Description:

A wild, twisting, labyrinthian cave system laces its way beneath the jungles of Maquraq. Some of the caverns are a hundred feet tall, with limestone arches and strange, still waters. Others are open to the sky and a haven for jungle wildlife, including bats and brightly colored birds. Some of the largest cenotes contain the ruins of ancient civilizations, grown over and lost to memory. Some caves are dark, damp, and explorers report a continual feeling of being watched. Only the bravest divers and cave explorers venture here. It's often said that the Serpent devours all cowards and fools.

Deep inside the spine is a city called Mekati. Sometimes called the 'Hidden City' despite everyone knowing exactly where it is, it is one of the older cities of the region. It can only be accessed in two ways: Leaping off the Tehaki Falls into the waiting pools, or the newly built elevator systems which lower people down into the city. Once a simple mining outpost, the city has grown to fill miles of the cave system and is lit by the luminescent moss found along most of the walls, buildings, and rocks. The waterfalls nearby provide the rest of Mekati's power with their powerful currents, allowing a peaceful city to grow below the jungle's surface.

Landmarks:

• Tehaqi Elevators: The system was designed as a series of evenly weighted platforms that rotate clockwise raising one while lowering the other. This allows for smooth rides going up and down, the brilliant science behind requires very little electricity to move the platforms when everything is perfectly balanced. Everything runs on less power than it takes to operate the coffee pot in the morning.
• Mekati Temple: During the early years of the city an old temple in decent repair was found. Being so far underground it had been protected from the elements that ravished the ones above, someone else had the same idea to live in the caves. There are depictions of three moons and a deity that no one has ever heard of everywhere. The temple runs deeper into the ground than the Maquarq have ever dared to dig, which means adventures still find new mysteries with every level discovered.
• Xoqoh's Doorway: A pink limestone cave with a wide mouth, full of lush greenery and flowers that seem to bloom regardless of the season. Locals have long believed this is a gateway to the afterlife; after the first hundred feet, the floor slopes steeply and vanishes into the darkness. Many visit this cave to make offerings. Carvings in the stone prove that the practice has been going on for generations and generations--long before you arrived here, and likely long after you'll be gone.

Lore:

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• Some of the tunnels on the outer edges of Mekati have caved in over time or accidents in the old mines. Every now and then people hear cries for help coming from the abandoned mine shafts, but everyone knows you don't go to help. There is no one there...
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• Locals have long believed that the deepest caves in the region are actually doors to the afterlife, and many small impromptu shrines pop up in addition to the most famous shrines at the Doorway and other large caves.
• Legend has it that if you carry a bird feather with you into the caves, friendly spirits will always let you see the sky again.


Original location inspiration by demonicrose and the7eventhrider
Location art by --