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Lands of Deepearth	-	-	-	DSG

Geography: This is a huge body of fresh, cold water, fed by
many rapid streams and a few meandering rivers. The northern
half of the lake shore is rocky and mountainous. The lake is deepest
just off the northern shore, where it reaches a maximum
depth of some 1,200 feet.
The eastern and western shores of the lake are lined with
sandy beaches and occasional fishing villages. A few good natural
harbors provide shelter for boats. The average depth of the
lake in these areas is about 400 feet.
The southern shore of the lake is lined by a towering limestone
cliff that runs east to west. This escarpment rises as much as 400
feet above the lake in places, and never drops to less than 100
feet above the water level. Since the cliff plunges right into the
water, there are no settlements or beaches along this part of the
lake. The water depth here is usually at least 50 feet and slopes
gradually to about 400 feet toward the center of the lake.
The lake is roughly oval in shape. The entire lake is not shown
on the map; it is about 50 miles wide and 120 miles long. The lake
bottom rests on a firm bedrock of limestone that is covered with
several feet of accumulated silt.

Denizens: The lake is heavily populated with fish, including
most varieties of trout and freshwater salmon. Many large freshwater
carnivores are also drawn to the lake because of the plentiful
food supply. There are common tales in the fishing villages of
giant gars capable of swallowing an entire boat.
Reports of intelligent denizens tell of a few lonely sirines living
along the north and south shores of the lake, where the rugged
shorelines allow them to find remote and isolated lairs. In addition,
a band of freshwater marine trolls (scrags) lives near the
center of the lake bottom. Only rarely do they disturb fishermen
or other boaters, preferring to subsist on the plentiful food supplies
provided by the lake itself.

Resources: The lake’s primary resource is its plentiful supply of fish. <(Good fishing area)>
In addition, many communities harness the lake’s water flow to turn mill wheels.

Unique Features: The lake has a number of paths leading to
the realms of Deepearth. The most obvious is a cave in the limestone
cliffs along the south shore. The cave is about 20 feet high
and equally wide, and is only half filled with water. A gentle current
flows into the cave and eventually leads into the depths of
the earth. This is the river that leads to Area 5 on the map.
In addition, several water-filled mine shafts in the mountainous
northern shore lead to submerged caverns with openings on the
bottom of the lake. See Area 2 for additional details. The tunnel
leading to Areas 3 and 4 on the map is largely a natural cavern.
However, the small spur of that tunnel leading to the lake is an
excavated tunnel. The corridor cuts directly into the bottom of
lake, and would fill with water very quickly had not its excavator
blocked it with a wall of force spell, augmented by permanence.