Before the Divergence
Cael Morrow, whose original name is lost to history, was located in the jungles of Marquet prior to and during the time of the Calamity, in the location where Ank'Harel stands in modern times. It was originally an elven city, and more specifically dark elves (drow) and orcs were depicted working together to build the city, the orcs having joined the city shortly after they were transformed by the blood of Gruumsh. At the time of its destruction, the population was a mixture of elves and orcs. It was a peaceful society with a strong academic tradition, considered utopian, and the population worshiped Corellon.
Shortly before the eve of the Calamity, Volucia of the Heart's Emblem, Chief Diviner of Avalir, renounced magic and retired to Cael Morrow after she saw that her fellow mages didn't care about the suffering and risks the oracles of Avalir were experiencing.
Gruumsh, as the enemy of Corellon, targeted Cael Morrow, and attempted to strike the temple of the Arch Heart at the center of the city with a force intended to destroy the entire continent, but he was blocked by Alyxian. As a result, Marquet survived, although much of the jungle became desert. However, Cael Morrow was pushed underground and destroyed in the process. Alyxian's ties to Ruidus created a rift, and Cael Morrow's waters combined with unknown planar magic, creating the Netherdeep. Only a handful of the denizens of the city survived.
Era of Reclamation
The original members of an academic collective called the Allegiance of Allsight came to Ank'Harel from across Marquet to reestablish the strong academic tradition that had defined Cael Morrow.
For decades, the Allegiance of Allsight petitioned the leader of Ank'Harel, J'mon Sa Ord, for permission to excavate the submerged ruins beneath the city. An elven former cleric of Ioun, Trast, attracted a small but fanatical group of followers, called the Sentinels of Memory, dedicated to stopping this excavation. The Sentinels believe the sunken city of Cael Morrow, which they dub an "Under-Temple", is a prison for some terror from the Calamity and that it must be kept sealed, and that the lack of historical records about the city is proof that it was deliberately hidden to prevent such a breakout. The Sentinels mostly used political means to stop the excavation. Eventually, J'mon Sa Ord assented to the Allegiance's request, infuriating the Sentinels.
The chasm in Ank'Harel's Sigil District leading down to the ruins was already open and an excavation was underway in 811 PD, when Vox Machina visited the city. Percival de Rolo noticed faint traces of whitestone in the rocks used to pave this part of the district.
As of 836 PD, the city still is being excavated by the Allegiance, who named the ruins Cael Morrow, or "the Drowned City". The ruins are under their jurisdiction. During that time, other factions have taken an interest in Cael Morrow. The Sentinels of Memory continue to try to stymie the excavation, with some members turning to violent methods—including one Sentinel who infiltrated the Allegiance of Allsight, Lymmle Wist. The Sentinels receive financial and other support from the Consortium of the Vermilion Dream, which is fascinated by Ruidus and seeks to use the ruidium emanating from the Netherdeep for wealth and prestige; one of the Consortium's agents extracted the first ruidium from the Netherdeep itself, traumatically awakening Alyxian from his slumber and setting a crisis into motion. The Cobalt Soul, despite generally being aligned with the scholarly Allegiance, becomes wary of their allies' interest in ruidium with its corrupting properties; the Cobalt Soul investigates Cael Morrow with an eye toward shutting down the rift to the Netherdeep, cutting off the flow of ruidium.
Ayo Jabe's adventuring party joins either the Allegiance or the Consortium and plumbs Cael Morrow's secrets, at significant cost to their well-being. The player characters (PCs) in Call of the Netherdeep may join either of those factions or the Cobalt Soul and explore Cael Morrow too. Investigation of Cael Morrow around that time of crisis turns up creatures who remember the city before its destruction, as well as artifacts of that time. The city has ruidium-corrupted items that can be used to more easily navigate the depths and to open the rift to the Netherdeep. And the waters of Cael Morrow are prowled by a variety of aberrations from the Netherdeep, as well as other aquatic creatures corrupted by ruidium exposure. One of these creatures, a ruidium-twisted aboleth, becomes convinced it is Alyxian, and channels his tormented emotions in psychic emanations.
If Alyxian is either destroyed or redeemed, all the ruidium in Cael Morrow and beyond disappears and its corruption ends.
Description
In its heyday, Cael Morrow was a city with alabaster spires and a beautiful library.
In 836 PD, the architecture of Cael Morrow is quite worn after centuries of being underwater. Any areas that are not underwater were cleared by the Allegiance of Allsight, who placed magical soundproof barriers and airlocks to keep these regions dry. There are also many dangerous aquatic creatures and undead in the city.
The entry to Cael Morrow is in the Sigil District of Ank'Harel: a large spiral staircase leads down to the entryway, which is guarded by the Allegiance of Allsight. The Allegiance's headquarters are in a three-story building that they have repurposed for storage of artifacts. The top floor is partially collapsed. The city also has multiple watchtowers and guard towers.
Points of interest
- The Last Willow Tavern is an underwater tavern run by Olara, a sea elf and one of the few survivors of the initial attack.
- The Royal Library contains a reading room, study area, and ritual chamber. Most of the books have fallen apart after centuries underwater, and the area smells of mildew. The ritual chamber contains a still-functioning teleportation circle.
- The Temple of the Arch Heart is a huge stone structure under the divine protection of Corellon, who keeps out both the water and intruders. The floor is covered in an elaborate silver and green mosaic that, as of 836 PD, was marred by a shard of ruidium.
- A kelp forest grows where there was once a garden. There are still shrines to Corellon within.
- The rift to the Netherdeep is located in the collapsed ruins of a former palace, and is covered by a barrier that protects it against intruders and can only be penetrated by ruidium weapons.
