beast battling a demigod beneath the ground. Those who fish or ferry others across the lake stand to make a profit, but how much money is your life truly worth?
Geography
The Scar of the world is a huge lake in the center of Faecrosti. The terrain around it is rocky and plain, with mountains (hills really) on the north and south sides. The water is very reflective and is beautiful deep blue at day and turns orange-ish at sunset. At night, a thick, supernatural fog rolls in over the lake, in which people can hear voices calling for help. The soil around the lake is very rich in nutrients. The lake itself is fresh water.
Ecosystem
The lake is a large and varied ecosystem. When the tides are low, crustaceans and sea caves are revealed, but those who venture into the caves will find themselves drowned when the tide returns. The tidal zones and sea caves give way to lakeweed forests, where small sharks and ambush predators lay in wait for fish that eat the lakeweed. Further down the lakeweed becomes smooth pebbles, sand, and ship debris. Down here more crustaceans and fish sift through the moss, pebbles, and ship bodies for food. Above them in open water small schools of fish swim around and are occasionally fished for or hunted by sharks. Towards the northern end of the lake live knucklehead trout. Even deeper the lake thickens and becomes very dark. Down here live two micro-civilizations: the secluded sea-elves and the merrow. Also down here, one may find small (donkey sized), blind hippocampi.
Ecosystem Cycles
The top of the lake on the northern side freezes over during the winter, however, the knucklehead trout usually break the ice into small floating islands. During the winter months when the night is longer many of the bottom-dwelling predators come up for easier prey. During the summer months, the lake is at a lower level and many of the tidal zone creatures migrate to the lakeweed forest. Gellicants (Nicknamed lake-gulls due to their similarities to Sea gulls) migrate from Khafringa in the summer to feast on the more vulnerable denizens of the lake.
Localized Phenomena
A spectral fog rolls in each night, from which people can hear pleas for help. Most sailors who sail at night do not return, their ships drifting back to shore or becoming another one of the graves at the bottom of the lake. Besides that, flash floods happen often and rainstorms are rare due to be being broken by the mountains/hills.
History
The Scar of the World was created in times long past by the movement of a great glacier into a valley. In the time of civilization, sea elves and their enemies: merrow descended to the bottom of the lake to start rival civilization. The scar was the container for their many conflicts over thousands of years. The lake has been an unofficial border of many surface kingdoms for thousands of years as well. The Spectral fog over the lake has only been recorded for the past 900 years.
Alternative Name(s)
The greatest lake
Type
Lake
Contested By
Related Myths
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