Hex Crawl 23 #19: Mirror Lake

1 hex north, 1 hex northwest of Alakran ...

Nestled among the hills is a half-mile-wide roundish lake with a surface perfectly reflecting the sky, without blurring or discoloration. The illusion is so complete that viewers may think they are seeing an abyss of rolling clouds, or a blue heaven set in the earth like a chip of lapis lazuli.

In reality the lake sits atop a vein of mercury, which bubbles up from below and paints the watery surface with the mirrored sheen, also protecting it from evaporating in the hot months. In the rainy winter the lake acquires an additional layer of clear water on top of the mercury.

Mercury in the world of Mittellus has mutagenic properties, derived from the liquid metal's cosmic and alchemical association with Xoth, most fleet and inconstant of the seven moving stars. An encounter that refers to this hex will instead give the observant a difficult chance to notice something unusual about a bird (at 2 hexes distant) or insect or reptile (at 0-1 hex distant): extra or missing legs or eyes, skin of an unusual texture or color, horns, oily sweat, the scent of sulfur or lilies. If hunting or foraging when this encounter is rolled, the creature is noticed automatically. 

The red goblins to the west proudly credit their distinctive look to the pool, wherein they believe it good luck to bathe before lovemaking.

Unlike in our world, the mercury is not toxic immediately. Only over generations is the mutageny effected. Hundreds of flasks of mercury may be gathered from this remote place near the dreaded Scarp, but alchemists in towns and cities will only need at most 10 flasks per year per place visited, for which they will pay 20 gp a bottle. Nobody in Alakran currently is sophisticated enough to realize this value.