The Haumea Valley
by Mike HarveyJohn Calvin wrote:
Here is the first photo, something from the Mammoth Hot Springs area:
Where is this on Mystara?
Who lives here on Mystara?
What are the secrets associated with this place on Mystara?
Why would adventurers want to go here?
The picture shows the view westward from the Black Palace in Ierendi.
This is a geothermal site in the semiarid highlands due south of Makalaui Crater, looking westward toward the mountains south of Port Siers. A deep valley runs north and south between the western mountains and the geothermal site, from Mt Kikapua to Port Siers. The valley is semiarid, in the rainshadow of the mountains, and is mostly not forested. The windward side of the mountains capture nearly all of the rain from the Sea of Dread and the western slopes are covered with dense rainforests and towering waterfalls, some of the densest jungle in the entire kingdom.
The Haumea Valley is actually a rift valley that was formed, possibly at the same time Kikianu caldera collapsed. A massive block slid downward, forming a huge and very deep lake where the valley is now. The lake draine to the north, carving a narrow slot canyon just south of the site of Port Siers. Ultimately the lake drained through the gorge, leaving behind a rugged valley in the midst of the mountains. The Haumea River rises in the foothills of Mt Kikapua and flows north through the valley, exiting through the gorge, and Port Siers was built on the estuary of this river. The river flows swiftly and strongly, fed by runoff and many springs, but is not navigable due to many rapids and waterfalls. The floor of the valley is very rugged with cliffs, fault blocks, and lava flows, plus the canyons cut by the river and its tributaries.
Circa 1000 BC, the lake still existed high among the clouds, and lizard men dwelt in the swamps and marshes along its shores. The mountains to the east of the lake had a great deal of geothermal activity, and were the center of a Kopru kingdom that dominated the lizard men as well as the lowland tribes to the east. The lake drained catastrophically around 700 BC, when an earthquake split the mountains to the north and formed the gorge. The lizard men left the now dry valley, and the Kopru retreated into the hot springs and geothermal caverns beneath the eastern mountains. The Kopru cults to the west mostly collapsed and the villages were abandoned, but secret cults still remain in Makalaui and Punaauia. The cultists travel by secret ways beneath the mountains to meet their Kopru masters. But for the most part, the Kopru are only a dim legend in the region, visible only in odd quaint figurines sold to tourists, or the strange totem statues of tentacle-headed gods buried in vines that are sometimes found in the jungle, or in the rarely-seen "mud dance" that features mud-covered dancers wearing squid masks.
Eruptions from cinder cones to the north of Mt Kikapua have covered the southern part of the valley in lava flows and ash, including mazelike lava tubes. The area is infested with salamanders and fire giants. The northern half of the valley is known for rock trolls and large lizards. At least one dragon is known to lair in the valley. Due to monsters and terrain, the valley is not inhabited by humans or demihumans.
At higher elevations can be found lizard man ruins on what were once the shores of the great lake. These ruins are considered taboo by Makai but sometimes attract adventurers seeking treasures or ancient artifacts. The lizard men did not use coins, but did create artifacts of gold, and traded precious gems; a few of these may be found.
The mountains to the east of the valley were once inhabited by Makai under Kopru domination, but now there are abandoned villages and temples crumbling in the jungle. It is said that the gods of the area are angry gods and abandoned the people and cursed the land, so natives are reluctant to move there, especially when there is plenty of good land elsewhere.
SOME INTERESTING SITES
Black Palace: This monolithic edifice of black basalt dates from the Kopru Kingdom. It sits in the midst of a geothermal field of bubbling pools and geysers, on a high mountain overlooking the former lake. Since the lake drained, mineral terraces have formed around it. The picture shows a view of the terraces to the west. The place is uninhabited and nobody actually knows what it once was, but within is an unrecognizable statue of eroded malachite; any who gaze on the statue may find themselves under the spell of the Kopru. Many have seen the temple from a distance but few have crossed the pools to reach it, and there is nothing of interest inside. Now it is merely a curious landmark known to local mountain guides. (If anyone is charmed, the most likely result is to hurl themselves into a boiling pool and perish. The Kopru wish to conceal their secret.)
Lost Swamp: The last remaining vestige of the ancient lake is a shallow basin about a half mile wide and two miles long, containing a cypress swamp and surrounded by thick jungle. The swamp is fed by both the river and by warm geothermal springs, causing the entire basin to be perpetually cloaked in fog. The swamp is home to giant pythons, swimming asps, and stirges of unusual size. Within this basin are a tribe of intelligent lizard men, a lost race descended from the ancient Malpheggi. They are aware of their situation; all intruders are killed and eaten to prevent knowledge of their existence from reaching the outside world. The lizard men are willing to hunt trespassers into the mountains to prevent their escape. The swamp is especially inaccessible as it is surrounded by cliff walls on all sides; downstream the swamp is dammed by a broad lava dike, over which the river cascades into a canyon. The lost swamp is a legendary site that might be discovered in a book or an old tale, but nobody living has ever visited and returned to tell where it is, and because of the cloaking fog it is not visible from the mountains. One very obscure tale tells of a pirate treasure hidden in a swamp in the midst of the mountains; this is actually true, although the pirates were passing through and were eaten by lizard men. The treasure is hidden in a deep pool within the swamp, in a crumbling stone city built by the lizard men, guarded by the dead.
Siers Gorge: A narrow slot canyon two thousand feet deep. It is fairly short but quite spectacular. It is difficult to traverse due to the boulders and whitewater at the bottom.
Yellow River: Several large hot springs near the Black Palace form the headwaters of a river that flows eastwards into the lowlands. Minerals have colored the riverbed a brilliant yellow, and the river feeds a algae choked lake at the foot of the mountains. The algae is poisonous and strange creatures dwell in the lake, but the yellow mud is prized for medicinal and alchemical purposes, and some natives risk the monsters in order to mine the sulfur deposits along the river.
The Deep Place: Far beneath the western mountains lies the wellspring of all the geothermal activity seen above: a series of vast caverns through which flow a boiling river. Here is the retreat of the Ierendi Kopru, dwelling in alabaster palaces formed of living rock precipitated out of hot mineral water. The caverns are filled with dense sulpherous steam and the vapor is up to 190 degrees F in places. The walls are covered with immense crystals in many places, but the caverns are virtually lightless except for occasional bioluminescence. The kopru realm sketches out a rough crescent between Makalaui Crater and Mount Kikapua, beneath the eastern ridge of mountains. It is possible to reach these caverns through certain winding tunnels known to cultists among the Makai, but they would never divulge the information due to powerful charms and taboos. Cult priests have spells that enable them to survive the heat. Infravision is useless here, and normal vision is limited to 10 ft due to nearly opaque fog. The kopru have access to the Black Palace and the Lost Swamp through hot springs but rarely travel there, and have little interest in exerting their dominion upward, although they have subtly encouraged the xenophobic attitude of the lizard men. Rather they are expanding their kingdom in the depths, and may have enslaved creatures even further down.