The Under-garden of the Obsolblist Desert

History

Before the establishment of the Nine Rivers Project The original surroundings of the then minor mining settlement of Laur were nearly completely barren, save for the oasis that the small settlement established itself on for survival. Beyond it lied inhospitable desert for Kilometers without any discernible end. There had been consistent arguments within the settlement involving the fabled Garden of Kiann, a supposedly blessed land of many land grown bounties for those who found it. By this point, the Garden was simply that, a fable, told by the elders of the village, who claimed it was beneath the very sands they walked on, many however took this as a ploy to keep morale up in the mines below since it had been almost two decades since they started mining and had yet a hint of the promised land.
On the 4th day of Skies Brightest 2734, that luck turned drastically when one of the miners struck what he thought was a small pool of water that almost flooded the layer of tunnels they were working on. After they cleared the water they realized they had found a gargantuan subterranean habitat abundant with food and wildlife. The miners who discovered it quickly declared this as being the sacred Garden of Kiann and immediately got to work. Much of the above ground resources were swiftly moved to the garden as it quickly became the new dwelling for the people of Laur as well as a religious site of worship to the Goddess Kiann.

Public discovery

Due to the abundance of resources now suddenly available to the people of Laur, it's population exploded and grew exponentially. The garden however remained a relative isolated secret due to the limited foot traffic that crosses the Obsolblist Desert being comprised of trading caravans that delivered to the small settlements within the deserts expanse. The people of Laur were very well attempting to keep the secret of the garden for themselves, knowing that if it was released to the world, the integrity of the undergarden would be at risk. The people of Laur didn't trade any produce from the undergarden and instead simply delivered on the mineral resources they already commonly provided. The traders however were growing suspicious of the small mining village, many remarked on how well fed they looked compared to past visits as well as just having a far more happier vibe then usual.
In 2742, eight years after the initial discovery of the undergarden, a mercenary on his way back from a job had found himself lost and stumbled upon Laur after running out of water a day before and food many days before that. The citizens of Laur, not heartless enough to see a man die to keep their secret hidden brought him to the undergarden and nursed him to health. Because of their generosity, the mercenary vowed to never speak of the undergarden to another living soul after he left. He failed to keep this promise. The mercenary gave away the secrets of the garden after a drunken splutter. Within a couple months after, the secret was out. The Under-garden of the Obsolblist Desert became known to the world.

A player in the world stage

With the secret of the Under-garden revealed, the mass resources held by Laur could now be traded. The village saw a mass increase in commercial goods coming through and economically prospered especially given it's location. The village, and later city, quickly became a common pitstop for anyone travelling across the Obsolblist Desert. Laur put many restrictions on outsiders when it came to entering and being in the Under-garden, still wanting to preserve it's beauty including to ensure it's well-being.
From it's economic prosperation, much of the money went into expanding the above ground village which acted more as a single big market rather then the entirety of a town, they also used they money to enforce their rules involving the Under-garden, most important of which was that only followers of Kiann were allowed to be on the grounds for any extensive amount of time. Within a few years, anyone who was in the vicinity of the Obsolblist desert had heard of Laur and the grand bazaars it possessed as well as the fabled Under-garden that was under the bazaars.

Geography

The opening that first discovered the Under-Garden was dug up around the 400-500 m mark under the grounds of the Laur Oasis. After initial analysis it was believed to simply be a small water filled cave until it was investigated further to reveal the full extent of the cave system. The cave slowly descends an additional 120 meters below ground where it levels off to a massive, wide open cave covered in flora of all sorts never seen in other regions (though many speculate that these were indigenous plants to the Obsolblist desert region before it dried up).
The cave is organically lit by another never before seen creature that keeps it consistently bright as it 'swims' above the roof of the cavern, The large Jellyfish like creature has often been called The Starlight Jellyfish by the locals (More details below). The cave stretches out multiple kilometers on each end before being stopping at a cave wall at all ends. The only point of access being the entrance originally made by the mining operations.

Fauna & Flora

Much of the plant life discovered here has never been spotted in any other region currently known. The wildlife however, is rather normal, featuring animals that are well abundant in other regions of the world including horses, rabbits, deer, as well as some predatory animals like Wolves and vultures, whom people speculate may had originally been from above ground before all connections to the surface disappeared.

The Starlight Jellyfish

The strangest thing however is the light source of the Under-garden. A massive, glowing, golden jellyfish floats across the roof of the Under-garden providing light across the entire cavern. It's been entirely peaceful since it's discovery and hasn't done anything to harm the people who've come down. It has shown to be curious, floating closer to any human construction, but hasn't shown any violent attitudes towards any actions taken towards it (violent actions however have not been attempted nor should they). The Starlight Jellyfish ,as many have come to call it, has shown to be herbivorous using it's tentacles to take sometimes whole trees into itself yet creates no form of tangible waste.
Many have speculated however that it's bio-luminescence is it's waste product from signs including the increase in strength of the Jellyfishes light after feeding. However the Jellyfish has shown to be able to freely control the strength of it's light and may simply be doing it as a sign of happiness. Although it has shown to have the potential to light the entire kilometers wide cavern, the Starlight Jellyfish only releases enough light to bring about half of the cave to light throwing the rest of the cave into a dusk state of light.
The Starlight Jellyfish most certainly does this to ensure a proper day/night cycle within the Under-garden for all the plants and animals, floating from one side of the cave to another to simulate it. Many are amazed however, at it's ability to actually simulate a day/night cycle assuming it has never been above ground before. More surprising is the accuracy of it's cycle. Completing one cycle every 24 hours exactly

Alternative Name(s)

The Garden of Kiann, The bounty of Laur

Type

Underground / Subterranean