Beach-Cliff Sinkhole
Stinking Depression, Glowing Reward
Directly east from the Green Abbey there's an old dirt footpath that leads to silty banks of the chaotic Chorus River. The steep slope hides the bottom of the cliffside and, hidden in that darkness is a narrow sinkhole that stretches several strides along the base of the cliff. Those unfamiliar with the region have been known to slide down the steep cliffside to reach the river but end up watching the light of day disappear above them as they slide (and fall, and tumble, and sink) hundreds of feet into pitch darkness.
The Gardeners living nearby have learned how to avoid the sinkhole and have on occasion used it as a natural trap against wild beasts that sometimes roam the region surrounding the riverside in the pursuit of water. Unfortunately the hole is frequently filled with water from the surging river nearby and becomes essentially invisible, which makes it a threat even to those who would normally know what to look for.
Those who descend into the pit are immediately met with a rancid stench that assaults their senses. Anyone unprotected experiences stinging pain when they inhale, watering eyes, coughing, vomiting, and even loss of consciousness. It only took a small number of incidents before the Green Abbey made a rule - no rescues. Whenever the river is low and it hasn't rained much the whole area reeks with the indescribable scent, diluted however the scent can travel quite far and during seasons of drought it can be smelled all the way back at the abbey.
The impenetrable darkness combined with the stench create a hostile environment so potent that the few who've descended and managed to survive are changed to their core. They become haunted or somehow more fragile than before, nervous. Their mental state never recovers and no one who has accidentally fallen into the sinkhole has ever been returned alive. Those who have entered the sinkhole intentionally in pursuit of discovery or bravado have made a few small discoveries, though as-of-yet nothing that would imply there is anything unusual about the sinkhole itself aside from the potent scent and it's apparent depth.
Type
Cliff
Location under
Comments