Queen Sienna’s Garden

Out of the sand rises a massive stone spire, the top of which is shrouded in mist. Once a natural wonder, now bolstered by human ingenuity, a temple filled with beautiful flowers and other fauna line the walls and dens of the many halls of this gravity defying temple. Running water and blooming blossoms fill every room and terrace, filled floor to ceiling with beautiful statues and mosaics. There is a tall staircase that leads to the height of the hanging garden, encircled by glowing mist of water plummeting from it’s walls to the sands far below.
Once it was seen as a place where the gods rested, where the spike was shrouded in a cloud forever and rain fell abundantly. An ancient king by the name of Arius climbed it in search of a cure for his wife, Queen Sienna, who was newly wed to him and revealed she had a deadly disease that would claim her life eventually. He hoped beyond hope that what he openly said were lies about the gods living there were actually true. But it wasn't. Instead he found the clearest, most delicious cold water source in the world.
Instead of accepting defeat, he claimed the spike as part of his kingdom and set to work in secret creating a garden fit for the gods in testiment to his love for his queen. Finally, after nearly two years of work, the awe inspiring building was finished, filled from top to bottom with art, stained glass, ductwork to direct the water into lazy streams and fountains full of vibrant fish, and a personal study with the best view in the place for the queen herself. Within it's walls, artists for several years hence have decorated the place with statues and murals that cover the walls, ceilings, floors, and even the bottoms of the many fountains.
After surprising her with the gift, the king decreed that every year an offering of flowers would be made on her birthday, which was the same week as their anniversary. Thus she would receive flowers at their palace and at the temple all week.
As Queen Sienna's health declined and she lost the capability to walk, her favorite place to sit and think was her garden. She was known to meet diplomatic consults there, watch the lands beyond with a telescope, write in her study, sleep in the sun, water the plants, and feed the birds and insects that called the place home.
But years ago they passed away, and the king and his people are distant memories, voices carried within sandstorms. But to this day, for a week out of the year, Flowers cover the royal family's crypt and fill their shrine at the temple."

Geography

Seen from all directions for several hundred miles, the spire of dark stone, clearly not of the original terrain, stands tall. Though other stones in the area seem to have once been a part of this natural obelisk, they were shorn loose by some great creature or force of nature eons ago.

Flora & Fauna

King Arius went out of his way to collect the most fantastical and beautiful plants in all of the realms. Personally crossing planes to collect specimens. Countless flowers, flowering trees, fruit trees, berry bushes, and budding creepers cover the walls, troughs, floors, and ceilings.
Many birds, bats, and other small mammals make use of the sanctuary, eating fruit and bugs that grow naturally there, and drinking nectar and pure water. It's a functioning ecosystem with little chance of violent predator encounters.

Natural Resources

The water flowing through the Aiwhidhari is said to be the purest, cleanest water in the world. Bubbling up through the spike's cap and falling to the world below as it's routed through the temple it is even been said to have a distinctive smell no other water has. Sale of the water is prohibited, and taking of more than one flask or water skin per person is also frowned upon by the caretakers and nearly all societies.
The Aiwhidhari does have fruits and berries that grow there, namely for the flowers they create whilst budding, but the caretakers do sell those items to local merchants for a hefty fee, the amount of sunlight, manner of soil, fertilization, and watering make all of the plants vibrant and ideal for a nursery and exhibition center

Alternative Name(s)

The Aiwhidhari

Type

Spring