The Gahara

Gahara or The Gahara entrance is deep, rocky hole in the Northern Isle - made up of a Cavity, a few fissures and a cleft - a narrow cleft in the rocks too small for most humanoids to enter.
It is 35,000 feet deep. - at the top it has a downward sloping path in the rock walls.

"The Climb down was long, like being lowered into a endless darkness. At the bottom was walls of glow worms - like millions of eyes watching us. The colourful Dragonflies flew around, only coming close when we settled to sleep. We dared not go any further down."

It is located somewhere close to the Echo Woods across the Dusk Quagmire, between the settlements of Non, Belve and Odd, there is a 70-foot opening in the ground.
It leads down into Ru'Than - coming out near The Silk Lake and Kyspar city.

The entrance is not easy to spot, even as a person approaches - tall monkey puzzle trees grow nearby and around it. There is numerous dips and slight rise in the land surrounding it - without advantage points nearby.

A tunnel of tall Oak trees leads from the Echo Woods towards The Gahara.

DIRE BOAR

A large male moose has been killed and then dragged, leaving trail of dry blood and flesh torn away. The dead animals has attracted Vultures.
Large hoof prints mark the trails of a mob of five large ugly looking, ill-tempered Dire Boar - fearsome beasts that resembles a gigantic boar with razor-sharp tusks, coarse fur, and keen eyesight.
When any of the Dire Boar fall to the ground almost dead they change turning into Fiendish Dire Boar - with crazed looks in their eyes, larger tusks - bellowing bloodthirsty screams as they charge forward with murderous intent.

ALTAR

A stone low table, under the shadows of a rocky ledge, is an altar of offerings remains - the bones of animals and molds - including bones scattered on the ground, covered in gems from the minerals and deposits in the soil around the altar, as minerals like silica replace the organic material of the bone, preserving its structure and sometimes creating beautiful, colourful patterns - opalized bones. That is a result of a chemical reaction of the decomposing body with the soils minerals.
The claw marks and hoof prints match the marks on the side of the altar - large, along with a few Fiend feathers - like those worn by Tevin.

CLIMB DOWN

It grows steadily steeper after the offering table.
During heavy rain the path becomes like a water slide, with a river of water running down.

It does not look easy to get down inside. Many people use the long, thick ropes that hang down to a much lower ledge, from where other explorers have gone inside - they are damp, frayed and old.
Those with the ability to fly, go across to the only slightly lower cliff ledge that is awkward to climb too.
* The easiest way down is well hidden in folds of rock, that remain unseen to those who have no idea that smaller, child size entrance exists.

The air is stale and humid as a person goes downwards. Moss covers the walls - hanging with rotting tree roots and dead vines.
* The muggy, humid air of being close to the Dusk Quagmire gives way to to the drier, dusty musty air of being underground.
As people travel down, they see the various layers of rocks from the creation and eras of Esau ... (backwards in eras - older as gets deeper) Humanoids influence; Magical era; Tempil Epoch (dark times The Greening (The Vexil The Colossal Flood; cracks as planet separated lands; The Basal Winter (The Vaxil The Melding. The rock creates tunnels which range from flat straight stretches to sloped jagged rock. Steps are rare - formed by old mud slips and water.

The walls are filled with Glow Worms and large colourful Giant Dragonflies linger. A dead Dire Boar lies splatted on the rocky floor - most bones crushed by the fall.

AT THE BOTTOM

A shadowy cavern, which goes unseen by most explorers, to the right of the flat floor of The Gahara, with stairs leading slightly up into a long tunnel, which leads to a vortex to The Plane of Void.
Ceilings inside are around 8 feet high in corridors and 12 feet high in some side caverns.

Certain areas and the 'short cuts' of The Gahara are only accessible only by way of narrow tunnels. - these crawlways are only 3 feet high and 2 feet wide.

Stairs in The Gahara are carved out of the rock - each step is topped with a single slab of cut stone. The skulls and bones of dead humanoids fill niches along the walls of each staircase. The staircases run 35 feet between each level.

Stalking the bottom tiers of The Gahara is the Hound Doom - from the litter of Kerberos a three headed Hound from the Shadowfell and Desirosa a Phase Hound from The Hells . Doom was once the grunt of the litter, however has grown to only be outsized by Cerberus, who guards for Mask in the Shadowfell (in place of their father). Doom has an imposing size, powerful, muscular build, vicious, intense, focused eyes, and a perpetual scowl making him very intimidating. He has two heads that are larger in proportion to her body size, and larger canine teeth than most hounds. His colouring id dark grey shimmer with black patches, with a serpent's tail and a lion's claws. Doom can phase to most planes and realms. Disturbingly his purr sounds like a weird countdown. His favourite food is Jungle Fish - which Doom found out when swam through the River Styx when visited The Hells to visit litter mate Mishap.

A symbol pattern of a runes in Dragonic made with liquid gold, silver and bronze. There are black shining gem stones pressed into the design in a chaotic manner - to ancient break the protection spell.
Claw marks and Fiend feathers the same as around the alter are scattered there.

Hidden in the darkness is pair of monstrous stone figurines

The Gahara leads down into the Underdark of Ru'Than - which is not one giant cavern under the Northern Isle, but rather many huge networks of caverns and caves. While it was possible to travel from one place to another within Ru'Than - it is not easy to reach Ru'Mal from there, as it is across tthe Undersea - and has very few passages linking them.
A chatty mephit - says name is Crissy - tied and chained on a stake - speaks Terran - keeps making promises of leading Party to the children - has never been past The Silk Lake.

Sounds

Towards the bottom, people can hear the flowing of the Kynym River, from the other side of the rocky walls.

Hear howls of hounds - Cavvekan - also known as bat-faced dogs.

Sights

Rocky terrain - curves around to reveal banks of Silk Lake.
2 small caverns off main wide path - one each side - on the bend
Walls covered in patches of moss and a few fugus grows in parts of the cavern and tunnels.
There are sloped paths leading up to narrow paths that have height advantage - about 8ft up - only a few places to hide.

Smells

Water - Silk Lake ahead
Fungus, mildew and stale air - stuffiness, unpleasant odours

Touch

Windy

Tastes

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Tar Pit

The two tar pits appear as nothing more than a shallow pond, located in the darkness - a DC 13 Wisdom (Survival) check OR a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check is enough to recognize the danger. A tar pit is like quicksand - yet ignites if brought into contact with open flame.
Creatures stuck in a tar pit need to make a DC15 Strength (Athletics) swim check to move 5 feet (in any direction), failure results in sinking 5′ and beginning to drown.
Close fails of 4 or less to float where they are. A creature whose head falls beneath the surface of tar will need to succeed on a swim check to get to closer to the surface or be rescued, otherwise see drowning rules.

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One section of the cavern is tiled with large 10ft by 10ft tiles - six tiles between the side walls - length of 22 tiles. Some of these are pressure plates

Poison Darts

10-foot-square pressure plates, that look the same as the other tiles, are triggered by weight. Moss obscures the tiny holes in the walls through which the darts are fired, but they can be spotted with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. With a careful inspection of the floor and a successful check, a character notes irregularities in the floor's tile that reveal the pressure plates.
Wedging an iron spike or similar object under a plate prevents that plate from being triggered. Stuffing the wall holes adjacent to a pressure plate with cloth or wax prevents the darts from being fired.
When a plate is triggered - there is a CLICK! - 2 poisoned darts shoot out from spring-loaded tubes from both walls.
Each dart makes a ranged attack - +8 to hit - against a random target within 10 feet of the pressure plate. Any creature hit by a dart takes 1d4 +1 piercing damage - they must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw - taking 4d6 poison damage on a failed save - half as much damage on a successful save.

Daggers Rapid Fire

Stepping onto certain pressure points release a rapid firing of daggers. Creatures must run out of range, find shelter, or start to dodge daggers.
* Radius is five rows of tiles - each is 10ft rows.
A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) to be aware of the danger.
Suddenly, the first “drop” falls from the ceiling - a perfectly formed iron dagger. Any creatures caught in will be the target of 1d6 knives each round - each knife makes a ranged attack with a +5 bonus against a random target. Any cover such as shields held overhead or other portable items used as cover should be rolled with disadvantage to hit. A target that is hit takes 1d4+1 piercing damage.


Hazards are typically non-sentient, passive challenges characters occasionally encounter and present some difficulty or hardship upon them unless successfully dealt with. Hazards include things like dangerous terrains, falling from tall heights, harsh weather, and more.
+ Darkness and Obscurement
+ Dropping or Loosing Equipment
+ Dehydration
+ Exhaustion
+ Falling[br] + https://www.5esrd.com/gamemastering/hazards/gaseous-waters/
+ Starvation
+ Memory Moss

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There are six types of vents along the tunnels that release gas:
1. blinding
2. acidic
3. obscuring
4. paralyzing
5. poisonous
6. sleep-inducing



It is not on any map - too many people who do know anything, consider it is just a minor myth (lost in time).
It leads down to The Silk Lake in Ru'Than ( the Underdark, which lies beneath the Northern Isle ).

Clockwork Doorway

This doubled doored is carved to depict the face of an ornate clock - enormous interlocking gears and cogs - forming a cuckoo clock. Open the door = ROLL 1d2
1 The Hells = They suddenly have an image of waves of heat assail them as the door opens, revealing an iron road leading to a basalt citadel surrounded by the charred remains of defeated armies. Prisoners scream from iron gibbets that festoon the citadel walls.
Suddenly, a single glowing ember flies out of the wardrobe and transforms into a winged, bony Fiend with a smiling, skull-like visage - opening the wardrobe summons a bone devil - when it dies, its body transforms into a pool of stinking ichor.
2 the Shadowfell realm = They see an image of a wide ancient cemetery, its canted tombstones shrouded in eerie, hungry shapes move among the graves in the distance.
Suddenly, bright glowing balls of light appear in the room behind you. Opening the wardrobe summons four will-o'-wisps, which are invisible until they attack. Nothing remains of them when they are destroyed.

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Blighted Cavern

Magical, cursed, necrotic, ground-based
This is an area of blighted ground created by the curse from the Eldritch magic during The War of Wings - the altar above was set up to distract and appease those creatures of Ru'Than. The protection symbol was foamed but then broken which activated other Types of Magic. It is strange how the stone looked gnarled and twisted in the darkness - out the sun.
* A Beholder hides, hovering above, invisible to the naked eye - within the area.

Terrain Anchor = An large stone relic is causing the terrain, it has AC 14 and 120 hit points.
It is immune to necrotic, poison, and psychic damage, and has resistance to all other damage types. It deals 4d4 necrotic damage per round to any non-attuned creature touching it. Any creature killed by it, becomes an awakened tree if humanoid, or an awakened shrub if it was a beast - both become chaotic evil.

Duration = The terrain ends 1d12 hours after the Beholder Jorlush is driven out or destroyed - and/or the stone relic is removed or destroyed.
If the relic or Jorlush return to the terrain returns to the area, all terrain effects resume as before. However, the area of effect is reduced to half its original radius, centred on the relic. The area of effect increases by 10% per hour until it occupies its original radius.

Area Radiates = Conjuration, Eldritch and necromancy magic.
Area of Effect = it effects a 200ft radius area of The Gahara.
Expanded Area of Effect = The area of effect seeps beyond its original borders to threaten a wider area - so it reaches 90 feet in all directions.

Recognize Danger = Make a DC 10 Perception, Nature, or Survival check to recognize the transition from normal to difficult terrain. If you succeed, you may stop before entering.
Dispel Magic = This terrain cannot be dispelled.
Difficult Terrain = Creatures move at half-speed in this terrain due to the constant hazards of thorns, vines, low-hanging rocky ledges, and uneven surfaces. If you move faster, you must succeed at a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw every round or else trip and take 1d4 bludgeoning damage, and be knocked prone. For every 30 minutes, you spend in this terrain, you must succeed at a DC 13 Constitution saving throw - or suffer 1 level of Exhaustion from fighting the blight every step.
Blighted creatures and those native to the blight ignore this penalty. To be considered “native,” a creature must have spent 3+ months living all or mostly inside this specific blighted wilderness.

Curse of the Blight: For every day a beast or humanoid spends in this terrain, it must succeed at a DC 13 Constitution save, or be afflicted by the curse of the blight. Blighted creatures become twisted and deformed, covered in bark, moss, and Fungus, and their alignment shifts one step closer toward evil. They gain a permanent stoneskin, but continue to lose 1 point of Charisma per day, becoming more hideous and tree-like.

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As soon as their Charisma score drops to 0, they transform into an awakened stone if humanoid, or an awakened boulder if a beast.
Their alignment becomes chaotic evil. If you succeed at 3 saves over 3 consecutive days, you are immune to this blight’s curse, but not to any other blighted wilderness’s curse you encounter.
Blighted creatures cannot leave this terrain or they suffer 1 point of necrotic damage per round.
They also suffer 1 point of necrotic damage per round while exposed to nonmagical sunlight. The curse can be removed by remove curse (etc.) as long as the creature has not turned into a plant; if it has, only a greater restoration or heal can remove it.
It changes how Types of Magic are effective.
Enchantment, Stone, Eldritch, and Necromancy Magic = All enchantment, necromancy, stone, and eldritch-based magic (such as Eldritch Blast) has its DC increased by +2 and on a failed save, if it deals damage, it deals an extra 1d6 necrotic damage (regardless of whatever type it normally deals). In addition, the range of all such magic is doubled.
Plant, Fire and Wood Magic = effects have their DC reduced by -2. In addition, range is halved. Any creature seen to be using these magics instantly becomes the primary target for blighted creatures to attack.
Dying of the Light = All magical fire and radiant effects have their bright and dim light reduced by half thanks to the stone walls.
Tracking and Stealth = Tracking and Stealth rolls suffer disadvantage. Blighted creatures or those native to the blight gain advantage.

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Jorlush Fight

Fighting Jorlush = is actually a regular Beholder named Jorlush using the Ring of Invisibility to become unseen - allowing it to gain surprise and target players with its potent eye rays and other abilities from an advantageous position.
The Beholder knows Deep Speech and Undercommon - it refers to itself in the third person. Haughty and defiant - it delights in the destruction of tomb robbers while refusing to yield. Any character who understands its words can translate a few of Belchorzh's choice sayings:
"You fight like flumphs!"
"You are no match for Jorlush the Unseen's terrible eye rays!"
"What ugly, imperfect creatures you are."
Jorlush has 135 hit points, a Challenge Rating of 14, and can use various eye rays like the Disintegration Ray or the Fear Ray, with the addition of invisibility - makes it particularly dangerous.
Living creatures that come within 10 feet of Jorlush also suffer 1 point of necrotic damage per round - NO SAVE - from the cloud of necrotic spores circling around it like gnats. This damage is in addition to any similar abilities, traits, or powers the monster or villain has - Terrain Affect.
Living creatures within 5 feet of it take 2 points of necrotic damage per round.
Creatures with resistance to necrotic damage take no damage unless they come within 5 feet of it; at that point, they take 1 point of necrotic damage for each round they remain adjacent.
LOOT = 5,000 sp, and 2,200 gp; A clay chameleon statuette covered in crystal beads that change colours (25 gp A gold coronet shaped like an octopus with mother-of-pearl eyes (2,500 gp a potion of diminution

IMPS

The secondary monster are Fiend are 2d6 emerald green Imps - they can create and maintain both an entangle and spike growth in a 20 foot radius around itself (recharge 4-6) - spell requires concentration to maintain. Each person needs a separate DC 15 saving throw to avoid.

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BLACK OBELISK

The glow of this can be seen like a dark beacon above Kyspar city from across The Silk Lake.