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Deep in the heart of the northern mountains, within the caldera of a dormant volcano, millennia of rainfall have created the placid Crater Lake. On the banks, birds lazily patrol the sky above the cathedral stands of old-growth trees, and ancient monoliths recline carelessly by fields of giant water lily. Year after year, the lake mysteriously keeps the same level, regardless of snow or rainfall. However, the static tranquility belies extreme hazards. Fierce monsters roam the lakeshore and maintain eager watch on this portal, hoping to snare hapless adventurers.
Legends surround the lake. It is rumored that the monster-infested caverns nearby link the crater to the outside slopes. What's more, the Sho have taken particular interest in the lake since a priest of the Unicorn related a strange bedtime tale to his Koutei's son. The priest claimed to know sorcerers who once created a glass citadel beneath a mountain lake. On calm, cloudless nights, the clear waters would focus starlight so that distant worlds could be viewed across the ether. Whether this story bears on the mysteries of Crater Lake may never be known, for the priest packed up and disappeared that very night, unexpectedly ending several decades of faithful service to his master.
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