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The South Beach

The South Beach is a steep shingle beach in a sheltered inlet on the South-South Western shore of Mount Anar which is one of the few places where it is safe to land by boat around the treacherous cliffs of the great mountain. An informal Adventurers' camp has grown up over the years around the beach and been tunneled out from the surrounding caves. Due to its location, the South Beach is the favoured entrance to the Dungeons of Mt. Anar for Elves, Adventurers from the Southern Cities and others who would not be welcome in Fort Venture or Dwarf Hold (in particular Chaotics and Evils).

Being an informal camp not controlled by Lawfuls, the Beach has no formal organisational structure and such permanent facilities as there are employ their own Guards for protection. The Adventurers present will however generally come together against common threats, whether from the Dungeons or if misguided SARAN Paladins or others should decide to mount a raid.

The (semi) permanent facilities at the Beach are:

The Black Cat Tavern, Brothel, General Store and Mule Livery (the "Cat" of the sign being a Displacer Beast - usually the head from one slain in the Dungeons). The Black Cat is a small Dungeon complex of its own, with limited accommodation at high prices. It has a wide veranda facing the beach and sheltered by the overhanging cliffs, which can be a pleasant place to drink in the Summer. It does not hire out Mules, but provides livery for those who have brought their own (keeping them in the caves in the direction of South Passage), and will sometimes sell Mules whose owners have not returned (or failed to pay their bar tab). The Karana Family of Tehmor have a financial stake in the Tavern, though the ales of their rival Derevo Family are available in the bar.
The Alchemist's Shop: operated by Jhonas of the Alchemists' Guild of Tehmor (a fomer apprentice of Kazaral of Fort Venture), assisted by journeymen Alchemists from the Guild.
The Armourer's Shop: operated by the Armourers' Guild of Tehmor and staffed by journeymen Alchemists from the Guild, which offers Fighter Training as well as Weapons and Armour.
The Dream Dealer's Shop: operated by the Guild of Dream Dealers of Iklaron and staffed by journeymen Dream Dealers from the Guild.
Elvish Peddlers on the Beach will generally sell a selection of Elvish craft items, of varying quality and prices.
The Temple of THE RED SCORPION (and Venom Shop): operated by the Red Scorpions of Vavistor (or whichever Faction of Poisoners is in the ascendancy in, or exile from, Vavistor at the time).
Various Thieves' Guilds (usually from The Rat Cult) may attempt to sell Thievish Training, Protection services, Rumours, bets on horse races and/or lottery tickets, but most Adventurers give them short shrift.

Water can be freely obtained from the streams that flow down off or out of the mountain, but is best Purified if taken from the streams on the beach itself. The water from the streams flowing out of the Rat Cult Caves and the Black Cat mule caves is best avoided.

There are no regular ferry services to the South Beach, but passage can be booked on the occasional supply ships that visit it when plying between Kuntax and the Southern Cities and Hapral and the North. There are two docks carved out of the rock, one on each side of the inlet, but after the Year 2500 the West Dock in particular has begun to crumble.

The approved Teleport Point at South Beach is the area about 60 ft in diameter at the entrance to the South Passage, which is generally kept clear of campers and other miscreants.

There are no charges to stay at the Beach, but it is advisable to bring your own tent if you intend to camp on the beach itself (rain being frequent), and for your party to organise Watches as if in the Dungeons.

The South Passage is a 50 foot wide passage leading straight from the South Beach at sea level to the Shaft at the centre of the Mountain, with various side passages leading off into the Dungeons. It does not have formal waystations, but there are a number of frequently used semi-defensible resting points on the way. There are also paths leading off from the docks up either side of the inlet, though these can be prone to rockfalls and can involve some scrambling at points, so are not passable with mules.

South Beach Dungeon Complexes

By the Year 2500 most of the Dungeons within about 50 miles of the South Beach had largely been cleared and adventurers were exploring the areas beyond. The sketch map above shows the most well-known dungeon complexes within about 100 miles of South Beach, though others may exist which have not been publicised by those who found them (or they did not return to tell the tale). Most of the further out complexes on this map were partly cleared by 2500. The Western and Eastern Galleries are cave and dungeon complexes opening onto the cliffs either side of South Beach and their higher areas are still largely unexplored.

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