Trench of Lopok

The Trench of Lopok, also known as Sekolah's Trench by sahuagin, was one of three deep ocean trenches in the undersea realm of Serôs.
==Etymology==
The name of this trench was derived from the locathah word for kraken.
==Geography==
This deepwater trench ran from north to south in the Sea of Fallen Stars and was located west of the underwater Mountains of Volar. It like the other three trenches of the Inner Sea were considered to be part in the Underdeep Depth, a depth so deep and frigid that sunlight never reached it.
The Trench of Lopok had a steep decline to the bottom of the sea, its sides descending into a near vertical slant. Though attempts were made to determine its depth by plumbing lines, which found ground at no more than beneath the sea floor, the trench's true depths were unknown.
==History==
Circa -10400 DR, a triton architect known as Vodos swam into the Trench of Lopok and was never seen again.
In , the First Serôs War ended with the fall of a major sahuagin kingdom within this trench.
In , krakens emerged from this trench and wrecked the Numosi and Jhimari schools of the Dukars.
In , Coronal Essyl of Aryselmalyr sent agents on an expedition into the Trench of Lopok. They came back alongside three fiendish kraken servants of Dagon, who carried an artifact known as the Emerald Eye.
In , Vaequiis II of Aryselmalyr launched the Fifth Serôs War against the shalarin kingdom of Es'krin and formed an alliance with a pair of krakens from the trench, Borapalys and Rylurkarth.
Around the late 1360's DR, the kraken Slarkrethel was having members of his organization the Kraken Society construct a krakengate within the trench.
==Inhabitants==
Clustered around the upper cliffs entrance of this trench were three triton kingdoms — Ahlorsath, Pumanath, and Vuuvaxaths — known collectively as the Triton Protectorates. Ahlorsath rested directly on its eastern cliff edge, with its central capital Ahlors resting on its southeastern edge, though outsiders speculated that further cities and outposts of the protectorate resided on ledges within the trench. The Triton Protectorates worked collectively to guard the trench from those who sought to delve its depths and the evils that sought to escape it. When questioned, tritons would vaguely refer to the latter threat as "Those Who Sleep Below" and that it was their sacred duty to guard against them.
The two species that were known for certain to dwell within its depths were krakens and morkoths. But if morkoths were ever spotted trying to enter the trench, tritons would make certain they were slain. And prior to the First Serôs War, a kingdom of sahuagin also lived within its depths.
==Rumors & Legends==
It was alleged by some that morkoths and kuo-toas first arose from this trench. This lead speculation of the existence of dark gods dwelling within the trench's depths. Both groups did believe that the gods of their ancient myths were imprisoned within its depths, but were guarded by the tritons.
The early morkoth theocracies within Serôs believed that their gods slept within its depths and that only fervent prayer could one day awaken them. Later legends claimed that Xamarx, a monarch of the morkoth theocracy Olleth who died in , was still alive within this trench as some lich-like form.
==Appendix==
===References===
Category:Underwater locations
Category:Locations in Serôs
Category:Locations in the Sea of Fallen Stars
Category:Locations on Toril