Fragments of an ancient map suggest that a sealed chamber exists somewhere within The Depths beneath Velkaris. The surviving pieces show passages recognizable from the ruined city, but one route continues far beyond anything recorded on modern maps.
At its end, a single symbol marks what appears to be a doorway.
No description accompanies it. No room is drawn beyond it.
If the map is accurate, something beneath Velkaris was deliberately sealed away—and later erased from every other known record of the city.
Very few people know the map exists, and even fewer believe it is genuine.
Those familiar with Velkaris know that The Depths extend far beyond the areas explored by modern travelers. Collapsed passages, flooded chambers and unstable tunnels have made complete mapping nearly impossible.
Some believe the marked doorway simply led to an old treasury, burial chamber or forgotten section of the city. Others question why such an ordinary place would have been removed from later maps.
The Remnants of Velkaris may react strangely when questioned about the deepest parts of the city. Some appear confused. Others become silent or insist there is nothing below.
Whether they truly do not remember—or simply refuse to speak of it—is unclear.
If the player searches for the chamber, clues may gradually lead deeper beneath Velkaris:
Different fragments of the ancient map may reveal portions of the forgotten route.
Certain passages shown on the map appear to have been deliberately collapsed.
Old markings carved into walls may match symbols found on the map.
Architecture becomes noticeably older and rougher as the player descends.
Some passages bear evidence of having been sealed from the outside rather than from within.
The Remnants become increasingly rare in the deepest areas.
A Remnant may recognize the symbol marking the door but refuse to explain it.
Ancient inscriptions near the route appear damaged deliberately rather than naturally eroded.
Eventually, traces of a passage may be discovered behind stonework that does not match the surrounding structure.
No single clue should reveal what lies beyond the door.
The player may discover the first fragment of the map while exploring Old Velkaris, find it among the possessions of a previous explorer, purchase it from someone who does not understand its significance, or receive information about it from a Remnant.
The player does not need to know immediately that the map leads to a sealed chamber.
Initially, it may simply appear to be an unusually old map of Velkaris. Only by comparing it with the city's existing passages should the impossible route become apparent.
Franz may create map fragments, inscriptions, collapsed passages, previous explorers and minor discoveries that gradually reveal the route toward the sealed door.
The journey should become increasingly difficult and unsettling as the player descends. The deepest areas of Velkaris should feel older than the recognizable city above, suggesting that parts of the mountain may have existed long before later generations expanded Velkaris.
The Remnants may provide clues, warnings or incomplete memories, but they should not simply explain what lies beyond the door.
Franz must not independently determine what the sealed chamber contains or why it was hidden. The chamber may connect to Velkaris's deeper established history, and its true purpose should remain unknown until that lore has been specifically defined.
Reaching the door itself can therefore be a significant discovery.
Opening it is another matter entirely.