Basalt Depths

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Basalt Depths

^{The volcanic maw}

Limspace Classification

Difficulty	5/5	Extreme heat renders human exploration impossible.
Entity Count	4/5	This limspace is extremely rich in exotic flora and fauna.
Chaos Gradient	0/5	The environment within is very stable and static.
Basset-Frazier Index	3/5	Although the Basalt Depths are utterly inhospitable to humans, an abundance of rich resources and unique life calls this scorching realm their home.

fig 1.0 A picture of a Volcanic Maw taken from a distance.

Volcanic Maws:

Volcanic Maws are an extremely rare and sought after type of shield volcano found in the seas of Impetus. They are unique for their eternal eruptions and magnetic anomalies that allow normally useless compasses to point towards them, as long as they are somewhat close. In addition, these peculiar oddities within the eternal seas allow entry into Basalt Depths, allowing the native Inferno Squids to set up trading hubs around them, where valuable metals and gemstones get sold. Their immense rarity makes these volcanoes something of a legend that few find but many search for. The plethora of wealth traded in exchange for common materials is a deal that the greedy scarcely decline. Stealing from these hubs places a scorching target upon your back throughout Impetus. What happens to those who are caught varies. In the worst case the thief can be thrown into the scorching depths within the Volcanic Maws. The Infernosquids never forget a face.

Description:

fig 1.0 A digital recreation of what a cave entrance within the Basalt Depths may look like.

A superheated domain of lava and valuable resources lies within the volcanic maws of Impetus. The treasure trove sits begging to be excavated, but no normal humans could ever stand the heat long enough to break them free. Most information on this level was given by Infernosquid scholars who can live inside the flaming depths and outside for short periods.

From the reports, Basalt Depths consists of a vast cavern flooded with magma. The landscape within the cavern is quite diverse, with its submerged mountains and large trenches. Entrances to submerged caves are also found, leading to large spaghetti-like labyrinths. Typically rare substances, such as silver, gold, platinum, corundum, emerald, diamond, and many more valuables are exceptionally abundant. These treasures are borderline impossible for most to reasonably obtain. However, the native Infernosquids have formed settlements dedicated to excavating precious materials.

The Infernosquids use their riches to trade with those outside the volcanic maw for resources they can't obtain inside. The resources are in much larger quantities the deeper one descends, especially inside the trenches with an exceptionally high concentration of platinum. The Basalt Depths are described as full of many kinds of life. Most of the life within are Lithoids-creatures made of stone, metals, and other materials. Besides the Infernosquids, no life can leave the scorching depths without freezing to death nearly instantly.

Life:

Below is an abridged list of a few creatures that live within Basalt Depths.

Show Table

Name:	Description:
Ironclad Snails	Ironclad Snails are one of the few species living on the volcanic maw that isn't entirely made of stone or metal. While they do not live in the Basalt Depths directly, they are considered part of the limspace as they depend on it's flames and metals to make their shells. Their shells allow them to get much closer to the magma ocean.
Glass Weed	Glass Weeds are seagrass made entirely of green heat-resistant glass. Their photosynthesis is notably reliant on ambient heat rather than sunlight.
Glass Kelp	Glasskelp is akin to Glassweeds with their glass material. Glasskelp tends to grow to great heights in great density, creating dense kelp forests.
Crystalcorals	Throughout the Basalt Depths massive reefs of Crystalcoral may be found. These corals are made of many vibrant colored gems that give them a prismatic appearance. Infernosquids refuse to harvest these corals as they are extremely slow to regrow.
Volcanic Fish	Volcanic Fish make up the bulk of the fauna within the Basalt Depths. These rocky fish are made of multiple kinds of volcanic rock, such as granite, basalt, and obsidian. They also come in various diverse shapes and sizes, resembling other marine creatures such as eels, sharks, manta rays, and other typical fish.
Silvernautilus	Silvernautioids resemble nautiluses but with shells entirely made of titanium and innards of volcanic rock. These rocky cephalopods live deep in the magma.
Thermaloysters	Thermaloysters are oysters with shells of tungsten and innards of softer metals. These humble critters make the highly sought-after Thermalpearl.
Shineturtles	Shineturtles are among the few animals that can be seen from outside the depths since they require air to breathe. Shineturtles have shells made of diamond, causing their namesake. Despite the value of diamonds, Infernosquids refuse to harvest from these turtles because of their scarce numbers.
Blackwhales	Blackwhales are similar to the Shineturtles in that they can be seen on the surface as they need air to breathe. The lava fountains they create when they exhale are described as majestic but dangerous. These whales are unique as they are strictly made of obsidian.
Scorching Jellyfish	Scorching Jellyfish are made of magma but have stingers full of toxic metals like thallium instead of venom. These jellyfish are elusive as they are nearly invisible in the magma and because most encounters lead to death.
Ashen Nymphs	Those who fall into the burning pits of pride and greed will have their soul turn into an Ashen Nymph, a ghostly and incorporeal apparition surrounding the trenches. They hover around these regions with empty eyesockets while constantly wailing and serving as a warning to the Infernosquids of what is lurking beneath.

The Platinum Behemoths:

fig 1.0 An illustration of a Platinum Behemoth.

Those who do not heed the unspoken warnings of the Ashen Nymphs will find Behemoths lurking beneath. The Platinum Behemoths are the apex predators of the scorching seas and thus deserve a section of their own.

Named after the abundance of platinum in their habitat and having a serpentine appearance, these giants grow to immense sizes capable of devouring nearly anything, even the large Blackwhales. Their scales are made of an extremely tough and unknown metal alloy. These predators are blind and can only sense their environment through echolocation or movement within the magma.

The majority of the time, they hibernate inside of the trenches and only rarely awaken for a hunt, however, disturbances in the magma at their place of rest may awaken them early. Behemoths awakened from their slumber are particularly aggressive and will stop at nothing to destroy the intruder that awoke it, along with anything else they come across on their way. These giant predators are why no Infernosquid with a sane mind ever descends into the trenches despite their riches. An awakened Platinum Behemoth spells certain doom for the aggressor and extreme danger for everyone and everything else.

Communities:

The only native sapient lifeforms within the Basalt Depths are the Infernosquids. They are octopi with intelligence and size comparable to humans and bodies made of basalt. Their eyes are notably various types of gemstones. Infernosquids demonstrate extreme tolerance to thermal changes, with their capability of living inside the Basalt Depths and traveling to the relatively frigid world outside the volcanic maw. Though, extremely long exposure to the outside is quite unhealthy for them. Infernosquids have formed dozens of settlements inside the Basalt Depths. Most of these settlements focus on mining precious riches and selling them in the trading hubs mentioned above. The following three settlements stand out from the rest.

The Magmatic Spelunkers:

The Magmatic Spelunkers is by far the largest community that primarily focuses on mining resources for trade. Due to the danger of the trenches, this society opts to explore the cave systems instead in the search of platinum and other materials, as many other mining societies do. Their hub is truly massive, even compared to other Infernosquid settlements. From the center of their hub, their city looks to stretch far into the horizon.

The Entrenched:

This group was feared by other Infernosquids not because of violence but because of their lunacy. Their greed, driven by the otherwise tough to obtain platinum, leads them into the perilous trenches. This gets them frequently attacked by the Behemoths within, resulting in other Inferno Squids avoiding their settlements if possible, along with decimating The Entrenched's numbers. Currently this settlement has not been seen for many decades.

The Voluptas Dynasty:

The Voluptas Dynasty is a large monarchic society ruled by emperor Toba III, consisting of thousands of members. This community prefers to keep to itself, which results in its members never leaving the Basalt Depths for trade on the outside. Due to their strict isolationist nature, not much is known about their living conditions, as the reports on it conflict with each other, causing a lot of surrounding mystery. Some report a wealthy society akin to wild utopian dreams, while others tell tales of tyranny.

Entrances and Exits:

Entrances:

The Basalt Depths are accessed through the scarce volcanic maws found in the impetus layer of Thalasso. Descending into a volcano reveals a much larger space than what would be guessed based on the outside.

Exits:

Leaving Basalt Depths is as simple as leaving back the way you entered.

Author

~ Some Random User

Images were generated on https://www.craiyon.com/ and https://openai.com/dall-e-2

BIG thanks to Nautilus98 and moist bread for their crit and input in brainstorming.