Umbra City "The Underworld"
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Maker's Log #89906: "The Underworld"
Umbra City is a truly incredible creation.
Covered in a dome of rock beneath the ground, it's a cavern that's split into three flat tiers, as if weathered by limestone and water. Rather, I think it was a result of the bile from that massive landsquid Onok killed some years back. Whether acid or lime, though, I suppose the effect was still the same.
When the other Elders picked their home to settle above ground and started looking after the early batches of Cybrii, Onok chose to stay down there. He's made from pure darkness, so I suppose it makes sense, but it sure makes it awkward to visit him. Every time I walk those tunnels, I can feel myself dying again. My mask reacts to that gloom poorly. But that reaction is unique to me. The Cybrii all seem right at home, whether their element is shadow or even air. The city's relatively central location has made it the popular hub of commerce for this fledgling society.
Don't worry, Limna is still my favorite by a long shot. Nothing can compare to your gardening genius, but Onok's little “Underworld” is nothing short of a testament to the power these Cybrii wield together. If these children of mine had overlapped with our own people… I'm not sure we would've stayed at the top of the foodchain.
The galaxy is safer for it, I guess.
For now at least.
<RETRIEVING HISTORIC LOCATION INFO>
Some volcanic, some natural, and others carved out by a mixture of animal and cybrii hands, the island is criss-crossed by vast networks of tunnels. The largest of these networks became a trade highway between the other three villages.
These main tunnels sit near the surface, and connect at a giant cavern just north of Mount Fulkana. Elder Onok was the first to discover the place in his early days, before the Elders were tamed and the first Cybrii walked the island. It grew from a springfed hole into a home, and from a home into a city.
These days, "The Underworld" is home to not just Elder Onok and the Umbrii that share his element, but Cybrii of all elements as well. Most notably, Umbra boasts the largest single population of hot-headed Ignii. The mix of cultures leads to frequent problems for the Elder to resolve. His long friendship with the Igni Elder, Hakhoz, is likely the only reason the city has avoided collapse after all this time.
The city is split into three mostly-flat platforms by an ancient limestone buildup, each spilling out of the base of the next one. When the Ignii sought refuge after failing to build a city of their own, the Umbrii granted them the lowest two tiers of the cavern. Only the topmost tier of the cavern connects to the tunnel networks. Due to their unpleasant temperment and "diluted" element, Ignii are barred from the city's upper tier except by permit.
The ban is just one of many reasons for the high tensions between the city. "Thrown down to burn with the rest of the trash" is an unfortunately common term among the city's upper crust.