The Nashya
A World of Despair
"When Zamhita tore itself asunder during The Kalyugi and the heavens and earth met and intertwined, a new world was found beneath our own, resplendent in its savagery and mystique. In the wake of devastation, many men and women were left with nothing. Seeking vengeance (or death), they ventured into the depths of Zamzara, where the light of Civilization was choked by the endless series of caverns. For years, none returned. They were never expecting anyone to. This all changed with the dramatic and legendary return of the founder of the Nashyan Studies field of academics: Cyryl Fokhem. Emboldened by this knowledge, more began to delve into this netherworld in search of glory and fame, each expedition as foolish and deadly as the last. Here lie their anecdotes."
- Extravagant Explorers of the World Beneath
Geography
Entrances to the Nashya are found all over Zamzara in the most unlikely of places, even in the middle of the ocean. All share one thing in common: they look like gaping wounds in the earth, stretching into an infinite abyss below. Those cocksure or foolish enough to venture beyond are confronted with an alien world of hate and avarice, boundlessly equal in risk and reward. A twisted labyrinth of rock and earth awaits, impossibly complex in its construction, constantly expanding as the monsters who live here dig deeper and deeper for reasons unknown. Those who have returned tell stores of subterranean rivers wider than the canals of Zamhita, of jewels the size of a man's head, even of inexplicable mountain ranges with cavernous ceilings of frozen ice. Few are willing to go back.
Fauna & Flora
This is the land of monsters, a fact many are quick to be reminded of once they are beset upon by all sides by ravenous beasts intent on spilling their blood. All research conducted since the discovery of the Nashya has concluded that there are no other lifeforms in the ecosystem: All animals are monstrous in nature, as is the plantlife. It is theorized that they have long since eradicated any ecological competition and established complete dominance of the underground. Extreme caution is advised to anyone exploring even close to any entrances to the Nashya.
Natural Resources
Only the hardiest treasures can survive in this land: Nashyan herbs can cure infertility, align one's Prana, and heal all diseases; there are ores that foremen would sacrifice 1000 miners to attain; even the seemingly humble Apricorn revolutionized Zamzian culture from the ground up. Under a certain viewpoint, the monsters themselves are the greatest resource of all - beasts on the surface grow far more slowly than their Nashyan counterparts, and some have never been seen outside of the darkest depths of the underground. The power of these monsters is infused into every part of their being, and many parts are sought after for various uses.
Alternative Name(s)
The Lost; The Worldvoid
Type
Underground / Subterranean
Related Myths
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Oooh, I like this, it's quite interesting. It vaguely reminds me of celtic myth, or even of xibalba, in that it is less of a hell, and more of a true underworld. An extension of the world, the other side of the coin. I know you have the Cult of the Emperor as part of your spiritual world building, which seems to be a religion of ascendance, but are there opposing religions that seek paths of descent? It seems like the Nashya would draw people with those sort of inclinations, people who want to end all roads or break the cycle of kalpas.
I can't say more, but yes, there are other religions which heavily deviate from Imperial doctrine.