Lalina Trench

I've heard about the Lalina Trench. I think anyone with any brains should avoid such a place.

— Marda Seafoot, Fisherman

Overview

The underwater nations of Awldor speak of a places too deep and too dangerous for their best individuals. The most significant of these places is the Lalina Trench. It is said to be an even greater geological feature than the The Great Chasm that surface dwellers are more familiar with. What can be learned from the mermaids and tritons of the area, the Lalina Trench as an underwater canyon is about twice the size of The Great Chasm in every measure. As for what resides within it, none can truly say for certain. Those who have attempted a dive into the trench, with or without the aid of magics, has returned.
One does not have to attempt a dive to disappear from the world. It is said that sailing ships from all corners of the world travel across the Lalina Trench only to never be seen again. As such, there is a growing superstition that one ought to avoid the eastern shores of the Chivit Continent lest they become lost to the world. Even worse, that they will instead lead the horrors beneath the waves to their homes.
There are several myths and legends for what could lie within the Lalina Trench. The most common of these will be discussed in this article.

Monsters from the Deep

Stories abound of sailors from all corners of the world meeting a grisly end around the Lalina Trench. Great monsters reside within the trench that rise to the surface in hunt of prey. In particular, these monsters hunt the bountiful wildlife that swims too far from the shores of the Chivit Continent, a land known for its abundance of life.
Perhaps one day, these monsters will rise from the depths in great numbers to graze upon the life that fills the Anestri'for. Perhaps it was an ancient malevolence has placed the The Moyo Crystals to promote life not for its sake but to eventually feed the monsters that live nearby.

Perhaps the monsters are a merely tools of a greater force lurking in the deep. A force that wishes to bend the world to its own will when the time is right.

— Annita Quill, Scholar

A Dark Eldritch Kingdom

The Lalina Trench may be claimed by a powerful eldritch being. This eldritch being claims sovereignty over a kingdom of incomprehensible horrors. These horrors will occasionally rise to the surface to hunt for hapless vessels carrying treasure and fresh lives ripe for indoctrination and transformation. Once transformed, these fresh victims will become part of the growing army patiently readying for global domination. The coming of the hunters is heralded by a strange mist that covers the waters above the Lalina Trench. It is said that within this mist one can spot the strange seeing stones the eldritch master uses to mark fresh victims.
At least that's how the stories go. The part that lends credence to this tale is that at certain times of the year there is a mist that covers the waters. Some have offered plausible natural explanations for this phenomena that would seem to dispel the notion of a powerful underwater Kingdom that is slowly amassing resources for global domination. Until someone can travel to the bottom of the trench and safely return there is always the possibility that this tale is true.

A Strange Geographical Coincidence

Many astute observers will notice from the maps that the Lalina Trench lies almost directly southward of the Great Chasm. Some have latched on to this curious alignment and have been pursuing various explanations and/or meanings of these two geographical features.
Perhaps there is a strange geographical phenomena related to the Great Collapse that is causing this side of the world to split apart. Perhaps a great portal of some sort is in the making. Maybe this portal relates to the eldritch horror described earlier in this article. Perhaps these two geographical features are merely a curious and harmless phenomena that will fade with time and especially if the world is allowed to heal.

Type

Abyss

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Common Flora

• Unknown

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Common Fauna

• Unknown

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Typical Magic Fields

• Unknown

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Note(s) from the Archivists:

Is it just me, or is there a lot of mysteries out there? - Archivist Enna 
The world has always been full of mysteries though. Even the simple stuff like food can be mysterious. - Archivist Bob 
You still don't know how cottage cheese is made don't you? - Archivist Enna
It's magic I tell you! - Archivist Bob