Ancient Pseudoscience Station

The Ancient Alter is a structure that originates in the underground. Its purpose appears to be to provide loot drops at random to the player. When being struck with a hammer, it takes 6 total strikes to destroy completely, but that is not as easy as it seems. For each strike to the alter, it returns with lightning strikes to the ground all around the player, potentially setting nearby flammable mobs on fire. Each hit randomizes a certain "spawn" around the alter - these spawns can include loot (such as Gems, Trinkets, Armor, or Weapons), enemy mobs (Splumonkey, Cave Spider, Spitter, Baby Tentacles or Bats), along with a change of a health buff (positive or negative). It also appears to have a gradually strengthening negative sanity aura for each blow it is dealt. The aura stays with the player, regardless of distance moved away from the area of the alter.