Cradle of Tolnukh

The Cradle of Tolnukh is one of the more exotic regions of Ur, brimming with diverse or bizarre flora and fauna, this massive caldera is as large as multiple cities and known as the homelands of the enigmatic Cnistari people. To the best guess of Kaigen Collective Archaeologists the caldera was formed sometime shortly after or near the end of the Great Exodus.

Location...

The Cradle of Tolnukh is located in the icy continent to the North of the Gacu Isles. The Cradle of Tolnukh itself is a deep abyss of ocean water that exists above a complex network of caves that span across much of Ur and feed out into the sea. It is centered above the Northern pole of Ur near the center of this largely icy mass referred to as Cnistar.

Description...

The Cradle of Tolnukh in simple terms is a caldera or ocean filled bowl comprised of mountains. It is unique in that it is essentially an entire sea above ocean level in this otherwise icy landlocked area. It has a vast network of subterranean systems leading out to sea which the natives used to settle across Ur.
Most astounding is this massive ecosystem is contrary to the surrounding location and is a self-sustaining sea like ecosystem within this massive caldera. The diversity within it ranges across many forms of aquatic biomes and swamp with sparse landmass around the inner "bowl" forming temperate rainforest. On the outer edge of the bowl, external to the surrounding mountains it is ice and frozen ground as far as the eye can see in all directions, forming the northern continents arctic wastelands.
Within the Caldera itself exists is where the Cnistari have originated and colonized in massive swathes of land from shorelines to beneath the waterlines. The Cnistari adapted to life on both land and water with their architecture reflecting this from use of sandstone, coral and limestone among other deep earth minerals or oceanic flora like brightly colored kelps or even the massive bones of sea beasts they breed and hunt (See Cnistari Beastiary).

Caldera Native Kaiur...

The original awoken species for this unique and isolated aquatic region within the caldera are known as the Cnistari. These unique people match their unique biome and are unlike any other Kaiur that are generally more bestial in nature. The Cnistari at a glance are translucent with vibrant color variations of blues, greens and purples with gossamer strands of light pulsing throughout their beings.
These otherworldly looking Kaiur should actually be considered closer to a hive of organisms than a single entity as they are actually comprised of innumerable micro entities. Though this is purely semantic or academic for most as the Cnistari behave much like any other Kaiur with distinct, if somewhat mercurial, personalities, memories and behavior.
Generally the Cnistari settlements are found in aquatic environments they will sometimes live on land, seemingly without issue, though they tend to prefer wet environments. Based on the environment the Cnistari may vary in their levels of translucence and plasticity. Purely aquatic Cnistari tend to be more translucent and highly flexible but smaller in form while the land dwelling Cnistari are more opaque with more rigid but still fairly pliable forms.

The Legend of Tolnukh...

The name Cradle of Tolnukh originated from Cnistari legends about Tolnukh, a deep sea wurm of such immense proportion it was capable of consuming entire islands and shaped Ur as we know it.
The origin lore of the cradle claim it is the sacred site where the great wurm "Tolnukh" burst forth to reach the heavens that called to it. They believe Tolnukh the ancient wurm of the deeps became enamored with the deep black void of space and thought of it as a greater ocean where it can grow beyond the confines of Ur. It became obsessed with reaching beyond the reach of Ur that is was trapped within.
Tolnukhs desire for the heavens were so strong over time that it began relentlessly burrowing it's way up through Ur itself, shredding the land apart to reach the beyond the sea and sky. The breach point on the landmass above on the northern tip of Ur is what led to the formation of the massive mountain rimmed caldera that is the Cradle of Tolnukh. Furthermore, the titanic eruption was of such magnitude that Tolnukh pulled the seas along with it, filling the mountainous bowl with the seas themselves, creating this perfect aquatic environment for the Cnistari to thrive in away from predation or the harsh icy climate.
The legend goes on to state that Tolnukh can be seen and watches over Ur even now from the heavens, believing the Planetary Rings of Ur are actually the great wurm itself encircling the planet. It is said, as Tolnukh was nearing the edge of Ur it looked down upon its home one last time, as it looked the great beast felt a deep sorrow leaving Ur. That sorrow gave pause to Tolnukh and in this moment of hesitation it threw it's tail around the planet to halt its ascent, gripping its own tail into its maw to anchor itself in orbit. From it's position Tolnukh would reside, never leaving Ur or the comforting darkness of the void. Over time the great wurm and the celestial orbs (Moons of Ur) would create spawn of Tolnukh and form the variety of planetary rings that currently exist above Ur or so the Cnistari believe.

Mysteries...

Due to the awe inspiring nature of the Cnistari homeland and the Cnistari themselves many wild thoughts and mysteries exist for the average Kaiur. Some of the most prevalent concern the possibility that Tolnukh or some similar event is what created the planetary rings. Much to the dismay of the Kaigenisis Covenant and Kaigen Collective, the rings have yet to be reached to confirm or deny these mysteries.
The other great mystery concerns the origins of the Cnistari within the caldera or Cradle of Tolnukh. Simply put all other known Kaiur or awoken species of Ur have some traces linking back to the Kaijin, while the Cnistari currently have no known record or history prior to the Great Exodus. This lack of lineage has led to small scale conflict and distrust of the generally benign Cnistari, even in the face of the Cnistari contributions to the Kaigen Collective through their expert use of Aether as Arcanists and their expertise in Aether refinement. More extreme conspiracy on the Cnistari suggest these ethreal people are foreign to Ur as extra planar or from the void of space. These conspiracy theorists believe the Caldera is more of an impact site from the Cnistari's arrival on Ur. 
Though this is the most wild of conspiracies that the Cnistari dismiss or claim ignorance on, the Kaigenesis Covenant continues building relations with the Cnistari elders to uncover even the faintest possibility to pursue and research this miraculous to subsequently uncover the advanced technologies behind it.

Pronunciations...

Tolnukh - "Toll-Nuke"
Cnistar - "Nis-Star"
Cnistari - "Nis-Starry"

Type

Crater / Crater Lake / Caldera