Post by DM Leverage on Mar 9, 2013 7:35:22 GMT -5
Giant’s Chalice (Lower Darklands)
- Forgotten Realms : Underdark -
This brackish lake, located 12 miles under the Trader’s Road, is enormous even by surface standards. Probably named by Shanataran dwarves for the stone giants who used to dwell above it, Giant’s Chalice is the largest known freshwater body in the Lowerdark. Creatures from miles around come to drink from the lake, and predators come to hunt them.
For more than a millennium, a race of intelligent octopi have lived in Giant’s Chalice, feeding from and tending to a glowing coral reef that lights up the water in spots, casting eerie, beautiful shadows on the walls and ceiling. The octopi carve the coral into intricate shapes and trade these with sea elves who swim in to meet them through flooded passages from the Sea of Fallen Stars.
This arrangement worked well until about 15 years ago, when mind flayers introduced vampire squids into the lake. Though they greatly outnumber these invaders, the octopi are pacifists. Thus far, they have tried to address the problem by appealing to the squids’ sense of justice, mercy, or reason. The squids, being chaotic evil and barely above animal intelligence, have responded by eating the octopi. A few among the octopi have now concluded that active resistance is necessary. They have appealed to their sea elf trading partners for help and begun developing combat skills and arcane magic to combat their foes.
The octopi have long since forgotten the mind flayers who released the squids, but the illithids have not forgotten their plans. Their goal is to control the sea elves and, by extension, parts of the Sea of Fallen Stars. They expected the octopi to ask for help from the elves long before now, but they didn’t take into account the octopi’s stubborn commitment to peace. Now that the sea elves have begun showing up in greater numbers in Giant’s Chalice, the mind flayers intend to capture some as thralls and begin the next step of their insidious plan.
- Forgotten Realms : Underdark -
This brackish lake, located 12 miles under the Trader’s Road, is enormous even by surface standards. Probably named by Shanataran dwarves for the stone giants who used to dwell above it, Giant’s Chalice is the largest known freshwater body in the Lowerdark. Creatures from miles around come to drink from the lake, and predators come to hunt them.
For more than a millennium, a race of intelligent octopi have lived in Giant’s Chalice, feeding from and tending to a glowing coral reef that lights up the water in spots, casting eerie, beautiful shadows on the walls and ceiling. The octopi carve the coral into intricate shapes and trade these with sea elves who swim in to meet them through flooded passages from the Sea of Fallen Stars.
This arrangement worked well until about 15 years ago, when mind flayers introduced vampire squids into the lake. Though they greatly outnumber these invaders, the octopi are pacifists. Thus far, they have tried to address the problem by appealing to the squids’ sense of justice, mercy, or reason. The squids, being chaotic evil and barely above animal intelligence, have responded by eating the octopi. A few among the octopi have now concluded that active resistance is necessary. They have appealed to their sea elf trading partners for help and begun developing combat skills and arcane magic to combat their foes.
The octopi have long since forgotten the mind flayers who released the squids, but the illithids have not forgotten their plans. Their goal is to control the sea elves and, by extension, parts of the Sea of Fallen Stars. They expected the octopi to ask for help from the elves long before now, but they didn’t take into account the octopi’s stubborn commitment to peace. Now that the sea elves have begun showing up in greater numbers in Giant’s Chalice, the mind flayers intend to capture some as thralls and begin the next step of their insidious plan.
