The Pool of Madness
You’re askin’ about the Pool of Madness, right? Now there’s a spot that’s not for the faint-hearted, let me tell you. Folk often get it mixed up with the Lake of the Mad, poor saps. But if you manage to find the right one, then you’re in for a dark surprise, mate. It ain’t so deep, just about five feet, but it hides secrets darker than the blackest night in Sigil.
First you’ve got to get near the water without it driving you barmy. Proximity to the water has the effect of confusion, and can even cause psychic damage. They say that some cunning tanar’ri hunters use this effect to herd their prey somewhere where they’ll be easier to catch. Believe it or not, the water itself isn’t dangerous. Well, not at first…
Now, if you’re thinking, “what’s the worst that could happen in a puddle?”, then let me stop you right there. See, it’s not about what’s in the pool, it’s about where it takes you. The Pool of Madness is a rift in Pazunia, the surface acts like a watery gate. Diving in will throw you straight into the cold, dark embrace of the Shadowsea, the 89th layer of the Abyss, a place governed by none other than Dagon, the Prince of the Depths. Twilight waters that stretch as far as the eye can see, home to that ancient obyrith lord, a blood who’s got darkness running in his veins.
They say the Shadowsea isn’t just chilly, oh no. It’s the kind of cold that gnaws at yer sanity, a place where shadows hide unspeakable horrors, every current in the water might be caused by monstrous entity watching, just waiting for the right moment to pounce. Dagon himself has a temperament colder than the waters he resides in, and a mind sharp and dark as the Abyss itself.
Source: Demonomicon [4e], expanded by Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net
