Xammux

Xammux, also known as the Caverns of Xammux, was a partially flooded cave system that contained the legendary Library of Tarchamus. The name was a corruption of the ancient Netherese name "Tarchamus".

Description
The entrance was a great stone door located in the side of a cliff within a ravine at the edge of the High Forest. This door was covered in warning messages scratched in multiple languages, and part of the door had collapsed and fallen away as of the late 15 century DR.

The interior was a cave complex that descended into flooded lower levels deep beneath the Nether Mountains, although even the upper levels were often damp. Navigating the caves brought explorers first to a lake and then to a flooded passageway with a strong current, through which it was not possible to travel without some means of water breathing. Beyond this were the decorative stone doors that led to the library.

The flooding of the caves was due to the presence of a subterranean stream that flowed from an aquifer in the Underdark into the River Rauvin. When this stream overflowed, the caves filled with water such that even the main entrance would leak, and debris and treasures from the caverns would be washed out to the river for the locals to find.

Geography
The ravine was located on the northern edge of the High Forest at the base of the Nether Mountains a few days' journey east from Everlund in the Silver Marches. The ravine entrance was marked by a handful of standing stones.

History
The complex housed the Library of Tarchamus, which was constructed by the Netherese arcanist known as Tarchamus the Unyielding sometime prior to. By the late 15 century DR, little was known about the complex save that it was believed to have been abandoned by its original creators for centuries, and that the meaning behind the name "Xammux" was unknown. However, some locals suspected cult activity in the vicinity.

The library was destroyed in a volcanic eruption caused by a casting of Tarchamus' volcano by the cambion Lorcan in Flamerule of the. The eruption blew the top off of the mountain above the caverns, however at least some of Xammux survived more-or-less intact.

Inhabitants
The moist upper levels of the complex were the hunting grounds of fungus creatures and the occasional hydra, while the flooded depths were home to pale-colored horrors. It was also home to a large colony of cavern botflies.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Lesser Evils