History

The Beginning

The caverns of the Jungle regions are partly made of ancient structures, partly natural. They do not stay underground for long, many of them have collapsed and were overgrown long ago. The Sacred Grotto is one just like that. Only reachable by walking underground, it had posed an interesting challenge for the first settlers in the area.
It is said that they were stricken by the beauty of the place, when they first emerged from the tunnels and caverns. Rainwater had collected in the middle and flooded a large part of the ancient structures. They settled down in the surrounding caverns, using ancient structures as their base, and the giant pool of water as their fresh water.
 

The Troubles

For a year or two, nothing really happened. The settlers lived their lives, investigating the ruins around them and building up a way to survive on long-term scale. Then the troubles began. Their crops did not grow well, the animals they wanted to hunt eluded them and the predators grew more and more aggressiv with each passing day.
As their last reserves were destroyed by a giant thunderstorm, Sholol saw no other way than to accept the deal the slumbering god had proposed to her. They became one, her mind and body, their power and knowledge.
With the godly power and the ancient magic of the continent to guide her, Sholol managed to reform her friends, family and colleagues into something new. Bodies more adapted to the aquatic world, so that they might hide within the waters, sensitive gills to let them breathe beneath the water and perceive their surroundings, even without their eyes. She gave them the power to heal even great wounds almost instantly, as long as they were strong enough to do so. A select few were chosen to become her warriors, she infused them with the power of the storm. Fire and Lightning would be their weapons from this day on.
So the Gillfolk were born, from toil and strife, from thunder and lightning.

Monastery

In the current days, the grove is a sacred place dedicated to Sholol. No weapons are allowed within its borders. Everyone is welcome, as long as they stay out of trouble. Many of the citiziens leaving their home for the first time are perceived as very sheltered and sometimes even out of touch with reality.
While many monks and others that have dedicated their life to Sholol can be found here, they have also attracted many other worshippers of hers. Since her domain became the scholarly pursuit of this new continent, the grotto has turned into a hub for scholars and arcanists dedicated to the history of the world.
 

Pilgrims

Many pilgrims flock to the sacred grotto out of religious reasons. Bathing in the waters of the grotto is considered a holy act and is reserved for all that wish to partake in it, although the guards take great care to ensure no contamination ever reaches the waters.