[Nyka location] The Nykshela Quarries

[Liar]

The Nykshela Quarries Just outside the western wall, rolling green hills are lined with hard red edges and parted at the center by the wide road that leads to the Gates. The Nykshela Quarries are the source of the stone that comprises the bulk of Nyka’s infrastructure, from the walls of homes to the bridges over the Aperture to the Celestial Palace itself. Winding like rivers through the landscape and pooling in wide valleys, it is said the reddish stone is colored with the blood of old Nykalia when it was sundered overnight. The quarries seem to have been carved from the earth without rhyme or reason, but anyone who has watched them expand over the years would quickly learn otherwise. Those who would carve more stone out of the earth know that there is a finite supply of it, and make certain to honor the lands that so graciously surrender their bounty. By day, the quarries are filled with the activity of hard labor, cutting and chipping the raw stone into all shapes and sizes. There is a trickling stream of horse-drawn wheels that transport the stone to the city gates, where it is transferred to where ever it is needed. If it is not immediately required, it is organized and stored at the quarries, as there is simply no room in the city itself. It is the responsibility of Xannos’s monks to look after the progress of the workers as well as defend them from the inevitable harassment of wild beasts. They may be found with a pen and paper, tracking the day’s yield, or with hammer in hand, patrolling the various levels for any dangers: be they foreign creatures or thoughtless quarrymen. By night, the citizenry returns to their homes, while a few brave monks remain on patrol. Unique to this landscape, other than the color of the stone, is the surplus of jewels and ores that can be found seemingly at random among the hills, especially on the frequent rainy days. Whatever cataclysm ravaged these lands is said to have created the perfect environment for such an array of apparently inexhaustible treasure, or maybe it is simply the blessing of the resident Alvina and her mother, the Earth Goddess. Workers and monks alike are bound to find multiple precious specimen a day, but they are quickly catalogued and delivered to workshops of the Western Quarter. Regular citizens are welcome to search at their own leisure and peril; sometimes festivals are held in which the most beautiful find is given an award.