Depths of Mâbuth

  The Depths of Mâbuth is a gigantic near-depthless hole deep within the Bloody Waste, a cruel and unforgiving desert oft avoided by those travelling through Ioratai. None have dared to explore the location in-depth, especially as going anywhere near the Depths is considered a fruitless and deadly endeavour by most sane wanderers. Even if the lack of food or water, the scorching heat, or the deceptive sands aren't reason enough to sway people from venturing there, then the remaining accounts of the few travellers that have taken a keen interest in the location are usually enough to cast aside such foolish notions.  

Surviving Accounts

Several centuries ago, a merchant caravan found itself driven off-course following a series of misfortunate events involving a couple of unpleasant skirmishes, a poorly timed sandstorm, and a failure to follow the stars. Those fortunate enough to stay alive had found themselves deep within the Bloody Waste, which, while typically a death sentence, especially when unprepared, hadn't been as hopeless of a situation as they first surmised.   Blessed with unusually overcast skies, and enough water and dried food, the lost merchants were able to keep moving, desperately trying all they could to get a sense of their surroundings. Their initial journey had taken them along the western shores of the continent, allowing them to stay on course until they'd been forced to flee and fell victim to the sandstorm. Once the storm cleared, they found themselves deep within a rugged land with red sands, a place they knew as the Bloody Waste.  

Discovery of the Depths

Following several days of restless travel, the weary merchants found their vision once again impeded by the whirling sands. It was thanks to their sense of smell that they first became aware of the Depths of Mâbuth. They could not see it in the distance, but the wretched stench that came from that bottomless pit was hard not to notice. A small group of the lost caravaneers volunteered to go forth and investigate the strange odour, hoping that perhaps it could serve as a landmark should they find themselves going in circles.   The journey towards the source of the smell took a couple of hours and the winds had calmed, giving the explorers a clear view of the great chasm before them. As they stood in admiration of the vastness of what stood before them, a few of the explorers began to vomit. They had felt off earlier already, but they had dismissed those as signs of their exhaustion. Now as they all grew aware of their developing symptoms, the realisation of what wicked evils haunted those Depths had dawned. They began their march through the soft sands as fast as they could, but it had been too late. Many of them were too weak and disoriented, sinking into the sand or wandering off in wayward directions.  

Escape to Salvation

Only a handful made it back alive to their restless companions who had also mentioned the strange taste of metal in their mouths, but whose symptoms were far less severe. With the dangers of the Depths of Mâbuth clear to them, the group headed west, walking in a straight line away from the death that lurked in the deep. The path they chose led them to a steep cliff that threatened to force them back towards danger, but after a brief detour southwards, they found an opening, which eventually led them back over the hills toward the sea. Many of them perished on the journey, but the few that survived were able to rediscover their old route and the way to salvation.