Frostvatn (frɔstˈwatn)

High in the lava plains of Eyju's Hálendi region is a deep crater, with a frozen lake at the bottom. This lake is named Frostvatn, and it is one of the stranger and more mysterious locations on the island. The surface of the lake is perputually frozen, and unnaturally smooth and polished to a mirror-like finish. Legends say that the crater was formed centuries ago when something fell from the sky in a blue streak, and that rains of stones fell all over the Northeastern Region after it impacted. Whatever it was that fell there was never recovered - by the time people arrived at the impact site, the it had already filled with the strange ice that fills the basin to this day.

The ice of Frostvatn is unusually cold and hard. It can be chipped away with a hammer and chisel, and the surface of the lake will smooth itself out over the course of the next day. The ice chips retrieved are strangely reluctant to melt. Some people report carrying the ice in a bag for months without it becoming liquid, as long as it isn't brought too close to a fire, or placed against a warm object like living flesh. Even when exposed to heat, it takes a long time to melt. Sucking on the chips of ice has been known to greatly reduce fevers, but it is important to remove the ice before the patient grows too cold. Healthy people should not try to eat the ice - those who do suffer from hypothermia that can linger far longer than expected.

Beneath the layer of ice is the water of the Frostvatn, which has its own unusual properties. Those who bathe their eyes in its cold waters are granted visions for days afterwards - but these are not visions that many would welcome. They show the end of all things, fires boiling the oceans and melting the lands, as armies clash in the burning skies. A few mystics have learned to focus the wyrdsight, as they call it, to see the possible fates of the people and places around them, and have even averted disasters based on this information. However, the effort to control the visions is a terrible strain, and overuse has broken the minds of those who have sought more knowledge of what may come to pass. These visions only come from the water beneath the ice - the meltwater from the ice itself does not grant visions. Those who drink the water find it salty and bitter. It is also intoxicating - drinking more than a few swallows will render anyone blind drunk, and the hangover from Frostvatn water is reportedly unparalleled.

Geography

The crater around Frostvatn is much wider than the lake itself, with a diameter of nearly a mile and a half. It slopes down sharply to the lake, and the best estimates is that the bottom of the crater is almost 1200 feet lower than the rim. The surface of the lake is most of the way down the crater, and the lake is probably only 300 feet deep. The entire surface has a faint blue glow, although this cannot be seen except in near-total darkness - in daylight or moonlight, the surface reflects so much light it can be hard to look at.

Ecosystem

As far as anyone knows, nothing lives in the Frostvatn, and the Hálendi around it is notably inhospitable.

Type

Crater / Crater Lake / Caldera

Location under

Eyju

Geographic Details

Location: Northeastern Region
Latitude: 65.14 degrees North
Longitude: 41.03 degrees East
Maximum Depth: 932 ft
Area: 6.9 sq mi