Lake Zhurid
Underground lakes are havens for all sorts: animals, people, spirits, and other things we don't understand. Lake Zhurid, though, kept calling the same people. The Followers arrived time after time, even after it was long lost.
One time, they arrived so long after it was lost that there were massive holes in the ceiling, holes which weren't there before, but allowed for farming. No one knew how they got there, even to this day. Was it a fire spirit with the power to melt rock? Or was a dune monster just burrowing through? Who knows. I wouldn't want to know, either way.
Government
Theocracy based on the Followers.
Defences
The city is underground with very few and small caves which lead into it. It is also surrounded by a desert. It would be daunting to march a large enough army through the desert while keeping them supplied. It would be impossible to get them to Lake Zhurid without them being spotted days out.
There are numerous mazes carved into the stone, as well. These act as traps, some of them literal pits, while others lead into kill zones.
Industry & Trade
Agriculture is the major industry. After that it is military needs, followed by religious culture. While most would say the most important is culture based upon the One, it ultimately is third in creating jobs and taking up the time of the city.
Infrastructure
The underground city has numerous tunnels built in through thousands of years. This houses people and makes for the military complex. The temple is drilled into the walls, but shallower. There is also art placed by stone masons to show history.
Lake Zhurid itself irrigates a complex agriculture system underground. Sunlight comes down through large holes created in the ceiling. No one knows why they're there.
Assets
Water, crops, military arson, up to date alchemy equipment
Guilds and Factions
The Followers of the One control the city. Any who do not believe in the One are exiled. Delven brief stays, but the insistence for nearly complete pacifism in order to follow the One makes the Followers feel uncomfortable.
History
Lake Zhurid was found thousands of years ago when the Followers were first pushed out of Lake G'desh by the Pure Flame. Livestock and a little vegetation created above kept the people alive. Before the city overgrew, the people were able to return to Lake G'desh.
Over the centuries, the Followers would return and leave repeatedly. More areas were carved out with every visit. The most recent settlement came to find holes in the ceiling, allowing agriculture. This made a larger population and a true city possible.
Architecture
All structures are carved into the stone walls. There are no standing structures out in the cavern where Lake Zhurid proper is. The temple is often painted white, but that consumes nearly all the paint they can obtain. Rugs purchased from local Delven oases are used to adorn walls and floors with color.
The military cave is unique. It is filled with dead ends and pitfalls. It is meant to vet out spies who do not know their way around. The path is also roughly hewn. The path is uncertain and can be difficult to walk, except in certain defensive positions. This is meant to keep attackers off balance, while giving defenders steady footing.
Geography
Lake Zhurid is an underground lake, with a series of small tunnels. Above are pillars as if to mark the location. Other than the pillars, it is barren dunes.
Natural Resources
Water, stone, grain.
Alternative Name(s)
Zhurid
Type
City
Population
20,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Followers
Location under
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