The Glittering Caves

The Gem Caves of Neklian

The Gem Caves of Neklian is an extensive cave system found in Neklian in Dysvoll Ellecran Forest. The caves and the mines within it funded the city-state's expenses for hundreds of years. Now they're abandoned along with the rest of Neklian.

The mines are filled with riches beyond comprehension, and if you have the right talents you can find the most valuable areas quite easily! Earth magic really makes everything more simple when it comes to locating and excavation of gems.

— Dysvollean Archeological Society

Gem Mining

Several mines have been established in the extensive cave system in accordance with where the biggest abundance of gems is located. The caves allow for easy access to survey the dirt that lay around them. After an area has been chosen, usually by magical means, the mining will start. This usually happens with a mix of both traditional hard work and earth Earth Magic to help out.

Gems and their uses

The glittering caves have a good variety of different precious gems. Some gems are mostly used for decoration and jewelry while other gems are popularly used in spiritual and religious practices.
The gems that have most often been found in the caves are amethysts, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, quartz, rose quartz and garnets. More uncommon gems to find in the earth under Neklian include opal, peridot and topaz.

Transport helpers

After the first years in Neklian passed, the inhabitants realised that the underground animals they sometimes bumped into when they were mining were quite mild-tempered. This birthed the idea to domesticate them and use them as helpers in the mines, both with digging and transport of the gems back to the surface.
This became a success and the Buddlers were a valued part of the mining process and even became part-time pets for many when they weren't working. This made the transport of the gems way easier. This practice spread to many other mining facilities over the years.

The Laughing Mines

Now that the caves and the mines within them lay abandoned, curious explorers go to visit the once great city of Neklian to see the crumbling buildings as well as getting a trinket from the mines. However, some people that return from their exploration trip report that the mines are haunted, still inhabited or that perhaps something in them cause hallucinations.
Many have told stories about hearing laughter from the caves, this is the most common story, and also the reason why many refer to the caves as the laughing caves instead of the glittering caves.

Parties in the caves

Another part of the myth is that the laughing and sounds of parties and music comes from a constructed room deep within the mines, made like a giant ballroom carves out of the stone.
The ballroom in the glittering mines has been written in to a few fairytales and such over the last hundreds of years where it's been a popular myth.
It is widely accepted that the ballroom is a myth, and it's not a something people actually believe. However, a lot more people believe that the mines are haunted. However, the ballroom in the mines is actually not made up, but rather it's an actual structure that still exists and can be found in the cave system.

The Ballroom

Opposite to common belief, the Neklians really did carve out a ballroom in the cave system, for special balls. They called this The Glittering Ballroom, due partly to the fact that its located in the glittering mines, and partly due to the decorations.
It's a very luxurious location, with the inside decked out in a mix of the carved stone and marble, which was added in to create a contrast and a beautiful finish. Thousands of gems are installed all over the ballroom, primarily in the ceiling and the pillars. This creates a beautiful sparkle when the candlelight dances all through the ballroom.

Alternative Name(s)

The Glittering Mines
Neklian's Well of Wealth

Type

Cave System

Location under

Ruins of Neklian

Included Locations

• The Glittering Ballroom

Owning Organization

Neklian

Related Myths

• The Laughing Caves

The large quantity of gems underneath Neklian is what supported their way of life right from the start. The Neklians made sure to keep the supply of gems small enough so that the price they could sell them at didn't take a deep dive.
If they oversaturated the market, the price for the gems would be so small that they no longer would have the income they need to sustain their society and way of living.

— Dysvollean Archeological Society