Oakvel Serpent Sea

The Serpent Sea

The Serpent Sea

Ages ago, long before the existence of the Brotherhood, an underground river from the sea managed to carve out a grotto beneath the surface of Oakvael. The sea water receded leaving a small salt water grotto. In this sea, a vast multitude of creatures thrived without the direct aid of sunlight. As time passed, a Serpent moved from the surface to the sea to feed on all of these creatures. The Brotherhood discovered the cave where the Serpent (Cecil) lived, and tried to carve out more dwellings for its ever-growing number of minions. This time it was for the associates of the Brotherhood that the caves were used. The Serpent did not like this intrusion, and devised it's own plan of defense. With the help of a Water Nymph (Pesclanor) who also lived in the sea, they conjured up a black fog, which constantly transported the Brotherhood from one location on the level to another. To further complicate the matter, they convinced a few renegade Trolls to assist in carving the central cavern, where the fog was, so that the shape would be symmetrical, confusing those that were caught by the fog. To this day, the Serpents Maze remains confusing and full of surprises. The plan was partially successful, as the Brotherhood abandoned most of the area immediately surrounding the sea, leaving the Serpent in relative peace. Other areas farther to the West were developed, and the Sorcerers from the Brotherhood took up residence. Descendants of those dwellers can still be found there today, though fortunately they have lost the main secrets of the Brotherhood, sticking to the more common forms of magic. These descendants saw the futility of fighting the Serpent's control of the level, and decided to form an alliance (albeit an uneasy one) with the Serpent and the Nymph.