Sunfire Lake

The lake is obscured by a thick forest, trees growing close to the bank for nearly its whole length. Only the south beach is sandy.

To the west of the lake, the ground slopes upward sharply, those most eastern houses of Willowmoor visible at the top of the slope. To the east of the lake, the ground slopes downward gradually, eventually leveling off in a valley as the forest continues to stretch on for miles.

As with most lakes, its ecosystem can be split into three general areas: the shallow zone near the shore, the open water, and the land surrounding the body of water. Algae forms upon many rocks in both the shallow and deep zones; a variety of water plants also grow in the shallows while lilies can be seen floating out on the surface of the lake. Insects of all kinds also call the lake home, as well as snails, crayfish, and mollusks. A variety of fish can be found in the lake, including but not limited to, trout, carp, mackerel; and it's also home to various amphibians, lizards, and water fowl. Because it is a large water source in the forest, it will draw other animal life as well, like elk or bears.

Due to the harsh winters, the lake freezes over for several months out of the year, the top layer turning solid for several inches down. The bugs, lizards and amphibians disappear to return again with the thaw and first blossoms of spring, and other animals are less likely to visit as they hibernate or stick closer to the flowing rivers. When the ice starts to break with the thaw, the sound of it cracking can be heard from the most eastern side of the nearby village.

The lake is small enough not to affect the climate much, though it can be noticeably more humid near its shores during the summer months. It experiences all the weather that Willowmoor does: wind, rain, snow, hail, and beautiful sunshiny days.

The primary resources the lake gives are water and food. Though Willowmoor is also surrounded by rivers, the lake provides the most constant source of water, and they will draw from its depths to store up ahead of winter. As years pass, the lake will no longer be seen as a primary source of food, but it will always be a primary source of water.

In Willowmoor's early days, wildlife was still drawn to the lake, so it became a prime hunting ground temporarily. Even after the animals stopped coming because the human settlement was too close by, the place remained a popular fishing spot. Villagers still go there to fish sometimes, but not as much as they used to.

When the first survivors arrived at the place that became Willowmoor, they considered it a good omen to have a lake so close to what would become the perimeter of the village. It would become the place they celebrated their Bonfire Night, and soon that would be the only time the place would feel safe.

Shortly after the village building got underway, women started going missing and the lake became the suspected crime scene, so rules were imposed: no going there alone or after sundown. Only a few short months later, a body was fished out of the lake, connecting the place to the disappearances that had been happening. Even after the perpetrator was caught, it remained an eerie place no one wanted to visit on their own.

As time passed, several village leaders tried to revamp the area around the lake. It became a place for weddings in the spring, water activities in the summer, festive celebration in the autumn, and ice skating in the winter. Some of these attempts helped in the short run, but when tragedy continued to strike at and near the lake, the rumor that it was cursed only grew and became stronger. In time, the only lasting event continued to be Bonfire Night.

These days, signs are posted around the lake to discourage people from visiting alone or spending too much time there even in groups. Children especially are warned away from the place, and women are told to exercise more caution there since there's a superstition that the murky depths call specifically to them. It's considered a rite of passage now for teenagers to sneak around the lake in the dark of night, and many a scary tale has come out of this ritual to be passed down to the next generations.