100 Underwater

Wilderness Locations

Azukail
Games
 100 Underwater
Wilderness Locations
Credits
Design, Editing and Layout: Adrian Kennelly

Cover and Page Backgrounds: Lord Zsezse Works

Images: Some artwork copyright William McAusland, used with permission.

Published by Azukail Games, a trading style of eGDC Ltd

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 Introduction
This is a collection of 100 different wilder-
ness locations that can be dropped into a
setting to enliven a journey. The locations
are of many different types, from large to
small. Each location has been named and
is described, and many could have po-
tential adventure and encounter hooks as
well.
All the locations are in intended to be un-
derwater, with flora and flora appropriately
suited to the location.
Using the Locations
Locations can be rolled randomly, but it is
a better idea to manually select suitable
results to avoid improbable ones.
1. Ancient Volcano: This submarine vol-
cano is active and has been for as long as
any creatures living in the vicinity can re-
member. At the volcano’s most quiescent,
plumes of superheated water are emitted
from it, whilst periodic eruptions of lava
are not unknown. Perhaps the strangest
element of the volcano is that it also ap-
pears to be the same size, no matter how
many times it erupts. The volcano remains
a submarine volcano, rather than building
into an island as might be expected.
2. Aquamarine Canyon: This steep-sided
canyon winds down the continental slope
and extends well onto the continental shelf.
Though the canyon walls are low at the top
they are close to a mile high at their high-
est. A swift-moving turbidity current moves
through the canyon and an unwary crea-
ture can get dragged off by it if they are
not careful. The water within the canyon’s
walls are an unusual aquamarine colour,
lighter than would be expected from the
depth of water in places.
3. Ascendant Maar: A low-relief crater
that is difficult to see from nearby but is
more obvious when viewed from above.
The maar is filled with water of a slightly
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different hue from the surrounding seas,
a deeper blue colour than the other wa-
ter. The crater is rumoured to have been
formed when a powerful individual at-
tempted to ascend to godhood but acci-
dentally caused an immense explosion by
weakening the ocean floor above a magma
pocket.
4. Babbling Brine Pool: Nestled in the
sea floor is a depression with clearly de-
marked borders and a water colour differ-
ent from the surrounding area. The depres-
sion, which resembles a lake, is filled with
brine, water that is significantly saltier than
the surrounding ocean. This brine pool is
avoided by intelligent sea creatures that
know of it, for it has an unusual effect on
those entering it. The pool’s brine seems
to impart a temporary madness on those
exposed to it; sea life acts far more errat-
ically and intelligent life often speaks non-
sense, the “babbling” of the name.
5. Blasphemous Whirlpool: A whirlpool
that is said to have originated as an indi-
vidual who was cursed by one of the gods
for blasphemy, though no-one is clear as to
which god. It’s thought to have been a sea
god of some type, but that isn’t certain.
The whirlpool never ceases spinning and
appears to deliberately seek out creatures
to suck into it. Those who have survived
the experience have claimed to have heard
a constant, hateful muttering whilst within
the whirlpool’s grip.
6. Blinding Atoll: The part of this atoll
that is above water does not appear un-
usual, but below water it glows so bright-
ly during the day it appears to glow. This
glow even continues after the sun sets,
though it does quickly fade. The glow in
the water can be seen from some distance
away. It’s thought that the atoll absorbs
sunlight in some way and emits it through
its underwater portion. Magic is believed to
be responsible for this unusual feature. The
atoll can be used as an underwater land-
mark, but those sensitive to bright light
avoid it.
7. Bloodstained Temple: Sunk below the
 waves and now lying at the bottom of the
sea is an ancient temple to an unknown
deity. Not much is known about the tem-
ple or the deity who was worshipped at it,
only that they were so evil and hated that
the island the temple stood on was delib-
erately sunk by the actions of some other
gods. The temple, though long abandoned,
is made of black marble and is physically
in good shape. The walls are clean of crus-
taceans and plants, as nothing seems able
to grow on it. The furnishing and the other
perishable items are now long gone.
8. Blurred Fan: This abyssal fan stretch-
es for many miles from the coast, formed
by frequent landslides of mud and sands
caused by regular tremors in the area.
Where the sediments are deposited
stretches out in a substantial fan that can
easily be seen from some distance. The
frequency of the slides that form the fan
mean that there is always at least some
sediment in the surrounding water, making
vision through the water in the area blurry.
9. Bone Field of the Harbinger: An ex-
tensive field of bones covers the ocean
floor, many of larger creatures that are
uncommon at best and far more bones
than would be expected in the ocean where
much sea life lacks bones. The bones are
said to be collected by the Harbinger, who
lures creatures to the region for their
bones, although no-one seems to know
precisely who this being or creature might
be. All that is said is that the being is pow-
erful and aquatic in nature.
10. Briny Blue Hole: This marine cavern
is open at the top where the roof collapsed
long ago. Though it is all underwater, the
hole is very distinctive from above the sur-
face, being a deeper shade of blue than the
surroundings. A coral reef surrounds the
hole itself, though there are many breaks
within the reef for the coral has died. The
water in the hole is unusually salty, to the
degree that the majority of marine life is
completely unable to survive, leaving the
hole dead and barren. The high salt con-
tent was also responsible for the death of
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the coral reef.
11. Caustic Crater: An ancient meteorite
crater on the ocean floor, now mostly filled
with sand. The area is devoid of life, either
plant or fish, and a few rapidly-decaying
bones and remains can be seen within the
crater. The meteorite, which is buried in
the centre of the crater, is made of a sub-
stance that reacts badly when exposed to
water, turning the water into a caustic sub-
stance which also permeates through the
sand. Any creatures remaining in the area
for more than a minute or two find any-
thing exposed to the sand and water get-
ting burnt by the caustic effect, a process
that can be rapidly fatal.
12. Chaotic Rift: Cutting into the ocean
floor is a deep rift. From a distance, lights
appear to be playing from the rift and, as it
is approached, the sea life grows stranger,
warped in chaotic ways. The colours come
from within the rift, where there is a swirl-
ing mass of many different colours, a gate-
way to pure chaos. The chaotic effects are
what’s warping life in the region, and even
the stone of the rift is pulled into strange
shapes, some seemingly of screaming fac-
es.
13. Crooked Sinkhole: An underwater
sinkhole on the ocean floor of a curious,
crooked shape. The sinkhole has a small
tunnel down from its bottom, leading
deep into the ocean floor. The tunnel is of
a crooked shape, with many twists and
turns, and no-one has managed to travel
through it for any distance. The curious
shape of the sinkhole, and the nature of
the tunnel, cause many to believe that this
is not a natural phenomenon, but an artifi-
cial construct.
14. Daunting Tree of Coral: Stretching
high into the water is an unusual coral for-
mation that takes the shape of an immense
tree, with branches stretching out into the
water for some distance, like the limbs of
a tree. The central trunk is several yards in
diameter and the entire tree is surprisingly
hard and sturdy. It is thought that the tree
must be the result of some sort of magical
 interference with coral growth. The parts
of the coral tree have as many sharp edges
as coral often does and will slice open the
unwary.
15. Dead Water of Chaos: Nothing lives
in this area of the sea and the sea floor is
barren of any plants or life. If the seabed is
searched, bones of strangely warped hu-
manoid can be found as well as the occa-
sional piece of twisted armour. On closer
inspection, the armour was clearly made
in a twisted fashion. Long ago, warriors of
chaos died here and the chaotic taint from
their bodies and equipment have perma-
nently affected the surrounding water.
Nothing can live in the region for long.
16. Deceptive Reef: This appears to be
a small patch reef within an atoll, no more
than a couple of dozen feet in diameter. If
the area of the patch reef is crossed over,
things change significantly. From within
the area, the reef appears to be much,
much larger, stretching for hundreds of
feet in every direction. It takes a substan-
tial amount of time to cross over the patch
reef, and those on the outside will see a
creature swimming yet apparently not get-
ting anywhere, until they finally reach the
end and suddenly dart forward.
17. Demoniac Zone: A subduction zone
where a tectonic plate is being forced un-
der another. It is notable for its appear-
ance, for it is an open trench filled with
molten rock, which is unusual. The lava is
not spreading out from the zone, instead
remaining within the trench. Those who
venture close enough to the trench, which
is dangerous, given the superheated water, building materials are rock. This is a quarry
have claimed they have heard screaming
coming from within it, with tortured faces
appearing and disappearing in the lava’s
surface. There’s a belief that the trench is a ows seem to gather within it. The users of
portal to a demonic plane.
18. Despised Badlands: These underwa-
ter badlands are avoided by most creatures were behaving oddly, and there were also a
and little is able to grow in them anyway.
Oddly-twisted spires of rock and crevasses
dot the badlands, though these don’t make
travel as difficult as would be the case on
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the surface. Those who spend time in the
badlands discover what look like relics from
an underwater civilisation that used to call
the area home. The civilisation dabbled in
magics that had unfortunate consequenc-
es, resulting in its destruction and the for-
mation of the badlands.
19. Devil’s Ice Cliff: Stretching up
through the water is a sheer cliff of ice,
even though the temperatures and pres-
sures should make such a cliff of ice im-
possible. Ages ago, a portal was formed to
an icy hell, and a powerful ice devil came
through it. Though the devil is believed
to have either been driven back through
the portal or defeated, residuals of their
presence remain, with the ice cliff being
the most noteworthy. It’s believed that a
hellish relic buried deep within the cliff was
responsible for its forming and continued
existence.
20. Diabolical Gate: An underwater gate
of a fiendish nature, it can be seen some
distance away as a swirling mass of red-
tinged water that glows with a sullen hue.
The water has a taste of brimstone to it
and is unpleasant to entire. The region
around the gate sees the frequent appear-
ance of fiendish creatures of water, from
relatively minor nuisances to beasts that
are far more powerful and dangerous. The
gate itself is believed to lead to a watery
fiendish plane, though few are willing to go
through it to confirm this.
21. Dismal Quarry: Underwater civili-
sations need building materials just like
surface ones do, and sometimes those
cut deep into the seabed, but it has been
abandoned for years. The quarry is gloom-
ier than the surrounding area, and shad-
the quarry stopped after workers started
fearing the shadows, claiming that they
number of unexplained disappearances.
22. Disintegrated Margin: This conti-
nental margin stretches from the shoor of
the adjoining continent down to the deep
 ocean. This particular continental margin
is unusual, for it is in a state of decay, with
pits and cracks and random caverns that
have opened up in the margin. The entire
appearance is extremely odd, and does
not appear to be natural, and it isn’t. Many
centuries ago, some sort of magical acci-
dent happened in the area, undermining
the margin, and as time has passed the
material that makes up the region has de-
cayed and disintegrated.
23. Dolmen Shipwreck: A shipwreck that
is an odd combination of tomb and shup.
Though from a distance the shipwreck
looks comparatively normal, festooned in
barnacles and weed, when viewed more
closely it is revealed to be made of stone,
not wood. Legend has it that this was a
stone tomb built for a dead demigod that
was then deliberately sunk. With it being a
legendary tomb, over the years many have
attempted to get inside the ship to plunder
it. If any have been successful, they have
not announced it. Some would-be tomb
robbers have failed to return at all.
24. Doomed Field: The sea floor here is
covered in small, rocky balls, some a frac-
tion of an inch across, others close to a
foot. The balls, if examined, prove to not
just be rock but to contain metal as well,
and there are areas where they appear to
have been harvested for this metal as the
seafloor is clear of them. Such harvesting
has been long given up, for accidents kept
befalling those who harvested the nod-
ules and those who utilised the metal from
them, leading to a belief that the nodule
field was cursed in some way.
25. Dreaming Water: This water is ex-
tremely cold and would be frozen solid
were it closer to the surface. The tempera-
ture is far lower than any of the surround-
ing area and floating within the water are
the corpses of those creatures that have
frozen to death. Though the water clearly
feels cold when entered, it also has a pe-
culiar effect on intelligent creatures. They
often fall into a dream-like state, slowly
dying from cold as they drift unawares,
5
enamoured by their dreams.
26. Dwarven Crater: This oceanic crater
is similar in some ways to a crater lake on
land, as the high walls of the crater mean
that the water inside them is different to
that without. Water seeps up from the sea-
floor beneath the crater, and this water is
almost fresh, resulting in an area of water
within the crater that is not suitable for
regular sea life. The crater looks to have
been formed by an explosion rather than
through volcanic action and it’s rumoured
that there used to be a dwarven hold at
the site, before a cataclysm destroyed the
hold and sank the surrounding land. The
fresh water could be a residue from the
hold.
27. Eidolic Archipelago: Centuries ago,
this archipelago sank below the surface of
the sea and now what used to be pleasant
and fertile islands are flooded. There are
some remnants of settlements in the for-
mer islands and the most noteworthy fea-
ture of these is that each settlement was
constructed around an eidolon. Rumour
is that the residents worshipped the eido-
lons with rituals that were considered un-
savoury at best and were drowned by the
gods as punishment. There is a belief that
the eidolons still hold power and that it is
unsafe to approach them too closely.
28. Enigmatic Chaos: It’s unclear just
what this region of water is, for it is a con-
stantly churning morass of strange colours.
The chaos changes in size frequently, and
those approaching too close can be sucked
inside when its size suddenly increases.
This happens more than might be expect-
ed, and there is a belief that the chaos is
doing this deliberately. Creatures that do
venture inside either do not return or come
out changed. The surrounding area is lit-
tered with the bizarre remains of sea crea-
tures that were changed by the region.
29. Enlarging Ridge: A mid-oceanic ridge
that is known to be increasing in size at
an unusually rapid rate. The ridge is both
rising from the sea floor and spreading
outwards from its highest point far more
 rapidly than would be expected. The rate
of enlargement is such that the ridge is
a cracked and raw mess of rock, as it is
growing too rapidly for most underwater
plants to successfully colonise it. There are
reputed to be some unusually large preda-
tors living in the area though.
30. Fascinating Chasm: A deep underwa-
ter chasm that stretches down a long, long
way. Patches of luminescence dot the sides
of the chasm, and these patches do not
remain still but move around. It is believed
that they are some sort of bioluminescent
lifeform that lives on the cliffs, but the way
in which they move and shift has an odd
effect on the watcher. More than one crea-
ture has become fascinated by the moving
lights and remained watching them until
they died, their corpses drifting down to
the bottom. A theory suggests that the
lights are part of how a creature that lives
at the bottom of the chasm hunts, fas-
cinating its prey and then devouring the
corpses.
31. Fallen Hill: This underwater hill rises
above the surrounding sea floor, though it
is surrounded by heaps of rock and other
debris for some distance around. The hill
was reputedly once much larger, but some
unknown event resulted in it mostly being
destroyed. The debris field and piles that
surround the hill are said to have been
part of it in the past, and on examination
it does look as if the debris originated from
the hill.
32. Falling Slope: This continental slope
drops away rapidly from the continen-
tal shelf and is a dangerous area to be
around. The slope is unstable and parts of
it regularly fall to the continental rise be-
low. For some reason, the slope seems to
be eroding extremely quickly and the con-
tinental shelf is also disappearing. Those
who venture too close to the slope run the
risk of being hit by pieces of rock tumbling
down from above or slides of debris.
33. Ferocious Seaweed: Seaweed covers
the ocean floor in what looks like a pleas-
ant garden of swaying weed, though the
6
observant will notice that sea life appears
to be giving the seaweed a wide berth.
Once the seaweed garden is entered, the
reason why sea life avoids it and why it
gained its name becomes obvious. The
seaweed begins thrashing furiously, at-
tempting to grab hold of any creature that
enters within range to drag them down to
the ocean floor. It’s thought that the sea-
weed is carnivorous and it is grabbing sea
life and other creatures to eat.
34. Furious Vent: Geothermally heated
water exists this hydrothermal vent in the
ocean floor, warming the ocean for some
distance around. The vent is dangerous to
approach too closely, though. The water is
heated to a level hotter than most can sur-
vive, and moreover exits from the rent at a
furious speed, blasting a column of heated
a water some distance above it. This col-
umn is also dangerous to enter, but it isn’t
easy to detect, other than from the alter-
ation it makes to the currents in the area.
35. Ghostlike Upwelling: Water is con-
stantly being driven towards the surface
here from the depths primarily by the
winds. The column of water is filled with
nutrients from the deeper realms of the
ocean and many forms of sea life can be
found as a result, feeding on the nutri-
ents and each other. Some of what wells
up are ghostly-pale, almost transparent,
phytoplankton, and whatever the cause of
this is, sea life that feeds on it also takes a
similar form, with their flesh paling to the
point of transparency.
36. Grave Reef: This ribbon reef winds its
way across a large expanse of sea, lurk-
ing just below the surface in most places.
Large, oddly-shaped lumps of coral lie on
the sea floor next to the reef in many plac-
es; those that are most recent can easily
be seen to be ships. The reef has a repu-
tation for ripping open the hulls of unwary
ships and sinking them, so much so that
it has become known as a graveyard of
ships.
37. Grotesque Smoker: This hydrother-
mal vent spirals up as a chimney from the
 ocean floor. It is a light-coloured chimney
and the water plume from it is hot, but
not as hot as some smokers. What is most
peculiar about it is how the minerals have
shaped the chimney. For some reason,
the deposits have formed into the shape
of grotesque, screaming faces on the out-
side of the chimney. If one of the faces is
defaced, it eventually grows back again,
identical to the original. Some believe that
the faces are trapped souls.
38. Guardian’s Carcass: A huge carcass,
now merely bone and partially covered by
sediment, lies on the ocean’s floor. Little
can be told about what creature the bones
belonged to, only that it was enormous and
apparently a sea-dweller. The name comes
from a rumour that it is the remains of a
guardian creature, a unique being that was
defeated long ago. What the creature was
guarding and who for are no longer known.
39. Haggard Sargasso: This conglomer-
ation of plants and assorted debris is un-
usual in that it is below the water’s surface
rather than above it. A strange combina-
tion of currents, water quality and tides
conspire to for the sargasso and keep it in
its submerged condition. The name comes
from another peculiarity of the sargasso
that has created a wealth of speculation.
From a distance, no matter from which
angle, the sargasso seems to take the form
of an enormous, haggard face.
40. Harrowed Neritic Zone: This area of
the ocean is close to the coast and sunlight
can easily reach the bottom, which should
make it an ideal place for marine life of
all kinds to live and grow. Yet the area is
strangely desolate with very little in the
way of marine vegetation and only a few
fish. Something in the past happened to
the area that resulted in its current condi-
tion and its name, though little is known of
what happened. It’s believed that the land
used to be above water, but the harrowing
flooded it, amongst other things.
41. Harrowers Caves: These are a se-
ries of caves that have been carved into a
subterranean cliff. Some of the caves are
7
connected to others and may stretch deep
into the cliff; others are unconnected and
may only be a few feet deep. The caves are
not natural, as many of them are too deep
to have formed from waves eroding the
cliff. The caves are believed to have been
tombs at some point, but tombs that were
plundered many years, if not centuries,
ago, and little remains bar a few illegible
inscriptions on some of the rock walls.
42. Highlanders Estuary: The estuary is
difficult to make out in places, for over the
years, much of it has sunk well below sea
level and the true estuary has migrated
further inland. The underwater section is in
some places merely an unusual pattern on
the sea floor. The water once flowed from
a highland region, but following a major
land shift many years ago, the highlands
mostly vanished. This resulted in much of
the estuary dropping below sea level at the
same time.
43. Hungering Graveyard: This section
of the ocean floor is covered in the corpses
of sea monsters of many different types,
varying from the just deceased to the long
dead and skeletal. The oldest remains are
buried beneath the sediment on the sea
bed. Sea monsters seem to travel to this
graveyard for some reason, where they
die. The name comes from the belief that
this attraction is not natural, and some-
thing in the region hungers for sea mon-
sters, luring them to the graveyard to die.
44. Impossible Tablemount: This flat-
topped underwater volcano does not pen-
etrate the ocean’s surface, when viewed
from above, yet when viewed from the sea
floor it appears to stretch far higher than
it should. Those descending onto the ta-
blemount from above are easily able to do
so, yet those who try to come at it from
below are never able to reach the summit,
which appears to constantly recede into
the distance, no matter how far is trav-
elled, even if the distance travelled means
that the ocean’s surface should have been
broached.
45. Infernal Reef: An oval platform reef
 of coral a mile across growing on a conti-
nental shelf, this is avoided by most crea-
tures in the area. The reef glows with a
sullen red light and the surrounding water
has a strong brimstone taste to it. Flo-
ra and fauna found in the area often has
a fiendish taint to it and its thought that
the reef has grown around a portal to the
Hells, the source of the taint and the glow.
No true fiends from Hells have been found
in the region and it’s believed that the reef
itself blocks the portal, preventing crea-
tures from getting through.
46. Iridescent Plain: Located far be-
low the ocean’s surface, an abyssal plain
would normally be dark, yet this one spar-
kles with points of iridescent light and can
be seen from afar. The local sea life has
adapted to the, for an abyssal plain, un-
usually high levels of light. The motes of
iridescence blink on and off in seemingly
random patterns, yet when the plain it-
self is approached closely, it proves to be
impossible to close in on the iridescence,
which always blinks out when approached.
47. Lair of the Aquatic Ogre: This under-
water network of caves burrows deep into
the rock. It was the lair of a feared aquatic
ogre, one who terrorised the surround-
ing seas both above and below the sur-
face. The ogre had many followers, most
through fear, giving them a large army.
Many years ago, an expedition was sent
to deal with the ogre. Although the expe-
dition’s members did not return, the ogre
hasn’t been seen since and their followers
have dispersed. It’s assumed that the ogre
and the expedition’s members both died
during the confrontation.
48. Land of the Plague-Ridden: This
part of the ocean floor is close to the coast
and clearly used to be above the surface,
going by the various ruined buildings and
settlements that dot the area, plus signs
that there used to be forests and fields,
which are all now dead. Legend has it that
the land was stricken by a deadly plague
and as a result ended up sunk beneath the
waves. Whether the sinking was in order to
8
stop the spread of the plague, or whether
it was just the last of a number of curses
that hit the land, the plague being another,
is not known.
49. Legendary Shell: An enormous shell
rests on the seabed here, one measuring
close to a mile in length. No-one knows
what creature it belonged to, and nothing
similar has ever been seen. The legendary
part of the name comes from a legend that
a demigod fought another powerful being
at this location, and one of the did not sur-
vive. The shell is from the one who died.
The legend does not say which was the
demigod and which the monster, though,
so it isn’t known who, if it’s true, was vic-
torious.
50. Lethal Seabed: From a distance, this
sandy seabed appears to be quite normal;
a seabed mostly covered in sand with the
occasional rock or plant dotting it. Careful
examination will reveal that there is less
of such than would normally be the case,
and no other marine life can be seen in
the area. The seabed is quite lethal to the
unprepared, as creatures that venture too
close will feel something starting to drag
them to the seabed. Those that touch the
seabed are rapidly dragged under. Some
believe that the sand is a large, predatory
organism.
51. Loathed Contourite: A patch of sed-
imentary deposits on a continental rise,
where the deep currents have deposited
material. The majority of the material is re-
puted to have a common origin, and that is
where the epithet originates. It’s said that
the material came from an island occupied
by a civilisation that was so despised the
gods themselves turned away from it. The
island was destroyed in an unknown cat-
aclysm, reduced to fine matter, and this
matter was swept away to form the con-
tourite.
52. Many-Tiered Hill: This abyssal hill,
like many of its kind, rises only a few
hundred feet above the ocean floor but
is many miles wide. What is most curi-
ous about this hill is that the slopes have
 been tiered in a manner resembling an
above-water way of making hills suitable
for farming. Nothing is growing on the hill
to suggest itis, or was, being farmed, yet
the tiers, on investigation, do seem to be
artificial in nature.
53. Mossy Seamount: Rising hundreds of
feet above the ocean floor but not as far as
the surface is this extinct volcano that is a
peculiar vivid green colour from a distance.
The caldera of the volcano has long been
filled in with debris and sediment, though
the surface inside the caldera is far more
treacherous than the rock of the seamount
itself. The green colour comes from a pos-
sibly unique plant that grows on the sea-
mount, which resembles moss in many
ways, yet appears to be unrelated to that.
54. Mummified Lair: An old monster lair,
located on the ocean floor, which is ac-
cessed through a small tunnel. The lair
appears to have been formed from an
old tomb and parts of it are free of water,
containing pockets of, foul, air. In these
pockets are various creatures, possibly the
former inhabitants of the lair, who have
somehow turned to mummies, though not
the undead kind, despite the presence of
water. Inscriptions within the tomb mention
a curse that will befall anything that de-
spoils it, and it’s possible the monsters ran
afoul of the curse.
55. Mushroomed Mine: An underwater
mine that has long been abandoned follow-
ing an outbreak of a peculiar underwater
fungus that has taken the mine over in its
entirety. The fungus is unusually fast-grow-
ing and proved to be practically impossible
to keep on top of, especially as it tended
to infect those creatures trying to remove
it and turning them into aggressive fungal
creatures. So far, the fungus has remained
confined to the mine as have the creatures.
56. Musky Basin: A vast expanse of un-
derwater terrain, an entire oceanic basin
that contains lesser features within it. The
basin is known, by those who breathe wa-
ter, for the slight, peculiarly musky “taste”
to the sea water, that has no discernible
9
origin. The muskiness is neither strong nor
harmful in nature, but it is noticeable to
water breathers. For some reason, howev-
er, it isn’t noticeable to those who literally
taste the water itself; in that case, it just
tastes like seawater.
57. Mutating Water: This expanse of
ocean has an immediately noticeable pe-
culiar property of being fresh, not salt. The
boundaries of the area seem to be firmly
defined; within, the w3ater is fresh, with-
out, it is salty. Water that crosses over
from one to the other takes on the relevant
property. The less obvious property, which
may be the reason for the desalination, is
that lifeforms that spend too long within
the area of fresh water, assuming that they
are able to survive, start to mutate over
time, becoming unrecognisable.
58. Mysterious Current: This ocean cur-
rent is of unknown origin. Little can be
detected of it on the water’s surface, as
it streams through the deeps, though not
down to the seabed. Strangely, though this
is not easy to detect, the current flows in
an immense circle measuring many hun-
dreds of miles across. The water within the
current flows noticeably faster than that
without, and the unwary can be dragged
away. The current is assumed to be mag-
ical in origin, given that it has neither be-
ginning nor end.
59. Nursery of the Star-Spawn: This
area of the ocean is now desolate and it
looks like nothing lives there. Aeons ago,
it’s reputed that the area was a nursery,
an underwater breeding ground for some
horrific star-born monsters, and the area
was avoided by all. Legend has it that the
star-spawn and their nursery were even-
tually destroyed, perhaps by the gods, and
the area turned into an aquatic wasteland.
There are rumours, though, that buried
beneath the ocean floor, there are still star-
spawn waiting to hatch and go on the ram-
page once more.
60. Ogrish Seep: Various fluids are seep-
ing from the ocean floor here, and the area
around the vent is surrounded by rock
 formations and reefs. Large caves dot the
formations and in some of these there are
aquatic ogres living. The ogres are always
hungry and anything that ventures into the
area of the seep will be attacked unless
they look too dangerous, and the ogres
have a very high opinion of their own ef-
fectiveness.
61. Pale Habili: This coral reef doesn’t
breach the water’s surface but is still high
enough to rip open the hulls of unwary
ships as it lurks below the waves. The coral
is of an unusual, pale colour, always bone
white in appearance. The colour is some-
times said to come from the bones of all
the sailors whose ships have been sunk by
the reef.
62. Pest-Ridden Seabed: The seabed
here consists of gravel to a depth of sev-
eral feet at least, deeper in places. If the
gravel is watched, it appears to be moving,
and this is because it is. Many small oce-
anic pests live within the gravel and their
constant movement continually disturbs
it, which prevents any plants from grow-
ing. The pests subsist on organic matter
that drops onto the gravel and have been
known to attack creatures en masse should
something approach too closely.
63. Plague-Riddled Chain: A chain of
seamounts, large mountains that fail to
reach the ocean’s surface, stretches across
the sea floor. The seamounts in the chain
are clearly of volcanic origin and bear signs
that they were once above the surface, but
were drowned millennia ago. The seamount
chain has a nasty reputation and is avoid-
ed; creatures that visit them frequently fall
victim to mysterious and fatal diseases.
Some think the diseases are why the sea-
mounts were drowned by the ocean.
64. Powerful Caldera: This former sub-
marine volcano was known for its powerful
eruptions that devastated the surround-
ing ocean, even causing damage on the
surface, killing marine life and destroying
ships. It is many centuries since the vol-
cano last erupted, but memories of its
activity linger on and the area is avoided.
10
Plumes of superheated water occasionally
spout from the caldera, indicating that the
volcano isn’t completely quiescent and that
it may erupt again at some point.
65. Promethean Rise: This continental
rise sharply marks the boundary between
the abyssal plain and the continental slope.
It is far steeper than a continental rise
would normally be, in some places being
practically a cliff. Clustered at various sites
on the rise are the ruins of what were once
huge buildings, suitable for creatures of
giant size. They are long abandoned and
covered in layers of sea life, which hides
most of them from easy view. Only the
regular shapes of the ruins mark some of
them from a distance.
66. Putrid Water: A strange combination
of tidal effects, and perhaps magic, con-
spires to keep this patch of water stagnant.
Fresh water doesn’t manage to flush out
the stagnant, and rotting matter fills the
area. The water is not merely putrid; it is
deadly. The lack of circulation means that
there is no oxygen in the water and the
rotting matter, which somehow manages
to collect, fills the water with toxins from
the decay. The occasional sea creature gets
trapped in the water and dies, adding its
own carcass to the mess.
67. Radiant Seabed: The seabed in this
part of the ocean is rocky in nature, with
outcroppings of rock and many loose boul-
ders and rocks covering the spaces be-
tween. There is very little sand; only a few
patches where the sand has settled in the
hollows of the rocks. The seabed can be
seen from some distance away, and even
from the surface, because many of the
rocks emit a phosphorescent glow. This
isn’t a uniform glow, but instead follows
veins in the rock, though the veins cannot
be discerned from the surrounding areas
by anything other than the glow they give
off.
68. Ravenous Zone: An abyssal zone, far
below the ocean’s surface, this area re-
ceives little daylight, as is typical. Though
not one of the deepest parts of the ocean,
 such being reserved for the various deeps,
there are still not many regions outside
of the deeps that are further below the
surface. The zone takes its name for the
tendency for creatures to enter the area
to never return. It is avoided by the un-
derwater dwellers and is considered to be
a dangerous place from which few return.
They believe that there is something in the
abyssal zone eating those who enter.
69. Reef of the Old Ones: This coral reef
is of an unusually regular shape and of a
larger size than might normally be expect-
ed, stretching many yards from the ocean
floor. The shape of the reef is suggestive
of something built, rather than organical-
ly grown. Legends about the place claim
that the reef is the site of an outpost of
an ancient, long-gone civilisation, and has
grown on the remnants of the walls of the
outpost, accounting for both the shape and
size. Amongst the underwater dwellers, the
coral reef has a bad reputation.
70. Reeking Maze: A maze of underwa-
ter canyons riddles the area. Though the
way through the maze is easy enough to
traverse when viewed from above, it can
be more complicated when an attempt is
made to travel through it. The water with-
in the canyons somehow manages to reek
and also inhibits vision to a degree. What-
ever it is that affects the water remains
within the canyons; the effect disappears
immediately after creatures venture above
the canyons.
71. Repugnant Current: This boundary
current runs close to a coastline but it is
avoided by most. The nearby land has a
bad reputation and this may be justified as
something seems to have seeped into the
adjoining waters. It is a shallow, slow and
warm current, so easy to pass through, but
any who enter into the current quickly start
to feel uncomfortable. This feeling only
gets more intense the longer they are in
the current, and few are able, or willing, to
stay within it for long.
72. Riddled Scarred Lands: This part of
the ocean floor is covered in many scars
11
and marks, presumably from destructive
activities in the past, though it isn’t known
what. Some believe that the scars are too
regular, in some ways, to be the result of
random destruction. This has led to a claim
that the lands hold a riddle in the scars,
that would be possible to interpret, though
no-one has managed to come up with any-
thing yet.
73. Russet Shelf: A large continental shelf
extending outward for many miles from
land, this area is even shallower than is
normal for a shelf. From above, the water
appears to have an odd, russet hue to it,
but this is not due to the water itself. In-
stead, it is from an underwater plant that
grows profusely all across the shelf, a plant
that appears to be a type of seaweed but
which isn’t found in other regions. Oddly,
many of the fish in the area are a similar
colour; it’s thought that they have become
that colour from eating the russet sea-
weed.
74. Sable Maelstrom: This huge, churn-
ing maelstrom is filled with sable-coloured
water, and those sucked within it are rare-
ly able to see through the water to find
their way out. The maelstrom can be seen
from some distance away as a writing
black funnel towering through the water.
Approaching the maelstrom is dangerous,
as it sways around and, seemingly by de-
sign, often lurches towards creatures that
approach too close to it, sucking them in,
often never to be seen again. The mael-
strom is not believed to be natural, but it
isn’t known what it could be.
75. Scarred Sill: This low barrier divides
two oceanic basins, and would have orig-
inally kept the environments in the two
basins different from each other. Enormous
scars and cuts mar the sill, though, and the
water can flow between the basins much
more freely than before. The two environ-
ments are no longer significantly different,
and are identical on each side of the sill.
The damage the sill has suffered is clearly
not natural in origin.
76. Scraggy Guyot: This flat-topped sub-
 marine volcano rises some distance from
the sea floor but fails to come anywhere
near the surface. Like most guyots, it is
believed to have been above the water at
one point, but it is now well below it. The
flat top of the guyot is known for its pit-
ted and damaged appearance, damage
that doesn’t appear to have been caused
simply through erosion. Instead, it looks
like the guyot was attacked by something,
and remnants that look artificial in nature
result in the belief that the guyot, when it
was an island, was inhabited, and that the
inhabitants were attacked by something
powerful.
77. Secret Plateau: It may seem odd
to describe an oceanic plateau as secret,
given that they are large, flat elevations
some height above the surrounding sea
floor, making them easily visible from some
distance, given proper light. However, this
plateau cannot be seen from a distance as
the sea floor doesn’t appear to rise. It is
only when the plateau is approached within
a few yards that it suddenly becomes vis-
ible as it is shrouded behind some ancient
illusory magic. The illusion doesn’t keep
creatures from the plateau, although it
may once have, and there are some equal-
ly ancient ruins on it from some lost under-
water civilisation.
78. Senseless Reef: This barrier reef runs
fairly close to the shore, and has caused
many ships to run aground because it
doesn’t quite reach the surface of the sea,
even at the lowest tide. There are a few
channels through the reef, but these are
strangely hard to navigate. Some of the
ships that have run aground have done so
whilst traversing what they thought was a
channel through the reef. Often, those nav-
igating the ship reported losing their ability
to sense their direction or where they were
supposed to be going.
79. Shattered Sea: A shallow and warm
sea that looks as if it was once land. The
seabed is marked with many cracks and
breaks, as if the land was torn apart by a
cataclysm many centuries ago. Searching
12
the seabed finds the occasional ruin or sign
that the seabed did use to be above water,
and that it appears to have sunken below
rapidly.
80. Shattered Trench: This oceanic
trench extends deep below the surround-
ing floor of the ocean and is notable for the
shattered appearance of its sides. For some
reason, huge cracks riddle the sides of the
trench and falls of rock to the floor are not
uncommon; travellers within the trench
need to watch out for tumbling boulders,
and sometimes entire cliff faces, descend-
ing into the depths. The shattering of the
trench seems to be ongoing, yet there is
no sign it is linked to earthquakes or any-
thing similar that could explain it.
81. Skulker’s Seep: Black liquid slowly
seeps out of the ocean floor here, form-
ing a large pool of thick oil that does not
mix with the surrounding water. The seep
is avoided by most sea creatures, as once
covered in the oil, they quickly die. A few
of the more intelligent creatures occasion-
ally harvest the oil from the pool, though
this is infrequent due to the difficulty in
using fire underwater. There is also reputed
to be a creature, the Skulker, that lurks in
the vicinity, occasionally preying on visitors
to the seep.
82. Soundless Forest: The seabed here is
home to a large kelp forest, whose fronds
wave gently in the currents. The kelp is
home to a wide range of fish, but the most
unusual feature is the sound-deadening
nature of the forest. Sounds can be ampli-
fied underwater, but in this kelp forest the
opposite is true. All sounds are muffled,
with the effect being greater deeper within
the kelp, until eventually it is utterly qui-
et with not a sound being hear. This can
make it dangerous, as predators that rely
on sight use the silence to cloak their ap-
proach.
83. Spellbinding Seabed: The seabed
here is made of what appears to be mud,
rather than sand or rock, and is a glutinous
morass of decaying matter. Those who are
incautious when they approach the seabed
 risk getting trapped by the morass and
pulled under, which adds yet more decay-
ing material to the mess. Little in the way
of sea life lives in the area as the morass
has polluted the water with the by-prod-
ucts of decay. The way in which the muddy
seabed sucks down the wary seems so un-
usual that most who have encountered its
effects assume it to be magical in nature.
84. Spindly Reef: This coral reef runs out
from the nearby land, sloping into the sea.
It is an apron reef and all of it is currently
underwater. Normally, such a reef would
continue to grow and form into a fringing
reef, but this reef is diminishing instead. It
used to be a fringing reef but has gradually
disappeared over the years, leaving only
a spindly, narrow remnant of what used to
be there. It is thought that the reef may
have been mined for coral by an undersea
civilisation.
85. Stinking Spawning Ground: Under-
water, smells can be more often a matter
of taste than actual smell, and this vile
section of water is the spawning ground
for a particularly repugnant type of fish.
The fish itself is not aggressive or danger-
ous, but it exudes a scent and smell that
is so appalling that it works as a defensive
mechanism against predators. The fish
concentrate so heavily in the spawning
ground that most other sea life avoids the
contaminated water.
86. Strange Shoal: This submerged bank
of sand seems to have a strange distortion
in where it is. When viewed from above the
water, the shoal appears to be safely below
the surface. However, when seen from be-
low the surface, it appears to be rise above
it. A number of ships have sunk in the re-
gion or been damaged, after encountering
a shoal that did not appear to be a threat.
Even stranger, it is possible to swim over
the shoal, if approached from underwater,
even though it appears that attempting to
do so would result in rising above the wa-
ter’s surface.
87. Sunken Town of the Repenters:
This sunken town was once a notable, but
13
ill-aspected, trading port. It was renowned
for the depravity and evil indulged in by its
inhabitants. Though a travelling preacher
of great renown was able to turn most onto
the path of repentance, it was by then too
late. The town was submerged beneath the
waves in a freak, possibly divine, storm
that washed the very land away. The re-
mains of the buildings now dot the sea
floor and the area is rumoured to be filled
with the shades of those who were unable
to complete their repentance in life.
88. Sunlit Cliff: Deep below the water’s
surface is this cliff, which stretches even
further into the depths. Sunlight doesn’t
penetrate this far below the surface of the
water, and most of the area is dark. The
exception is the cliff, which is brightly illu-
minated as if by sunlight. The cliff doesn’t
shed light, but it can easily be seen from
some distance away and the fauna and
flora that lives on it are unusual, being
more suited to lighter waters. It is thought
that the water near the cliff has a peculiar
property that somehow manages to direct
sunlight onto the cliff.
89. Swallowing Smoker: Venting out of
the ocean floor is superheated water that
has formed a black, chimney-like protru-
sion around it from precipitated minerals.
The smoker’s chimney stretches for over a
dozen yards around it and is rich in metals.
The vent itself is dangerous to approach
too closely, as the superheated water may
burn the unwary before it cools. The fea-
ture gets its name from the occasional
“gulp” it makes, when it briefly stops emit-
ting superheated water and instead swal-
lows some of the surrounding water in. The
tug formed when this happens is strong,
and the unwary can get sucked into the
chimney, only to be blown out again in an
exhale of superheated water.
90. Swampy Downwelling: The water
here is gradually sinking towards the bot-
tom of the ocean, and this movement can
clearly be seen because the downwelling is
filled with all sorts of debris, to the extent
that it is almost a swamp in its consisten-
 cy, rather than water. Material gathers on
the surface above the downwelling, thanks
to the currents, and then makes its way to
the bottom. The sheer amount of organic
matter present means that there are many
fish feeding on it in the area, and in turn
predators and their predators can also be
found.
91. Thaumaturgic Platform: This carbon-
ate platform serves as the base for a large
reef, and is often harvested by sea-dwell-
ing civilisations due to the curious proper-
ties of the carbonate deposits. For some
reason, the deposits radiate magic and
prove useful when used in spells and other
magical endeavours. There is a belief that
the platform itself is magical in some way,
that an ancient civilisation created the car-
bonate platform itself as a way of making
a source of magically-imbued sediment to
harvest.
92. Thundering Range: A range of sub-
marine mountains that stretches for many
leagues. Its presence can be detected from
some distance away due to vibrations in
the water which, to those sensitive enough,
does sound like thunder. The mountain
range is very unstable and suffers from
frequent rockslides, making it dangerous to
be on or even to approach too closely. The
slides constantly fill the surrounding wa-
ter with sediment and particulate matter,
interfering with sight and breathing. The
source of the instability isn’t known, but
there are rumours of mining activity within
the range.
93. Tower of the Forsaken Coral:
Stretching dozens of yards up from the
ocean floor is a cylindrical coral tower,
measuring over 20’ in diameter. The tower
is of a curiously regular shape, seemingly
like a round tower that would be found on
the surface, but made from coral. Explora-
tion of the tower confirms that it is made
from coral, not just coral that has grown
up around an existing structure. The coral,
however, is dead and has been for some
time. A few pieces have been broken off to
use as decoration and jewellery, but after
14
accidents befell everyone who took some,
the tower has been left alone.
94. Towering Volcanoes: This arc of
ancient to new volcanos stretches across
a goodly portion of the sea floor. The most
recently, and sometimes still, active volca-
noes are where the name comes from, as
they quickly breached the water’s surface
forming islands. The oldest volcanoes in
the arc have been worn down by wind and
weather until they are no longer above sea
level. The entire region has active vulca-
nism, most strongly concentrated in the
area around the youngest volcanoes, but
the other areas still regularly experience
earthquakes.
95. Tranquil Meadow: A peaceful area
of seagrass near the coast, growing in the
soft sea bed. The seagrass reaches high
into the water and is home to many dif-
ferent marine species. There is little in the
way of currents or waves in the area of the
meadow, even on the surface. The activity
is surprisingly low, only being enough to
keep the water oxygenated and healthy.
96. Twitching Gyre: A comparatively
small set of circular currents, not the size
of a major oceanic current, but not small
or fast enough to be considered to be a
maelstrom. The gyre is completely under-
water, and though it isn’t enormously pow-
erful, it is strong enough to drag unpre-
pared creatures away. Various small items
are found circulating in the current, which
can be painful if encountered suddenly. The
gyre is known to “twitch” suddenly; mov-
ing hundreds of feet away from its previous
position. It isn’t known what causes this.
97. Umber Water: This region of water is
a reddish-brown colour, caused by a lot of
suspended particulate matter in the water,
which obscures vision and makes it diffi-
cult for those with gills to breathe. That’s
assuming that anyone is foolish enough to
enter the water, for it is also boiling hot.
The water and the suspended matter are
heated by a geothermal source just below
the seabed, which not only boils the water
but also deposits the matter in it and keeps
 it swirling. At the edges, the water cools off
and the particles start to dissipate, but the
water quickly gets hotter and the particles
get rapidly denser if the area is entered.
98. Variegated Coastline: Until compar-
atively recently, this submergent coastline
was above the water’s surface, but a rise
in water levels drowned it. Drowned riv-
er valleys cut through the area, and the
remnants of them can still be seen, even
though all the old plant life is long dead
and rotted. From above, the drowned
valleys give the water a variegated ap-
pearance, due to the differences in depth
between the bottoms of the submerged
valleys and the tops of the now-submerged
hills.
99. Viperous Ruins: Ancient ruins clus-
ter on the sea bed, with little more than
tumbled, Brobdingnagian blocks marking
what used to be immense buildings. The
buildings may have been above the surface
15
at one point but they are so ancient it is
impossible to tell what their original form
was. The ruins are noteworthy for the large
number of sea snakes that can be found in
the area, all of which are unusually poison-
ous. Some theories suggest that the ruins
may have been connected to a snake god
in some way, which could account for the
presence of the sea snakes.
100. Wyrm’s Placer: This submerged reef
has a rocky bottom, which is more unusu-
al, and stretches for some distance. The
reef is high enough that it ships run the
risk of ripping open their hulls if they try to
sail over it. There are two claimed origins
for the reef’s name. The first is from the
shape, which is vaguely like a wyrm. The
second is that it is the reputed home of
a huge aquatic wyrm, one that sleeps for
many years before stirring again, and it is
the wyrm that is responsible for a number
of the lost ships in the area.
 More Encounters and Things to Discover Outdoors
100 Chaotic Happenings to Experience
100 Cold Wilderness Locations
100 Curiosities to Bamboozle Players to Find Outdoors
100 Elemental Locations
100 Encounters for a Fantasy Desert
100 Encounters for a Fantasy Jungle
100 Encounters for a Fantasy Swamp
100 Encounters for Fantasy Mountains
100 Encounters for Fantasy Oceans
100 Encounters for Fantasy Plains
100 Encounters in a Fey Forest
100 Fantasy Islands to Encounter
100 Landmarks for a Fantasy Setting
100 Pieces of Flotsam and Jetsam To Find On A Beach
100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness
100 Sights and Sounds to See and Hear after a Battle
100 Snow and Ice Encounters
100 Temperate Wilderness Locations
100 Things to Find, See and Hear in a Forest
100 Tropical Wilderness Locations

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