#Lore24 – Entry #178 – Wild West Month #27 – The Land of Deadly Water that Shoots to the Sky

As told by Kumiko Stalks-Amongst-the-Stars, shaman of the Midnight Panther tribe of Kerra-Kerra

A land that is both sacred and deadly, not to be traveled by the unwary, though perhaps if the Many Spirits are willing, one who is not familiar with the region may survive their journey through it.  The Land of Deadly Water that Shoots to the Sky can be found many days to the west of the Hills of Coal, within the northeastern reaches of the Peaks Reaching to the Sky.  The land is both good and bad here, for there can be found many places where animals and plants for food are plentiful, especially around the many lakes spread around this region, but also many places that will kill without thought or mercy, for the Many Spirits are often in conflict here.

It is the spirits of the earth and water which are most often in battle within this area, and perhaps it is the spirits of fire that stoke the feuds between them.  There are parts of this land where you can find Pools of Smoking Water that Smell Foul, and though colored in beautiful ways, the water is deadly.  Not only will it boil flesh while you still live, perhaps before you even realize it, but it will also poison if cooled and drank.  Even the earth around these pools of water is not safe, for it can be thin and misleading, breaking off to dump you into the very boiling water that is hidden beneath it.  In other regions, the Many Spirts of Earth and Water make pleas to the spirits of the Air and Sky to aid against the Spirits of Fire, shooting huge streams of boiling water into the sky.  One would be wise to tread carefully when you begin to smell foul air and feel rumbles beneath your feet, and watch for the bones of animals, for they too fall prey to the battle of the Many Spirits here.

Even with the dangers here, the good parts of this land are very good, and it is shared amongst the Kerra-Kerra and the Horse People throughout the year as we roam from place to place.  In recent times the Many Peoples from Beyond the Great Walls have begun to venture into The Land of Deadly Water that Shoots to the Sky, ever seeking their shiny treasures and the dark blood of the earth.  I have seen for myself their folly in venturing unwarily through this land, and you will likely see their bones scattered amongst the Pools of Dangerous Water and in the Places Where Water Shoots to the Sky.