[CoC/geology] It's not a crater. It's not volcanic. What is it?

[green slime]

It is well known that there are subterranean rivers flowing underneath the surface of the sahara, and sub-saharan Africa.

It is a proven fact, denied by archeologists that the sphinx, and pyramids of Giza are far older than the civilization of man, and that the sahara was once a lush and teaming jungle, less than 20,000 years ago.

What has been forgotten by modern man, is that these are actually made by an Elder Race. Some erudite scholars speculate that there must be a huge underground lake (some would even go so far as to say ocean) located somewhere within this area, as the rivers to seem to flow towards a general area.

Suggestions as to the true purpose of the Elder Race:
Realising an unmentionable catastrophy was to befall them, they choose to hide from the sun, and drain the land of its water, using the water and the ocean for their own foul purposes, and regaining some of their strength. Now that they are ready to reveal themselves to the world again, they collapse part of the surface covering their sea.

How this ties into:

• the Sphinx,
• the Pyramids at Giza,
• the rock carvings in central Sahara,
• the modern day rise of fundamentalism,
• the well-known banditry of this region,
• the advent of AIDS,
• Ebola,
• the increase of resistent Malaria,
• the nasty parasitic-waterborne worm that causes blindness,
• the true purpose of the CIA in Africa,
• the bombing of Khadaffi's home,
• the real reason the british SAS where in Sierra Leone (and what they saw there),
• why President Rawlings forced his entire cabinet to play soccer,
• Why Khadaffi invaded Chad,
• Why the French defended Chad,
• the true cause behind a series of aeroplane and boat accidents in western Africa

I leave to you. Obviously revealing the above photo would be nearing the climax of a campaign.

 

[Dark Dragon]

Hmm, it seems that the Temple of Elemental Evil had an outpost on Earth long ago. I mean, the temple in RttToEE was located in a very similar structure. The outpost was destroyed by some band of weird adventurers (from another world?) and when the Sahara crept northwards, the lake that sourounded the temple dried away. But perhaps something evil still lurks under this area...

 

[Horacio]

Too many adventure ideas...
My head hurts...

Horacio runs to write down them...

 

[Lurks-no-More]

Given the location, I'd say it's G'Harne, or at least the results of some weird cthonian action.

 

[Kugar]

A CoC like Breifing on the "Crater"

What you are looking at above is how our primitive imaging technology captures the visage of The "Guthwast" Nexus as described in the manuscript "Räumliche Kreuzung" (Spatial Crossroads) by the same. There exist numerous reports of aircraft equipment failure and crashes in the area. Rumors exist of secret military presence in the area, the extent of which varies from a small research station to a fully fortified base. Interviews with supposed "witnesses" are very rare, and the witnesses seem to all have severe schizophrenic, and delusional complexes. Accounts tell of "Swirling winds with a flashing colored lights” and "Inhuman faces blinking in and out of existence” One partially deranged "survivor" clamed he actually saw "An indescribable thing ... Immense [in size], ... with the depth of the Universe in its eyes ... picking up tanks and throwing them 100 yards... a voice that shattered buildings." Civilian travel to the crater is almost impossible with a 50 mile radius no fly zone and some of the worst desert ever conditions recorded at its edge.