Description:

Molten lava falls from somewhere high in the walls of Sikatou, cascading down a cliff face turned black with the accumulation of cooled lava. Beneath the falls, lava flows in a deadly facsimile of a river, crawling along until it drops out of the cavern entirely.

Landmarks:

• Mean Mother Falls - A spectacularly large Lava fall that pools into a massive pit of magma that slowly hardens as the stream oozes its way downhill. Mean Mother Falls gets its name due to a legend revolving around a Drake losing her entire clutch of eggs and fiercely defending her nest to her death. The legend states that a mound of Magmatic compost formed in its place. Nowadays, Tokota, Human and Sikatou natives alike who have a penance for extreme sports take great pleasure in driving, sledding and climbing up and down the large mound.
  Because of this, Mean Mother has become sort of a tourist attraction. Visitors must pay to gain access to the site and must be supervised to prevent damage to Drake Nests when nesting season comes around.
• Sun River - Sikatou's Sun River, one of the notable and naturally occuring lava falls, runs through the mystic wilderness. It is this river of heat that fills the cavern environment's depths with a tropical climate, thanks to its interaction with neighboring streams and underground water tables.
• Tails of the Dragon - Tails of the Dragon is one of Sikatou's natural phenomenons that is as strange as it is beautiful. The form is a massive swirling pattern, half the size of a football field, created by a slow-moving lava flow that has since hardened and cooled. It received the name "Tails of the Dragon" because it looks like thousands of scaled dragon tails all coiled together.
  Unfortunately, the amazing structure has started to weaken and many spots of the spiral formation have been closed off to keep it preserved. Some of the spirals now have cracks or prints from boots and paws from previous tourists walking over the site and damaging the weakened stone. While you can still go and see the formation, it is preferred you do not trespass and walk over the spirals, potentially damaging the site further.
• The Whorl - The Whorl is a strange, striated, cooled lava tube that sits at about the midpoint between the top of the Falls and where they plummet out of the cavern. The Whorl is a favorite roost among drakes and is often the subject of territory battles. Researchers have theorized that the drakes may be storing gems and precious metals inside the lava tube for safe keeping.
• The Paw - Near the Lava Falls proper, there is a unique formation of lava pools. These pools form what looks like a lopsided ring at first inspection-- only at a higher vantage can it be seen that they're arranged in what looks like a gigantic paw print. Local legends explain it as the pawprint of an extinct tokota species that was the size of a house... but those are just stories, right?
• The Serpents Maw - The Serpent's Maw is a long lava tube deep in Sikatou's Lava Falls, so named because ancient civilizations believed it was formed by great serpents that slithered through a cooling lava flow. Some believe these were the drakes. This long cave has become a popular caving site. Many of the best handlers believe this is where the most rare treasures can be found. Some swear they can hear elemental calls from the entrance. It is warned that if a Tokota must be sent into the tube, that only the bravest and strongest be entered.

Lore:

• Scientists are still studying the properties of the rocks found in the caverns, but it appears that the Sikatou lava falls have a lower boiling point than expected. They are not as hot as many volcanic magmas found throughout the world, and are comparably comfortable to be near without protective gear. It is still ill-advised to go to the lava's edge, however.
• The Sikatou lava falls has attracted possibly the strangest combination of people in the world- those interested in science and extreme sports. The heat from the molten magma, combined with the danger of the drake inhabitants, makes the falls nearly uninhabitable for humans. Most of the few who dare to enter are fascinated by the biology of the seemingly semi-inorganic drakes, the veins of gold that line the walls, or simple thrill-seekers aiming to push their bodies to the limits. Of the three, the thrill-seekers always seem to return from their treks with the most drake bites.
• Legend has it a mischievous spirit once stole a dragon's treasure and dropped it into the falls. The dragon dove in after the treasure. Some say it perished. Alive or dead, it is said to still be in the lava somewhere. The treasure itself melted and formed pockets of precious metals and gems in the falls' obsidian walls. Anyone who tries to mine it gets dragged into the lava by the dragon - or its ghost.
• The Lava Falls are also known by the residing tokotas as Hestia’s Mane because of a local legend: It tells the story of a long-maned huntress, Hestia, that hunted down and slayed a terrifying drake. This drake, bigger than any drake anyone had ever seen, had a monstrous appetite and devoured all creatures big and small. Hestia, a brave huntress, decided to track the beast down and kill it. Backed up by the rest of the pack, an epic battle ensued but the gigantic drake was too much even for Artemis’ Huntresses. In one last act of bravery, Hestia lunged herself at the drake and they both plummeted into an active volcano. It exploded in fits of fire and trails of lava, the color of Hestia’s mane, started running down its sides. Huntresses young and old often come here to pay homage to their fallen sister.
• The land of brimstone, ash and fiery rivers was said to be formed by the bodies of the ancient drakes. The ancients, massive in size and ferocity, would lumber their great bodies onto the pile of their dead when wounded, their bodies becoming one and forming the volcanic ridges.

Creatures:

• Drakes - See their dedicated page.
• Brimmstun Salamander - Alongside the drakes, smaller salamanders also make their home amid the continuously moving rivers and falls of lava. These little creatures are far more friendly than the drakes, and can be found scuttling across the solidified black stone around the lava. Further research is needed to work out whether they're an early life stage of the drakes or a separate creature entirely. The prospect of the tiny, cute creatures potentially turning into the ferocious drakes hasn't stopped people trying to take the little salamanders to be pets.
• Felsic Tortoise - Thanks to the extremely warm temperatures of the Lava Falls, a special species of tortoise has happily thrived for centuries. With extremely hard shells that mimic the look and texture of the stone they live around, they blend in seamlessly. Their only threat are the drakes that also live in Lava Falls. The tortoises are often considered a tasty treat by the little devils if they can get through their shell.
• Basidian bat - see its entry in Mushroom Forest.
Location inspiration from contributions by CH-Travels, cryptid-corvidae, DoctorLinnec, Ellanoire, EvaEevee, hRhianne, ionekta, Lachtaube, LadyTeaTime, Majfisch, Oskoreia-Art, Tinadactyl, xfrostfall and the Tokotas Admin Team Location art by Solarxolverite-Arpg